What blank fund size, dry powder and contact fields mean in a PE database

A blank fund-size, dry-powder or public-contact-route field should change what you can conclude, not automatically remove a private equity firm from a research list. Before subscribing to a PE database or using a candidate in a sponsor shortlist, identify the exact question that needs the missing field, check the relevant public source and keep the unresolved question visible.

Match the missing field to the decision

The table is a research check, not a promise that a public source will answer every question. Leave the field unavailable when the source does not support the value.

Keep the adviser, fund and capital measure separate

The SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure system lets a researcher inspect an adviser’s Form ADV filing and registration status. The Form ADV instructions distinguish the adviser’s regulatory assets under management from information reported for private funds it advises. Neither label should be silently converted into a named fund’s committed capital or current dry powder. If an announcement reports a fund close, retain its fund name, amount definition and announcement date. Do not carry that figure forward as the capital available for a new deal.

For a UK firm, the FCA Financial Services Register is a public record of firms and individuals that are or have been authorised for regulated activities. It is useful for checking the identity and status of a regulated entity. An entry there does not answer a fund-capacity or present-investment-interest question. Match the registered entity to the manager you are researching before using it as evidence.

Treat a contact route as a route, not a relationship

A firm may publish a general enquiries address, a switchboard or a dedicated route for a particular type of enquiry. Record only what the current public page actually provides, with its source and date. SeekPrivateEquity does not supply private personal emails or mobile numbers; do not infer an address from a naming pattern. A published route also says nothing about who will read an approach, whether the firm is reviewing investments or whether it will reply.

Decide what to do with an incomplete record

1. Name the required field. If a mandate requires a verified fund-level capital measure, a firm-level strategy match cannot fill that gap. If the task is only to map firms by stated sector and geography, fund size may not be necessary.
2. Record the source and date. Separate the firm’s published criteria, any historical portfolio relationship and any fund-specific statement. Mark absent, ambiguous or older evidence as unresolved rather than estimating a value.
3. Choose a research status. Keep a candidate for further source checking, ask a specific coverage question, or exclude it from this task because a required field cannot be verified. None of these statuses establishes current appetite.

Coverage and evidence rules explain the source standard used by SeekPrivateEquity. To decide whether the available fields and access fit your work, use the database evaluation checklist and compare plans. If your required market or field remains unclear, email contact@seekprivateequity.com with the specific research slice before subscribing.