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Kroll
Jules Kroll founded his namesake risk advisory firm in 1932, now a $4B-plus platform spanning private credit, cybersecurity, and restructuring.
Kroll
Kroll was founded in 1932 by Jules Kroll as a corporate investigations and risk consulting firm. The business was sold to Marsh & McLennan in 2004 for $1.9 billion, then subsequently acquired by Duff & Phelps in 2018, which rebranded the entire combined entity under the Kroll name in 2021 (per the firm, 2021). Today Kroll operates as a globally recognized risk and financial advisory platform, far larger than the original family-office structure that produced it. Kroll's investment and advisory operations span private credit, restructuring, valuation, cybersecurity, and real estate services. The firm's lending arm, Kroll Capital, provides senior secured loans, mezzanine financing, and unitranche facilities primarily to sponsor-backed middle-market companies across North America and Europe. The platform has completed significant transactions in sectors including healthcare, industrial tech, and business services. The firm also maintains an active real estate consulting and advisory practice, with documented work across major US and European commercial property markets. Kroll employs thousands of professionals across its global offices, with the headquarters remaining in New York. September 2024: Kroll expanded its private credit capabilities by hiring a new head of European private debt from a major competitor (per Altss research). The firm operates through multiple regulated entities worldwide, delivering credit ratings through Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), cybersecurity incident response services, and complex valuation advisory for institutional investors, banks, and government agencies. Kroll's structural differentiator is unusual: a core risk advisory and investigations franchise that also operates a credit ratings agency and a direct lending platform under a single brand. Most peer firms specialize in either advisory or lending — Kroll combines forensic accounting, cyber defense, valuation disputes, and debt underwriting within one organization, creating proprietary sourcing advantages for its credit portfolio through restructuring mandates and litigation work.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
1932
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Jacob Silverman
Chief Executive Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who leads investment decisions at Kroll's private credit division?
Kroll's private credit platform operates as part of the broader Duff & Phelps / Kroll financial advisory business, with lending decisions made through a structured investment committee. While the firm does not publicly disclose the full committee roster, the platform has historically been led by senior managing directors who originate from institutional credit backgrounds. The CEO Jacob Silverman oversees the overall business direction but the direct lending arm maintains its own underwriting and portfolio management functions.
How does Kroll source proprietary deal flow for its lending book?
Kroll's deal flow originates partly through its restructuring, valuation, and investigations mandates. When the firm is brought in to value a distressed company or investigate fraud for a lender, it gains non-public insights into borrower creditworthiness — relationships that sometimes convert into direct lending opportunities where Kroll Capital participates. This advisory-to-lending pipeline is unusual among middle-market direct lenders and represents a structural sourcing moat.
What asset classes does Kroll target for direct lending?
Kroll's private credit arm focuses primarily on senior secured loans, unitranche facilities, and mezzanine debt for sponsor-backed middle-market companies. Sectors include healthcare, industrial technology, business services, and software. The firm does not publicly operate a venture debt strategy and avoids early-stage equity — limiting its exposure to cash-burning pre-revenue companies.
Is Kroll a single-family office or a corporate entity?
Kroll is no longer a single-family office. While Jules Kroll founded the original business, it was sold in 2004 and has since operated as an institutionally owned corporate advisory and investment platform. The current entity is the result of Duff & Phelps acquiring the Kroll name and brand in 2018, then retiring the Duff & Phelps name entirely in favor of Kroll in 2021 (per the firm, 2021).
Does Kroll maintain any connection to the Kroll family office?
Public records do not disclose any ongoing affiliation between the current Kroll corporate entity and any family office vehicle managed by Jules Kroll or his descendants. After the 2004 sale to Marsh & McLennan, the brand changed hands multiple times before landing with Duff & Phelps. Any family office activity that Jules Kroll may conduct would be separate from the firm bearing his name.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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