For Fifth Consecutive Year, Kian Capital Named in Inc. Magazine’s List of Founder-Friendly Investors
Oct 31, 2024
We are proud to announce that Kian has been named in Inc. Magazine’s annual Founder-Friendly Investors list for five years running. The list celebrates private equity, venture capital and direct lending firms that believe in backing founder-led businesses and helping them thrive.
“It is an incredible honor to be recognized by Inc. for five years in a row,” said Kevin McCarthy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Kian. “When Co-founding Kian in 2013, we committed to creating a strong firm culture that has enabled us to establish a positive foundation with each founder, business owner and company that share similar values along with a commitment to working together for shared success. We are proud to say that eleven years later, we remain aligned to that mission as a team and have seen outstanding outcomes for all involved along the way.”
All investors on the list have a successful track record of collaboration and remaining actively involved with the businesses in which they have invested. To compile the list, Inc. directly surveys entrepreneurs who have partnered with private equity, venture capital and direct lending firms to understand their experience — including sharing how such companies have grown as a result — in working with these firms. This annual list has become a resource for entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies while retaining an ownership stake.
At Kian, we pride ourselves on the genuine partnerships we have fostered with the founders and management teams of our portfolio companies. Commenting on their experience in working with Kian, two leaders shared the following:
Kevin Cook, CEO, The Purple Guys: “I could not be more pleased with Kian’s partnership approach, collaboration and support as we have expanded the business into new markets and accelerated growth across the organization. Kian has been a value-added partner, dedicating the capital, resources, board-level guidance and time required to support our growth and to allow us to achieve our collective goals.”
Brian Diamond, Founder and CEO, Diamond Landscaping: “Since founding Diamond Landscaping, I have worked to build an organization based on the core values of honesty, hard work and trust. It was clear from the beginning that Kian shares these values, and they have been a collaborative partner as we have grown the business.”
Kian is a lower-middle-market-focused private investment firm with $1 billion of capital under management and a focus on four core industry sectors: consumer, services, value-added distribution and specialty manufacturing. Our team of seasoned investors has over 100 years of collective experience providing transformational capital solutions and board-level strategic and operational guidance to founder/owner operated businesses.
“We are lucky to have partnered with so many wonderful founders and CEOs throughout the firm’s history,” added Kian Co-Founder and Managing Partner Rick Cravey. “Our approach with each portfolio company is unique and focused on igniting growth within the platform and building enduring value for exciting wins now and into the future. We look forward to continuing to help companies create sustainable, long-term success for years to come.”
The full list of firms and accompanying article can be viewed here.
Disclaimer:
Inc.’s Founder-Friendly Investor list comprises firms identified by Inc.‘s editors or submitted to Inc. through an application process. Kian Capital applied to be considered. Inc. gathers data on how the firms’ portfolio companies have grown and interviews founders about their experiences with the firms to establish the annual list. The list recognizes firms with a track record of backing entrepreneurs by providing the financial support needed to help businesses accelerate growth while remaining actively involved following the firm’s investment. Kian Capital paid for both the fee to participate and to acquire rights to the Inc. logo for the years 2020 – 2024.
This article does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any investments or securities, including any securities of Kian Capital (“Kian”), or any funds or accounts managed or advised by Kian in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation.
Any such offer or solicitation may be made only by means of the delivery of a confidential private offering memorandum (the “Memorandum”), which will contain material information not included herein regarding, among other things, information with respect to risks and potential conflicts of interest, and other offering and governance documents of any given fund or account (collectively with the Memorandum, the “Fund Documents”).
It is an incredible honor to be recognized by Inc. for five years in a row. When Co-founding Kian in 2013, we committed to creating a strong firm culture that has enabled us to establish a positive foundation with each founder, business owner and company that share similar values along with a commitment to working together for shared success. We are proud to say that eleven years later, we remain aligned to that mission as a team and have seen outstanding outcomes for all involved along the way.
