Private equity exits: Is the tide turning?

After a tough stretch for private equity, signs are emerging that the exit market may finally be heating up again.

In this edition of Datasite’s Sector Spotlight Series, Dan Dougherty, Regional Manager, PE & Advisory at Datasite, shares insights into the state of private equity exits, with a spotlight on the major dealmaking centers of New York and Boston.

While PE exit activity has cooled since 2022, firms haven’t sat idle. They’re finding creative ways to stay active and the data backs it up.

"On Datasite Acquire, our buyside VDR for proprietary, unbanked deals, we’ve seen a 14% year-over-year increase in deal count." The secondaries market is also booming, with $162B in global transaction volume tracked by Jefferies in 2024 alone.

As LP pressure for liquidity continues to mount, and many seeking to get out of funds entirely, PE firms have tried to keep busy with inorganic growth to weather the storm.

Fundraising rebounds and exit outlook

Despite some skepticism around fundraising, 2025 is off to a strong start. We've seen a 25% increase in fundraising sites opened on Datasite, putting us on track to surpass 2024’s total of number of capital raised.

On the exit front, signs are pointing to a possible uptick. While sale launches dipped slightly (down 1% YoY), sale processes preparing to go live are up 16%, with nearly 3x more content loaded into VDRs than usual, suggesting a potential surge ahead.

One market, many stories

In this environment, making sweeping predictions has become harder. Every fund, firm, and portfolio tells a different story. While there’s no single narrative driving the market, the data is beginning to reveal a complex but emerging picture for 2025.

Watch the full segment below:

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