Understanding private investment funds: An inside look

Author:

The Carta Team

Read time:

13 minutes

Published date:

26 February 2026

Private investment funds are the backbone of the private markets. Learn the basics of private funds, including how they’re structured, managed, and regulated.

What is a private investment fund?

A private investment fund is a type of pooled investment vehicle created to invest capital on behalf of a select group of investors. This means it gathers money from multiple sources to make investments that would be difficult for individuals to access on their own. Common examples of private funds include private equity (PE) funds, venture capital (VC) funds, real estate funds, and hedge funds. Each type of private fund has a distinct investment strategy and risk profile, but they all share the core structure of pooling money to invest in private markets.

Managed investment funds are considered investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940, a law that regulates the activities of investment companies in the United States. Unless they qualify for an exemption, investment companies must register with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Private funds are able to remain exempt from registration as investment companies if they follow the restrictions outlined in either Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act. Qualifying for exemption under one of these sections is what distinguishes a private fund from a public fund, or registered investment company.

How do private funds differ from public funds?

To understand what makes a private fund unique, it’s helpful to compare it directly with a public fund. The key differences stem from their regulatory status and intended investor base, which impacts everything from how they operate to the level of risk involved.

Who can invest in private funds?

The registration exemptions under Section 3(c)(1) and Section 3(c)(7) restrict investment in the fund to either accredited investors or qualified purchasers, depending on the exemption the fund pursues. Investors from the general public, also called retail investors, aren’t allowed to invest in private funds. Private funds also are limited to a certain number of beneficial owners, depending on whether they seek exemption under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7).

This framework ensures that only individuals, family offices, or institutional investors with sufficient financial knowledge and resources can invest. The law defines specific categories of investors who are eligible to participate, connecting the concept of risk to the requirement for financial experience or substantial net worth.

Accredited investors vs. qualified purchasers

The two main categories of eligible investors are accredited investors and qualified purchasers. A fund’s legal structure, specifically its choice of regulatory exemption, dictates which type of investor you can accept.

• Accredited investors: This category is defined by specific income or net worth thresholds set by regulators. A fund operating under the Section 3(c)(1) exemption of the Investment Company Act is generally limited to a certain number of these investors.

• Qualified purchasers: This category represents a much higher standard of wealth. Funds that are structured under the Section 3(c)(7) exemption are open only to qualified purchasers, which allows them to have a larger number of investors than a 3(c)(1) fund.

Advantages and risks of private funds

For the investors who are eligible to invest, private funds offer a unique set of potential benefits and significant risks. Regulators restrict investment in private funds because they’re generally regarded as riskier investments than public funds like mutual funds. The higher risks, however, come with unique advantages. Understanding this tradeoff is essential before you commit your capital.

Advantages of private funds

Investors contribute to private funds for several reasons:

• Potential for higher returns: Private funds aspire to beat public market averages by investing in opportunities not available to the general public, and the top quartile of private funds typically do. Recent data shows the alternative investment asset class has delivered annualized returns of between 9% and 11% over one-, three-, and five-year periods.

• Portfolio diversification: Private assets have longer investment horizons that don’t correlate directly to cyclical trends in public equities markets, which means they can be used to create a more balanced investment portfolio.

• Access to specialized opportunities: These funds offer a way to invest in innovative private companies, specialized real estate projects, or other alternative assets long before they might become publicly accessible.

Risks of private funds

Despite the potential for outsized returns, private funds present a number of risks, including:

• Limited liquidity: Private funds typically limit redemption opportunities, which means investors can’t cash out of the fund except in certain circumstances. Your capital is typically locked up for the life of the fund, with recent data showing sponsors have an average holding period of five years for their investments.

• Longer return timelines: Depending on the fund’s investment strategy, it can sometimes take years before investors begin to receive distributions from the fund. The standard fund term is often 10 years, and it can take a long time before a fund begins returning capital to their LPs.

• Limited transparency: Private funds often provide quarterly financial reports to investors, but they’re not required to make the same extensive disclosures as public funds. This means you have less day-to-day visibility into the performance of your portfolio companies compared to a public stock.

• Limited regulatory oversight: Although the SEC regulates private funds, it doesn’t apply the same regulatory controls or scrutiny to private funds as they do for public funds, because it’s assumed that accredited investors and qualified purchasers have the sophistication and financial resilience to support higher risk and lower regulation.

How are private funds structured?

The foundational legal blueprint for most private funds, including VC and PE, is the limited partnership. This structure is created and governed by a critical legal document known as the limited partnership agreement (LPA).

Think of the LPA as the essential rulebook or constitution for the fund. Drafted by specialized fund formation lawyers, it outlines the roles, responsibilities, economic terms, and rights for everyone involved. It ensures all parties understand their obligations and the fund's operational guidelines from day one.

The limited partnership: General partners and limited partners

Within the limited partnership structure, there are two primary roles with distinct responsibilities and levels of liability. Understanding these roles is key to understanding how a private fund operates.

• General partner (GP): The GP is the active fund manager responsible for the entire private funds management process. They are the "drivers" of the fund, making all investment decisions, running daily operations, and managing the relationship with investors. In exchange for this control, the GP typically bears unlimited liability for the fund's debts and obligations.

• Limited partners (LP): The LPs are the investors who contribute capital to the fund. Their role is passive, meaning they are like "passengers" who do not participate in the fund's management. A key feature of this role is that their financial risk is limited to the amount of money they have committed to invest.

How are private funds managed?

Like other types of pooled investment vehicles, investment management for private funds is handled by professional fund managers. The legal term for these managers is fund adviser. A fund adviser can be an individual or management company controlled by the GPs. In the private funds industry, most advisers are investment firms, such as a VC firm, PE firm, or hedge fund adviser.

The fund adviser is the engine that drives the fund forward. It translates the investment strategy outlined in the LPA into concrete actions and manages all the complex operations required to run a successful private capital fund.

The fund adviser’s role

The fund adviser, or management company, is responsible for the entire lifecycle of the fund. Its core duties are extensive and require a blend of financial acumen, strategic insight, and operational discipline. They formulate the fund’s investment strategy, pitch investors, and close investors into the fund. They’re also responsible for conducting due diligence on potential investments, negotiating and closing those investments, and managing the day-to-day operations of the fund, including financial reporting, tax and audit responsibilities, and investor relations. Fund advisers employ staff, service providers, and contractors, such as a fund administrator, to help them carry out these tasks.

Key responsibilities include:

• Formulating the fund's investment strategy and investment thesis , which is foundational to identifying startups poised to become market leaders

• Sourcing deals and evaluating potential investment opportunities

• Conducting due diligence on target companies or assets

• Managing the portfolio of investments after the deals are closed

• Handling all back-office operations, including fund accounting , reporting, and compliance

What regulations govern private funds?

A common misconception is that "private" means "unregulated." While private funds are exempt from certain registration requirements that apply to public funds, they are still subject to significant oversight from regulatory bodies.

Private funds are regulated by the SEC and by state securities agencies. Regulations control how the fund raises money and how private fund advisers interact with investors. The SEC and state securities agencies also have authority over all investment advisers, including all PE and VC fund advisers.

Key exemptions under federal securities laws

As a fund manager, you must navigate a map of interconnected regulations to operate legally across different jurisdictions. The three main legal pillars that define the private fund landscape are essential to understand.

• The Investment Company Act of 1940: This is the foundational law that provides the key exemptions—most notably Section 3(c)(1) and Section 3(c)(7)— that allow a fund to operate privately without registering as an investment company.

• The Investment Advisers Act of 1940: This law regulates you as the fund manager (the adviser). It imposes fiduciary duties, requires registration or exemption, and sets forth reporting and compliance obligations.

• The Securities Act of 1933: This law governs how your fund can raise capital from investors. Private funds typically rely on an exempt offering framework, such as Regulation D, to issue securities without a public registration.

What are the common private fund strategies?

“Private fund” is a broad umbrella term that covers a wide range of investment approaches within the private capital markets. The specific investment strategy you choose as a fund sponsor determines your fund's investment targets, operational complexity, and overall risk profile.

Private equity

Private equity investments typically involve taking a majority or controlling stake in more mature, established companies. Unlike VCs who are focused on future growth, PE firms often look for opportunities to improve the operations of existing businesses.

You generate returns by implementing strategic restructuring, improving efficiency, or using financial engineering to increase the value of the company before selling it. These strategies can include leveraged buyouts (LBO), growth equity, and secondaries.

Venture capital

Venture capital (VC) is a strategy focused on making minority investments in early-stage, high-growth companies, and the scale of this activity is significant: 2024’s deal value crossed $209 billion across more than 15,000 deals. VC operates on a power-law dynamic; while many investments will fail or provide modest returns, a few successful ones can generate exceptional results that define a fund's performance.

Fund of funds (FoF)

A fund of funds (FoF) uses its capital to purchase stakes in other private funds. A FoF earns a return for its investors by receiving a slice of the profits generated by each of the funds in which it invests. Compared to a direct VC fund, a VC FoF usually indirectly owns much smaller stakes in a much longer list of companies.

Hedge funds

Hedge funds are a type of private fund with an investment strategy distinct from the LBO and VC strategies that characterize PE and VC funds, respectively. Hedge funds pursue a variety of complex trading strategies, derivatives, and leverage across many different asset classes, including stocks, bonds, currencies, and commodities that together “hedge” against the failure of individual high-risk bets. The goal of a hedge fund is often to generate positive returns regardless of the overall direction of the market.

Private credit funds

Private credit investing involves acting as a direct lender, providing loans to companies rather than buying equity. This can take the form of direct lending, mezzanine financing, distressed debt, and asset-based lending.

Special purpose vehicles (SPVs)

A special purpose vehicle (SPV) is a smaller, simpler fund structure created to make an investment in a single company. An SPV pools capital from multiple investors to make one specific investment or co-investment, rather than building a diversified portfolio.

What are the economics of a private fund?

The economics of a private fund are designed to align the financial interests of the GP and the LPs, and are typically achieved through a common compensation model known as the two-and-20 fee structure. This industry standard consists of two parts: a management fee and carried interest.

Frequently asked questions about private funds

How do private funds generate returns?

Private funds generate returns for investors by selling their investments for a profit. This happens through exit events such as an initial public offering (IPO), a merger or acquisition (M&A), or a sale to another investor in the secondary market.

How much money do you need to invest in a private fund?

The minimum investment amount is set by the fund manager and can vary widely. An investment in an SPV might only require a few thousand dollars, while a large PE fund may require a commitment of millions.

What are the main types of private investment funds?

The primary types include VC, PE funds, hedge funds, and private credit funds. Each type is distinguished by its unique investment strategy and the kinds of assets it holds in its portfolio.

Are private investment funds risky?

Private funds are generally considered higher-risk investments, a fact reflected in the wide dispersion of their returns. While top-performing funds can generate significant upside, there is also substantial variation in outcomes; for example, exits of $500 million or more represent just 3.6% of deals but account for 78.9% of total exit value, demonstrating how a small number of large exits dominate returns.