KKR

Founded in 1976 by Jerome Kohlberg Jr. and cousins Henry Kravis and George R. Roberts, KKR is a pioneer of the leveraged buyout industry. The firm rose to international prominence following its historic 1988 buyout of RJR Nabisco, which remained the largest leveraged buyout for seventeen years. The founders previously led the corporate finance department at Bear Stearns, where they completed several early bootstrap investments in family-owned businesses.

Today, KKR operates as a global investment firm serving institutional investors, wealth investors, and family offices. Its operations are divided into three primary business areas: asset management, insurance through Global Atlantic, and Strategic Holdings. The asset management division covers public and private credit, private equity, infrastructure, real estate, and capital markets.

The firm has a long history of high-profile deals across various market cycles. While known for its massive buyouts in the 1980s, the firm evolved in the 1990s to include industry consolidations and rollups. KKR transitioned to a public company and continues to be ranked as one of the largest private equity firms globally by total capital raised, maintaining a presence in major financial hubs worldwide.