River Associates Named in Inc.’s 2021 List of Founder-Friendly Investors
Chattanooga, TN, October 5, 2021
River Associates Named to Inc.’s 2021 List of Founder-Friendly Investors
Annual roundup of founder-friendly investors includes venture capital, in addition to private equity, for the first time.
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 are proud to hear that River Associates has once again been named to the Inc. list of top Founder Friendly Investors,” said Mark Jones, Partner at the firm.
“This year’s list included both private equity and venture capital firms and we are honored to be in such company. Through more than 100 investments over 30+ years, River Associates has placed a high value on respect for a company’s individual culture. We make Investments with Management and we believe that is of particular importance to our founder-owned businesses. Being named to this list is evidence that our focus has been in the right place, and we are incredibly grateful for all the founders who contributed to this recognition.”
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: www.inc.com/private-equity
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 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 River Associates
River Associates Investments (“River Associates”) is a private equity firm based in Chattanooga, TN, that focuses exclusively on investing in the lower middle-market and has served as a financial sponsor partner for management teams for over 30 years. Target businesses can be privately held, private equity-backed, or divestitures from larger companies. River Associates is opportunistic as to industry and has invested in numerous manufacturers, high margin distributors, industrial service providers and business service companies. The firm targets U.S. & Canadian companies typically with EBITDA in the $3-15 million range. Since its founding in 1989, River Associates has initiated more than 100 transactions, many of which have been strategic add-on acquisitions to platform companies. The firm is currently investing River VII, LP with $285 million in committed capital.