Frozen Cinnamon Roll Brand Launches in Target Stores Nationwide and Secures Series A Funding

OREM, Utah, Oct. 27, 2026 — Sunshine Buns, the premium frozen cinnamon roll brand whose fully baked buns go from frozen to warm and ready to enjoy in just 45 seconds, is rolling out now at Target stores nationwide. The Target launch marks the latest milestone in a big year for Sunshine Buns, following its entry into Southern California Costco warehouses and regional grocers earlier this year. With another major national grocery retailer on the horizon later this fall, the brand has also secured $7 million in Series A funding to fuel its next stage of growth.

Behind the buns is a 40-year-old recipe passed down from Mema, Co-Founder Chrisi Hammer’s mother. Chrisi and Matt Hammer founded Sunshine Buns alongside longtime friends Kass and Brian Martin to make the comfort of a homemade cinnamon roll easier to enjoy in a convenient, single-serve format. What started with home-baked orders in Utah in 2022 grew into a popular storefront before expanding well beyond its home state.

The new investment will help Sunshine Buns bring more buns to more people as its retail footprint grows. The funding will support increased production and inventory as more retailers come on board, while also giving the brand room to invest in marketing, develop new products, and grow its team. Most importantly, it will help Sunshine Buns meet rising demand without losing the quality and experience that made people fall in love with the brand in the first place.

“There’s a lot of joy wrapped up in a homemade cinnamon roll, and seeing my mom’s recipe go from our kitchen to freezer aisles across the country is incredible,” said Chrisi Hammer, Co-Founder of Sunshine Buns. “As we grow, we want more people to be able to bring that joy into everyday moments, whether they’re enjoying Sunshine Buns with their kids, sharing them with a friend or simply treating themselves, all while staying true to the recipe and quality that got us here.”

Earlier this year, Sunshine Buns gave its packaging a glow-up with a brighter, more playful design that reflects the joy at the heart of the brand. The refreshed look brings Mema and her 40-year-old family recipe to the forefront while highlighting key product attributes, including real cream cheese frosting and 8 grams of protein per bun. The update gives shoppers a better sense of what makes Sunshine Buns special from the moment they pick up a box.

“Launching nationwide at Target is such an exciting milestone for us because it means more people can discover Sunshine Buns and enjoy a little bit of happiness in their everyday routines,” said Kass Martin, co-founder of Sunshine Buns. “We have big plans for our buns, and our goal is to build Sunshine Buns into something special people can find wherever they shop. We’re excited to keep growing and bring some much-needed fun to freezer aisles across the country.”

Consumers can find Sunshine Buns now at participating Target stores nationwide, Southern California Costco warehouses, and regional grocers including Hy-Vee, United Supermarkets, Harmons, New Seasons Market, Gelson’s, and Bristol Farms, with additional national retail expansion coming later this Fall. Sunshine Buns is available in three core flavors: Original with Cream Cheese Frosting, Cookies & Cream, and Strawberries & Cream.

About Sunshine Buns
Sunshine Buns is a Utah-based premium frozen cinnamon roll brand inspired by a 40-year-old recipe and founded by Chrisi and Matt Hammer and Kass and Brian Martin. Sunshine Buns makes fully baked, individually wrapped cinnamon rolls that go from frozen to warm and ready to enjoy in just 45 seconds in the microwave. Bringing the comfort of a homemade cinnamon roll to the freezer aisle, Sunshine Buns combines real pantry ingredients, real cream cheese frosting, and a whole lot of personality to deliver sunshine one bun at a time. Learn more at sunshinebuns.com and follow @sunshinebuns.co on Instagram and @sunshine.buns on TikTok.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Shaw
937-304-2321
[email protected]
www.startrco.com 

SOURCE Sunshine Buns

Charm™ AI is the enterprise-scale language model trained and served entirely on CPU servers, validated on Intel Xeon 6 processors.

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 27, 2026 — Symbolic Mind, Inc., an enterprise AI platform company, today announced plans to bring Charm AI to enterprises that need to train and run models inside their own infrastructure. Working with Intel, Symbolic Mind, Inc. has completed a proof-of-concept on Intel Xeon 6 processors and are now taking the result to market.

Symbolic Mind’s Deep Control™ AI architecture delivers order-of-magnitude reductions in training and inference cost by running both processes on CPU-based servers. Symbolic Mind was able to leverage Intel VTune Profiler and IntelAdvisor in achieving these cost & performance gains. Alongside those, Charm AI learns continuously — accuracy improves as new customer data is added, rather than degrading — and keeps data, models and intellectual property inside the customer’s own environment.¹

“We are going to deliver our Charm AI model through multiple channels, including but not limited to hyperscaler marketplaces, on-premises deployments and standalone AI server appliances, powered by Intel Xeon processors, especially for regulated industries such as finance, insurance and healthcare,” said Vamsi Sistla, Symbolic Mind CEO and Co-Founder.

“Enterprises are looking for practical ways to leverage the power of AI without having to overcomplicate their IT infrastructure deployments,” said Lynn Comp, Intel, Head of Xeon Market Readiness. “Symbolic Mind’s efforts underscores how organizations can train and run AI entirely on Intel Xeon 6 processors, enabling AI adoption on existing CPU-based infrastructure while maintaining control of their data, costs and operations.”

Symbolic Mind plans to offer an AI-Ready Rack as a turnkey solution for corporate customers to train and run their own models. A small number of racks of CPU servers provides enough computational power to train and run enterprise AI models.

¹ Technical detail and proof points for Charm AI on Intel® Xeon® 6 processors: Symbolic Mind — Charm Frontier AI on CPUs, Partner Brief (intel.com)

ABOUT SYMBOLIC MIND, INC.

Symbolic Mind, Inc. is enterprise software that lets companies build and own their own frontier AI. Its patent-pending Deep Control™ neuro-symbolic architecture trains and serves purpose-built, domain-specific models on commodity CPU servers, so customers can train on their own data inside their own private cloud and own, audit and control the models that result. Symbolic Mind’s Charm™ AI model uses linear computational complexity rather than the quadratic attention complexity of transformer models. Founded in 2023 and incorporated in Delaware, the company has offices in the United States (Seattle, Washington), Israel, India and Brazil. Learn more at symbolicmind.ai.

MEDIA CONTACT
Symbolic Mind, Inc.
Vamsi Sistla, CEO and Co-Founder
(425) 243-7464
[email protected]

©Intel, the Intel logo and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Charm and Deep Control are trademarks of Symbolic Mind, Inc.

SOURCE Symbolic Mind and Intel

Join more than 22,000 nonprofits already enrolled in RoundUp’s Recurring Donor Program. No application. No grant proposal. No additional budget. Get started in less than a minute.

DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 27, 2026 — RoundUp.org, the service that lets donors round up everyday Visa and Mastercard purchases for the nonprofit of their choice, announced today the launch of the RoundUp Recurring Donor Program, backed by up to $200,000 in Donor Growth Reward payments.

For most nonprofits, recurring donors are the most valuable fundraising asset they can build. On average, 100 recurring RoundUp donors generate approximately $30,000 in annual donations for the nonprofit they support, creating a dependable source of recurring funding that can continue for years.

Acquiring recurring donors has long been one of the hardest, most expensive challenges nonprofits face. The program pairs a financial incentive nonprofits can use to motivate supporters (‘Sign up today and we’ll receive an extra $250 for every 10 new donors’) with a ready-made donor marketing toolkit.

Each nonprofit receives:

• A personalized Program Dashboard that tracks progress toward earning each $250 Donor Growth Reward
• Ready-to-use email campaigns
• Social media posts and graphics
• Printable templates and promotional materials
• A unique QR code linking directly to the nonprofit’s RoundUp donation page

Joining the RoundUp Recurring Donor Program takes less than a minute:

1. Search for your nonprofit on RoundUp.org.
2. Click “Login as Nonprofit” on your page and verify your email address.
3. You’ll have immediate access to your Program Dashboard and Campaign Toolkit.

“The biggest challenge facing most nonprofits isn’t inspiring generosity—it’s acquiring recurring donors,” said Jed Carlson, Founder and CEO of RoundUp.org. “Recurring donors are the most valuable fundraising asset, yet they’re also the hardest to acquire. By combining an incentive for donors to give NOW with ready-to-use fundraising tools, we’re making it easier than ever for nonprofits to build sustainable recurring revenue.”

RoundUp believes the future of nonprofit fundraising isn’t asking existing donors to give more—it’s making giving so effortless that millions more people choose to become recurring supporters. Today, recurring giving accounts for just 3% of charitable giving. If that share grew to 10%, it would represent more than $40 billion in additional recurring charitable giving each year.

“We’re not trying to become the biggest donation tool,” Carlson said. “We’re trying to become the best at helping nonprofits get their donors to give month in and month out.”

About RoundUp.org

As an approved financial partner of Visa and Mastercard, RoundUp helps more than 22,000 verified nonprofits acquire recurring donors and build sustainable recurring revenue while making charitable giving simple, automatic, and impactful.

For more information, visit RoundUp.org/blog

Press kit, including images, a one-page data sheet and founder headshot: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19AnzimoY4Ror8F-N8iPDBO-r2zUL_QDp

Media Contact

Jed Carlson
Founder & CEO
RoundUp.org
919.214.9499
[email protected]
www.RoundUp.org

SOURCE RoundUp.org, Inc.

The annual list recognizes private equity, venture capital, and lending firms with strong track records of supporting founder-led businesses

DENVER, Oct. 27, 2026 — Manna Tree, a global private equity firm focused on investing in companies that empower consumers to live better, longer, has been named to Inc.’s 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors list for the second time (the first time was in 2021), which recognizes private equity firms, venture capital firms, and lenders with demonstrated track records of supporting founder-led companies.

The prestigious Founder-Friendly Investors list celebrates the investors and firms that work closely with entrepreneurs and remain engaged with the businesses they back. Honorees are recognized for their approach to partnering with founders and supporting their companies through growth and beyond.

“With the current funding environment and rapid changes facing growing companies, founders are looking for more than just capital from their investors. They want true partners who believe in their business, but who are also able to provide the critical advisement and strategic support they need to reach their potential,” says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. “The 2026 Founder-Friendly Investor awards celebrate those firms –– the ones committed to partnership, excellence, and helping founder-led companies grow.”

“At Manna Tree, we believe the strongest investment partnerships combine strategic insight, operational experience, and a shared commitment to building long-term value. We partner with founders to identify opportunities for growth, navigate key business decisions, and build on what makes their companies unique,” said Steve Young, Managing Partner of Manna Tree. “We’re proud to be recognized by Inc. for our approach and the strong relationships we’ve built with founders and leaders across the health and wellness sector,” said Grace Zuncic, Managing Director of Manna Tree.

Manna Tree’s portfolio reflects this approach, with investments in industry leaders such as Vital Farms, New Primal, Plant People, Good Culture, and Zambezi. Its partnership with Good Culture is a strong example of the firm’s commitment to supporting founder-led businesses through growth. Since investing in the clean-label cultured dairy brand in 2022, Manna Tree collaborated with founder and CEO Jesse Merrill to scale the business while maintaining its focus on quality and simple ingredients. In the time leading up to January 2026, Good Culture’s sales nearly quadrupled, and the company subsequently announced a majority investment from L Catterton to support its next phase of growth.

To compile the Founder-Friendly Investors list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms. Founders completed questionnaires about their experiences partnering with private equity, venture capital, and debt firms and shared data on how their companies have performed during these partnerships. The resulting list highlights investors that founders identified as strong partners throughout the investment process.

For more information or to view the complete list of honorees, visit https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors.

About Manna Tree
Founded by Gabrielle (Ellie) Rubenstein and Ross Iverson in 2018, Manna Tree is a global private equity firm committed to investing in companies that empower consumers to live better, longer. The firm strategically invests in the consumer sector, particularly within the health and wellness ecosystem, focusing on growth-stage and buyout opportunities. Manna Tree has made investments in 15 companies to date, including companies like: Health-Ade, Gotham Greens, Vital Farms, Good Culture, Plant People, Verde Farms, Urban Remedy, New Primal, and Zambezi.

About Inc.
Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Manna Tree Partners

After a strategic investment in Slingshot’s $27 million seed round, Skyward is now the company’s primary carrier partner, giving customers immediate access to A-rated capacity nationwide

MINNEAPOLIS and HOUSTON, Oct. 27, 2026 — Slingshot Insurance, the AI-native insurance company built for the embedded economy, today announced a strategic partnership with Skyward Group, the specialty insurance organization whose operating businesses include Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.® and Apollo Group Holdings Ltd. Skyward Group now serves as Slingshot’s primary carrier partner, providing its customers with immediate access to an AM Best A-rated carrier across all 50 states.

The announcement comes after Slingshot recently emerged from stealth with a $27 million seed funding round co-led by Skyward Group. As embedded insurance establishes itself as one of the fastest-growing segments of the P&C market, Slingshot is purpose-built to deliver the technology, capacity, and speed to launch and scale insurance products for those niche and rapidly evolving embedded opportunities, such as amateur sports, travel, and the gig- and independent-work economy.

Through the strategic investment and partnership, Slingshot will harness Skyward’s insurance expertise, innovation capabilities, digital economy expertise, and strength and scale to accelerate the speed and value it can deliver to customers. Combining these capabilities with Slingshot’s infrastructure provides a powerful foundation for identifying and bringing new opportunities to this dynamic market.

“Slingshot was built around the belief that a new generation of insurance opportunities requires a different kind of carrier infrastructure. Our AI-native platform is designed to dramatically reduce the time and cost required to build, launch and scale insurance products, particularly in markets where high transaction volumes and lower premiums have historically been difficult for traditional carrier models to serve,” said Ethan Genteman, co-founder and CEO of Slingshot Insurance. “Skyward is an ideal, complementary partner because they bring deep specialty insurance expertise, financial strength, experience with emerging risks, a culture that moves quickly, and a strong commitment to innovation. Together, we have an opportunity to bring new insurance products to market faster and expand what is economically possible in embedded insurance.”

“Embedded insurance solutions represent an important evolution in how specialty insurance can reach customers, particularly as businesses increasingly seek to distribute products and services through digital platforms,” said Andrew Robinson, Chairman and CEO of Skyward Group. “With every business opportunity we pursue, we contemplate a build versus partner approach, and we believe Slingshot is the ideal partner for Skyward to pursue the embedded market. Slingshot’s platform and knowledge of this market, combined with Skyward’s underwriting, product, and technical insurance know-how, as well as our experience in emerging risk, including across the digital economy, make this a compelling partnership and attractive strategic investment for Skyward Group. With our strategic support, Slingshot will more rapidly scale its embedded insurance model and extend Skyward’s specialty into an entirely new market that we do not serve today.” 

About Slingshot Insurance

Slingshot Insurance is an AI-native insurance company built for the embedded economy. For managing general agents (MGAs) and others looking to capitalize on the fast-growing embedded insurance market, Slingshot provides the infrastructure to replace the fragmented legacy tools and inefficient processes that have historically hindered innovation in higher-frequency, lower-severity insurance products.

The AI-native platform automates complex, data-heavy workflows while ensuring every decision is fully auditable, reconcilable, and explainable, providing the transparency and speed required to operate embedded products profitably and at scale across emerging markets such as travel, amateur sports, and the gig economy.

For more information, visit www.slingshotinsurance.com.

About Skyward Group

Skyward Group (Nasdaq: SKWD) is the holding company brand for its U.S. and U.K. businesses, Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc.® and Apollo Holding Group, respectively, delivering a comprehensive suite of specialized insurance solutions across global specialty property and casualty markets. Focused on the specialty industry’s most niche, complex risks of today and the emerging challenges of tomorrow, Skyward Group leverages the forward-looking insight and disciplined execution of each organization to drive sustainable growth and long-term value for its shareholders, distribution partners and other stakeholders. For more information about Skyward Group, Skyward Specialty and Apollo, please visit skywardgroup.com.

SOURCE Slingshot

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2026 — AEA Investors (“AEA” or the “Firm”) today announced that it has been named to Inc.’s 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors list, marking the fourth consecutive year the Firm has earned the recognition. The annual list honors investment firms with proven track records of backing founder-led companies and helping them grow.

For more than five decades, AEA has partnered with the founders and management teams of leading middle market companies to accelerate growth, strengthen operations, and build enduring businesses. Through its three complementary private equity strategies – Middle Market Private Equity, Enterprise, and Elevate – the Firm has invested in a broad range of founder-led companies. AEA’s entrepreneurial culture aligns closely with that of its founder partners, while its relationship-driven approach is grounded in trust, transparency, and a shared commitment to long-term value creation.

“We are pleased to be recognized by Inc. for the fourth consecutive year, reflecting the strength of our relationships with founders and the results we have achieved together,” said Brian Hoesterey, Chief Executive Officer of AEA. “Our approach is built on a shared vision for each business and a commitment to supporting management teams as they execute their strategies. We are grateful for the confidence founders have placed in AEA and remain focused on being a trusted partner for founder-led businesses.”

Inc.’s Founder-Friendly Investors list is designed to help entrepreneurs identify capital partners they can rely on. Honorees are selected based on founder references, investment outcomes, and reputation for supporting founder-led businesses through true collaboration. To view the full list of 2026 honorees, visit www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2026.* 

About AEA Investors
AEA Investors (“AEA”) is a leading global alternative investment firm that has partnered with exceptional middle-market businesses for over 55 years. With a diversified suite of investment strategies spanning private equity and private credit, AEA has established itself as a trusted provider of comprehensive solutions to the middle market. Since its founding by the Rockefeller, Mellon, and Harriman family interests and S.G. Warburg & Co. in 1968, AEA has built an extraordinary network of investors, business leaders, operators, and advisors and a rich institutional knowledge base. Today, the firm manages approximately $19 billion in assets and operates through collaborative teams of skilled professionals around the world. Leveraging its deep expertise, extensive network, and robust resources, AEA seeks to deliver sustainable, long-term value. For more information, visit www.aeainvestors.com. 

*The 2026 list of Founder-Friendly Investors, published by Inc. on October 27, 2026, was based on the time period from January 2021 through June 2026. An entry fee was paid to submit an application for this award.

Media Contact

Heidi DuBois (AEA Investors)
(212) 644 5900
[email protected]

Kate Thompson / Madeline Jones / Kate Kelley
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
(212) 355-4449

SOURCE AEA Investors

Co-founded by five industry leaders with a legacy of delivering growth and transformation

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2026 — Common Thread Advisors (Common Thread), a new independent consultancy, launched today to move organizations from strategic intent to commercial impact. Common Thread guides organizations through transformation and change by closing the gap between leadership strategy and human behavior—so change stops being something teams recover from and starts being something they build on.

Common Thread was co-founded and is being led by five industry leaders with decades of senior in-house and consultancy-side experience across business strategy, change management, digital and AI-enabled transformation, strategic communications and social investment. The team brings deep lived experience, having led its former consultancy firm KYNE through a multi-year, global integration and private equity-driven transformation. All five co-founders are Partners, with Wendy Woods-Williams serving as Managing Partner and David Kyne as Executive Chair.

• Wendy Woods-Williams — Managing Partner
• Maureen Byrne — Partner, Client Experience & Growth
• Michael Grela — Partner, Operations & Impact
• David Kyne — Partner, Executive Chair
• Julie O’Donnell — Partner, Strategy & Innovation

Organizations and their leaders are facing increasingly complex internal and external pressures and a rapidly evolving environment, requiring near-constant transformation to support innovation and growth. At the same time, technology and change often move faster than teams can absorb and cultures can evolve, causing the majority of transformations to ultimately fail in practice.

“One of the most important performance drivers in transformation strategy is whether the people who must deliver the change are not just briefed or trained, but truly with you. When organizations don’t fully invest in the human side of change, the result is often stalled adoption, lost productivity and strategies that never fully land, impacting the bottom line,” said Wendy Woods-Williams, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Common Thread. “We built Common Thread to do things differently. Our team is senior from day one and 100% focused on change by design, allowing us to stay close to the work while being credible in the boardroom. We partner with clients to identify critical business drivers and develop approaches around them, helping organizations move through and benefit from change, faster.”

“After years moving in different directions, what felt like gravity pulled this team back together with a collective desire to create a new kind of firm—one that draws on our common experience navigating change and meets a growing need across industries and geographies,” said David Kyne, Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Common Thread. “We work with clients to identify and act on the common threads that connect teams and cultures, impacting their ability to achieve their goals and reach their commercial potential. We connect intent with execution and proof.”

Common Thread’s offering is built on decades of established change management, human behavior and communications research and models, and includes several interconnected service areas:

• Transformation and Change: Change is only successful when people truly understand it, trust it, and know what to do differently. Common Thread makes sure strategies land by building belief in the approach, the plan, and the people leading it.
• Leadership and Culture: Engaged and productive teams require trust in leadership and a set of values and a culture that live beyond the handbook. Common Thread helps protect and build leadership trust and shape the culture teams and strategies need to deliver.
• Social Performance and Impact: Societal value and impact are important business indicators but can be difficult to track. Common Thread helps prioritize and connect commitments to measures that impact reputation and the bottom line.

Common Thread’s unique approach is centered around four key conditions shaping change—clarity, agency, capacity and trust—helping quickly identify what matters most and prioritize efforts with the greatest impact. From friction and trust mapping to strategic leadership engagement, listening tours and manager sprints, Common Thread provides a comprehensive suite of transformation and change-related offerings, built to address each client’s specific needs. Clients often engage Common Thread during leadership transitions, business transformations, growth periods, mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, AI integrations and the rollout of new operating models and policies.

Common Thread works as an extension of client teams, operating inside live programs, close to the real decisions and trade-offs that determine whether change happens. Measurement is built into every engagement, connecting human factors to business outcomes and creating a consistent evidence base for ongoing improvement.

About Common Thread Advisors
Common Thread Advisors (Common Thread) is an independent consultancy that helps turn strategic intent into commercial impact. Too often, strategy sits apart from the people responsible for bringing it to life. Common Thread ensures transformation lands by bridging the gap between strategy and human behavior. We get people engaged, leaders empowered and strategies delivered in practice—so organizations can move through and benefit from change, faster. Across transformation and change, leadership and culture, and social performance and impact, we connect intent with execution and proof. That’s complex change, untangled.

Common Thread is values- and purpose-driven. We’re committed to being a good corporate citizen and a best place to work by operating at the highest ethical standards, working with clients who share our philosophy and values and donating a percentage of future annual profits to causes impacting our communities.

To learn more, visit LinkedIn, Instagram and www.CommonThreadAdvisors.com. 

BOSTON, Oct. 27, 2026 — BV Investment Partners (BV), a middle-market private equity firm focused on the tech-enabled business services and solutions sectors, announced today its recognition on the Inc. Founder-Friendly Investors list for the fifth year in a row. The list honors the private equity firms, venture capital firms, and lenders with a track record of backing founder-led companies. This year’s list recognizes BV among 294 firms.

The prestigious Founder-Friendly Investors list celebrates the investors and firms that work closely with entrepreneurs and remain engaged with the businesses they back. Honorees are recognized for their approach to partnering with founders and supporting their companies through growth and beyond.

Vik Raina, CEO of BV, said, “In today’s environment, founders need more than capital – they need a partner who understands their business and can help them navigate each stage of growth. Being recognized by Inc. for the fifth year in a row reflects our team’s commitment to that kind of partnership. We thank Inc. and the founders who have placed their trust in BV.”

“With the current funding environment and rapid changes facing growing companies, founders are looking for more than just capital from their investors. They want true partners who believe in their business, but who are also able to provide the critical advisement and strategic support they need to reach their potential,” says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. “The 2026 Founder-Friendly Investor awards celebrate those firms – the ones committed to partnership, excellence, and helping founder-led companies grow.”

To compile the Founder-Friendly Investors list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms. Founders completed questionnaires about their experiences partnering with private equity, venture capital, and debt firms and shared data on how their companies have performed during these partnerships. The resulting list highlights investors that founders identified as strong partners throughout the investment process.

For more information or to view the complete list of honorees, visit https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors.

Industry recognitions or awards should not be construed as an endorsement or a recommendation to retain the Adviser by the ranking entity or any regulatory authority. Any rankings or awards cited were provided by independent third parties based on their predetermined evaluation criteria. Although Adviser provided compensation to the ranking entity to be included in the survey, it did not exercise any influence or control over the criteria used or the results generated and did not pay any compensation in connection with receiving the award.

About BV Investment Partners

BV Investment Partners is an established sector-focused private equity firm in North America with over $8.3 billion of assets under management. Founded in 1983 and relaunched under new management and strategy in 2012, the firm targets the tech-enabled business services and solutions sectors and leverages more than four decades of experience partnering with entrepreneurs and management teams. To date, it has completed 54 investments and realized or substantially exited 23 companies under new management. For five consecutive years, BV has been named to Inc. magazine’s list of Founder-Friendly Investors and recognized by HEC Paris-Dow Jones rankings as one of the top 10 best-performing buyout firms in the mid-market segment in its first year and in the lower mid-market segment in its second year, following the introduction of this new category. For more information, visit www.bvlp.com.

About Inc.

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Contact: Chris Tofalli
Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC
914-834-4334

SOURCE BV Investment Partners

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 27, 2026 — Tower Arch Capital has been named to Inc.’s 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors list, which recognizes private equity firms, venture capital firms, and lenders with demonstrated track records of supporting founder-led companies.

The prestigious Founder-Friendly Investors list celebrates the investors and firms that work closely with entrepreneurs and remain engaged with the businesses they back. Honorees are recognized for their approach to partnering with founders and supporting their companies through growth and beyond.

Tower Arch Capital Partner and co-founder, Ryan Stratton, shared, “Being named to this list for the eighth consecutive year reflects the trust that founders and families have placed in us with the businesses they built. Partnering with family and founder-led companies has been our sole focus for more than a decade. We are grateful for these relationships and remain committed to helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses while preserving the values and culture that made them successful.”

To compile the Founder-Friendly Investors list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms. Founders completed questionnaires about their experiences partnering with private equity, venture capital, and debt firms and shared data on how their companies have performed during these partnerships. The resulting list highlights investors that founders identified as strong partners throughout the investment process.

For more information or to view the complete list of honorees, visit https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors.

About Tower Arch Capital 
Headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, Tower Arch Capital is a growth-oriented middle-market private equity firm. Tower Arch seeks to partner with high-quality family- and entrepreneur-owned companies to deliver long-term value for their management teams and investors. Tower Arch brings operational, consulting, and financial expertise to companies to help them improve their operations, scale, and grow. Target investments include control positions in businesses with EBITDA between $8 million and $35 million. For more information, please visit www.towerarch.com.

About Inc.
Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

SOURCE Tower Arch Capital