| Type | Private Ownership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Private Equity |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Greenwich, Connecticut, United States |
| Products | Growth capital |
| Total assets | $17 billion |
| Website | www.generalatlantic.com |
General Atlantic is a private equity investment firm. The firm invests through growth capital injections, control buyouts, industry consolidations, build-ups, recapitalizations, and PIPEs. In addition to funding, the firm provides strategic support to portfolio companies.
Founded in 1980, GA manages approximately $17 billion in capital and has more than 75 investment professionals based in Greenwich, New York City, Palo Alto, London, Düsseldorf, Hong Kong, Beijing, Mumbai, Singapore and São Paulo.
According to Private Equity International, a proprietary ranking of the largest 300 private equity firms in the world, General Atlantic is the 12th largest private equity firm in the world (2011 PEI 300) with approximately $15.1 billion of capital raised over the preceding five-year period.
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Early history |
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General Atlantic was founded in 1980 by secretive billionaire Charles F. Feeney[1] to invest on behalf of the Atlantic Philanthropies, which he had endowed. The firm was initially headed by Edwin Cohen, who had previously been a partner of McKinsey & Company. Cohen was joined by Steven Denning as a founding member of the firm and as of 2011 has remained with the firm as GA's chairman. GA's current CEO is William (Bill) E. Ford.
General Atlantic focused initially on investments in computer software, oil and gas exploration, real estate and retailing. Among the firm's first major investments was United Health Services which tripled in value in three years for the firm. By the late 1980s, General Atlantic began to expand its funding source to include other family offices, as well as foundations and endowments.[1] In the late 1990s, media attentioned related to the sale of Duty Free Shoppers (DFS)[2], for the first time drew attention to Chuck Feeney and General Atlantic not allowing him to maintain the level of anonymity that Feeney desired.[1]
The firm name, General Atlantic, was created to be generic and unassuming to help reflect Chuck Feeney's preference for a low profile - many companies used generic words like “General” and “Atlantic” but nobody had both.
Since inception, General Atlantic has invested in nearly 200 growth companies. Among the most notable companies in which the firm has invested are the following:
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