Private Equity 4.0 offers institutional and private investors a comprehensive resource that includes an in-depth analysis of the private equity industry, a review of effective investment strategies, approaches for selecting fund managers, information for recognizing red flags in fund prospectuses, and much more. Written by three experts on the topic—Benoît Leleux, Hans van Swaay, and Esmeralda Megally—this important book is grounded in research, outlines the inner workings of the private equity industry, and contains compelling interviews with key private equity figures. The authors also include case studies that highlight particular challenges facing private equity in today’s emerging markets.

Taking a balanced approach to the subject, Leleux, van Swaay, and Megally point out the contributions the private equity industry makes to society and investors’ portfolios, and include critical information on the industry’s weaknesses. They offer an insightful assessment of where the industry stands currently and investigate the industry’s dominant business models. Step by step, Private Equity 4.0 includes an analysis of how private equity creates financial and economic value and details how value creation is measured in the industry.

To help investors “do it right,” the text examines the return characteristics and fund performances by various industry segments. The authors profile the successful firms in each of the industry segments and examine their representative deals. In addition, Leleux, van Swaay, and Megally provide a clear understanding into the ecosystem of advisers, gatekeepers and pro-fessionals gravitating to private equity funds.

Throughout the text, case studies of successful deals are used to illustrate the book’s key points. Private Equity 4.0 takes a fund investment perspective, and provides guidelines for selecting potentially profitable funds. Looking to the future, the book highlights the issues at stake in an increasingly challenging environment and suggests ways to improve the industry.

Private Equity 4.0 gives potential investors and industry observers a how-to guide that is filled with a realistic “deep dive” into the inner workings of this most intriguing, often opaque and definitely deeply misunderstood industry, with guidelines about ways to invest and errors to avoid.