AEA Investors is an American middle market private equity firm. The firm focuses on leveraged buyout, growth capital, and mezzanine capital investments in manufacturing, service, distribution, specialty chemicals, consumer product, and business services companies in the middle market. The firm makes investments primarily in the US and Europe, and periodically invests in Asia as well. AEA was founded in 1968 to make investments on behalf of S.G. Warburg & Co. as well as the Rockefeller, Mellon, and Harriman families. AEA was formally founded as American European Associates.