We recently highlighted that thousands of PE-backed companies appear ripe for exit, supported by a key metric: the median holding period.
According to our data, the median holding period for PE-backed portfolio companies is 5.8 years, and more than 6,000 portfolio companies that have been held between 5 to 7 years.
Private Equity Info subscribers can sort a chronological list of recent portfolio company exits, one of the dozens of new features launched in 2025.
Our previous analysis focused on the broad landscape of potential future exits, but how is this trend playing out in practice? To dig deeper, we analyzed close to 18,000 portfolio exits over the last 10 years and took a closer look at exits over the past 12 months. The results reveal how the broad trend, as well as which industries are driving exit activity in today’s market.
Despite a more cautious M&A environment, exit activity has declined a bit, but it hasn’t stalled, suggesting that many firms are finding alignment between exit-readiness and market demand.
Shifting to the last 12 months, the chart below shows the top industries (by 3-digit NAICS codes) where exits have occurred. Below, you'll also find the top 20 firms that have exited portfolio companies by volume.
Top 20 PE Firms Exiting Portfolio Companies
- Business Growth Fund
- Ardian
- Insight Partners
- Thoma Bravo
- IK Partners
- Trivest Partners
- Serent Capital
- Nordstjernan
- H.I.G. Capital
- The Riverside Company
- Wynnchurch Capital
- General Atlantic
- LDC
- Gladstone Companies
- Equistone Partners Europe
- Summit Partners
- Tikehau Capital
- Spectrum Equity
- Foresight Group
- Level Equity
