Annual roundup of founder-friendly investors includes venture capital, in addition to private equity, for the first time
Nashville, TN, October 5, 2021 – Inc. today announced its third annual Founder-Friendly Investors list, honoring the private equity and venture capital firms with the best track record of success backing entrepreneurs. This is a shift from previous lists—which were called the Private Equity 50—since, for the first time, this year’s list will include venture capital firms, and more than 100 firms will earn our Founder-Friendly seal of approval.
The final list recognizes 146 firms that entrepreneurs can trust and collaborate with while receiving the financial support they need to help accelerate growth. All 146 have a successful track record of remaining actively involved in the businesses after their investment.
“Supporting an entrepreneur’s vision and driving growth is more than just a financial investment. It’s about building a relationship and supporting the founders beyond that initial year. These private equity firms treat the founders like partners,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. media.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have been recognized as one of the top founder-friendly private equity firms in the country. We believe that this validates our 30 year culture of supporting founders by being good partners,” said Lamar Stanley, Director, Gen Cap America.
To compile the list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity. Founders filled out a questionnaire about their experiences partnering with private equity firms and shared data on how their portfolio companies have grown during these partnerships.
To see the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2021
Introduced in 2019, the Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firms list quickly established itself as one of Inc.’s most resourceful franchises. It has become a go-to guide for entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies while retaining an ownership stake.
The October 2021 issue of Inc. magazine is available online now at https://www.inc.com/magazine and will be on newsstands beginning October 5, 2021.
About Inc.
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community they need to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
About Gen Cap America
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Gen Cap America (Gen Cap) is a partner with management teams who wish to invest in their companies by becoming part of a buyout group. Recapitalizations are also structured for business owners who desire immediate liquidity yet wish to participate in the growth of their business by retaining operating control. Focusing on the middle market and lower middle market, Gen Cap looks for investment candidates with revenues between $10 and $200M. Most are privately held businesses or subsidiaries or divisions of larger corporations. Capital investments from our fund are made in established businesses with demonstrated operating histories and quality management teams.