Citi’s Private Equity ‘Club’ Underwhelmed Billionaire Members

Citigroup headquarters in New York.

Photographer: Juan Cristobal Cobo/Bloomberg
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Citigroup Inc. had what looked like the perfect way to grab a slice of the money flowing from wealthy individuals to private equity firms: playing matchmaker between its rich clients and an up-and-coming firm.

More than a decade after its 2012 launch, Citi’s experiment has ended with disappointed billionaires, a bitter legal battle and a lesson on the pitfalls of marketing private assets.