Annual roundup of founder-friendly investors honoring PE and VC firms with the best track record of success backing entrepreneurs
Menlo Park, CA, October 5, 2021 – Accel-KKR, a global technology-focused private equity firm, has been named in Inc.’s 2021 List of Founder-Friendly Investors. This recognition marks the third year in a row that Accel-KKR has been named to the list.
Inc. announced its third annual Founder-Friendly Investors list, honoring the private equity and venture capital firms with the best track record of success backing entrepreneurs. Introduced in 2019, the Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firms list has become a go-to guide for entrepreneurs who want to bring in institutional capital to help them grow their companies. Accel-KKR has made the list in each of the years that Inc. has compiled this prestigious list.
Founded in Silicon Valley in 2000 as one of the first software-focused private equity firms, Accel-KKR has since invested in 300+ software companies around the world. Nearly two out of every three companies in which Accel-KKR has invested has been founder-led. In its twenty-plus years, Accel-KKR has supported countless software founders and entrepreneurs on their journeys to grow revenue, expand into global markets, complete follow-on acquisitions, receive industry recognition for innovation and service, and benefit from successful exits.
“We are humbled to have made the important Inc. list again this year. Rob and I credit this recognition to our hard-working Accel-KKR team and the partnerships we have formed with the incredible founders with whom we have had the good fortune to work,” said Tom Barnds, Co-Managing Partner of Accel-KKR.
Rob Palumbo, Co-Managing Partner of Accel-KKR added, “This recognition embodies our unwavering commitment to support founders and entrepreneurs in realizing their vision — a core value of Accel-KKR’s since its founding.”
The Founder-Friendly Investors list recognizes investment firms that entrepreneurs can trust and collaborate with while receiving the financial support they need to help accelerate growth. To compile the list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity. Founders completed a questionnaire about their experiences partnering with private equity firms and shared data on how their portfolio companies have grown during these partnerships. All honorees have a successful track record of remaining actively involved in the businesses after their investment.
“Supporting an entrepreneur’s vision and driving growth is more than just a financial investment. It’s about building a relationship and supporting the founders beyond that initial year. These private equity firms treat the founders like partners,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. media.
To see the complete list, go to: http://www.inc.com/private-equity
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.
About Accel-KKR:
Accel-KKR is a technology-focused investment firm with over $10 billion in capital commitments. The firm focuses on software and IT-enabled businesses, well-positioned for topline and bottom-line growth. At the core of Accel-KKR’s investment strategy is a commitment to developing strong partnerships with the management teams of its portfolio companies and a focus on building value alongside management by leveraging the significant resources available through the Accel-KKR network. Accel-KKR focuses on middle-market companies and provides a broad range of capital solutions including buyout capital, minority-growth investments, and credit alternatives. Accel-KKR also invests across a wide range of transaction types including private company recapitalizations, divisional carve-outs and going-private transactions. For three consecutive years between 2019 and 2021, Inc. named Accel-KKR to “PE 50 – The Best Private Equity Firms for Entrepreneurs”, an annual list of founder-friendly private equity firms. Accel-KKR is headquartered in Menlo Park with additional offices in Atlanta and London. To learn more, visit accel-kkr.com.
