On behalf of everyone at Inc., I’d like to congratulate you and your team for making this year’s Founder-Friendly Investors list. Not all private equity, venture capital, and debt firms have the best reputations, but by going the extra mile for your founder-led portfolio companies, you’ve made sure yours is known as “one of the good ones.”

To determine which firms would make the list, our reporters spent the past few months talking to dozens of the founders of what were your portfolio companies. Many have achieved immense success thanks to you and your fellow honorees’ experience and integrity. And with applications up more than 20 percent over 2023, a record number in fact, it was no easy task, but it was one we were happy to take on.

This year’s lineup of Founder-Friendly Investors shows just how powerful the right combination of backer and entrepreneur can be. You should be incredibly proud of yourself and your team for achieving this. Through your actions, you’ve positioned your firm as one that entrepreneurs can trust to take their business to the next level. Congratulations again; we look forward to seeing how you celebrate.

Sincerely,

Graham Winfrey

Features Editor, Inc.