{
  "title": "How to Invest in Private Equity: 6 Routes, Fees, Rules and Risks",
  "url": "https://acquisitions.com/blog/how-to-invest-in-private-equity/",
  "author": "Moran Pober",
  "publisher": "Acquisitions.com",
  "published": "2026-10-24",
  "updated": "2026-10-24",
  "section": "Private equity",
  "keyword": "how to invest in private equity",
  "short_answer": "There are six common routes into private equity: committing to a PE fund, a feeder fund or platform, an interval fund or a listed PE firm, an SPV run by an independent sponsor, a search fund, or investing deal by deal in a small-business roll-up. Most private routes require you to be an accredited investor and lock your money up for years; the listed routes do not.",
  "facts": {
    "PE fund": [
      "Set by the fund; high",
      "None for about ten years; secondary sale at a discount",
      "Management fee plus carried interest",
      "Accredited; often qualified purchaser"
    ],
    "Feeder fund / platform": [
      "Set by the platform; lower than the fund",
      "Same as the fund underneath",
      "Fund fees plus the platform's fee",
      "Accredited"
    ],
    "Interval fund": [
      "Set by the fund; low",
      "Repurchase offers every 3, 6 or 12 months, 5% to 25% of shares",
      "Fund expenses, often higher; repurchase fee up to 2%",
      "Anyone"
    ],
    "Listed PE firm": [
      "One share",
      "Any trading day",
      "Brokerage commission",
      "Anyone"
    ],
    "SPV / independent sponsor": [
      "Set by the sponsor",
      "None until that company is sold",
      "Closing fee, management fee, carry",
      "Usually accredited"
    ],
    "Search fund": [
      "Per unit, set by the searcher",
      "None until the business is sold",
      "Searcher's salary during the search; carry on exit",
      "Usually accredited"
    ],
    "Small-business roll-up (deal by deal)": [
      "Set per deal",
      "None until the group is sold or refinanced",
      "Set per deal",
      "Accredited investors"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    "https://www.sec.gov/resources-small-businesses/capital-raising-building-blocks/accredited-investors",
    "https://www.sec.gov/divisions/investment/noaction/2007/gsam031307-3c7.htm",
    "https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/private-investment-funds/hedge-funds",
    "https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/general-resources/news-alerts/alerts-bulletins/investor-bulletins/investor-bulletin-interval-funds",
    "https://www.mltaikins.com/private-equity-venture-capital/an-overview-of-private-equity-or-venture-capital-fund-timelines/",
    "https://thefundlawyer.cooley.com/primer-structuring-the-general-partner-and-management-company-for-a-private-equity-or-venture-capital-fund/",
    "https://media.mcguirewoods.com/publications/2022/Independent-Sponsor-Survey-May2022.pdf",
    "https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/2024-search-fund-study",
    "https://ilpa.org/news/ilpa-releases-updated-reporting-template-and-new-performance-template-for-industry-adoption/"
  ],
  "license": "Facts may be quoted with attribution to Acquisitions.com and a link to the url above."
}