Private Equity Funding 

Ownership equity of a company consists of all of the assets of that company, after all liabilities are paid. It refers specifically to companies with one or more private owners, rather than shareholders. Since their interest in the company is not traded publicly over the stock market, their investment is called private equity.

Private equity funding is similar to venture capital in its structure and methods. Money from a private equity fund is invested in a business that is in need of growth capital. The company that runs the private equity fund then becomes a general partner in the business in which they have invested. They are executives in the company and manage its doings.

Investors in the private equity fund become limited partners with no managerial say and limited liability for the company's losses--only going as far as the size of their investment. Private equity funding will usually buy at least a controlling interest in a company, if not the entire company. As opposed to venture capital, which is most generally associated with providing start-up capital for new businesses, private equity funding is used to restructure existing companies. Restructuring usually takes place over a period of three to seven years.

A private equity fund may sometimes choose to purchase a company that is traded publicly over the stock market. After they have a controlling interest, however, they will remove the company from the stock exchange (delisting), making it private equity, until such time as the company has been restructured. By registering with iBank.com online, a business can create a digital investment package and find private equity funding from a variety of different sources.