Venture capital-backed exits have slumped 40% in the first half of 2023, per PitchBook data.PitchBook's Nalin Patel said LP money could become trapped in companies that were"overdue an exit."
Venture-backed startups recorded $97 billion worth of exits through the likes of public listings or mergers and acquisitions in the opening half of the year, according to PitchBook data released on Thursday. This represented a 40% decline on the $161.4 billion worth of exits posted during the same period last year.
"A poor exit market globally will continue to offer a poor market for general partners raising funds, as LPs are receiving low distributions to recycle into the venture strategy," said Kyle Stanford, a PitchBook senior analyst leading US coverage. Exits dropped by 30.6% to $51.5 billion in the second quarter of the year, hitting their lowest quarterly total since the opening three months of 2018.Ultimately, cash needs to be returned to LPs before they decide where to allocate future capital. This isn't happening, and, as valuations take a beating, unrealized gains are also reduced. In all, this lowers LPs' incentive to invest in the venture capital market.