Sofia Gertsberg: Private Equity Valuations, Benchmarks, and the Truth About Returns

Is private equity really outperforming public markets, or are flawed benchmarks, infrequent valuations, and unrealized gains creating an illusion of superior returns? Sofia Gertsberg, Managing Director and Head of Quantitative Investment Science at HarbourVest, joins host Kevin Max on the Enterprising Investor podcast to examine why private equity performance remains so difficult to measure and compare. From conflicting benchmarks and stale valuations to the growing divide between paper returns and actual cash distributions, Gertsberg explores how investment-level benchmarking could help investors distinguish genuine manager skill from leverage, market exposure, and valuation effects. As private equity expands into wealth management and retirement portfolios, what should institutional allocators and financial advisers demand to ensure that reported returns reflect economic reality?