Going for Global: Building a Winning Private Equity Platform at Canada's Largest Pension Fund, CPP Investments

The case explores the direct investment strategy of CPP Investments, one of the largest and most influential pension funds and private equity investors globally. Through an analysis of its acquisition and later sale of a controlling stake in GlobalLogic, students follow the Canadian Pension Fund’s private equity and venture capital investing strategy.

The purpose is to explore topics that arise when institutional investors – in this case one of the largest Canadian pension plans – deploy capital in private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) funding. From fund investment to direct investing, it explore the finer nuances of PE investing based on geography, style and stage. The cases discusses the risks and opportunities when adding VC to the portfolio mix, so that students understand the concerns around portfolio construction in PE and VC. Focusing on the well-known example of GlobalLogic, the case follows the investment process from deal sourcing to acquisition to exit from the private capital space, and highlights the competitive nature of the asset class.