New Harbor Capital Named to Inc.’s 2024 List of Founder-Friendly Investors

Annual roundup highlights the private equity, venture capital, and lenders with track records of backing founder-led companies

New Harbor Capital is grateful to be included for the fifth consecutive year in Inc.’s annual Founder-Friendly Investors list, honoring the private equity, venture capital, and debt firms with the best track records of success backing entrepreneurs. 

The prestigious list celebrates the investors that believe in backing founder-led businesses and helping them thrive. All companies on the list have successful track records of collaboration and remaining actively involved with the businesses they invest in.

“It’s an honor to be recognized as a Founder-Friendly Investor by Inc. for the fifth year in a row,” said Tom Formolo, Partner at New Harbor Capital. “Our commitment to fostering strong partnerships and supporting the success of our founder partners is at the core of everything we do. This award validates our dedication to creating a positive and collaborative environment for the founders we partner with.”

New Harbor Capital was built on the foundation of mutual respect and a research-driven approach. We believe that this collaborative environment fosters exceptional ideas and drives success. Our commitment to servant leadership ensures that our founder partners’ goals and interests are always at the forefront. New Harbor has partnered with 22 founders since our founding in 2013. Many of the founders of our prior investments have continued on to become Executive Advisors for our firm. Our 12 Executive Advisors have built and backed nearly 40 businesses within our target focus areas. They play a critical role in our investment process and provide valuable insights to our management teams as board members. Furthermore, nearly all of our prior founder partners and CEOs have invested in our private equity funds, providing further evidence of the enduring strength of our relationships.

The following testimonials speak to this:

“New Harbor’s extensive experience with physician services businesses played a critical role in the success of our expansion strategy over the past four years. Thanks to their knowledge, guidance, and expertise, we are well-positioned and poised for growth as we move into the next step of our development.” Dr. Damean Freas, CEO and Founder of KureSmart Pain Management (now Clearway Pain Solutions)

“Our experience with New Harbor has exceeded our expectations. We have a tremendous board and access to their team of Executive Advisors. They have supported investments into our team and technology that will support the company through our next phase of growth. They are honest and ethical and care about the business owners they work with.” Matt Riley, CEO and Founder of Blueprint Prep

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, venture capital, and debt firms and shared data on how their portfolio companies have grown during these partnerships.

Introduced in 2019, the Founder-Friendly Investors 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.

To see the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2024

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 our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.’s award-winning work achieves a monthly brand footprint of more than 40 million across a variety of channels, including events, digital, print, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since its launch as the Inc. 100 in 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

DISCLAIMER: This recognition was received from Inc. Media on October 29, 2024. New Harbor Capital paid $995 in entry fees to Inc. Media to be considered for this recognition. The entry process involved contacting past and present founders from New Harbor Capital’s investment portfolio to ask them about their experience partnering with New Harbor Capital. New Harbor Capital was one of numerous firms to receive this recognition from Inc. Media. The award nomination period covers January through June of 2024. This rating may not be representative of any one investor’s experience and is not indicative of any future performance.

Certain statements about New Harbor Capital made by portfolio company executives herein are intended to illustrate New Harbor Capital’s business relationship with such persons, including with respect to New Harbor Capital’s facilities as a business partner, rather than New Harbor Capital’s capabilities or expertise with respect to investment advisory services. Portfolio company executives were not compensated in connection with their participation, although they generally receive compensation and investment opportunities in connection with their portfolio company roles, and in certain cases are also owners of portfolio company securities and/or investors in New Harbor Capital-sponsored vehicles. Such compensation and investments subject participants to potential conflicts of interest in making the statements herein.