Annual roundup of founder-friendly investors features Shore for the fifth year in a row

Shore Capital Partners (“Shore” or “Shore Capital”), a private equity firm focused on lower-middle market investments, has been named one of Inc.’s Founder Friendly Investors for the fifth consecutive year.

The annual list celebrates the investors that believe in backing founder-led businesses and helping them thrive. All companies on the list have successful track records of collaboration and remain actively involved with the businesses they invest in.

“Being recognized by Inc. for the fifth consecutive year speaks to our team’s continued focus on establishing strong partnerships with founders and providing them with the resources they need to succeed,” said Justin Ishbia, Founder and Managing Partner at Shore. “We often say, you have one reputation, use it wisely. We take great pride in being a preferred partner for business owners and are committed to helping great small- and medium-sized businesses grow and achieve long-term success.”

Since its founding, Shore has invested in 67 platform companies and completed over 1,000 add-on acquisitions. In 2024, 20 of the firm’s portfolio companies were named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies, demonstrating the firm’s ability to support executives across industries to grow faster with less risk by providing capital, strategically aligned board members, operational expertise, and offering extensive networking and development opportunities for management teams.

Earlier this month, Shore announced the close of nearly $2 billion across three funds, bringing the firm’s assets under management to $9.1 billion, while maintaining focus on the lower-middle market. This milestone further reinforces the firm’s dedication to providing small and medium-sized businesses with unparalleled access to capital and strategic resources typically only available to larger companies.

“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 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.

View the complete list of founder-friendly investors and read the November 2024 issue of Inc. magazine online or on newsstands beginning October 29.

About Shore Capital Partners

Shore Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is an investor in lower middle market companies in the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, Industrial, and Real Estate industries. Shore’s strategy is to support management partners to grow faster with less risk through access to capital, world-class board and operational resources, and unmatched networking, development, and shared learnings across the portfolio. From 2020-2024, Shore received recognition from Inc Magazine as a 5x Top Founder Friendly Investor and by Pitchbook Research for being the global leader in Private Equity total deal volume from 2019-2023. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant potential to grow through industry consolidation and organic growth to generate value for shareholders. Shore has $9.1 billion of assets under management and in additional investment platforms to which it provides business and operational consulting services. For more information on these awards and investment platforms, please visit: www.shorecp.com.

About Inc.

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for 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 www.inc.com.

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