Freeman Spogli Named to Inc.’s 2024 List of Founder-Friendly Investors

LOS ANGELES, CA / NEW YORK, NY - October 29, 2024 - Freeman Spogli is pleased to announce their recognition in being named for the fourth year in a row to Inc.'s annual Founder-Friendly Investors list, honoring the private equity, venture capital firms, and lenders with the strongest track records of success in partnering with entrepreneurs and founders to help drive growth in their businesses.

Inc.'s 2024 list of Founder-Friendly Investors recognizes Freeman Spogli as one of a select group of firms that remain actively involved with the businesses they invest in and that have earned the trust of the entrepreneurs they support to help drive growth. To compile its list, Inc. spoke to entrepreneurs who partnered with private equity and venture capital firms and evaluated data on company growth over the course of their partnerships.

"It has been a complicated few years for growth companies and the companies that fund them," said Mike Hofman, editor-in-chief of Inc. "So we are happy to share with our readers the best, latest guidance on which venture capital firms, private equity firms, and growth-capital lenders have the track record and reputation of being especially good partners to founders and CEOs."

Chris Johnson, Partner at Freeman Spogli, said, "We are honored to be named to Inc.'s 2024 Founder Friendly Investor list for the fourth year in a row. Roughly two-thirds of the investments and partnerships in our recent funds have been made to support founder-owned or managed businesses. Our strong record of partnering with family-owned and founder-led businesses reflects our philosophy of helping management teams refine their growth strategies, invest in systems and infrastructure, and drive value creation while not losing sight of the founder-led business traits that initially made them successful."

With offices in Los Angeles and New York, Freeman Spogli is dedicated to investing alongside founders and management teams exclusively in middle-market companies in the consumer and distribution sectors. Since its founding in 1983, Freeman Spogli has invested over $5.9 billion in 71 portfolio companies with an aggregate transaction value of $29 billion and has completed over 250 add-on acquisitions with its portfolio companies.

Examples of platform investments where Freeman Spogli has partnered alongside founders include VIO Med Spa (a leading franchisor of full-service med spas), Infinity Home Services (provider of remodel and repair services for roofing and other exterior home needs such as windows, sidings and gutters), NearU (provider of essential home services including HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services), EverVet (operator of a leading network of general practice animal hospitals), WhiteWater Express (multi-state operator of express car washes), Brooklinen (leading direct-to-consumer brand in the home essentials category), USME (leading value-added distributor and rental and related services provider of mission-critical moveable medical equipment), EasyIce (national leader in full-service ice machine subscriptions), Kamps Pallets (nationwide pallet management services provider), CRH Healthcare (patient-focused operator of urgent care centers), City Barbeque (fast-casual restaurant company focused on authentic, "smoker-to-table" barbeque), Arhaus (lifestyle omni-channel retailer of exclusively designed home furnishings), Floor & Decor (leading omni-channel retailer of hard surface flooring), PF Baseline Fitness (leading franchisee of Planet Fitness health clubs), Osprey (iconic active lifestyle brand and the global leader in technical packs), Paradies (operator of airport convenience retail stores), and Advance Auto Parts (specialty retailer of automotive parts and accessories).

The Freeman Spogli team is supported by a network of strategic operating partners with extensive networks and industry and domain expertise tailored to our segment of the market.

To see the complete Inc. 2024 Founder-Friendly List, go to https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2024.

About Freeman Spogli
Freeman Spogli & Co. is a private equity firm dedicated exclusively to investing in and partnering with management in consumer and distribution companies in the United States. Since its founding in 1983, Freeman Spogli has invested over $5.9 billion in 71 portfolio companies with an aggregate transaction value of $29 billion and has completed over 250 add-on acquisitions with its portfolio companies. Freeman Spogli is currently making investments from FS Equity Partners IX, L.P. and has offices in Los Angeles and New York. For additional information, please visit www.freemanspogli.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 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.