Private Equity Analyst Outlook Conference Notes

I attended the Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst Outlook Conference in New York this past week, and there were a number of take-aways:

• Fundraising for venture capital funds continues to be difficult for all but the small number of "must have" funds.  Nothing new here, as 2011 was a difficult year and I don't see much to change that in the near term.
• Venture capitalists are bullish on investing opportunities.  They are seeing lots of innovative companies, and are deploying capital.
• LPs continue to re-balance their portfolios, and many are reducing the number of GP relationships they manage.
• Mega-buyout funds are out of favor for most LPs, and small-to-mid-market buyout funds are in favor.
• The IPO market is anticipating the Facebook IPO, and how that IPO performs will determine whether the floodgates will open for more venture-backed IPOs.
  

There were many impressive speakers,and Dow Jones did a good job with the conference.  Here's a link to an article on the conference:  http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2012/01/26/limited-partners-deal-with-venture-industry-contraction-restructuring/