Henry Kravis

Henry Roberts Kravis (born January 6, 1944) is an American investor and philanthropist who co-founded the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) in 1976 alongside George R. Roberts and Jerome Kohlberg, pioneering the leveraged buyout (LBO) model that relies heavily on debt financing to acquire and restructure companies. As of 2025, Kravis serves as co-executive chairman of KKR, which manages approximately $627 billion in assets. His net worth is estimated at $14 billion, primarily derived from his stake in the firm.

Kravis graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a bachelor's degree in economics and earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1969, after which he worked at Bear Stearns before launching KKR with an initial $120,000 in capital. Under his leadership, KKR executed transformative LBOs, most notably the $25 billion acquisition of RJR Nabisco in 1988, which was the largest leveraged buyout in history at the time and exemplified the aggressive tactics that defined the firm's approach to corporate takeovers. This deal, chronicled in the book Barbarians at the Gate, drew scrutiny for its high debt load and executive payouts but ultimately positioned KKR as a dominant force in private equity.

Henry Kravis was born on January 6, 1944, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, into a Jewish family. His parents were Raymond F. Kravis, a petroleum engineer, and Bessie Kravis (née Roberts).

Raised in a middle-class household amid Tulsa's oil-driven economy, Kravis observed his father's operations, which fostered an early appreciation for business acumen and perseverance in volatile markets. The family's Jewish heritage, with roots tracing to Russian and Latvian immigrants, underscored community involvement, as Bessie Kravis supported local Jewish organizations and charitable efforts like the Babies Milk Fund. These experiences in post-World War II America, characterized by industrial expansion and familial self-reliance, laid the groundwork for Kravis's later pursuits without reliance on inherited wealth.