Bain Capital

History

1984 founding and early history

Bain Capital was founded in 1984 by Bain & Company partners Mitt Romney, T. Coleman Andrews III, and Eric Kriss, after Bill Bain had offered Romney the chance to head a new venture that would invest in companies and apply Bain's consulting techniques to improve operations. In addition to the three founding partners, the early team included Fraser Bullock, Robert F. White, Joshua Bekenstein, Adam Kirsch, and Geoffrey S. Rehnert.

Romney initially held the titles of president and managing general partner or managing partner. He later became referred to as managing director or CEO as well. He was also the sole shareholder of the firm. At the time, the firm had fewer than ten employees.

In the face of skepticism from potential investors, Romney and his partners spent a year raising the $37 million in funds needed to start the new operation. Bain partners put in $12 million of their own money and sourced the rest from wealthy individuals. Early investors included Boston real estate mogul Mortimer Zuckerman and Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots football team. They also included members of elite Salvadoran families such as Ricardo Poma whose capital fled the country's civil war. They and other wealthy Latin Americans invested $9 million primarily through offshore companies registered in Panama.

While Bain Capital was founded by Bain executives, the firm was not an affiliate or a division of Bain & Company but rather a completely separate company. Initially, the two firms shared the same offices—in an office tower at Copley Place in Boston—and a similar approach to improving business operations. However, the two firms had put in place certain protections to avoid sharing information between the two companies and the Bain & Company executives had the ability to veto investments that posed potential conflicts of interest. Bain Capital also provided an investment opportunity for partners of Bain & Company. The firm initially gave a cut of its profits to Bain & Company, but Romney later persuaded Bill Bain to give that up.

The Bain Capital team was initially reluctant to invest its capital. By 1985, things were going poorly enough that Romney considered closing the operation, returning investors' money to them, and having the partners go back to their old positions. The partners saw weak spots in so many potential deals that by 1986, very few had been done.

1990s

In the 1990s, Bain Capital started several affiliates that supported its private equity and other assets classes. The long-short equity hedge fund, Brookside Capital, was founded in 1996 and, Sankaty Advisors, the company's fixed income affiliate, was started two years later. Building affiliates for the firm was directed by three conditions: that it leveraged its core skills; one of its Managing Directors has a leadership role; and, the new business invests in attractive asset class.

Beginning in 1989, the firm, which began as a venture capital source investing in start-up companies, adjusted its strategy to focus on leveraged buyouts and growth capital investments in more mature companies. Their model was to buy existing firms with money mostly borrowed against their assets, partner with existing management to apply Bain methodology to their operations (rather than the hostile takeovers practiced in other leverage buyout scenarios), and sell them off in a few years. Existing CEOs were offered large equity stakes in the process, owing to Bain Capital's belief in the emerging agency theory that CEOs should be bound to maximizing shareholder value rather than other goals. By the end of 1990, Bain had raised $175 million of capital and financed 35 companies with combined revenues of $3.5 billion.

In July 1992, Bain acquired Ampad (originally American Pad & Paper) from Mead Corporation, which had acquired the company in 1986. Mead, which had been experiencing difficulties integrating Ampad's products into its existing product lines, generated a cash gain of $56 million on the sale. Under Bain's ownership, the company enjoyed a significant growth in sales from $106.7 million in 1992 to $583.9 million in 1996, when the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Under Bain's ownership, the company also made a number of acquisitions, including writing products company SCM in July 1994, brand names from the American Trading and Production Corporation in August 1995, WR Acquisition and the Williamhouse-Regency Division of Delaware, Inc. in October 1995, Niagara Envelope Company, Inc. in 1996, and Shade/Allied, Inc. in February 1997. Ampad's revenue began to decline in 1997, and the company laid off employees and closed production facilities to maintain profitability. Employment declined from 4,105 in 1996 to 3,800 in 2000. The company ceased trading on the New York stock exchange on December 22, 2000, and filed for bankruptcy in 2001. At the time of the bankruptcy, Bain Capital held a 34.9% equity ownership interest in the company. The assets were acquired in 2003 by Crescent Investments. Bain's eight years' of involvement in Ampad is estimated to have generated over $100 million in profits ($60 million in dividends, $45–50 million from the proceeds from stock issued after the company went public, and $1.5-2 million in annual management fees).

1999–2002

Romney took a paid leave of absence from Bain Capital in February 1999, when he became the head of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The decision caused turmoil at Bain Capital, with a power struggle ensuing. Some partners left and founded the Audax Group and Golden Gate Capital. Other partners threatened to leave, and there was a prospect of eight-figure lawsuits being filed. Romney was worried that the firm might be destroyed, but the crisis ebbed.

Romney was not involved in day-to-day operations of the firm after starting the Olympics position. Those were handled by a management committee, consisting of five of the fourteen remaining active partners with the firm. However, according to some interviews and press releases during 1999, Romney said he was keeping a part-time function at Bain.

During his leave of absence, Romney continued to be listed in filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as "sole shareholder, sole director, Chief Executive Officer and President". The SEC filings reflected the legal reality and the ownership interest in the Bain Capital management company. In practice, former Bain partners have stated that Romney's attention was mostly occupied by his Olympics position. He did stay in regular contact with his partners, and traveled to meet with them several times, signing corporate and legal documents and paying attention to his own interests within the firm and to his departure negotiations. Bain Capital Fund VI in 1998 was the last one Romney was involved in; investors were worried that with Romney gone, the firm would have trouble raising money for Bain Capital Fund VII in 2000, but in practice the $2.5 billion was raised without much trouble. His former partners have said that Romney had no role in assessing other new investments after February 1999, nor was he involved in directing the company's investment funds. Discussions over the final terms of Romney's departure dragged on during this time, with Romney negotiating for the best deal he could get and his continuing position as CEO and sole shareholder giving him the leverage to do so.

Although he had left open the possibility of returning to Bain after the Olympics, Romney made his crossover to politics in 1999. His separation from the firm was finalized in early 2002. Romney negotiated a ten-year retirement agreement with Bain Capital that allowed him to receive a passive profit share and interest as a retired partner in some Bain Capital entities, including buyout and Bain Capital investment funds, in exchange for his ownership in the management company. Because the private equity business continued to thrive, this deal would bring him millions of dollars in annual income. Romney was the first and last CEO of Bain Capital; since his departure became final, it has continued to be run by management committee.

Early 2000s

In 2000, DIC Entertainment chairman and CEO Andy Heyward partnered with Bain Capital Inc in a management buyout of DIC from The Walt Disney Company. Heyward continued as chairman and CEO of the animation studio, which has more than 2,500 half-hours of programming in its library. He purchased Bain Capital's interest in 2004 and took the company public the following year.

Bain Capital began the new decade by closing on its seventh fund, Bain Capital Fund VII, with over $3.1 billion of investor commitments. The firm's most notable investments in 2000 included the $700 million acquisition of Datek, sold to TD Ameritrade in 2002, as well as the $305 million acquisition of KB Toys from Consolidated Stores. KB Toys, which had been financially troubled since the 1990s as a result of increased pressure from national discount chains such as Walmart and Target, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2004. Bain had been able to recover value on its investment through a dividend recapitalization in 2003. In early 2001, Bain agreed to purchase a 30 percent stake, worth $600 million, in Huntsman Corporation, a leading chemical company owned by Jon Huntsman, Sr., but the deal was never completed.

With a significant amount of committed capital in its new fund available for investment, Bain was one of a handful of private equity investors capable of completing large transactions in the adverse conditions of the early 2000s recession. In July 2002, Bain together with TPG Capital and Goldman Sachs Alternatives, announced the high-profile $2.3 billion leveraged buyout of Burger King from Diageo. However, in November the original transaction collapsed when Burger King failed to meet certain performance targets. In December 2002, Bain and its co-investors agreed on a reduced $1.5 billion purchase price for the investment. The Bain consortium had support from Burger King's franchisees, who controlled approximately 92% of Burger King restaurants at the time of the transaction. Under its new owners, Burger King underwent a major brand overhaul including the use of The Burger King character in advertising. In February 2006, Burger King announced plans for an initial public offering.

In late 2002, Bain remained active acquiring Houghton Mifflin for $1.28 billion, together with Thomas H. Lee Partners and Blackstone. Houghton Mifflin and Burger King represented two of the first large club deals, completed since the collapse of the Dot-com bubble.

2000s buy-out boom

In 2004 a consortium comprising KKR, Bain Capital, and real estate development company Vornado Realty Trust announced the $6.6 billion acquisition of Toys "R" Us, the toy retailer. A month earlier, Cerberus Capital Management, made a $5.5 billion offer for both the toy and baby supplies businesses. The Toys 'R' Us buyout was one of the largest in several years. Following this transaction, by the end of 2004 and in 2005, major buyouts were once again becoming common and market observers were stunned by the leverage levels and financing terms obtained by financial sponsors in their buyouts.

The following year, in 2005, Bain was one of seven private equity firms involved in the buyout of SunGard in a transaction valued at $11.3 billion. Bain's partners in the acquisition were Silver Lake Partners, TPG Capital, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, KKR, Providence Equity Partners, and Blackstone. This represented the largest leveraged buyout completed since the takeover of RJR Nabisco at the end of the 1980s, leveraged buyout boom. Also, at the time of its announcement, SunGard would be the largest buyout of a technology company in history, a distinction it would cede to the buyout of Freescale Semiconductor. The SunGard transaction is also notable in the number of firms involved in the transaction, the largest club deal completed to that point. The involvement of seven firms in the consortium was criticized by investors in private equity who considered cross-holdings among firms to be generally unattractive.

Bain led a consortium, together with The Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners to acquire Dunkin' Brands. The private equity firms paid $2.425 billion in cash for the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins in December 2005.

In 2006, Bain Capital and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, together with Merrill Lynch and the Frist family (which had founded the company) completed a $31.6 billion acquisition of Hospital Corporation of America, 17 years after it was taken private for the first time in a management buyout. At the time of its announcement, the HCA buyout was the first of several to set new records for the largest buyout, eclipsing the 1989 buyout of RJR Nabisco. It was later surpassed by the buyouts of EQ Office and TXU. In August 2006, Bain was part of the consortium, together with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Silver Lake Partners, and AlpInvest Partners, that acquired a controlling 80.1% share of semiconductors unit of Philips for €6.4 billion. The new company, based in the Netherlands, was renamed NXP Semiconductors.

2008–2023

In July 2008, Bain Capital, together with NBC Universal and Blackstone Group agreed to purchase The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications. The company also partnered with Thomas H. Lee Partners to acquire Clear Channel Communications in July 2008. That same year, Bain Capital acquired D&M Holdings for $442 million.

In June 2009, Bain Capital announced a deal to invest up to $432 million in Chinese electronics manufacturer GOME Electrical Appliances for a stake of up to 23%. In 2010, the company acquired Styron, a division of The Dow Chemical Company, for $1.6 billion, and also acquired Gymboree for $1.8 billion. In 2011, the company, together with Hellman & Friedman, acquired Securitas Direct AB. Hellman & Friedman purchased Bain Capital's remaining stake in Securitas Direct in October 2015.

In 2012, Bain Capital acquired Physio-Control for $478 million, and also acquired a 30% stake in Genpact Ltd., India's largest business process and call center outsourcing firm, for $1 billion. Later that year, the company acquired hand and power tool company Apex Tool Group for roughly $1.6 billion. In May 2013, Bain Capital partnered with investment firms Golden Gate Capital, GIC Private Limited, and Insight Venture Partners to purchase BMC Software for roughly $6.9 billion. In December 2013, the company acquired a majority stake in the clothing chain Canada Goose Inc.

In April 2014, Bain Capital purchased a controlling stake in Viewpoint Construction Software, a construction-specific software company, for $230 million. In November 2014, the company and Virgin Group announced the creation of a new cruise line, which is currently known as Virgin Voyages. Later that year, Bain agreed to purchase four divisions of CRH for roughly $650 million.

In March 2015, Bain Capital agreed to buy Blue Coat Systems for roughly $2.4 billion. In 2016, the firm named Jonathan Lavine and John Connaughton as co-managing partners, and also named Steven Pagliuca and Joshua Bekenstein as co-chairman. In March 2017, Bain Capital agreed to acquire industrial cleaning company Diversey for $3.2 billion. Later that year, Bain partnered with Cinven to take German company Stada Arzneimittel private.

In February 2018, Bain Capital Private Equity agreed to acquire Dutch stroller brand Bugaboo International. In March 2018, Bain Capital purchased a 20% stake in Tower Ltd from Australian financial conglomerate Suncorp. In January 2019, Bain Capital purchased a majority stake in technology consultancy Brillio.

2024–Present

In April 2024, the firm and 11North Partners announced the formation of a partnership for the acquisition and operation of open-air retail centres throughout the US and Canada.

In June 2024, TechCrunch reported Bain Capital was acquiring, and taking private, cloud-based education software vendor PowerSchool, which helps more than 3000 educational institutions "manage operations such as enrollment, grades, attendance and communications with parents and students." On October 1, 2024, Bain announced it had completed the purchase and conversion.

On 14 April 2025, it was announced that Bain Capital had agreed a deal to sell British insurer Esure to Belgian insurer Ageas for €1.510bn.

In March 2025, Bain Capital agreed to acquire the supermarket and specialty store businesses of Seven & i Holdings in Japan.

In November 2025, Bain Capital was reported to have sold a block of shares in Coherent Corp. valued at up to US$1.14 billion.

Businesses and affiliates

Bain Capital's businesses include private equity, venture capital, public equity, and credit. The firm also has specialized businesses focused on impact investing, life sciences and real estate.

Bain Capital Private Equity

Bain Capital Private Equity has invested across several industries, geographies, and business life cycles. Bain Capital Private Equity also operates in Europe, Australia, and Asia. Historically, Bain Capital has primarily relied on private equity funds, pools of committed capital from pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, fund of funds, high-net-worth individuals, sovereign wealth funds, and other institutional investors. According to the company, Bain Capital's own investment professionals are the largest single investor in each of its funds.

Bain Capital Ventures

Bain Capital Ventures is the venture capital arm of Bain Capital, focused on seed through late-stage growth equity, investing in business services, consumer, healthcare, internet & mobile, and software companies. Bain Capital Ventures has funded the launch and growth of several companies, including DocuSign, Jet.com, Lime, LinkedIn, Rent the Runway, SendGrid, and SurveyMonkey.

Bain Capital Public Equity

Originally founded as Brookside Capital, Bain Capital Public Equity is the public equity affiliate of Bain Capital. Established in October 1996, Bain Capital Public Equity's primary objective is to invest in securities of publicly traded companies that offer opportunities to realize substantial long-term capital appreciation. Bain Capital Public Equity employs a long/short equity strategy to reduce market risk in the portfolio.

Bain Capital Credit

Originally founded as Sankaty Advisors, Bain Capital Credit is the fixed income affiliate of Bain Capital, a manager of high yield debt securities. With approximately $49 billion of assets under management, Bain Capital Credit invests in a wide variety of securities, including leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, distressed securities, mezzanine debt, convertible bonds, structured products, and equity investments. In 2017, Bain Capital Credit closed its first credit fund in Asia, focusing on distressed debt in the region. Bain Capital Credit has also pursued distressed debt strategies in Europe. In November 2018, Bain Capital Credit took Specialty Finance, a business development company, public through an IPO.

Bain Capital Double Impact

Bain Capital Double Impact focuses on impact investing with companies that provide financial returns as well as social and environmental impact. In 2015, Bain Capital hired Deval Patrick, former Massachusetts Governor, to lead the new business division. Bain Capital Double Impact closed its initial fund of $390 million in July 2017. In March 2019, it was reported that Bain Capital Double Impact had acquired a majority stake in IT outsourcing firm Rural Sourcing. In June 2019, the company sold Impact Fitness to Morgan Stanley Capital Partners.

Bain Capital Life Sciences

Bain Capital Life Sciences invests in companies that focus on medical innovation and serve patients with unmet medical needs. It raised its first fund of $720 million in May 2017. In September 2019, SpringWorks, a biopharmaceutical company Bain Capital Life Sciences owns a 17% stake in, launched an IPO. Also in 2019, the company closed two life sciences portfolios, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in the Research Triangle in North Carolina.

Bain Capital Real Estate

Bain Capital Real Estate was founded in 2018 when Harvard Management Company shifted the management of its real estate investment portfolio to Bain Capital. The Bain Capital Real Estate team is managed by members of Harvard Management Company's former real estate team. Bain Capital Real Estate closed an initial fund of $1.5 billion in July 2019.

Bain Capital Tech Opportunities

Bain Capital Tech Opportunities was created in 2019 to make investments in technology companies, particularly in enterprise software and cybersecurity.

Bain Capital Insurance

Bain Capital created a dedicated insurance‑industry investing business inside Bain Capital in 2021. Recent acquisitions by this unit include the 2025 agreement to acquire Jensten Group, a UK-based commercial insurance distribution platform.

Bain Capital Special Situations

Bain Capital Special Situations is a business unit focused on providing flexible capital solutions across asset classes, including investments in distressed assets, hybrid equity and debt, and real-asset transactions. In 2023, the firm was reported to be seeking approximately US$4 billion for a new global special situations fund.

Appraisals and critiques

Bain Capital's approach of applying consulting expertise to the companies it invested in became widely copied in the private equity industry. University of Chicago Booth School of Business economist Steven Kaplan said in 2011, that the firm "came up with a model that was very successful and very innovative and that now everybody uses."

In his 2009 book The Buyout of America: How Private Equity Is Destroying Jobs and Killing the American Economy, Josh Kosman described Bain Capital as "notorious for its failure to plough profits back into its businesses," being the first large private-equity firm to derive a large fraction of its revenues from corporate dividends and other distributions. The revenue potential of this strategy, which may "starve" a company of capital, was increased by a 1970s court ruling that allowed companies to consider the entire fair market value of the company, instead of only their "hard assets", in determining how much money was available to pay dividends. In at least some instances, companies acquired by Bain borrowed money in order to increase their dividend payments, ultimately leading to the collapse of what had been financially stable businesses.