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Private Placement Memoranda (PPMs)
for Private Equity

The Private Placement Memorandum is often treated as a purely legal document — long, dense, and difficult to read. But institutional LPs and consultants use it as a reference point in their diligence process, meaning that clarity, organization, and professionalism in a PPM directly influence how your fund is perceived.

Darien Group brings design, copywriting, and messaging expertise to a document that most firms overlook. By elevating the look, feel, and readability of a PPM, we help ensure it reflects the same level of professionalism as the rest of your investor communications.

Opened brochure showing a page titled 'Direct Equity Coinvest' with text and a table of platform investments, and the facing page titled 'Team and Firm History' with a photo of skyscrapers.
Open corporate brochure showing financial figures with a chart, text about sourcing edge and transformative value creation, and a photo of a modern glass building facade.
Open book spread showing a detailed investment process chart on the left page with sections for Sourcing, Due Diligence, Decision Making, Value Creation, and Exit, alongside text on the right page about sourcing and execution advantages including thematic outbound prospecting, broad strategic network, domain expertise, and a strong reference list.
Open book displaying financial charts and data for Value Creation Across Funds III & IV, including investments, fully realized, and unrealized values in millions of dollars.
Four open financial report booklets laid out on a gray surface, showing charts, text, and a photo of a modern glass building.

Why Your PPM Matters

Beyond a Legal Obligation
Legal accuracy is essential, but it is not the whole story. Investment committees and advisors rely on PPMs to evaluate strategy, structure, and team. In many institutional settings, the PPM is not read cover to cover by a decision-maker — instead, analysts and consultants extract sections, paragraphs, or pages that feed into investment committee memos and recommendations. This means the strategy overview, team narrative, and market rationale must be clear, consistent, and professional, because those are the sections most likely to be pulled forward into the final decision-making process.
Common Industry Gaps
Most firms do not engage a professional designer to make their PPMs visually effective. The result is a document that may be technically correct but is visually unpolished and difficult to navigate. Likewise, copywriting is rarely addressed — yet the investment strategy, team overview, and market rationale sections are critical to how LPs understand the fund.
Opportunity for Improvement
Darien Group provides both design and content strategy support for PPMs. We create investor-friendly layouts, incorporate infographics and diagrams, and ensure consistency with your broader brand. Where needed, we also draft or refine narrative sections — such as strategy, team, and market overviews — carrying forward messaging developed in your investor presentations or positioning work.

Our Process

We approach each Private Placement Memorandum with the same discipline and structure we bring to every investor communication. Our process is built for private equity fundraising  — working seamlessly with counsel and IR teams to refine content, clarify messaging, and elevate presentation. The result is a PPM that reads clearly, aligns with your broader brand, and is delivered on schedule to support your fundraising goals.
01 /04
Discovery & Coordination
We begin by aligning with your IR team and outside counsel to understand fund objectives, structure, and timeline.
02 /04
Copywriting & Editing
Our team can draft or refine all non-legal sections of the PPM, including investment strategy, market overview, and team bios. This is a rare capability — very few vendors can handle this kind of long-form, content-heavy writing credibly in the private equity space.
03 /04
Design & Layout
We apply professional graphic design to a document that is usually left bare. Fonts, tables, charts, infographics, and occasional imagery elevate readability and create a polished, branded presentation.
04 /04
Production & Delivery
We deliver the PPM in a clean, investor-ready format for both print and digital distribution, consistent with your firm’s other fundraising materials.

Best Practices in PPMs

Engage professional design to improve readability and navigation.
01
Use infographics, charts, and diagrams to break up dense copy.
02
Ensure messaging and positioning carry consistently from pitch book to PPM.
03
Coordinate closely with counsel while focusing on investor usability.
04

Our Experience

Darien Group has developed PPMs for managers ranked in the Private Equity International Top 300, as well as firms across real estate, venture capital, and growth equity. We handle every aspect of the document outside the legal sections — from investment strategy and market overviews to team bios and case studies. This breadth of experience ensures we know how to present complex information clearly, persuasively, and consistently across strategies and asset classes.

Questions We’re Asked Most Often

See Full FAQ
Do you replace outside legal counsel when working on PPMs?

No. Legal counsel is always responsible for the core legal drafting, disclosures, and regulatory language. We complement their work by improving clarity, structure, and reader experience.

Which sections of the PPM can you write or edit?

We typically support the investment-related sections: firm overview, strategy, track record narratives, team bios, value-creation approach, and any explanatory content that benefits from clearer storytelling. All legal, risk, and regulatory sections remain under counsel’s direction.

How do you incorporate design elements without undermining compliance?

We use restrained, compliance-friendly design - clean layouts, clear hierarchy, and thoughtful formatting - without altering mandated language.

Can you align the PPM with our investor presentation or broader brand refresh?

Yes. We can align layout, tone, and visual structure with your investor deck, website, or updated brand system.

See Full FAQ

Start the Conversation

Preparing a PPM for your next fundraise? Darien Group can help ensure it is clear, credible, and consistent with your firm’s overall brand and investor communications.
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