Comparison · 9 material differences
UK Private Capital (formerly BVCA) vs ILPA
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Professional association
Verified September 2026 UK Private Capital (formerly BVCA)
UK private equity, venture capital and private credit fund managers, their institutional investors, and the advisers and service providers around them
Professional association
ILPA
Institutional limited partners (pension funds, endowments, foundations, insurers, family offices, sovereign wealth funds and development finance institutions) that invest in…
What the records say
- Minimum investable assets: UK Private Capital (formerly BVCA): Family offices joining as limited partners must have at least £20m invested in European private equity and venture capital; ILPA: No published minimum investable assets.
- Accredited-investor status: UK Private Capital (formerly BVCA): General partners must hold FCA or equivalent regulatory approval; ILPA: No published accredited-investor status.
- Geographic restriction: UK Private Capital (formerly BVCA): UK general partners must have an office or investments in the UK; ILPA: No published geographic restriction.
- Annual dues: UK Private Capital (formerly BVCA): £3,100–87,450 a year; ILPA: $4,410 a year.
Side by side
| UK Private Capital (formerly BVCA) | ILPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1983 (Founded in 1983 as the British Venture Capital Association; the organization's own site says it has been the voice of private capital in the UK for over four decades) | 2002 (ILPA describes its origins as an informal networking club of a few dozen limited partners more than two decades ago; secondary sources date its formal establishment as a trade association to 2002) |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | Washington, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United Kingdom; members are fund managers, investors and advisers with a UK office or UK investments | Members in 50-plus countries; roughly 60% US-based and 40% in Europe, Canada and elsewhere. Offices in Toronto, Washington DC and London. |
| Members | 600as of September 2026 | 600as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | Not applicable: the association has no chapter structure | Not applicable: no chapters. ILPA runs 20-plus regional gatherings across 12-plus countries |
| Primary audience | UK private equity, venture capital and private credit fund managers, their institutional investors, and the advisers and service providers around them | Institutional limited partners (pension funds, endowments, foundations, insurers, family offices, sovereign wealth funds and development finance institutions) that invest in private market funds |
| Typical member | Member firms fall into four groups: general partners (PE, VC and private credit fund managers with a UK office or UK investments and FCA or equivalent regulatory approval), limited partners (pension funds, insurers, family offices, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, plus funds of funds and secondaries managers), professional services and financial institutions, and investee companies. | Members are institutions rather than individuals: public and corporate pensions, endowments, foundations, family offices, insurance companies, investment firms, development finance institutions and sovereign wealth funds. Around 7,000 individual professionals sit under those institutional memberships. Service providers, consultants and general partners are excluded. |
| Qualification | ||
| Minimum investable assets | Family offices joining as limited partners must have at least £20m invested in European private equity and venture capitalUnregulated family offices with £20m–£100m invested must also supply a written reference from an FCA-authorised member at partner level or aboveverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum investable assets |
| Accredited-investor status | General partners must hold FCA or equivalent regulatory approvalverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published accredited-investor status |
| Geographic restriction | UK general partners must have an office or investments in the UKverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | Sometimes | No |
| Application process | Firms contact the membership team at membership@ukprivatecapital.co.uk or apply through the relevant membership category page. Eligibility is checked against the category criteria and the code of conduct, and a subscription band is set from the firm's size. Unregulated family offices in the £20m–£100m band additionally need a written reference from an FCA-authorised member at partner level or above. | An institution submits a membership application request form (a separate form exists for associate membership) and ILPA checks it against the three eligibility tests. Fees are then assigned from the four-tier AUM schedule for a 12-month term. Questions go to membership@ilpa.org. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: the association publishes eligibility criteria but no acceptance data | Not publicly disclosed: ILPA publishes eligibility criteria but no acceptance or rejection data |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | £3,100–87,450 a yearUK General Partner category, banded by European funds under management: £3,100 (£0–25m); £6,050 (£25–50m); £9,750 (£50–100m); £11,900 (£100–200m); £18,150 (£200–300m); £25,250 (£300–400m); £32,400 (£400–500m); £39,450 (£500–625m); £47,200 (£625–750m); £55,100 (£750–875m); £62,950 (£875m–£1bn); £70,850 (£1–5bn); £76,500 (£5–10bn); £87,450 (over £10bn)verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $4,410 a yearTier 1: total AUM under $1.5 billion. Fees rise about 5% year over year.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual subscription | 12-month term, renewed annually |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | A year-round calendar of conferences, summits, dinners and training courses, mostly in London | Annual Summit, Legal Conference, Members' Conference and Forum EMEA, plus more than 20 regional gatherings across 12-plus countries and a webcast programme |
| Peer forums | No peer-forum structure; members engage through committees, working groups and events | No standing peer forums; members convene at conferences, regional gatherings and through the ILPA Connect platform |
| Confidentiality | Could not be independently verified: no published confidentiality policy was found | Could not be independently verified: no published confidentiality policy was found |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused | Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | No | Partial |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: UK Private Capital (formerly BVCA) · ILPA