Shore Capital Partners Named to Inc.’s Founder-Friendly Investors List for Seventh Consecutive Year

Annual recognition underscores Shore’s commitment to partnering with founder-led businesses to grow faster with less risk

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shore Capital Partners (“Shore Capital” or “Shore”), a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, has been named to Inc.’s Founder-Friendly Investors List for the seventh consecutive year.

The prestigious annual list recognizes investment firms with demonstrated track records of supporting founder-led businesses and helping entrepreneurs achieve transformational growth. Honorees are evaluated based on feedback from founders and the performance of portfolio companies during their partnerships, recognizing investors that provide strategic guidance, operational resources, and long-term support beyond capital.

“Being recognized by Inc. for the seventh consecutive year is a testament to the effort we’ve put toward achieving our vision: to be the premier lower middle market investor and the first choice for entrepreneurs and executives seeking a partner for growth,” said Justin Ishbia, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Shore. “We believe exceptional founders should have access to the same resources, expertise, and networks available to much larger companies. Shore is purpose-built to help founder-owned businesses in fragmented markets grow faster with less risk, while preserving the entrepreneurial spirit that made them successful in the first place. Ultimately, our goal is for entrepreneurs to look back on partnering with Shore as the best professional decision they ever made.”

Since its founding in 2009, Shore has partnered with more than 1,400 small and medium-sized businesses and invested in over 85 platform companies across the healthcare, food and beverage, industrials, and business services industries. With over 200 team members and 300 operating partners, Shore is a scaled platform offering founders two advantages: a system of playbooks and deep operational support to help them navigate challenges with the benefit of experience, and a network effect that accelerates sourcing, recruiting, and operational and commercial execution to build high-growth, enduring businesses.

With an exclusive focus on the lower middle market, Shore’s approach emphasizes collaboration and pattern recognition, drawing on its deep understanding of the challenges small and medium-sized businesses face as they scale. By connecting management teams with a broad network of industry and portfolio executives, operating partners, and Shore team members with functional expertise, the firm leverages thousands of relationships to support transformational growth. This model has contributed to sustained growth across Shore’s portfolio, with 24 portfolio companies earning recognition on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies.

“With the current funding environment and rapid changes facing growing companies, founders are looking for more than just capital from their investors. They want true partners who believe in their business, but who are also able to provide the critical advisement and strategic support they need to reach their potential,” says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. “The 2026 Founder-Friendly Investor awards celebrate those firms — the ones committed to partnership, excellence, and helping founder-led companies grow.”

For more information and to view the complete list of honorees, visit https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors.

About Shore Capital Partners

Shore Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm with an office in Nashville, is an investor in lower-middle market companies in the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, Industrial, and Real Estate industries. Shore’s strategy is to support management partners to grow faster with less risk through access to capital, world-class board and operational resources, and unmatched networking, development, and shared learnings across the portfolio. From 2020-2026, Shore received recognition from Inc. Magazine as a 7x Top Founder Friendly Investor and by Pitchbook Research for leading U.S. Private Equity deal volume for the past 10 years, from 2016-2025. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant potential to grow through industry consolidation and organic growth to generate value for shareholders. Shore has approximately $17 billion of assets under management and in additional investment platforms to which it provides business and operational consulting services. To learn more about Shore Capital Partners, and for more information on these awards and investment platforms, please visit www.shorecp.com.

About Inc.

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.