This has always been the case and will remain so in the future. From the promotion of new technologies to the realization of innovative business ideas and the implementation of promising corporate strategies, new potential is being created everywhere as a result of entrepreneurial activities. The financing of growth and the improvement of economic efficiency are generating opportunities for investors worldwide.

Private equity allows investors to be at the very forefront of progress when the known boundaries of business are exceeded. Through private equity, opportunities for growth and efficiency enhancement can be captured outside the public markets − or ahead of them, and often these opportunities are independent from economic cycles. As a consequence, investors are being constantly presented with new possibilities for outperformance and portfolio diversification.

Opportunities must first be identified and exploited before any benefit can be derived from them. While intuition undoubtedly plays a key role in this process, success requires a great deal of effort and a systematic approach.

In order to capture the full benefits of private equity, one must invest with the best fund managers. However, it is not simply a case of identifying the industry leaders, it is also necessary to find a means of accessing them as there is considerable investor demand for the top funds.

Private equity is rapidly emerging as an established investment class and is losing its "alternative" label. This is clearly demonstrated both by the amounts of money involved in the market and the number of transactions, as well as the growing number of active fund managers and the purchase behavior of investors. All of these factors are also accompanied by a progressive specialization of the industry.

In addition to requiring detailed market knowledge and in-depth experience, a vast amount of research activity is essential for today's private equity investors. Highly developed processes for manager selection and portfolio construction are vital, and professional investment managers with long term commitment are needed to cultivate strong relationships with a wide network of premier fund managers.

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