Berkshire Partners LLC

Company type	Private ownership
Industry	Private equity
Founded	1984; 40 years ago (1984)
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Products	Private equity funds, Leveraged buyouts
AUM	US$ 16 billion
Website	www.berkshirepartners.com

Berkshire Partners is an American private equity firm based in Boston.^[1] It has invested in over 100 middle market companies since 1986 through nine investment funds with aggregate capital commitments of more than $16 billion. Berkshire has developed specific industry experience in several areas including consumer products and retail, business services, communications, industrials and healthcare. The firm has invested over $50 million to $500 million of equity capital in each portfolio company.

Berkshire Partners typically makes equity investments of $50 million to $500 million in companies with enterprise values between $100 million and $1.5 billion. The firm seeks to partner with management teams to help grow their businesses and create long-term value.^[2]

History

Berkshire Partners was founded by Bradley M. Bloom, J. Christopher Clifford, Carl Ferenbach, Richard K. Lubin and Russell L. Epker in 1984. The firm traces its roots back to Boston's Thomas H. Lee Partners, a large-cap private equity firm founded a decade earlier. Since its founding in 1984, Berkshire has raised nine private equity funds with total investor commitments of more than $16.0 billion since inception.^{[citation needed]}

• Berkshire Fund I (1984) – $59 million
• Berkshire Fund II (1986) – $125 million
• Berkshire Fund III (1992) – $168 million
• Berkshire Fund IV (1996) – $387 million
• Berkshire Fund V (1998) – $985 million
• Berkshire Fund VI (2002) – $1.7 billion
• Berkshire Fund VII (2006) – $3.1 billion
• Berkshire Fund VIII (2011) – $4.5 billion
• Berkshire Fund IX (2016) – $5.5 billion

Portfolio

Since its inception in 1984, Berkshire Partners has invested in over 100 companies and developed specific industry experience in several areas including consumer products and retail, business services, communications, industrials and healthcare.