![]() So if a $100M fund has 2% management fee that drops over the life of the fund to blend to a 1.5% annual fee, that would be $1,500,000 per year for 10 years - $15M! So the fund would not invest the full $100M, instead it would only invest $85M, but the carry calculation is still pegged on returning the $100M fund size. So even though the venture capitalist is making money from the management fee, it impacts the hurdle rate to get to how venture investors are really supposed - carry. ![]() This means that the fund’s overall returns will be lower than they would be if there were no management fee. Since the management fee is paid out of the fund’s assets, it reduces the amount of capital available for investment in portfolio companies. The management fee has a direct impact on the net returns generated by the fund. One important item to note is that the 2% management fee isn’t “free” money. Management Fees and Carry interact to influence how VCs make money That encourages the staff to make good decisions, to work with portfolio companies, and to help those startups be successful. With a $20 million carry, partners might split 80% or $16 million, and the remaining 20% of the carry ($4 million) might be distributed to other staff at the VC firm. Within the firm a larger percentage of the carry is split between partners, and a smaller percentage is shared among other employees. This is a much more significant source of revenue for the VC firm. After the initial $100 million is distributed to the investors, the VC firm’s carry would be 20% of the $100 million gain, or $20 million. Most carries are 20%, but a very successful firm with a strong track record might negotiate for a higher carry.Īgain using a hypothetical $100 million fund, once the fund has reached its end date, the companies in which it invested may have successfully exited and were sold to acquirers, or may have held an IPO, and the fund’s investments are now worth $200 million. The agreement is typically structured so that once the fund’s investments start getting distributed back to the fund investors, the VC firm gets a percentage of any profits. Carry is the profit participation that a VC firm sets as part of its agreement with a startup. At any point the VC firm may have two or three funds from which they are collecting the full 2% management fee, and other funds that are past the active phase and are paying lower management fees. The management fees continue to drop by 20 basis points each year (1.6% in year 5, 1.4% in year 6, and so on), but normally do not go below 1% until the fund end date. In year 4, the fee might be reduced by 20 basis points to 1.8%, and the VC firm gets $1.8 million in management fees ($100 million x 1.8%). Using the hypothetical $100 million VC fund, for the first three years, the VC firm may collect $2 million. The 2% annual fee may be reduced each year until the fund is closed. With management fees, there is normally a point during the VC fund’s lifespan where the management fees will be reduced annually, usually once the “active investment” period ends. A VC firm is probably collecting management fees on several funds simultaneously. VCs now launch new funds every two to three years, and the fund’s lifespan is seven to 10 years. ![]() Management fees become more lucrative when the investment firm runs multiple funds at one time. This fee is used to help pay partner and associate salaries, employee salaries, accounting, taxes, audits, and all the other costs of running the fund. The management fee would be $2 million ($100 million x 2%). The management fee is typically two percent of the value of the fund per year.įor example, assume a VC raises $100 million in a venture capital fund. Once a venture capital firm raises a pool of money, it charges its investors a fee to manage the fund. A venture fund is a pool of money invested by high net worth individuals, investment banks, insurance companies, endowments, retirement funds, and other financial firms. Management fees are set as a percentage of the total fund amount annually. The second is carried interest on the fund’s return on investment, generally referred to as the “carry.” The first is a management fee for managing the firm’s capital. Venture capitalists make money in two ways. ![]()
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