Deals
Coming to the U.S., a Buyout Shop With Henry Kravis Ambitions
- Thomas von Koch's EQT Partners makes major global push
- Swedish firm is mainland Europe's biggest private-equity shop
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Dressed in an open-necked shirt and a bit of tobacco snus under his top lip, Thomas von Koch is in his Manhattan office talking about the future of the private-equity firm he leads. He’s no Henry Kravis or Steve Schwarzman at the moment -- but he’d like to be.
Von Koch co-founded the Swedish buyout firm EQT Partners in 1994 when he was just 28. It has since grown into mainland Europe’s biggest private-equity shop with $29 billion in assets and a reputation for nurturing its portfolio companies. Now, the 49-year-old von Koch has Master of Universe ambitions -- to join the global elite of asset managers.