First Reserve has been investing in the energy sector for two decades. As it eyes further expansion, its focus will be on India and China, and not the more fashionable clean tech sector.

Orlando management has come a long way from its origins in a run-down area of Munich in the 1990s. its first fund has delivered a tenfold return so far, and the firm is gearing up to take its second even further.

The £101m (€148m) sale of Mergermarket to the Financial Times Group is one of the most successful media and venture capital deals of recent times.

Just one year after its formation, ENDLESS has already become one of the UK’s most prolific investors. So far, its inaugural year has seen 15 deals and three exits, and the firm shows no sign of slowing in 2007

Earlier this year, ESPRIT CAPITAL PARTNERS was formed through that rarest of events: the merger of two venture capitalists – Cazenove and Prelude. The firm is already eyeing its first big deals

Backed by a billionaire Norwegian oil baron, Smedvig Capital is bringing its founder’s big buyout and energy contacts, together with its analytical strength, to the small-deal market

Advent International has achieved its founding ambition of being a truly global investor. Operating on such a scale, its final challenge is to try to retain the “personal touch”