Henry Roberts Kravis (born January 6, 1944) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of the private equity and investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR & Co.), where he pioneered the leveraged buyout (LBO) as a major financial strategy. His high-profile deals, including the 1988 buyout of RJR Nabisco, have made him a central figure in modern finance, and his lavish lifestyle has drawn criticism from activists seeking to reform private equity regulations.
Kravis has also been involved in the growing intersection of private equity and technology, particularly through KKR's investments in Artificial intelligence and related fields. As of 2026, his net worth is approximately $12.5 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, derived primarily from his stake in KKR.
Early Life and Education
Kravis was born into a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Bessie (née Roberts) and Raymond F. Kravis, a successful oil engineer who had been a business partner of Joseph P. Kennedy. He attended Eaglebrook School (class of 1960) and the Loomis Chaffee School, where he was elected vice president of the student council. He graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 1967 with a degree in economics, where he also played varsity golf. He then earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1969.
Career at Bear Stearns
After various jobs in New York's financial sector, Kravis and his first cousin George R. Roberts joined Bear Stearns, working under corporate finance manager Jerome Kohlberg Jr. They became partners at young ages (30 and 31). In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the trio began a series of "bootstrap" investments, including Stern Metals (1965), Incom (1971), Cobblers Industries (1971), and Boren Clay (1973). While many were successful, the $27 million investment in Cobblers ended in bankruptcy.
Founding of KKR
Tensions with Bear Stearns led to the trio's departure in 1976, forming Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. Kohlberg invested $100,000, while Kravis and Roberts each put in $10,000. Early investors included the Hillman and Griffith families. By 1978, after ERISA regulation revisions, KKR raised its first institutional fund of about $30 million.
In 1987, Kohlberg resigned, leaving Kravis and Roberts to lead the firm. In 1988, they executed the $31.4 billion leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco, then the highest price ever paid for a commercial enterprise. The deal was dramatized in the 1989 book and 1993 film Barbarians at the Gate, with Kravis portrayed by Jonathan Pryce. KKR divested its holdings in 1995, taking an overall loss, but the firm continued with other profitable investments.
Under Kravis's leadership, KKR invested in companies such as HCA, TXU, Playtex, Beatrice Foods, Safeway, Toys "R" Us, Borden, First Data, and Regal Entertainment Group. A takeover of Duracell proved particularly profitable. In 2013, KKR closed its first real estate fund with $1.2 billion in new money.
In July 2017, Kravis and Roberts announced that Joseph Y. Bae and Scott C. Nuttall would succeed them. The succession was enacted in October 2021, with Kravis and Roberts becoming co-executive chairmen. Under Bae and Nuttall, KKR's assets under management grew from $470 billion to $758 billion by March 31, 2026.
Personal Life and Philanthropy
Kravis has been married three times. His first marriage to Helene Diane "Hedi" Shulman ended in divorce; they had three children, including Harrison (1972-1991, died in a car accident), Robert (b. 1973), and Kimberly (b. 1975). He married designer Carolyne Roehm in 1985, but they divorced in 1993. He is currently married to Canadian economist Marie-Josée Drouin, who has served on boards including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Robin Hood Foundation, and as president of the Museum of Modern Art board.
Kravis lives primarily in New York City, with homes in Palm Beach, Southampton, Paris, and Sharon, Connecticut. He has been a supporter of Republican politics, fundraising for Presidents George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush, and John McCain. In 1997, he co-founded the Republican Leadership Council.
AI and Technology Investments
In recent years, KKR has increasingly focused on technology and Artificial intelligence investments, reflecting Kravis's interest in emerging sectors. While specific AI deals are not always public, KKR has invested in companies leveraging Machine learning and Large language model technologies, such as AI21 Labs and Inflection AI, as part of a broader strategy to capitalize on the growth of Generative AI. These investments align with KKR's history of backing transformative businesses, and Kravis has spoken about the potential of AI to reshape industries.