Private equity has a cash problem. GTCR's Michael Hollander puts a number on it: the industry has returned a bit more than 10% of NAV a year to LPs, on four-to-five-year fundraising cycles.
Private equity has a cash problem. GTCR's Michael Hollander puts a number on it: the industry has returned a bit more than 10% of NAV a year to LPs, on four-to-five-year fundraising cycles.
The premium is thinner too. Ontario Teachers says private equity used to earn 500 to 600 basis points over its benchmark, and that is getting harder to count on. So the value has to be proven. Bain Capital's Maurizio Musi builds an AI-powered platform that tracks operating metrics in real time, and calls it a powerful sales tool for exit. On the Private Equity Funcast, one sponsor's carve-out went from closing the books in six weeks to 36 hours. Now it's the bar for every CFO in the portfolio.
That's AI that survives diligence. A number a buyer can count on and check.
Sources: Michael Hollander (GTCR) and Maurizio Musi (Bain Capital), Private Equity Spotlight, "The Exit Playbook: Right-timing the exit," Sep 29, 2026. Stephen McLennan (Ontario Teachers'), Capital Allocators, "Building the Total Portfolio at Ontario Teachers (EP.518)," Oct 5, 2026. Private Equity Funcast, "11 Years as a PE-Backed CFO: What Sponsors Actually Want (w/ Jon Apter, Accordion)," Oct 7, 2026.