Vet a PE firm in eight minutes.
Investment-grade due diligence on any private equity firm. SEC IAPD ADV Part 1 + 2, Crunchbase firm record, PitchBook public data, Form D fund filings, portfolio company analysis, partner LinkedIn track records. Twelve sections, every claim cited to a regulator URL or public filing.
What gets verified
Every PE Firm Vetting Report draws from the regulator-of-record sources for US private equity firms.
| Source | What it tells us |
|---|---|
| SEC IAPD | Canonical CRD identity. Firm registration, ADV Part 1, ADV Part 2 brochure, disciplinary actions of record. |
| ADV Part 1 firm filing | AUM, employee count, types of clients, fee model, conflicts-of-interest disclosures, disciplinary disclosures. |
| ADV Part 2 brochure | Plain-English fee disclosure, compensation structure, supervised-persons disclosure, methods of analysis. |
| Form D filings | Each closed fund's Form D disclosure: fund size, vintage, GP and management entity. |
| Crunchbase | Firm record, funding rounds led, portfolio companies, exits, IPO outcomes. |
| PitchBook public-summary data | Where PitchBook makes a firm summary public. Investment activity, sector focus. |
| Portfolio company websites | Self-disclosed PE backing, leadership team, financial-press disclosures, SEC filings. |
| CalPERS / CalSTRS / state-pension public reports | Where a major LP publishes annual report disclosures of fund performance. |
| Partner LinkedIn (public profiles) | Partner track records, prior-firm tenure, deal attributions where publicly disclosed. |
| News archives + financial press | Press coverage of major deals, exits, partner departures. |
What the report contains
The full PE Firm Vetting Report is twelve sections, paginated, between 3,000 and 6,500 words.
- Executive Summary. 200-400 word synthesis.
- Firm Profile. Founding date, headquarters, AUM band, employee count, primary strategy.
- Fund-Vintage History. Each closed fund's Form D filing, vintage, fund size.
- Portfolio Composition. Sector concentration, geography, hold-period analysis.
- Exit History. Realized exits with public outcomes.
- Partner Track Record. Each partner's career arc, prior-firm tenure, deal attributions.
- Regulatory and Disciplinary History. ADV Part 1 disciplinary disclosures, SEC enforcement actions.
- Public Performance Disclosures. CalPERS / CalSTRS / endowment annual report disclosures where available.
- Comparable Firms. Five archetype-matched peer firms.
- Press and Litigation Surface. News coverage. CourtListener civil case search.
- Headline Recommendation. Engage / engage with caveats / additional vetting / pass.
- References and Source Citations. Full audit trail.
How we identify the right PE firm
Gate 1 — SEC IAPD ADV match
The SEC IAPD search must return at least one CRD-identified candidate. ADV Part 1 is the canonical firm record for SEC-registered private equity advisers above the $150M AUM threshold.
Gate 2 — Disambiguation card
Multiple CRD candidates surface as a disambiguation card with current AUM, headquarters, and primary strategy.
Gate 3 — Confirm before charge
Wrong-firm reports are credited back automatically.
Sub-threshold firm handling
Firms below the SEC registration threshold register at the state level. The report explicitly tags the absence of SEC ADV when the firm is sub-threshold.
Sample reports on file
Public sample reports curated for the PE firm vertical. Built from public-record sources only.
The Vista Equity Partners sample illustrates the mega-cap software-buyout strategy mode, with fund-vintage history, sector concentration analysis, partner track-record, and SEC ADV filing trail.
When to use a PE Firm Vetting Report
- LP-side fund commitment due diligence. Supplement the ILPA DDQ with public-record evidence of partner track records.
- GP-stake investor due diligence. Surface firm-level economics signals, partner stability, public performance disclosures.
- M&A counterparty diligence. Hold-period patterns, prior CEO turnover, governance style, exit-pattern reliability.
- Executive evaluation of a PE-backed role. Surface hold-period patterns, prior CEO turnover, known governance style.
- Competitive intelligence. Strategy positioning, sector focus, fund-pacing, partner-departure patterns.
Pricing
PE Firm Snapshot
One-page firm brief.
200 credits
- Firm headline (AUM, HQ, primary strategy)
- Fund-vintage headline
- Top portfolio bets
- Headline regulatory status
- Source URL audit trail
- Returns in roughly 90 seconds
PE Firm Vetting Report Recommended
Full investment-grade due diligence.
1000 credits
- All twelve sections, 3,000-6,500 words
- Fund-vintage history with Form D filings
- Portfolio composition and exit history
- Partner track-record across the platform
- Public performance disclosures
- References section: every cited filing URL
- Returns in 6-8 minutes
Credits are platform-wide. A Pro plan includes credits monthly; pay-as-you-go credit packs are available. See pricing for current plans.
Methodology
The full methodology behind the PE Firm Vetting Report is published.
Frequently asked questions
What sources does the PE Firm Vetting Report draw from?
SEC IAPD ADV Part 1 and Part 2 filings, Crunchbase firm record, PitchBook public summary data, portfolio company websites and SEC filings, Form D filings on closed funds, partner LinkedIn track records, news archives, proxy disclosures from publicly traded portfolio companies.
How does the report handle confidential fund performance data?
The report does not surface unverified IRR or MOIC numbers. Where a fund's performance is publicly disclosed in a CalPERS or public-pension annual report, that disclosure is cited directly.
Can I use this for LP-side due diligence on a fund commitment?
Yes, as a research synthesis layer that supplements the standard ILPA DDQ.
How does the report handle middle-market versus mega-cap PE firms?
The middle-market mode emphasizes platform-build patterns and sector concentration. The mega-cap mode emphasizes large-buyout history and SEC filing frequency.
Does the report cover GP-led secondaries or continuation funds?
Yes. Where a firm has executed GP-led secondary transactions, the report surfaces fund-vintage history and public continuation-fund disclosures.
Why is the snapshot tier 200 credits rather than 30?
Firm-level diligence is materially more research-intensive than person-level diligence.
Related
VC Firm Vetting Reports → Investor Vetting Reports → Use case: Competitive Intel on a PE Firm → Methodology: PE Firm →