Charlesbank Named to Inc.’s 2025 List of Founder-Friendly Investors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Charlesbank Capital Partners (“Charlesbank”), a middle-market private investment firm, today announced that it has once again been included on Inc.’s annual list of Founder-Friendly Investors. The list highlights private equity, venture capital and debt firms recognized for their strong partnerships with founders and their success in helping companies scale and thrive.

“For nearly 30 years, Charlesbank’s success has been premised on building true partnerships with exceptional management teams,” said Mike Choe, Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Head of Flagship at Charlesbank. “We have designed each element of our business system to help us be better partners to management, especially in unlocking growth in their businesses, strengthening their teams and realizing their long-term potential, and we are deeply grateful for the trust they place in us.”

That commitment to partnership is reinforced through Charlesbank’s Portfolio Resources Group (PRG), a team of seasoned operators who work directly with portfolio management teams to accelerate value creation. Led by former GE CEO John Flannery, PRG seeks to help companies strengthen operations, enhance leadership and pursue strategic opportunities such as market expansion and selective M&A. This hands-on, flexible approach provides founders with tailored support to build durable, high-performing businesses.

“From the start, Charlesbank understood our vision and the potential of our market,” said Nick Leopard, Founder & CEO of Accordion, a private equity-focused financial and technology consulting company. “Their partnership has been instrumental in scaling our platform through organic hiring, strategic M&A, expanding our data and analytics capabilities, and investing in the systems and leadership that support sustained growth.”

About the award: As part of its selection process, Inc. speaks with entrepreneurs who have partnered with investment firms to gain detailed insight into the factors that make each organization worthy of recognition. Founders complete a questionnaire about their experiences and provide data on company performance and growth during their partnerships.

This award was given on October 28, 2025, and is based on information from the previous year. An entry fee was paid when applying for the recognition. To see the complete list of winners, visit https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2025.

About Charlesbank
Founded in 1998, Charlesbank Capital Partners is a leading middle-market private investment firm with over $22 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2025. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience and sector insights, the firm takes a thematic approach to investing across its target sectors: business and consumer services, healthcare, industrial and technology. Charlesbank partners with talented management teams to help businesses unlock value and accelerate growth, with a focus on long-term value creation. The firm provides flexible capital through complementary strategies spanning management-led buyouts, opportunistic credit and technology investments. Charlesbank has offices in Boston and New York. For more information, visit charlesbank.com or follow Charlesbank on LinkedIn.