KKR

KKR manages approximately $578 billion in assets, founded in 1976 by Jerome Kohlberg, Henry Kravis, and George Roberts -- the inventors of the modern leveraged buyout. The firm's 1989 acquisition of RJR Nabisco for $31 billion was immortalized in "Barbarians at the Gate" and defined a generation's understanding of high finance. Today KKR spans private equity, infrastructure, real estate, and credit across 23 offices globally, with notable investments in Boots, BMG, and Axel Springer.