The First Chicago method or venture capital method is a business valuation approach used by venture capital and private equity investors that combines elements of both a multiples-based valuation and a discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation approach. The First Chicago method was first developed by, and consequently named for, the venture capital arm of the First Chicago bank, the predecessor of private equity firms Madison Dearborn Partners and GTCR. It was first discussed academically in 1987.

Method

The First Chicago method takes account of payouts to the holder of specific investments in a company through the holding period under various scenarios; see. Most often this methodology will involve the construction of: Once these have been constructed, the valuation proceeds as follows.

Use

The method is used particularly in the valuation of growth companies which often do not have historical financial results that can be used for meaningful comparable company analysis. Multiplying actual financial results against a comparable valuation multiple often yields a value for the company that is objectively too low given the prospects for the business. Often the First Chicago method may be preferable to a discounted cash flow taken alone. This is because such income-based business value assessment may lack the support generally observable in the market place. Professionally performed business appraisals go further and use a set of methods under all three approaches to business valuation. Variations of the First Chicago method are employed in a number of markets, including the private equity secondary market where investors project outcomes for portfolios of private equity investments under various scenarios.