Apollo Global Management

Apollo Global Management was founded in 1990 by Leon Black, Josh Harris, Marc Rowan, and Tony Ressler, former investment bankers at the defunct Drexel Burnham Lambert. In its early years, the firm capitalized on the collapse of the high-yield market, employing a strategy of distressed-to-control takeovers to acquire controlling interests in companies through bankruptcy reorganizations and restructurings. Over the decades, it has evolved from a distressed debt specialist into one of the world's largest alternative investment managers.

The firm operates across three primary segments: yield (credit), equity (private equity), and real assets. Its investment activities cover a wide range of products including mezzanine capital, hedge funds, collateralized loan obligations, and infrastructure. Apollo manages capital for a diverse group of institutional and individual investors, including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and financial endowments. The company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and is a component of the S&P 500.

Apollo is known for its opportunistic and value-oriented approach to investing. During the mid-2000s boom, the firm executed several large-scale leveraged buyouts and has maintained a significant presence in the travel, leisure, and industrial sectors. Despite leadership transitions, including the departure of Leon Black in 2021, the firm has continued to grow its assets under management significantly, reaching nearly one trillion dollars by 2025.