A Ratchet in Private equity is a mechanism to vary the amount of Equity held by founders, managers and employees post-investment.

In a venture capital context, Ratchets operate as anti-dilution provisions. They protect early-stage investors from dilution by subsequent fundraisings at lower entry prices.

In a buyout context, they are generally used to reward management, whose proportion of overall equity ownership may change as a consequence of the performance of the business in line with forecasts and projections and the investor’s target return. In this context, ratchets usually have the effect of increasing management’s shareholding when the business has performed well.

Ratchets will vary significantly from investment to investment. They often involve complex financial and mathematical concepts and need to account for a variety of circumstances, including differing exit scenarios and forms of consideration.