Private equity firms are staring a wall of data directly in the face. And the more portfolio companies a fund has, the taller that wall gets. Granted, adding portcos and expanding a fund structure is usually a good problem to have. However, disparate data from disparate companies still poses a significant threat, especially when it comes to management reporting.
Thankfully, as we discuss in our latest guide, The Reporting Automation Playbook for Private Equity Funds, PE groups now have several options to turn to when they want to efficiently roll up portco data into timely, accurate, and dynamic fund reporting, including automated solutions that can seamlessly scale with a fund.
As usual, it's a matter of choosing the most appropriate reporting methodology for your fund's specific needs and objectives. And this, as you might've guessed, is the focus of our guide, where we take a deep dive into three methodologies for aggregating portico data into fund-level reports:
- Excel-based manual consolidation
- Purpose-built reporting solutions
- Customized PE reporting tech stacks
As you'll see after reading our guide, Embark’s unbiased, comprehensive approach to each methodology will help you walk away with a solid understanding of what you face on the reporting front and, more importantly, the best path for your group to pursue.
High-Level Insights, In-Depth Strategies
Rather than sticking to generalities with this guide, we're not afraid to roll up our sleeves and climb into the PE reporting weeds a bit, combining high-level insights with comprehensive, real-world strategies to give you a sense of direction and purpose.
Put another way, our guide walks you through the benefits and drawbacks of each of the approaches, discussing the operational impact at every turn. For example, although there are a handful of solid, purpose-built reporting solutions for PE groups on the market, most of them work best when paired with bolt-on external reporting platforms.
Likewise, while often an appropriate route for smaller or newer firms, manual consolidation processes offer diminishing returns for private equity funds looking to expand their portco horizon. These insights, amongst countless more, are the types of concepts and best practices we discuss throughout our Reporting Automation Playbook.
A Customized, Automated Approach to PE Fund Reporting
Finally, we also closely examine the optimal consolidated reporting methodology for PE funds, one that can provide general partners, key stakeholders, and investors with near real-time information, covering critical topics like:
- Streamlining and standardizing data across portfolio companies
- Centralizing data into highly accessible, secure, cost-effective storage
- Integrating automation and visualization tools
Want to know precisely what your allocation looks like at any given moment? Or delve into even the most nuanced cash flow KPIs at the portfolio or fund levels? What about switching between GAAP and management reporting formats without reinventing the wheel at every turn? These are the types of abilities that make automated reporting such a potential game changer for fund managers and leadership.
Even better, once you download and read Embark's Reporting Automation Playbook for Private Equity Funds, you'll better understand what path is best for you and what steps to take to get you there.
