Annual roundup includes venture capital for the first time

Inc. today announced QED Investors was named to its third annual Founder-Friendly Investors list, honoring the venture capital and private equity firms with the best track record of success backing entrepreneurs.

This is a shift from previous lists—which were called the Private Equity 50—since, for the first time, this year’s edition includes venture capital firms.

The final list recognizes firms that entrepreneurs can trust and collaborate with while receiving the financial support they need to help accelerate growth. QED’s inclusion highlights our successful track record of remaining actively involved in portfolio companies after initial investments.

“Being named to Inc.’s list of Founder-Friendly Investors is confirmation that QED’s mission to provide the best advice in fintech is resonating in the ecosystem. It is a great expression of who we are and what we stand for,” said QED Investors’ Co-Founder and Managing Founder Nigel Morris. “At QED, we pride ourselves on being the very best partner to entrepreneurs and CEOs – there’s a huge difference between investing in companies and building successful companies, and nobody knows how to navigate that journey better than we do.

“QED was bootstrapped and we have been through many of the same problems that today’s entrepreneurs face. Many of our investment professionals have built successful companies out of the ground, and when you look back to Capital One which I co-founded, that’s still the only Top 10 U.S. bank built from nothing in the past 100 years.”

QED has exclusively invested in fintech since its inception in 2007 and has played a crucial part in the growth of some of today’s fintech behemoths including Credit Karma (QED led its Series A round in 2009), Remitly (QED led its Series A in 2014), Nubank (QED participated in its Series A in 2014) and AvidXchange (QED participated in its Series B in 2014).

QED has been a leader in the fintech investing community throughout fintech’s evolution, having guided and grown these companies and others through the ecosystem’s boom ­– globally, fintech investment was $928 million in 2008 and $105 billion in 2020. QED has invested in more than 150 companies across 13 countries worldwide, backing a total of 21 unicorns, the majority of which were at the pre-seed, seed or Series A stage.

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

To see the complete list, go to: http://www.inc.com/private-equity. The October 2021 issue of Inc. magazine is available online now at https://www.inc.com/magazine.

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 QED Investors

QED Investors is a global leading boutique venture capital firm based in Alexandria, VA. Founded by Nigel Morris and Frank Rotman in 2007, QED Investors is focused on investing in early stage, disruptive financial services companies in the U.S., U.K., Latin America and Southeast Asia. QED Investors is dedicated to building great businesses and uses a unique, hands-on approach that leverages our partners’ decades of entrepreneurial and operational experience, helping their companies achieve breakthrough growth. Notable investments include AvidXchange, Bitso, ClearScore, Current, Creditas, Credit Karma, GreenSky, Klarna, Konfio, Loft, Mission Lane, Nubank, QuintoAndar, Remitly and SoFi.

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