Granite Equity Partners

This teaching note accompanies HBS case 219-040, “Granite Equity Partners,” which follows the private equity firm as it evaluates the potential acquisition of Tyrell Corp., a Minnesota-based quality control biomaterials company. Granite Equity’s fund was different from most other private equity funds in that it had a perpetual, or “evergreen,” structure, meaning it invested in assets without a defined holding period. The case and teaching note describe the unique aspects of perpetual funds, their advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional, finite-life funds, and their impact to liquidity and returns.