3G Capital Partners

What 3G Capital Partners does

3G Capital Partners is a global private equity firm founded in 2004 by Brazilian billionaires Jorge Paulo Lemann, Carlos Alberto Sicupira (Beto Sicupira), and Marcel Telles. The firm is domiciled in Brazil with a New York office and is managed day-to-day by Managing Partners Alex Behring and Daniel Schwartz. 3G follows a concentrated investment model, deploying large capital allocations into a small number of companies per fund and engaging in deep operational participation rather than passive financial ownership. Its investment focus is consumer brands with end-customer relationships — historically food, beverage, and restaurants, more recently extending to footwear and home furnishings.

The firm's portfolio centers on three major platforms: Restaurant Brands International (parent of Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs), Kraft Heinz (created through the 2013–2015 merger with Berkshire Hathaway), and Skechers U.S.A. (acquired for $9.4 billion in 2025, the largest footwear industry take-private on record). Historically significant deals include the 2008 acquisition of Anheuser-Busch to form AB InBev ($52 billion), Burger King ($3.26 billion in 2010), Popeyes ($1.3 billion in 2017), and Hunter Douglas ($7.1 billion in 2021). The firm generates returns through operational improvements — most notably cost restructuring inherited from its AB InBev heritage — and long-duration ownership, with reported returns of approximately 30x on its Restaurant Brands International investment.

3G Capital's revenue model follows standard large-cap private equity economics: management fees on committed capital plus carried interest on realized gains, though neither figure is publicly disclosed. The firm does not raise from traditional external fund structures in the conventional sense, instead deploying capital from its own balance sheet alongside co-investment partners such as Berkshire Hathaway. With 11–50 employees, the organization is structured as a lean partnership, relying on its reputation, network, and operational expertise rather than a broad institutional sales apparatus. Major financing relationships, such as JPMorgan's $5 billion debt arrangement for the Skechers acquisition, support the firm's ability to execute at scale.

Name

3G Capital Partners

Legal name

3G Capital Partners

Website

https://3g-capital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

3G Capital Partners is a Brazilian-founded, concentrated private equity firm that acquires and operationally restructures global consumer brands — currently Restaurant Brands International, Kraft Heinz, and Skechers — using a lean partnership model with deep operational involvement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer & Retail Growth Equity (FSANACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)

Keywords

• Private equity investments
• Concentrated buyout investing
• Consumer brand acquisitions
• Operational value creation
• Long-term equity stakes

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Core offering

3G Capital is a global private equity firm that makes concentrated, large-scale equity investments in consumer brand companies, deploying significant capital into single companies per fund with deep operational participation. The firm partners with management teams of portfolio companies such as Restaurant Brands International, Kraft Heinz, and Skechers to drive operational improvements, cost efficiencies, and global expansion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Concentrated Private Equity Investment

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bain Capital: Global private equity firm with comparable scale, sector breadth, and operational orientation. Notably, 3G Capital was originally founded by partners who spun out of Bain Capital, and the two firms share a strong operational-improvement heritage and Latin American ties.
• KKR & Co. Large-cap global private equity firm executing mega-deals across consumer, retail, and industrials. KKR's consumer-focused funds and willingness to deploy concentrated capital into single assets directly parallels 3G's model.
• Apollo Global Management: Global alternative asset manager with significant large-cap buyout activity, often partnering with strategic co-investors on consumer and brand-driven take-privates. Apollo's hybrid value/credit approach and willingness to concentrate capital are comparable to 3G's style.
• Carlyle Group: Global private equity firm with deep consumer and retail franchise and a long history of concentrated buyout investing. Carlyle's scale, deal structure, and consumer-sector focus align closely with 3G's investment thesis.
• TPG Capital: Large-cap private equity firm with a strong consumer/retail vertical and a pattern of taking controlling stakes in founder-led businesses. TPG's operational orientation and growth-stage tilt are comparable to 3G's playbook.
• Advent International: Global private equity firm with a meaningful consumer and retail practice and a track record of large cross-border take-privates. Advent's sector focus and willingness to concentrate capital overlap directly with 3G's.

Broad incumbents

• Blackstone: Largest alternative asset manager with broad PE, credit, and real estate platforms. While far more diversified than 3G, Blackstone's private equity business targets similar mega-deal consumer and brand-led opportunities globally.

Emerging players

• Sycamore Partners: Consumer- and retail-focused private equity firm that concentrates capital into single assets and takes operational control. Sycamore's specialist consumer focus mirrors 3G's narrower sector lens, though at smaller average deal size.
• L Catterton: Consumer-focused private equity firm backed by LVMH, investing in brand-led businesses across apparel, food, beauty, and wellness. L Catterton competes with 3G for the same founder/brand-led consumer assets, particularly in lifestyle categories.

Others

• Berkshire Hathaway: Long-standing strategic co-investor and capital partner on Kraft Heinz and other 3G transactions. While not a competing PE firm, Berkshire's permanent-capital model and consumer-brand focus make it both a peer in approach and a structural counterpart in 3G's deal-making model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3g-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 3G Capital Partners