3i Group (ticker: III) was founded in 1945 as the Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation to provide funds for smaller UK companies. It joined the London market in 1994, but its shareholders endured a rocky first fifteen years, with strong gains in the TMT boom and in the run-up to the financial crisis, followed in both cases by sharp drawdowns. A rescue rights issue in 2009 put 3i's finances on a firmer footing. Then, in 2012, Simon Borrows was appointed as its CEO, and he streamlined both the business and its investment approach. In 2011, 3i invested in a Dutch discount retailer called...