Private Equity Firms, KKR etc.

What are the most prestigious Private Equity firms out there in your opinion?

Also, I've heard a lot about "Megafund" PE shops but am unsure what exactly falls under that umbrella... can somebody help me out here? I.e., by naming a few?

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As you can see from my sig, I'm not necessarily one to rank things based on prestige - there are so many other factors that contribute to success and determine what kind of place is a fit. That said, here are a couple of the megafunds most out there consider "prestigious": Carlyle, KKR, Blackstone, TPG, Madison Dearborn, Bain Capital, Thomas H Lee, Goldman Sachs PE (forget what their official title is these days).

- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

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