Inside Private Equity: Thrills, spills and lessons by the author of Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

by Bill Ferris

Bill Ferris has led the field in Australian venture capital and private equity for over forty years. He has seen his share of successful floats, fly-by-night wonders and companies gone wrong. In his bestselling Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained he took readers behind closed doors to explain how the industry works and shared the lessons he learned along the way.

This book takes the story on into the world of private equity, with a wealth of stories on the successes and failures, deals that went right and deals that went wrong. There are priceless lessons for would-be investors and entrepreneurs in the insights the author can offer - how to raise funds, picking the right people, start-ups versus buyouts, IPOs and trade sales, all lessons drawn from personal experience.

Along with numerous cases studies of successful, and not so successful, ventures, Bill Ferris gives a detailed analysis of what makes a successful PE team, looks into the future of private equity and summarises the history of the industry from the 1970s.

Genres: Business

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2013

Reviews

[John Beilby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it as an overview of some deals that worked and didn't work in venture capital and private equity, and some valuable lessons and advice to succeed.

[Awab AlShwaikh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful book with a lot of lessons and real stories from a man with a real hand on experience for decades in the industry

[Cydney Dupree · Rating 3 out of 5]

some quality stories and lessons

some quality stories and lessons throughout

I like how he gave entry / exit details but would have appreciated even further information regarding EBITDA growth strategies or the timing of cycles.

[Danton Hui · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on Bill's adventures in the Australian private equity industry. This book contains alot of investment insights, tips and tricks, and qualities he looks for when hiring private equity professionals. A great read for anyone who is interested in finance or the investing field.