What is meant by a "pure promote"?

Can someone explain what a "pure promote" is in a waterfall structure? I know what a promote is. If the sponsor hits the defined hurdle then they begin to receive a larger % of profits. But I do not understand what is meant by "pure promote". For example, here is where I have seen the term used in a waterfall description:

85% LP / 15% GP 8.5% Preferred Return First Tier Promote: 68% LP / 32% GP (20% pure promote) Second Tier Promote: 60% LP / 40% GP (30% pure promote)

Thanks

9 Comments
 
Most Helpful

dont over complicate it...by pure it's just added nomenclature to define that the 20% is 100% of the promoted piece. meaning in that hurdle per your example, the GP gets 32%, of which 20% is pure promote...aka 100% of the promoted interest.

has nothing to do with catch ups, claw backs, or any other "special type of promote". If it did, one thing to look for is if it is bold and in quotes...if so, I'd say maybe check the definitions section to see how it's defined outside a tear off term sheet.

Simply, I think theyre just illustrating the % of the net return to the GP that is the promoted interest.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”