LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kayne Partners, the growth equity strategy of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. (“Kayne” or the “Firm”), a leading alternative asset management firm with over $30 billion under management, announced today that it has been named to Inc’s third annual Founder-Friendly Investors list. The list honors the private equity and venture capital firms with the best track record of success backing entrepreneurs. 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.
Since 2002, Kayne Partners’ strategy has been to partner with high-growth software companies at a critical inflection point and support them with capital and stage-specific expertise to drive growth and unlock value. During this time, Kayne Partners has maintained a disciplined focus on partnering with management and founder-owned technology businesses in the lower middle market.
“At Kayne Partners, we value innovative founders and management teams who have built scalable businesses with clear competitive advantages that drive adoption,” said Nishita Cummings, Co-Head of Growth Equity at Kayne Partners. “It is important to us to have the trust of the teams we partner with as it leads to the foundation of a solid partnership and eventually successful outcomes. We appreciate the continued trust each of our teams has placed in us and are honored to be recognized by Inc. for the value we bring to each of these partnerships.”
Kayne Partners has worked with over 40 founder-led enterprise software and technology-enabled companies located throughout North America within six primary high-growth industries and various sub-sectors across media & telecommunications, supply chain & logistics, financial technology, healthcare IT, security & compliance, and business process outsourcing & automation.
“At each stage of growth, entrepreneurs are forced to navigate new and sometimes unfamiliar challenges. At Kayne Partners, we invest significant time and resources to get to know our management teams and understand each of our companies’ underlying markets so we can add tangible value through strategic growth support, our big firm resources, and by leveraging successful past experiences,” added Nathan Locke, Co-Head of Growth Equity at Kayne Partners.
To further help its companies accelerate growth and scale, Kayne Partners has established a network of strategic operators with tailored backgrounds to fit Kayne Partners’ investment criteria. These individuals complement the existing founders and management teams by bringing functional expertise and deep network resources in areas such as executive recruiting and organizational design, business development, sales & marketing, product development, finance & accounting, M&A and corporate development. 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: The Top 146 Founder-Friendly PE and VC Firms (inc.com)
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.
About Kayne Partners
Kayne Partners, the Los Angeles-based dedicated growth private equity group of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P., leverages its large firm resources to partner and invest in lower middle market, privately held, high growth, enterprise software and tech-enabled service businesses across North America. The team has developed a durable and repeatable investment strategy and process for applying its stage expertise through sourcing and investing in companies at an early inflection point, adding value and scaling through organic growth and M&A, and exiting these must-have assets to strategics & financial sponsors. The team has experience investing across media & telecommunications, supply chain & logistics, financial technology, healthcare IT, security & compliance, and business process outsourcing and automation. For more information, please visit www.kaynepartners.com.
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.
