What Pacific Equity Partners does

Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) is an Australia-based private markets fund manager founded in 1998 and headquartered in Sydney. The firm invests across four strategies: Private Equity (traditional control buyouts targeting ANZ companies not achieving full potential, with Fund V delivering 22% Net IRR and 2.0x DPI), Secure Assets (infrastructure-style investments in protected cashflow businesses across energy, utilities, digital, transport and agriculture - SAF I delivered 84% Net IRR and 2.4x DPI), PEP Credit (a private credit program at approximately A$1B AUM offering Capital Solutions, Strategic Income, and Active Income vehicles), and PEP Gateway (evergreen Portfolio Investment Entity structures providing individual and wholesale investors access to global private equity assets). The firm's proprietary technology layer is modest - fund portals, bespoke fund vehicles such as the A$1.5B Smart Metering Fund (a first-of-its-kind continuation structure for the Intellihub investment), and the NZ PIE structure are the principal innovations.

PEP generates revenue through management fees and performance fees (carried interest) on closed-end Funds I-VII, Secure Assets Funds I-II, and open-ended PEP Credit and PEP Gateway strategies, serving wholesale and institutional investors including sovereign wealth funds, large institutions, and an emerging private wealth channel. The firm manages A$19B in assets and has executed A$56B in cumulative transaction value, with 250+ investments since inception, all while operating exclusively for wholesale clients under section 761G of the Australian Corporations Act. Its value proposition rests on a stable apprenticeship talent model (with leaders drawn predominantly from Bain & Company and a 650+ year collective experience base) and a 28-year track record of top-quartile fund performance, evidenced by consecutive AIC Firm of the Year awards in 2024 and 2025.

Name

Pacific Equity Partners

Legal name

Pacific Equity Partners Pty Limited

Website

https://pep.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Pacific Equity Partners is an Australia-based private markets fund manager founded in 1998, managing A$19B across Private Equity, Secure Assets, PEP Credit, and PEP Gateway strategies for wholesale and institutional investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Markets Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Credit / Direct Lending (FSAAAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)

Keywords

• Private markets fund management
• Private equity investments
• Private credit strategies
• Secure assets investing
• Evergreen investment vehicles

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Private Equity Fund Management: PEP manages closed-end private equity funds (Funds I-VII) charging management fees and performance fees (carried interest) on successful exits. Fund V delivered 22% Net IRR with 2.0x DPI.
2. PEP Credit / Capital Solutions: Open-ended private credit program currently at approximately A$1 billion AUM, delivering above 10% p.a. Net Cash Distributions since inception. Three distinct fund offerings: Capital Solutions (High Yield), Strategic Income (Core Income), and Active Income (Cash Management).
3. PEP Gateway: Evergreen fund structures providing access to global private equity for individual and institutional investors. PEP Gateway Evergreen delivered over 15% p.a. net returns over the past two years.
4. Secure Assets Fund: Fund targeting investments with protected cashflows across energy, utilities, digital, transport, logistics, waste, water, social, and agricultural infrastructure. SAF I delivered 84% Net IRR and 2.4x DPI.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pacific Equity Partners manages private markets investment funds spanning control-based private equity, secure assets, secured private credit and evergreen private equity access vehicles. It provides capital and operational support to portfolio companies and distributes fund interests to wholesale, institutional and private wealth investors.

Product overview

Pacific Equity Partners operates a multi-strategy private markets investment platform comprising four core investment products: Private Equity (traditional control-based buyouts targeting 20%+ IRR), Secure Assets (infrastructure-style investments with protected cashflows targeting 14-18% IRR), PEP Credit (secured debt offerings across three risk/return tiers), and PEP Gateway (evergreen structures providing retail access to private equity). The product suite covers the full capital structure from equity to debt and serves institutional, wholesale, and individual investors across Australia and New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Equity Closed-end strategy making control-based investments in Australian and New Zealand companies that are not achieving their full potential. PEP works with management teams on profit improvement and business transformation, and states a target gross IRR of 20%+.
• Secure Assets Investment strategy targeting businesses and assets with protected cash flows, operating step-change potential and strategic repositioning across energy, utilities, digital, transport, logistics, waste, water, social and agricultural infrastructure. The product states a target gross IRR of 14–18%.
• PEP Credit Open-ended secured-debt program for mid-market businesses, with Capital Solutions (High Yield), Strategic Income (Core Income) and Active Income (Cash Management) offerings and distinct target net-return spreads.
• PEP Gateway Evergreen portfolio investment vehicle providing access to global private equity assets from top-tier private equity firms. It is available in Australia and New Zealand through PIE structures and provides regular liquidity.
• PEP Gateway Evergreen (Access Fund) Australian-focused evergreen fund providing access to global private equity trophy assets with regular liquidity.
• PEP Gateway Evergreen (NZ PIE Access Fund) New Zealand-focused PIE providing global private equity access to New Zealand wholesale and institutional investors, with monthly subscriptions and withdrawals subject to fund offering documents.
• Capital Solutions High-yield debt fund targeting complex and scaling situations, with quarterly liquidity and quarterly distributions.
• Strategic Income Core-income debt fund targeting maturing businesses and assets, with monthly liquidity and monthly distributions.
• Active Income Cash-management debt fund backed by asset-backed notes, with daily liquidity and monthly distributions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26% p.a. Net IRR since inception across closed-end funds
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• The Carlyle Group: Global private equity firm that co-invested 50/50 with PEP Fund V in iNova Pharmaceuticals (2017), demonstrating direct comparability in consumer healthcare buyouts in ANZ. Carlyle operates across the same strategy spectrum (PE, credit) and competes for similar ANZ opportunities.
• Brookfield Asset Management: Global alternative asset manager with deep ANZ infrastructure and PE footprint. Bought 50% of PEP's Intellihub smart metering business in 2022, then partnered on the A$1.5B Smart Metering Fund continuation vehicle — directly comparable as both a co-investor and buyer of PEP assets in the Secure Assets strategy.
• TPG Capital: Global private equity firm that acquired iNova Pharmaceuticals from PEP and Carlyle in 2022, after a successful growth period under PEP ownership. Comparable as a competing mid-to-large cap ANZ PE investor with similar sector appetites (healthcare, consumer) and exit-driven business model.
• KKR & Co. Inc. Global alternative asset manager with significant ANZ private equity activity. Directly comparable as both a competitor for ANZ deal flow and a counterparty on PEP exits — KKR acquired Zenith Energy from PEP SAF I in 2025 and invests across infrastructure, credit, and buyouts in the region.
• Allegro Funds: Australian mid-market private equity firm focused on buyouts and turnaround investments across ANZ. Directly comparable to PEP as a domestic competitor for ANZ mid-market PE deals, with overlapping sector focus and similar institutional LP base. Joannie Allison, PEP Executive Assistant, previously worked at Allegro Funds.
• Quadrant Private Equity: Australian private equity firm managing multiple funds focused on mid-market buyouts in ANZ. Directly comparable to PEP as a domestic competitor pursuing similar mid-market control buyouts, sector diversification strategy, and institutional LP relationships in the ANZ market.

Broad incumbents

• CVC Capital Partners: European-headquartered global private equity firm with multi-strategy capabilities across PE, credit, and infrastructure. Comparable to PEP as a broad incumbent in private markets, with active buyout and credit strategies that overlap with PEP's four-pillar platform.
• EQT AB: Swedish-headquartered global private equity firm with strong sustainability/impact focus mirroring PEP's UNPRI signatory status. Comparable as a broad incumbent in private markets with thematic investing across PE, infrastructure, and credit, including ANZ activity.
• Blackstone Inc. World's largest alternative asset manager with multi-strategy PE, credit, and infrastructure capabilities globally. Comparable to PEP as a broad incumbent in private markets with multi-strategy platforms, though Blackstone's scale and global reach significantly exceed PEP's regional ANZ-focused platform.
• Apollo Global Management: Global alternative asset manager with leading private credit and PE franchises. Comparable to PEP as a broad incumbent with overlapping credit and buyout strategies, and relevant given PEP Credit's positioning in the mid-market lending space where Apollo is a market leader.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Equity Partners