Henry Kravis

Henry R. Kravis is a titan of the private equity industry, best known as the co-founder and co-executive chairman of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR). Established in 1976 with George R. Roberts and Jerome Kohlberg, KKR pioneered the leveraged buyout (LBO) strategy, fundamentally reshaping corporate finance. Under Kravis's leadership, KKR grew into one of the world's largest and most influential global investment firms, managing a diverse portfolio across private equity, credit, infrastructure, real estate, and growth equity.

KKR's investment approach typically involves acquiring mature companies, often taking them private, and implementing operational improvements to drive value creation. The firm is renowned for its large-scale transactions, with deal sizes frequently ranging from hundreds of millions to several billions of dollars. For instance, KKR made history with its $25 billion acquisition of RJR Nabisco in 1988, a landmark deal that remains one of the largest LBOs ever executed. More recently, KKR's investment prowess is reflected in its substantial capital raises, such as the closing of its North America XI fund at $19 billion in 2023, underscoring its capacity for significant capital deployment.

As an institutional investor, KKR's "check sizes" are vastly different from those of typical venture capital or angel investors. The firm's typical initial equity investments for private equity deals generally start from around $100 million, extending to multi-billion dollar transactions. While KKR does engage in growth equity, these investments are still substantial, often beginning in the tens of millions of dollars, targeting more established, high-growth companies rather than early-stage startups. Henry Kravis's influence is primarily through KKR's strategic direction and large-scale capital deployment, rather than individual small-ticket investments.