The market sentiment in European private equity and venture capital : impact of COVID-19

This paper provides unique insights into the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the European private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) ecosystem. It achieves this purpose in two ways. By exploiting the recent survey wave of EIF’s signature BA/VC/PE MM survey series, which was launched just prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe, we are able to gauge how the pandemic changed the sentiment among European fund managers. This qualitative exercise is complemented by the results from a simple time series model that simulates the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the European PE and VC markets. Our analysis provides evidence that the European PE/VC ecosystem faces unprecedented challenges in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. A strong policy response in support of the PE/VC markets is imperative, to which EIF will be an indispensable contributor.