# Kevin Dowd

Kevin Dowd is a senior writer covering the private markets. Prior to joining Carta, he reported on venture capital and private equity at Forbes, where he wrote the Deal Flow newsletter, and at PitchBook, where he wrote The Weekend Pitch.

## Latest from Kevin Dowd

**featured article**  
**State of startup compensation, H1 2024**  
Carta data shows that companies have become leaner and salary benchmarks have remained flat across much of the ecosystem.  
[Read more](/content/uk/en/data/startup-compensation-h1-2024/index.html)

**Data & Research**  
**July 2026**  
**In a slow fundraising environment, investors spy an opportunity for emerging managers**  
In the midst of a relatively stagnant fundraising environment, emerging fund managers may have an appealing value proposition to present to LPs.  
[View](/content/uk/en/data/emerging-managers-fundraising-2026/index.html)

**Data & Research**  
**July 2026**  
**As PE’s exit math changes, investors are finding new ways to drive portfolio growth**  
PE firms are holding onto portfolio companies longer than they used to, and standout exits have grown increasingly rare. In response, the PE industry is finding new ways to drive growth and work toward the exits they need.  
[View](/content/uk/en/data/pe-exit-math-changes/index.html)

**Data & Research**  
**June 2026**  
**How PE firms are investing in AI amid a once-in-a-generation boom**  
PE firms typically don't invest in the sort of high-growth startups that dominate the AI market today. But that doesn't mean PE is sitting out the AI revolution.  
[View](/content/uk/en/data/pe-investing-in-ai-2026/index.html)

**Data & Research**  
**June 2026**  
**Dynamic duos: Two-founder teams are divvying up their equity more equally than ever**  
Founding teams come in many sizes. But two-founder teams are the most successful when it comes to raising capital. And in recent years, the way these two-founder teams divide their equity has undergone a sizable shift.  
[View](/content/uk/en/data/two-founder-teams/index.html)

**Data & Research**  
**June 2026**  
**PE firms are busy buying up secondary investment firms. What does it mean for LPs?**  
PE firms are acquiring secondary investment firms. Explore what this consolidation means for LPs, from potential conflicts to new deal opportunities.  
[View](/content/uk/en/data/secondaries-market-consolidation/index.html)

**Data & Research**  
**June 2026**  
**Here's how (and why) executive equity grants differ between PE-backed portfolio companies and VC-backed startups**  
PE-backed companies use executive equity in different ways than VC-backed startups. A close look at how structure, ownership, and exit math help shape the equity landscape in PE.  
[View](/content/uk/en/data/exec-equity-grants-pe-vs-vc/index.html)