Inc.’s 2021 list of founder-friendly investment firms shines a light on investors that support founder-led companies. This year—at 146 firms—it’s the biggest list yet.
The Inc. list recognizes firms that “entrepreneurs can trust and collaborate with while receiving the financial support they need to help accelerate growth,” Inc. said in a news release.
For the last two years, the Inc. list has highlighted private equity firms. This year, the Founder-Friendly list was opened up to venture capital firms.
The good news for founders? Whether VC or PE, “there’s no shortage of dollars to chase,” Inc. writes.
For those seeking capital, there’s never been a better time as U.S. venture capital fundraising set a record in the first half of the year at $66 billion in commitments. And private equity fundraising hit its highest mark in a decade at $218 billion in commitments, the publication adds.
Texas “founder-friendly” firms on the list
Texas firms made up about 10 percent of the list. Six Dallas firms made the cut, along with seven in Austin and one in Houston.
Per Inc., here are the Texas PEs and VCs on the 2021 list:
Dallas
CIC Partners
Gauge Capital
Satori Capital
Sole Source Capital
Trinity Hunt Partners
Valesco Industries
Austin
Aquila Capital Partners
Elsewhere Partners
Greenridge Growth Partners
Serent Capital
Silverton Partners
Strattam Capital
Vista Equity Partners
Houston
The Sterling Group
In Dallas, Trinity Hunt Partners was noted in the Business Products and Services category. CIC Partners, Sole Source Capital, and Valesco Industries were highlighted in the Lower-Middle Marker PE category; Gauge Capital and Satori Capital were called out in the Middle Market PE category.
How it works
The PE and VC firms were identified by Inc. editors or were submitted to the publication through an application process. Inc. gathers data on firm’s portfolio companies and conducts interviews to produce a “proprietary score that determines the private equity, growth equity, and venture capital firms whose missions most significantly support startups and the men and women who found them,” according to the publication.
Go here for the full list.
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