Reporting, data security & deal flow management: 2015 GP survey results

In the past few years, the debate around transparency in the alternative investment industry has intensified. For both limited partners and general partners, the proper management and dispersion of correct information is likely the paramount concern. There is plenty of concern around information sharing both internally and externally with investors and portfolio companies. Both parties are paying increased heed to security, and rightly so, as every other week seems to bring new reports of confidential information being laid bare by external hacks or internal leaks. Last year, Intralinks conducted a survey of LPs, finding that even as the industry is trending toward greater communication and transparency, plenty of progress remains to be made, particularly when it comes to the implementation of better programs for electronic reporting of quantitative information.

With so many issues to consider, it seemed worthwhile to once again conduct a survey, assessing what common ground has been established and what further issues need to be addressed. Accordingly, Intralinks and PitchBook recently conducted another survey in August and September of 2015, and now have released a report summarizing the findings. The full report is available here, but here are a few key points:

• 82% of respondents—primarily deal execution professionals—spend at least 25% of their time communicating with investors
• 40% of respondents indicated their firm restricts access to filesharing platforms like Dropbox
• Key concerns for respondents were timeliness and clarity, with 69% combined stating those two areas are there their firm’s reporting could improve.

There’s much more to read in the full report, so click here for access.