Investment Firms Industry Competitors

When it comes to investing, the i's have it. One of Europe's leading private equity investors and one of the largest investment trusts on London's stock exchange, 3i Group invests in buyouts; it also makes growth and venture capital investments. In leveraged buyouts and other transactions, 3i targets mid-market firms in Europe valued at up to €1 billion....

Extra! Extra! ABRY Partners specializes in financing companies that get the word out. The private equity firm has invested in more than 450 media concerns, from newspaper companies to broadband providers. Its portfolio includes Muzak, Atlantic Broadband, Charleston Newspapers, the quaintly named Country Road Communications, and Dolan Media Company....

Ackermans & van Haaren (AvH) really digs its holding company status. The firm's interests span four sectors: dredging and environmental services, financial services, real estate, and private equity. AvH owns a 50% stake in D.E.M.E., a dredging and environmental services firm serving the oil and gas industry....

Actis Capital makes private equity investments in companies in emerging markets such as Africa, China, India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. It buys out, acquires stakes in, or provides financing to firms in the retail, oil and gas, mining and manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, health care, and real estate sectors, among others....

Adorian would simply adore finding a new line of business. Adorian (formerly Oakgate) had operated local television stations in the UK, but is now without an active business. The cash shell is seeking acquisitions that would put it back in operation. Rumors of possible deals have circulated in the financial press, but nothing concrete has occurred....

Buyout firm Advent International invests in mid-market companies in a variety of industries in North America and Western Europe. Target firms use the company's infusions of cash (up to $500 million) for international expansion, restructuring, or to fuel growth....

Alchemy Partners doesn't literally turn lead into gold, but nonetheless garners some green from its investments. The private equity firm is a turnaround specialist targeting management buyouts, public-to-private transactions, and later-stage venture capital for companies in central Europe and the UK....

On a quick scan of Alerion's name, you might be forgiven for thinking the company makes ailerons. But, no, Alerion is not in the aircraft parts business -- it's an investment firm focusing primarily on the renewable energy sector. The company operates with stakes in such companies as Alerion Energie Rinnovable (renewable energy), Reno De Medici (a recycled cardboard producer), RdM Realty (real estate), and Mediapason (media)....

Alfa Group may not be top dog in the Russian corporate pack, but it's not for lack of trying. The self-styled financial/industrial conglomerate is run by oligarch Mikhail Fridman, who is also the group's majority owner. Alfa has interests in banking (its Alfa-Bank is Russia's largest private bank), asset management, private equity, real estate, insurance, and telecommunications (through holdings in VimpelCom, Golden Telecom, MegaFon, and Kyivstar)....

Altin is a closed-end investment firm that manages hedge funds. It concentrates on holding a stable portfolio that will reward investors with long-term capital appreciation. The funds it holds are drawn from the Asian, North American, and European markets....

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American Business Corporation (formerly Logistics Management Resources) has changed lanes and is steering in another direction. Logistics Management Resources formerly provided freight transportation services through subsidiary U.S. Trucking. But U.S. Trucking ceased operations in 2000 and liquidated its assets in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy....

Nothing says Texas like oil and real estate. American International Industries covers those bases -- and more -- from its home in the Houston metro area. The company typically takes a controlling interest in undervalued companies; it holds investments in oil wells, real estate, and various industrial manufacturers....

Investment firm Andlinger & Company targets companies valued between $20 million to $200 million and specializes in turnarounds for underperforming companies. It primarily seeks investments in companies that provide renewable energy, emission reduction, and waste recovery services, but it will invest in other types of businesses....

Anhui Expressway Company hopes that tolls provide an express ticket to capitalist heaven. The company invests in the construction, operation, and management of toll roads in the Anhui province of China. Holdings include equity in such byways as Hening Expressway, the New Tianchang section of National Trunk 205, Gaojie Expressway, Xuanguang Expressway, and Anhui section of the Lianhuo Expressway....

AntarChile is one of Chile's largest investment companies. The holding company owns more than 60% of industrial conglomerate group Copec. Other holdings include investments in forestry and wood products groups Forestal Cholguan and Celulosa Arauco y Constitución....

Founded in 1969 by Alan Patricof, investment firm Apax Partners (formerly Patricof & Co.) provides financing to companies in the high-tech, media, retail, health care, communications, and financial and business services industries. The company, which had a hand in the startup of such ventures as Apple and Office Depot, announced it has ceased venture capital investing....

Holding company APi Group has a piece of the action in five business sectors: construction services, fire protection, special systems, manufacturing, and materials distribution. APi has more than 25 subsidiaries, which operate as independent companies. Services provided by the company's construction subsidiaries include energy conservation; electrical, industrial, and mechanical contracting; industrial insulation; and overhead door installation....

In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo is the god of light, medicine, arts, and archery, but Apollo Advisors is even more diverse. Also known as Apollo Management, the private equity firm owns stakes in companies in a range of industries. Its portfolio holdings include movie theater chain AMC Entertainment, home products retailer Linens 'n Things, Covalence Specialty Materials, Jacuzzi Brands (acquired in 2007), and Hexion Specialty Chemicals....

Private equity investor Apollo Investment shines its light on the world of middle-market corporate finance. Through its advisor Apollo Investment Management, it specializes in subordinated debt and equity capital. As a business development company (BDC) and a closed-end investment fund, it provides middle-market companies with mezzanine or senior subordinated loans....