Updated:
LSV Advisors
LSV is a pioneer in secondary special situations. Founded in 2005, LSV is a pioneer in providing liquidity solutions for investors and managers of illiquid...
LSV Advisors
LSV is a pioneer in secondary special situations. Founded in 2005, LSV is a pioneer in providing liquidity solutions for investors and managers of illiquid private funds as well as direct private assets. LSV offers a wide range of customizable solutions for equity, fund and asset-level liquidity challenges.
General information
Firm type
Secondary
Year founded
2005
AUM
$ 4.3 B
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Henry S. Bienen
Co-Founder & Senior Advisor
Jim Lally
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Steve Schwartz
Co-Founder & Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
What makes LSV Advisors' strategy different from a typical secondaries fund?
LSV operates as a fund of funds rather than a buyer of direct secondary assets. It raises commingled vehicles that acquire limited partner interests in other private equity and venture capital funds. The firm specifically targets smaller stake sizes — often under $25 million — that larger secondary buyers overlook, giving it a less competitive sourcing environment.
Who runs investment decisions at LSV Advisors?
The firm is led by co-founders Jim Lally and Steve Schwartz alongside Henry Bienen, the former president of Northwestern University who serves as Senior Advisor. The three architects of the firm maintain a closely held partnership structure with no publicly identified junior partners or succession plan.
What types of underlying funds does LSV target?
LSV purchases LP stakes across private equity buyout, venture capital, and growth equity funds. The firm has historically favored small-to-mid-sized general partners where discounted pricing reflects the complexity of the stake rather than fundamental portfolio distress.
Does LSV Advisors make primary fund commitments?
No. The firm exclusively acquires secondary LP positions. Because every purchase occurs after capital has been called and assets are partly or fully deployed, LSV's investors can evaluate underlying portfolio quality before committing, avoiding blind-pool risk altogether.
How large is LSV Advisors in terms of AUM?
LSV has not publicly disclosed its assets under management. The firm runs deliberately small funds sized to execute a limited number of transactions per vintage, prioritizing a research-intensive, price-sensitive approach over scale.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on investors?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: