TY - RPRT U1 - Arbeitspapier A1 - Hammer, Andreas A1 - Knauer, Alexander A1 - Pflücke, Magnus A1 - Schwetzler, Bernhard T1 - Inorganic growth strategies in private equity: empirical evidence on add-on acquisitions N2 - We study add-on acquisitions of portfolio _x000C_firms based on a world-wide data sample covering 9,548 buyouts between 1997 and 2012. We _x000C_find that add-ons have become increasingly relevant, but activity is concentrated among a few PE sponsors. Further, our results suggest that synergies are important when pursuing add-on acquisitions. We show that portfolio _x000C_firms initiate acquisitions early to realize synergies until the exit. Lastly we identify determinants that increase the likelihood of add-ons for a particular buyout. Our _x000C_findings help academia and practice to understand inorganic growth in buyouts, which is important given the aging of the industry. Y1 - 2013 N1 - Available at SSRN (Social Science Research Network), for the link see below ER -