WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 7, 2021) – HCI Equity Partners (“HCI”) today announced it has been recognized by Inc. for the second consecutive year as an Inc. 2021 Top Founder-Friendly Investor. Inc.’s list features firms that have the best track record of successfully backing founders and providing the investment and management support they need to help accelerate growth.

HCI, a leading lower middle market private equity firm, focuses on partnering with founder-owned distribution, manufacturing and B2B service companies to rapidly scale their business through acquisition and organic growth initiatives. “With a deep bench of industry experts, senior advisors and an established operations team, HCI brings both capital and know-how to support these founders in achieving their objectives,” said Doug McCormick, HCI Managing Partner.

Inc. compiled the 2021 list by selecting firms that have a successful track record of remaining actively involved in the businesses after their investment. Founders shared about their experiences with private equity firms and data on how their companies grew during the partnership. “HCI’s approach was to put our business relationship first, and that continued every step of the way during the partnership with Summit Interconnect,” said Shane Whiteside, CEO of Summit. “Supported by HCI’s strategy, M&A experience, operational support and expertise in the defense sector, Summit’s revenue grew in excess of 500% during our five years together. We could not have achieved that growth without HCI.”

“We are honored to receive this award in recognition of HCI’s strategy of supporting founders.” said Dan Dickinson, HCI Managing Partner.  “Because over 90% of our investments in the past five years have been with founder and family-owned businesses, we understand their needs and have the capabilities and a playbook to effectively support their journey.”