GTCR

Founded in 1980 as Golder Thoma & Co., GTCR is one of the oldest and most established private equity firms in the United States. The firm was built on the legacy of Stanley Golder, who is credited with helping relax federal ERISA restrictions to allow pension funds to invest in private equity. In 1998, the firm underwent a significant reorganization, splitting from partners Carl Thoma and Bryan Cressey to become GTCR Golder Rauner, led by Golder and Bruce Rauner.

The firm is best known for its "Leaders Strategy," which involves identifying and partnering with exceptional management executives to acquire and build companies through a series of "roll-up" transactions. This strategy has been applied across diverse sectors including healthcare, technology, and financial services. Since its inception, the firm has invested more than $30 billion in over 290 companies.

In recent years, GTCR has continued to scale its operations, raising its largest fund to date, Fund XIV, at $11.5 billion in 2023. The firm remains headquartered in Chicago and has executed some of the largest private equity exits in recent history, including the multi-billion dollar sale of AssuredPartners and the acquisition and subsequent partial sale of Worldpay.