Does anyone have insight into this group? Not a lot of information about it on WSO. Investment criteria, culture, exits, caliber, prestige, etc...? Obviously, KKR is a huge name but I don't know if the Menlo Park office is as good, specifically the software team. How does it also compare to other pure-Software investing companies like Thoma, Vista?
| +36 | What are you actually using AI for in PE? | 15 | 24m |
| +33 | Best industry/job for entrepreneurship? | 11 | 3d |
| +23 | Firm not transferring me to NYC | 12 | 6h |
| +20 | Burn Out in PE - What Comes Next? | 3 | 4d |
| +20 | Laid off from MM PE - Seeking Help | 9 | 16m |
| +15 | Buyside in London with nice WLB and pay | 15 | 1d |
| +12 | Value Creation Initiatives (That aren't add-ons) | 3 | 2d |
| +10 | Undergrad summer PE analyst positions | 3 | 5d |
| +9 | Question about HH 2028 | 2 | 4d |
| +9 | Realistic path to Capital Solutions/Spec Sits Groups from LevFin at a BB? | 1 | 11m |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
Following
Not a huge player in software / tech. Most tmt is run out of New York and focuses more on the media / telecom side.
bump? if interested in software, would this be a good place to start? worth taking over something of GS TMT caliber if looking for PE exits in tech?
Would definitely take gs TMT IB over this group - that brand alone will open up far better opps down the line (Thoma Bravo, Vista etc.) GS PE May be more or less 50/50
Bump
Bump
I work in tech PE (SL/TB) so I'll try and answer what I can.
The culture and hours at KKR MP are notoriously terrible - it is significantly worse than NY and many junior employees have left because of it. Obviously, it is prestigious because... well KKR lmao, but the group itself hasn't done any impressive deals. If you actually want to do software investing you should go to TB or Vista. The difference between these two and KKR MP is massive; they aren't even in the same tier.
For someone looking to get into Tech PE/HF long term, is it worth taking this over say an EB TMT group? Hours might be rough but the name is compelling. Thanks!
Obviously, it's a MF lol. The odds of going to a MF from even top EBs are low, and you'll learn how to think like an investor, which is irreplaceable experience and significantly more useful than rearranging logos.
Does the same apply to the KKR NGT team?
Yes - they are the same team.
How would you compare the hours between MP Tech and NYC M&T/other groups?
Looking for other perspectives for Principal level thoughts.
These large generalist buyout shops (ie MFs) don’t know how to do tech/software properly. They are 1980s LBO guys at heart even if the founders are semi-retired. Organizationally, they made their bread by levering up frozen food distributors, pet store chains, and hospital systems. They bought those businesses for 8-10x EBITDA and put 6-7x debt on them.
They don’t even know how to begin to think about a software business that trades at 20-25x EBITDA or 6-9x sales. It doesn’t compute. They have no idea how to value an 8-20%+ growth business.
Even the smartest ones are nowhere to be found in tech land.
If you really want to do software, go to a software shop.
On another note, know a few people there. It is a sweat shop. And a few of the senior folks are not particularly nice people.
Don't work at any of these firms so this may be my ignorance, but re them not knowing how to do software/tech - certainly they don't have the same volume as TB/VEP who are purists but deals like Visma, First Data, GoDaddy, Sungard, BMC, OneStream, AppLovin, etc. don't seem like a bad record. Visma in particular sounds like a home run as they've grown to be the one of the biggest PE-backed software companies (though now they're with Hg). What makes you feel that they don't know how to do tech/software properly?
Agreed their bread & butter is unquestionably from other sectors but given how old they are, that kind of seems obvious no?
Edit: Whoever threw the shit can you please explain WHY it's inaccurate? Literally the whole point of my question..
A bunch of the deals you named were dumpster fires. FirstData, Sungard etc. A bunch of others I either don’t recognize or we’re done by deal partners that haven’t been at KKR in 5-10+ years. Generally speaking, you don’t leave KKR as a deal partner if you’re doing good deals and making $$$.
Don’t know much about their growth strategy, so maybe they’re a bit more capable in tech/software? I have no idea.
This
Nisi qui ad consequatur accusamus sapiente. Eos beatae rerum voluptas dolorem qui. Ullam facilis ea aut minima aut iure quas. Itaque nesciunt iste culpa quibusdam. Magni sequi consequatur et repudiandae culpa recusandae consequatur. Sequi aut vitae reiciendis nulla quia. Ea molestiae dolorem natus dolore.
Voluptas alias eos voluptatem doloribus quos nihil. Facilis aut quidem exercitationem rerum debitis. Asperiores quo cum aut.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...