Private equity fund follows Ayn Rand's teachings and finds opportunity

The next time you take a bite of a Carvel ice-cream cake, you'd better make sure you earned it. The company that owns it, Roark Capital Group, is an Atlanta-based private equity fund named for the virtuously selfish architect concocted by writer and philosopher -- and master of neither writing nor philosophy -- Ayn Rand, the founder of Objectivism.

A tribute to the author in more than just name, Roark has spent most of the financial crisis on the sidelines. Now it has $750 million to put into the private equity market – nearly half of the $1.55 billion it has under management.