Management fee is the recurring fee limited partners pay the general partner to operate the fund and the management company, usually calculated as a percentage of capital commitments or invested capital.

How it works

Standard venture funds charge roughly 2% per year during the investment period (often the first four to five years), sometimes stepping down to 1.5% or switching to invested-capital basis afterward. Fees are drawn via capital calls or withheld from distributions.

The fee covers salaries, travel, legal, and office—not individual deal expenses, which the fund typically bears separately. Carried interest—often ~20% of profits—is earned only after LPs receive returned capital and preferred return.

LPs negotiate nuances: fee on committed vs net invested capital after exits, fee offsets from portfolio company fees, and harvest-period reductions when the fund stops making new investments.

Example: a $100M fund at 2% on commitments generates $2M annually in management fees during the investment period, regardless of whether the GP has deployed all capital yet.

Why it matters

• LPs: Fees are the certain drag on returns; carry is uncertain. Compare fee basis across GPs when selecting managers.
• GPs: Fee income funds the team between liquidity events. Under-resourced firms may overcharge deal expenses to the fund if fees are too low.

Common mistake

Equating management fee with the GP’s total compensation. Carry on successful exits often dominates partner economics but arrives lumpy and years later.

Related ideas

See also management fee offset, management fee during harvest, carried interest, and LPA.