Dealmakers have been sourcing, developing, negotiating, and closing deals ever since the first private equity investment firm (Bessemer Trust) was founded by the entrepreneur Henry Phipps in 1907. In the following decades, the PE industry grew in fits and starts as a result of government legislation that was alternatively helpful and restrictive. The PE industry began to prosper in the 1980s, when Congress relaxed both pension fund restrictions and capital gains taxes. Investments flowed into private equity funds, and some of the best-known firms were founded—Bain Capital in 1984, The Blackstone Group in 1985, and The Carlyle Group in 1987.
Since the early 2000s, PE funds have grown tremendously. At year-end in 2023, private equity firms worldwide managed $5.8 trillion in assets, according to Preqin's 2025 Global Report: Private Equity, up from $3.8 trillion in 2014 and $716 billion in December 2000.
- Investment Underwriters
- Private Equity Accountants and Auditors
- Private Equity Business Development Directors
- Private Equity Compliance Professionals
- Private Equity Financial Managers
- Private Equity Investor Relations Specialists
- Private Equity Lawyers
- Private Equity Marketing Specialists
- Private Equity Research Analysts and Associates
- Private Equity Risk Managers