The statistic shows the largest global private equity companies by fundraising capacity during five years to 2011. Private equity is provision of capital from pirvate or institutional investors, with the participaction of companies (private equity firms) for a limited time in order to generate a financial return. Fund raising refers to the raising of funds from private equity investors in an intstitutional, industrial or private capacity. The U.S. private equity firm Hellman & Friedman raised 19.1 billion U.S. dollars within the observed five-year period.