Resources

Private Equity and Venture Capital Glossary

Realization ratio

The ratio of cumulative distributions to paid-in capital. The realization ratio is used as a measure of the distributions from investment results of a private equity partnership compared to the capital under management.

Recapitalization

The reorganization of a company’s capital structure.

Redeemable preferred

Preferred stock that can be redeemed by the owner (usually a venture capital investor) in exchange for a specific sum of money.

Redemption rights

The right of an investor to force the startup company to buy back the shares issued as a result of the investment. In effect, the investor has the right to take back his/her investment and may even negotiate a right to receive an additional sum in excess of the original investment.

Red herring

A preliminary prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and containing the details of an IPO offering. The name refers to the disclosure warning printed in red letters on the cover of each preliminary prospectus advising potential investors of the risks involved.

Registration

The process whereby shares of a company are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 in preparation for a sale of the shares to the public.

Registration rights

The rights of an investor in a startup regarding the registration of a portion of the startup’s shares for sale to the public. Piggyback rights give the shareholders the right to have their shares included in a registration. Demand rights give the shareholders the option to force management to register the company’s shares for a public offering. Often, registration rights are hotly negotiated among venture capitalists in multiple rounds of financing.

Regulation D

Often referred to as simply Reg D

Restricted shares

Shares that cannot be traded in the public markets.

Return on investment (ROI)

The proceeds from an investment, during a specific time period, calculated as a percentage of the original investment. Also, net profit after taxes divided by average total assets.

Right of first refusal

A contractual right to participate in a transaction. For example, a venture capitalist may participate in a first round of investment in a startup and request a right of first refusal in any following rounds of investment.

Rights of co-sale with founders

A clause in venture capital investment agreements that allows the VC fund to sell shares at the same time that the founders of a startup choose to sell.

Rights offering

An offering of stock to current shareholders that entitles them to purchase the new issue, usually at a discount.

Risk-free rate

A term used in finance theory to describe the return from investing in a riskless security. In practice, this is often taken to be the return on US Treasury Bills.

Road show

Presentations made in several cities to potential investors and other interested parties. For example, a company will often make a road show to generate interest among institutional investors prior to its IPO.

Rollup

The purchase of relatively smaller companies in a sector by a rapidly growing company in the same sector. The strategy is to create economies of scale. For example, the movie theater industry underwent significant consolidation in the 1960s and 1970s.

Round

A financing event usually involving several private equity investors.

Royalties

Payments made to patent or copyright owners in exchange for the use of their intellectual property.

Rule 144

A rule of the Securities and Exchange Commission that specifies the conditions under which the holder of shares acquired in a private transaction may sell those shares in the public markets.