Founded in 1984, Bain Capital is a private equity and multi-asset alternative investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm prefers to invest in the retail, business service, consumer, financial service, healthcare, energy, technology, media, telecommunication and industrial sectors.
The firm was founded in 1984 by partners from the consulting firm Bain & Company. These partners included Mitt Romney, T. Coleman Andrews III, and Eric Kriss. The early Bain Capital team included Fraser Bullock, Robert F. White, Joshua Bekenstein, Adam Kirsch, and Geoffrey S. Renhert. Even though founded by Bain & Company executives, Bain Capital is not an affiliate or division of Bain & Company but rather a separate entity. Bain Capital remains a private, employee-owned company.
The firm, and its actions during its first 15 years, became the subject of political and media scrutiny as a result of co-founder Mitt Romney's later political career, including his 2012 presidential campaign. Mitt Romney served as Bain Capital's first and last CEO. Since his departure, Bain Capital has continued to be run by management committee, lead by Co-Chairman Sephen Pagliuca in 2020.
As of 2018, the firm managed more than $105 billion of investor capital.
Since inception, Bain Capital has invested in or acquired hundreds of companies. Their investment approach has extended to include public equity, credit, venture capital, real estate, and cross-asset class opportunities in strategic focus areas. They prefer to organize their investments around funds. The originally venture capital focus of their investments shifted towards a focus on leveraged buyouts and growth capital investments in more mature companies.
One of Bain Capital's early venture investments was in Staples, Inc in 1986. They provided $4.5 million to help executives Leo Kahn and Thomas G. Stemberg open the office supply supermarket in Brighton, Massachusetts. They followed a similar venture capital investment strategy through the remainder of the 1980's until the 1990's. Bain Capital's shift in investment strategy towards a focus on leveraged buyouts and growth capital investments in the early 1990's was exemplified by their acquisition of Ampad from Mead Corporation in 1992. The acquisition saw Ampad grow in sales from $106.7 million in 1992 to $583.9 million in 1996, the same year the company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Bain Capital describes their investment approach as consulting-based, intending to develop relationships and partnerships with management teams in order to find insights into long-term value for businesses and markets. And they strive in all investment categories to create impact for their investors, teams, and businesses.
Bain Capital's investments and acquisitions have included:
- AMC Theatres
- Artisan Entertainment
- Aspen Education Group
- Apex Tool Group
- Brookstone
- Burger King
- Burlington Coat Factory
- Canada Goose
- DIC Entertainment
- Domino's Pizza
- DoubleClick
- Dunkin' Donuts
- D&M Holdings
- Guitar Center
- Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)
- iHeartMedia
- KB Toys
- Sealy
- Sports Authority
- Staples
- Toys "R" Us
- Warner Music Group
- Fingerhut
- The Weather Channel
- Apple Leisure Group
Through the Bain Capital Community Partnership, Bain Capital and its employees strive to make an impact in the communities and neighborhoods where they work and live by supporting a wide array of charitable and nonprofit organizations with their time, expertise and resources. In 1986, Bain Capital employees founded Bain Capital Children's Charity (BCCC) to provide support to causes that benefit youth around the world. Each year, BCCC supports more than 110 organizations worldwide, and has donated more than $50 million to nonprofit organizations since its founding.
