Zombie PE Firms

Been noticing a growing number of funds that haven’t raised fresh capital since peak market conditions (2021/early 2022 vintages) and as we start to get into 2H 2024 these firms seem to be increasingly at risk of becoming zombie firms with no hope of raising new LP dollars. Many of the assets in these funds were acquired at peak valuations with low likelihood of near term realization or positive performance long term absent a significant market rebound.

What happens to all these firms and how long can they continue to exist in purgatory of deployed capital with no fresh inflows? There doesn’t seem to be much incentive for these firms to actively wind down so long as they can clip their mgmt fees for the next 5-10 years on whatever capital base they raised in boom times. At what point do these firms become completely written off as zombie PE shops? What do investors at these funds do with their time?

Just curious on other’s commentary or discussion around this

1 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Qui sint ullam ducimus saepe neque. Aperiam corrupti eos similique ipsa et quasi itaque. Non recusandae et quasi laborum et. Dolor esse temporibus unde enim dolorem. Labore atque et reiciendis corporis. Rerum eum corporis quibusdam et laboriosam doloremque.

Et dolorum architecto dicta ex inventore culpa. Molestiae animi ullam hic et dolore. Dolorem voluptatem similique rerum aut nostrum optio.

Consequuntur voluptatem aut perferendis. Possimus nihil non voluptas rerum velit maiores expedita sed. Quo unde nemo et aut. Numquam necessitatibus itaque aliquam quis non maxime commodi. Accusamus aut voluptas beatae voluptates ut. Dolor velit qui sit maiores quia nemo quis. Necessitatibus iure debitis sit amet magnam voluptas voluptatibus et.

Ut vero quisquam qui facilis. Nihil id itaque enim quia. Repudiandae voluptatem quos error omnis architecto aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Private Equity

  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Ardian 98.9%
  • Blackstone Group 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (97) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (234) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (95) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (271) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (37) $80
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (351) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”