Compass Group Named to Inc.’s 2023 List of Founder-Friendly Investors

View our disclaimer

At Compass Group, we prioritize building strong partnerships with founders and management teams and we are proud that we’ve been recognized by Inc. as a Founder-Friendly Investor, a designation given to private equity and venture capital firms with strong track records of success as trusted growth partners to founders and entrepreneurs. Introduced in 2019, the Founder-Friendly Investors list has quickly become a go-to guide for entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies while retaining an ownership stake.

We believe that investing in people and building relationships based on trust is the foundation to growth. Don’t take our word for it, watch the video and hear from some of our founders and CEOs about their experience working with Compass Group.

“Helping founders and entrepreneurs achieve their definition of success has been our mission since launching the firm in 2015, so we take great pride in being named to Inc.’s list of Founder-Friendly Investors,” said Compass Group Managing Partner, John Huhn. “Our people-first approach resonates with our partners, and we work arm in arm with management teams to provide the support and resources they need to accelerate growth.”

Compass Group invests in lower middle market companies in the areas of Niche Manufacturing & Distribution and Business & Consumer Services. By leveraging the Firm’s operational, financial, and strategic expertise, Compass Group provides hands-on support and resources to aid owners and management teams in exceeding historical performance and accelerating growth.

“One of the biggest benefits of having a trusted equity partner to work with—I operated the business for years as the sole decision maker—and now I’ve got people to lean on,” said Tim Randolph II, President of Florida Energy, Water & Air. “It’s amazing after 30 years I’m gaining new experiences that I would not have been willing to risk.”

To compile the list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms. Founders filled out a questionnaire about their experiences partnering with private equity, venture capital, and debt firms and shared data on how their portfolio companies have grown during these partnerships.

“Now more than ever, founder-led companies need financing partners that offer guidance, expertise, and understanding—not just capital. These are the private equity, venture capital, and debt firms that have founders’ backs when it comes to accelerating growth,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Business Media.

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.

Disclaimer
The "Founder-Friendly Investors List” is a program designed by Inc. Magazine to help founder-led companies accelerate growth and create revenue. Private equity and venture capital firms that have exited U.S.-based, founder-led portfolio companies are eligible to apply. For investments to qualify, portfolio company founders must have remained actively involved in their business for at least one-year post-investment. Winning firms are selected based upon their track record, reputation, leadership and founder references. Compass Group Equity Partners is not aware of the number of advisers also surveyed for the award. Like all entrants, Compass Group Equity Partners paid a fee to be considered for this award and to use the award logo in collateral materials. This award is not to be construed as indicative of Compass Group Equity Partners’ future performance. Reference to an award is only one piece of information relevant to an evaluation of an investment adviser such as Compass Group Equity Partners. Finally, this award represents information as of a specific date and time and may not reflect important information related to an evaluation of the investment adviser which has occurred prior to, or subsequent to, the award. More information about the Founder-Friendly Investors List is available here: https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2023.

This video reflects portfolio company management’s personal opinions and beliefs regarding Compass Group, are subjective, and do not represent a complete assessment. Statements are being offered as references for the benefits of working with the Compass Group team and not for the purpose of soliciting investors. No executives were compensated for their testimonial or endorsement but are employed by Compass Group and/or hold an ownership stake in the portfolio company.

Back