We are patient and active investors, who create value by improving companies. KKR invests in high-quality companies with strong business franchises, attractive growth prospects, leading market positions, and ability to generate superior returns.

Our Investment Approach

While we have completed buyout transactions that are among the most complex in history, our investment approach is fundamentally simple. We acquire industry-leading companies and work with management to grow them into thriving, sustainable enterprises — thereby creating shareholder value. We partner with highly motivated management teams to design and implement strategic and operational changes with the objective of taking these businesses to the next level of growth and beyond. And we align our interests with other stakeholders by putting our own capital at risk.

In general, the companies we acquire are at a transition point in their development, and we act as ‘agents of change’ for those businesses. KKR acquisitions can take many forms. We have taken publicly listed companies private, acquired divisional assets through corporate divestiture transactions, partnered with family-owned businesses and strategic buyers, and purchased and grown companies through industry-consolidation strategies.

Key Differentiators—Sourcing Advantage and Value Creation
What differentiates our approach from other alternative asset managers?

Sourcing Advantages

Our internal deal generation strategies and our global network of business relationships provide us with an important source of proprietary investments—and give us an advantage in sourcing investments in large global companies.

Our investment professionals have deep expertise in 14 primary industry groups.

These include chemicals, consumer products, education, energy, financial services, health care, hotels/leisure, manufacturing, media, recycling, retail, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. The professionals in each of these groups have developed their own expertise as well as a network of industry experts with in-depth understanding of their particular industry’s economic drivers, risks, and opportunities for value creation.

We have direct long-lasting relationships with business leaders worldwide.

Throughout our 30+-year history, we have focused on cultivating relationships with key decision-makers at major companies throughout the world, which often provides us with direct investment opportunities. We estimate that we have direct relationships with the chief executive officers or members of the boards of directors of nearly two-thirds of the companies in the S&P 500 and the S&P Global 100.

We have strong relationships with financial and government leaders.

We have cultivated deep relationships with major investment banking firms, other financial intermediaries over the years, and government institutions — and we believe that we are often one of the first parties considered for potential investments.

Value Creation

We approach the management of our investments with the goal of creating long-term value.

Our investment professionals are operationally focused.

KKR investment professionals are continually looking for ways to improve our portfolio companies. As experienced business professionals including former CEOs, CFOs, and managers of companies in a wide range of industry sectors, they bring invaluable expertise to our portfolio companies.

KKR Capstone works to address issues relating to top-line growth, cost optimization, efficient capital allocation and other challenges and opportunities that arise during the life of an investment.

KKR Capstone further strengthens operations in our portfolio companies. This team of operational consultants works exclusively for our investment professionals and portfolio companies.

We have a worldclass group of engaged senior advisors.

To complement the expertise of our investment professionals and operational executives, we have retained a team of senior advisors, some of whom have held leading positions in major corporations and public agencies worldwide. Our senior advisors provide us with additional operational and strategic insights, serve on the boards of our portfolio companies, help us evaluate individual investment opportunities, and assist our portfolio companies with operational matters.

We have a disciplined value creation process.

Before we invest in a company, our investment professionals identify the measures we will take to create new value for stakeholders. Because we believe that value creation must begin from the first day of an investment, our investment professionals and KKR Capstone prepare "100-Day Plans" for investments that detail specific changes our portfolio company managers, investment professionals, and operational executives will implement during the first 100 days following our investment. The ultimate goal is to drive value creation.