Browse Investing

Private Markets

Private equity and private-market investment terms for non-public company finance, funds, and exits.

Private Markets terms explain investments in non-public companies, private funds, early-stage financing, sponsor-led deals, capital commitments, exits, and private-market access rules.

Use this branch when investor eligibility, capital calls, lockups, valuation method, sponsor economics, exit path, or private-transaction structure changes the investment decision.

What This Branch Covers

AreaUse it for
Angel, Seed, and Venture FinancingPrivate equity, venture, angel, crowdfunding, eligibility, capital-commitment, mezzanine, tax-vehicle, or exit terms.
Crowdfunding and Alternative Private FundingPrivate equity, venture, angel, crowdfunding, eligibility, capital-commitment, mezzanine, tax-vehicle, or exit terms.
Investor Eligibility and Private AccessPrivate equity, venture, angel, crowdfunding, eligibility, capital-commitment, mezzanine, tax-vehicle, or exit terms.
Mezzanine and Hybrid Private CapitalPrivate equity, venture, angel, crowdfunding, eligibility, capital-commitment, mezzanine, tax-vehicle, or exit terms.
Private Equity Deals, Sponsors, and ExitsPrivate equity, venture, angel, crowdfunding, eligibility, capital-commitment, mezzanine, tax-vehicle, or exit terms.
Private-Market Capital Commitments and PerformancePrivate equity, venture, angel, crowdfunding, eligibility, capital-commitment, mezzanine, tax-vehicle, or exit terms.
Private-Market Tax and Special VehiclesPrivate equity, venture, angel, crowdfunding, eligibility, capital-commitment, mezzanine, tax-vehicle, or exit terms.

What to Check

Check the offering documents, investor eligibility, capital commitment, lockup, liquidity limits, fees, carried interest, valuation method, tax treatment, governance rights, and expected exit path.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating private-market returns as directly comparable to daily priced public securities.
  • Ignoring capital-call obligations, lockups, valuation lag, and limited liquidity.
  • Reading IRR or multiples without checking cash-flow timing and fees.
  • Assuming eligibility or access means the investment is suitable.

Private investments can be illiquid, restricted, and complex; this page is educational and is not investment, legal, or tax advice.

In this section

Choose a subsection first. Deeper term pages live inside each subsection, which keeps large topic hubs readable.

Angel & Venture

Private-market terms for angel capital, seed funding, venture capital, high-growth startups, and unicorn companies.

Crowdfunding

Private funding terms for crowdfunding, donation-based campaigns, reward-based campaigns, and small-investor financing channels.

Eligibility & Access

Private-market terms for investor qualification, private transactions, lockups, and access constraints.

Mezzanine Capital

Private-market terms for mezzanine debt, mezzanine financing, and hybrid capital between senior debt and common equity.

PE Deals & Exits

Private-equity terms for sponsors, co-investments, deal repositioning, exits, and distressed-value strategies.

Commitments & Performance

Private-market terms for capital commitments, private IRR, net IRR, realization multiples, waterfalls, and carried economics.

Special Vehicles

Private-market terms for investment schemes, venture capital trusts, small-business investment companies, and tax-shaped vehicles.

Revised on Sunday, June 21, 2026