October 05, 2022

Gauge Capital Named to Inc.'s 2022 List of Founder-Friendly Investors

Gauge Capital Recognized for third consecutive year by Inc. as a top Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firm 

Southlake, TX– Inc. announced its fourth annual Founder-Friendly Investors list, honoring the private equity and venture capital firms with the best track records of success backing entrepreneurs. Last year, Inc. shifted focus from previous lists which only included Private Equity firms—called the Private Equity 50—and now includes venture capital firms.  

The final list recognizes 184 firms that entrepreneurs collaborate with and trust as they receive the financial support, they need to help drive growth. All 184 have successful track records of remaining actively involved with the businesses they invest in.
 
“Fully investing in an entrepreneur, and their innovative vision, involves far more than the financial investment. By developing relationships with and supporting entrepreneurs for the long-term, these private equity firms are more than investors, they’re partners,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. media.

“Gauge is thrilled to be featured in such an honorable group,” said Tom McKelvey, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Gauge. “Investing in founder-backed businesses is a core element of Gauge Capital’s identity.”

“We are honored to be included in this year’s Founder-Friendly List and believe that alignment is crucial in forming successful partnerships. Founders and management teams typically roll ~2x the industry average with Gauge post-close. We believe this creates an environment of collaboration that resonates with entrepreneurial minded professionals,” said Drew Johnson, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Gauge.

Gauge Capital’s investment team represents over 30% of assets under management, which is approximately 6x the industry average, creating an environment of alignment and trust with our partners. Gauge will continue to seek out partnerships where the primary aim is long-term, sustainable value creation via a shared vision of growth initiatives. 

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 and venture capital firms and shared data on how their portfolio companies have grown during these partnerships.
 
To see the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2022 
 
Introduced in 2019, the Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firms list quickly established itself as one of Inc.’s most resourceful franchises. It has become a go-to guide for entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies while retaining an ownership stake. 
 
The October 2022 issue of Inc. magazine is available online now at https://www.inc.com/magazine. 
 
About Gauge Capital (www.gaugecapital.com)
Gauge Capital is a leading middle-market private equity firm based in Southlake, Texas. Gauge invests in five key sectors: business services, food & consumer, government & industrial services, healthcare, and technology. The firm manages more than $2.0 billion in capital and in 2020 2021 and 2022, Inc. Magazine named Gauge one of the top private equity firms for founders. In 2021 and 2022, Gauge was also named to the Top 50 PE Firms in the Middle Market by Grady Campbell. In 2022, Gauge ranked in the top 5 out of 517 private equity firms in the HEC Paris – DowJones Small-Cap Buyout Performance Ranking. For more information, please contact Andrew Peix, Managing Director of Business Development at apeix@gaugecapital.com. 

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.