Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) has formed a Greenwich-based private equity fund led by Jonathan Grayer, the former CEO of education prep center Kaplan Inc.
Weld North L.L.C. will acquire or invest in businesses active in consumer services, education, media, personal services and marketing.
Grayer joined Kaplan in 1991 as a regional operations director, having previously led marketing at Newsweek. He was promoted to CEO within three years; today Kaplan accounts for more than half of the revenue of The Washington Post Co., which has owned Kaplan since 1985.
Â
Â
Norwalk-based SmartEquip Inc. has raised $21 million in new equity funding, with plans to secure up to $6 million more in additional capital.
Founded in 2000 by Caterpillar alumnus Alexander Schuessler, SmartEquip”™s software has helped businesses complete more than 5 million transactions involving parts purchases or repairs for fleets of trucks or heavy equipment they use.
Greenwich-based General Atlantic L.L.C. has taken a non-controlling, $250 million stake in Markit, which data and trading platforms to financial companies.
Â
Founded in 2001 by Toronto Dominion and based in London, Markit has 1,400 employees.
General Atlantic”™s financial company portfolio has included New York City-based RiskMetrics Group, which went public two years ago; and GETCO, a Chicago company whose software publishes financial market quotes and executes trades.
