The amount of funds raised by European private equity managers, including breakdowns on stage focus, sources of funds by type of institutional investor and geographic source.
Total fundraising for Europe in 2018 reached €97.3bn, narrowly ahead of 2017’s total of €96.6bn, which was revised upwards on the availability of new data. The total was the highest of the current decade and only exceeded in 2006. The number of funds raising new capital dropped by 5% to 581, but still remained 13% above the annual average of the previous five years.
Pension funds provided 31% of all capital raised, followed by funds of funds & other asset managers (18%), family offices & private individuals (11%), insurance companies (11%) and sovereign wealth funds (9%). Institutional investors from outside Europe contributed 46% of total fundraising, led by LPs from North America (25%) and Asia (15%).
Buyout fundraising decreased by 8% to €66.5bn. Pension funds remained the most significant investor group in buyout funds, accounting for 37% of the total, followed by funds of funds & other asset managers (19%), sovereign wealth funds (11%) and insurance companies (11%). A record of 55% was committed by investors from outside of Europe, with those from North America representing 28%, followed by Asian LPs at 19% their highest ever contribution.
Venture fundraising increased 11% compared with 2017’s restated level to a record €11.4bn. The majority of capital was committed by private investors, including family offices & private individuals (20%), funds of funds & other asset managers (19%), government agencies (18%), corporate investors (12%) and pension funds (9%). A record of 20% was raised from LPs outside of Europe.
Growth capital fundraising increased by 5% to €7.8bn, reaching the highest level recorded to date. The strategies of these funds range from scaling up venture capital-backed companies, to making minority equity investments in mature SMEs, or pursuing regional development policies with the backing of banks or public institutions. Generalist funds, which pursue investments across buyout, venture and growth strategies, raised €10.6bn in 2018, their highest level since 2007.
2018 | All private equity | Venture capital(1) | Buyout(1) | Growth(1) |
Incremental - Amounts raised | €97.3bn | €11.4bn | €66.5bn | €7.8bn |
Incremental - No. of funds | 581 | 229 | 108 | 110 |
Final closings - Cumulative amount since inception | €89.1bn | €8.6bn | €72.0bn | €3.4bn |
Final closings - No. of funds | 199 | 93 | 57 | 27 |
Source: Invest Europe/EDC
Note: (1) relates to fund focus
Julien Krantz
Research Director
Ariane Mortelmans
Research Officer
You can accept or refuse cookies. Accepting cookies is usually the best way to make sure you get the best from a website.
Most PCs automatically accept them but you can change your browser settings to restrict, block or delete cookies if you want. Each browser is different, so check the 'Help' menu of your particular browser (or your mobile phone's handset manual) to learn how to change your cookie preferences. Many browsers have universal privacy settings for you to choose from.
How to manage cookies in Internet Explorer
Cookie settings in most versions of Internet Explorer can be found by clicking the tools option and then the privacy tab.
How to manage cookies in Firefox
Cookie settings in Firefox are managed in the Options window's Privacy panel. See Options window - Privacy Panel for information on these settings.
How to manage cookies in Chrome
Click on the spanner icon on the toolbar, select settings, click the under the bonnet tab, click on content settings in the privacy section.
How to manage cookies in Opera
You can manage cookies in Opera if you Click on settings, then Preferences, then Advanced and finally Cookies
How to manage cookies in Safari
Choose Safari, then preferences and then click security. You should then be able to specify if and when Safari should accept cookies.
To manage cookies on your mobile phone please consult your manual or handbook.
Get more help about how cookies work with specific browsers.
If you decline cookies, some aspects of Invest Europe site may not work on your computer or mobile phone and you may not be able to access areas you want on the website. For this reason we recommend that you accept cookies.
If you delete all your cookies you will have to update your preferences with us again and some aspects of our site may not work.
If you use a different device, computer profile or browser you will have to tell us your preferences again.
If you'd like to learn more about cookies in general and how to manage them, visit aboutcookies.org.
We can't be responsible for the content of external websites.
Opt-out of cookiesThis is for members only. To view in full login or join Invest Europe today.
Find out more