PE Firm · Capital Allocator

DLJ Merchant Banking Partners

Medium
New York City, United States · Founded 1985 · AUM $12 billion · Website
Leveraged BuyoutGrowth CapitalMezzanine DebtReal EstateSecondary InvestmentsRetailMediaHealthcareFinancial ServicesSpecialty ChemicalsEnergyInfrastructureIndustrialNorth AmericaEurope
Last verified
8/20/2026

Firm Overview

10
Portfolio tracked
8
Sectors
2
Regions
8/20/2026
Last verified

A private equity investment firm focused on leveraged buyout transactions, originally founded as the merchant banking arm of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.

DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (DLJMB) was founded in 1985 as the private equity arm of the investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Initially established to invest bank and employee capital alongside clients in leveraged buyouts, the firm raised its first institutional fund in 1992. Following Credit Suisse's acquisition of DLJ in 2000, the group managed a diverse range of investment vehicles including real estate, growth capital, mezzanine debt, and infrastructure.

The firm underwent significant leadership changes and structural shifts in the mid-2000s, leading to high-profile spin-outs such as Diamond Castle Holdings and Avista Capital Partners. Despite these transitions, the firm continued to raise multi-billion dollar funds, including a $2.1 billion fund in 2006. In 2014, the group was officially spun out from Credit Suisse to become an independent entity known as aPriori Capital Partners.

Founded1985
HeadquartersNew York City, United States
AUM$12 billion
Target investment$1 billion to $5.3 billion (fund sizes)
EmployeesNot specified
StrategiesLeveraged Buyout, Growth Capital, Mezzanine Debt, Real Estate, Secondary Investments
Sector focusRetail, Media, Healthcare, Financial Services, Specialty Chemicals, Energy, Infrastructure, Industrial
Geographic focusNorth America, Europe

Leadership

Nicole Arnaboldi
Head of DLJMB / Managing Director
Managing Director and Head of the firm since 2008, following the resignation of Steven C. Rattner.
Steven C. Rattner
Former Head of DLJMB
Former head of the firm who resigned in 2008 during fundraising for the fifth fund.
Larry Schloss
Former Co-Head
Former co-head who spun out in 2004 to form Diamond Castle Holdings.
Thompson Dean
Former Co-Head
Former co-head who spun out in 2005 to form Avista Capital Partners.

Notable Investments

Neiman MarcusMGMNuveen InvestmentsHealthMarketsRockwood HoldingsAccellentAdvanstarSymetra FinancialNIBC BankGuala Closures GroupWastequipSpecialized Technology Resources

Historical and current deals referenced in public sources.

Portfolio Companies

CompanySectorStatusWebsite
Enduring Resources IIEnergyExited
Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc.PharmaceuticalsExited
Gala Group LimitedConsumer / RetailExited
HealthMarkets, Inc.Financial ServicesExited
JGWPT Holdings, LLCFinancial ServicesExited
Laramie Energy I, LLCEnergyExited
Luxury Optical Holdings Co.RetailExited
NextPharma Technologies, S.A.PharmaceuticalsExited
The Service Companies, Inc.Business ServicesExited
Zucamor SAIndustrialExited

Source: aprioricapital.com/portfolio

Portfolio Web Readiness

Not yet assessed

The assessment covers whether AI crawlers and search engines can reach and parse the public site, page performance, transport and security hygiene, and discoverability.

Observational measurements of these companies' public websites only. Not a rating of the companies, their performance, their management, or their investment merit. Not investment advice. Request a correction or removal via Submit Update.

Sources

This profile is based on publicly available information and may be incomplete or outdated. PE Firm Index is not affiliated with DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and does not provide investment advice.

More PE firms in Retail

Browse the full PE firms directory.