A sidecar SPV is a special purpose vehicle that invests alongside a fund into the same company and run by the same lead. Depending on the specifics of the fund’s governing documents, a fund lead may have the ability to run sidecar SPVs in addition to the fund’s investment.
With a few exceptions, the fund must invest first into any on-thesis investment opportunities sourced during the fund’s investment period. If a fund has a maximum check size specified in the fund’s Limited Partnership Agreement, the fund lead may only run a sidecar SPV if the fund lead first invests the maximum amount through the fund. Any remaining allocation may be syndicated via a sidecar SPV.
If a fund does not have a maximum check size, the fund lead may still run a sidecar SPV if:
- The fund invests at least its average check size, based on its investment history thus far,
- The fund lead attests that they believe that the fund has sufficient exposure and it would not be in the best interest of the fund if the fund invested more, and
- All LPs in the fund are offered an allocation in the SPV and receive priority over non-LPs.