Wealthy Families Fuel $20 Billion Private Equity Buyout Wave (1)

Ultra-rich individuals and families worth more than $150 billion are helping drive a resurgence in private equity buyouts, providing capital for some of the year’s biggest acquisitions to overcome a tough dealmaking environment.

Wealthy clans that built their fortunes in industries from children’s toys to household boilers have been co-investors on nearly $20 billion of listed company takeovers this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. They’ve made a mark on Wall Street as go-to sources of capital for investment firms like KKR & Co. and Silver Lake, helping them get acquisitions over the line at a time when ...