Bain Capital

Founded in 1984 by partners from the consulting firm Bain & Company, Bain Capital was established to apply consulting techniques to investment opportunities to improve company operations. Initially focused on venture capital, the firm successfully backed startups like Staples before shifting its strategy in the late 1980s toward leveraged buyouts and growth capital investments in more mature companies.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the firm expanded into various asset classes, including hedge funds via Brookside Capital and fixed income through Sankaty Advisors. The firm gained significant public attention due to the political career of its co-founder Mitt Romney, particularly during his 2012 presidential campaign, which brought scrutiny to the firm's historical deals and business practices.

Today, Bain Capital is one of the world's largest private investment firms, operating with a global footprint across 24 offices. It manages a diverse portfolio spanning private equity, venture capital, credit, public equity, impact investing, life sciences, real estate, and crypto, consistently ranking among the top global private equity firms by total capital raised.