Annual roundup highlights the private equity, venture capital, and lenders with track records of backing founder-led companies
Inc., the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future, today announced its sixth annual Founder-Friendly Investors list, honoring the private equity, venture capital firms, and lenders with a track record of backing founder-led companies. This year’s list recognizes Updata Partners as a leader in the Information Technology and History of Investing in Female Founders categories.
The prestigious list celebrates the investors that believe in backing founder-led businesses and helping them thrive. All companies on the list have successful track records of collaboration and remaining actively involved with the businesses they invest in.
“It has been a complicated few years for growth companies and the companies that fund them,” said Mike Hofman, editor-in-chief of Inc. “So we are happy to share with our readers the best, latest guidance on which venture capital firms, private equity firms, and growth-capital lenders have the track record and reputation of being especially good partners to founders and CEOs.”
“For over 25 years, Updata has backed leading entrepreneurs in B2B software, seeking those unique individuals who demonstrate both a growth mindset and a focus on capital efficiency. During that time, we are proud to have partnered with over 75 entrepreneurs.” said Jon Seeber, General Partner of Updata Partners.
Carter Griffin, General Partner, added, “We are honored to be recognized by Inc. and we are proud of the strong relationships we’ve built with our founders and management teams. Our past experience as operators allows us to approach each investment from the perspective of having faced the same opportunities and challenges to scaling a software business.”
To compile the list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms. Founders filled out a questionnaire about their experiences partnering with private equity, venture capital, and debt 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/2024
Introduced in 2019, the Founder-Friendly Investors 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 November 2024 issue of Inc. magazine is available online now at https://www.inc.com/magazine and will be on newsstands beginning October 29.