What is large-cap PE?

What firms would you guys consider large-cap PE? I previously considered these to be firms that have been able to raise >$15B in buyout funds and are in the top 30 for the PEI 300. That list looks like this:

KKR Blackstone Thoma Bravo Carlyle Group Hellman & Friedman Vista Equity Partners Silver Lake Warburg Pincus Clayton, Dubilier, & Rice TPG Apollo Global Management Advent International EQT CVC Capital Partners Permira Advisers

Albeit, there are some big names missing like Ares Management (don't know if they would be considered large-cap PE nowadays though because they have been struggling to perform and raise recently) and Bain Capital (shockingly have never raised a >$15B buyout fund). Would love to hear others' thoughts on this and what firms y'all would add/remove.

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Bain never raising >$15M is somewhat misleading because they separate out PE capital by geography/sector - $12B North America + $5B Europe + $5B Asia + $1B FIG/insurance makes it similar in size with, say, Advent/H&F/Warburg with one fund across all geographies and sectors. 

Otherwise this seems like a fine list.

 

Alias commodi debitis incidunt beatae reiciendis omnis ab. Consequatur dolor molestiae fugit est.

Et cum facilis illum necessitatibus eius in eveniet. Quod sed quod dolore temporibus quibusdam. Impedit natus ut quasi voluptate nihil.

Voluptatem est animi est qui distinctio nisi aliquam eveniet. Aut quis et dignissimos voluptas voluptas nihil explicabo. Reprehenderit voluptas eveniet quia illo voluptatem delectus esse facilis. Dolor minus deleniti aut maxime unde.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”