Annual roundup highlights the private equity, venture capital and lenders with track records of backing founder-led companies.
CapitalSpring, a leading middle-market private equity and debt investment firm focused on franchised and multi-location businesses, announced that it has been recognized as an Inc. 2024 Founder-Friendly Investor. This list honors private equity, private debt, and venture capital firms that have strong track records of success in partnering with and supporting founder-led businesses.
Over the past 19 years, CapitalSpring has partnered with over 100 founder-led businesses and invested more than $3.7 billion to support entrepreneurs in accelerating growth and achieving strategic goals for their businesses.
“CapitalSpring is grateful and honored to be recognized on Inc.’s 2024 Founder-Friendly Investors List,” said Richard Fitzgerald, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at CapitalSpring. “We are committed to partnering with entrepreneurs and founders with a goal of fostering strong alignment, preserving culture, supporting growth and helping them realize the full potential of their businesses.”
Commenting on his experience partnering with CapitalSpring, Danny Sonenshine, Founder of Far West Restaurant Group, one of the largest Wingstop franchisees and a recent portfolio company of CapitalSpring, shared, “We selected CapitalSpring as our partner because of their deep sector expertise combined with strategic and value-added approach to growing companies – We could not be more pleased with our choice. CapitalSpring supported us with significant growth capital, operational and strategic support (especially through the pandemic), and support through our subsequent liquidity event. We grew the company from 47 Wingstop locations to over 110 locations in under 5 years from the initial investment. At every step along the way, the CapitalSpring team respected our culture, values and operating philosophy and were excellent partners. They were honorable and trustworthy partners who became great friends.”
As part of its selection process, Inc. surveyed entrepreneurs who have partnered with investment firms, spoke with references, evaluated company performance during these partnerships, and considered other factors that make each organization worthy of being included on this annual Founder-Friendly Investor list.
“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.”
To see the complete list, go to: Inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2024.
CapitalSpring is a leading private equity and debt investment firm with deep expertise in foodservice, multi-location business models and related industries. For over 19 years, CapitalSpring has supported entrepreneurs and founders with financial, operational, and strategic resources to help accelerate growth and to realize the full potential of their businesses. CapitalSpring offers one-stop solutions for a broad range of investments including private equity, mezzanine capital and senior lending. The firm has offices in Nashville, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York. For more CapitalSpring information, please visit CapitalSpring.com.
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 our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.’s award-winning work achieves a monthly brand footprint of more than 40 million across a variety of channels, including events, digital, print, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since its launch as the Inc. 100 in 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit Inc.com.
