Sixth consecutive recognition highlights Mainsail’s collaborative approach to partnering with founder-led software companies
Austin, TX, and San Francisco, CA – October 28, 2025 – Mainsail Partners, a growth equity firm that invests in bootstrapped, founder-led software companies, is pleased to announce that it was named to Inc.’s annual Founder-Friendly Investors list for the sixth consecutive year. The list celebrates investors that believe in backing founder-led businesses and helping them thrive. Inc. selected the companies on the list for their collaborative approach to partnering with portfolio companies and for remaining actively involved with the businesses they invest in.
“Receiving this recognition for the sixth consecutive year is a testament to the founders in our portfolio,” said Vinay Kashyap, Partner at Mainsail Partners. “We’re excited to help them adapt and innovate as AI reshapes the software landscape, but their deep vertical market experience and customer-first culture remain their greatest advantage. Our team is committed to helping founders navigate these changes and scale efficiently while preserving that unique, founder-led mindset.”
Underscoring its continued commitment to helping companies move faster, build smarter and scale AI across their organizations, Mainsail recently launched Mainsail AI Labs, a dedicated team focused on helping portfolio companies harness the power of AI to drive efficiency, enhance their platforms, and accelerate growth across their organizations.
Learn how Mainsail AI Labs supports portfolio companies in integrating AI across their products and operations, along with insights, success stories, and resources designed to help founders lead confidently in the AI era.
To compile the 2025 Founder-Friendly Investors list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms. Founders completed 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. To see the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2025.
The 2025 Founder-Friendly Investors recognition presented herein is awarded by Inc., a third-party that is not affiliated with Mainsail Partners or an investor in Mainsail Partners-sponsored vehicles. The recognition was awarded on 10/28/25 for the period 2025. Inc. assessed the nominees based on written responses to questions on Inc.’s nomination form and CEO responses to Inc.’s questionnaire. The number of nominees reviewed for this recognition was not disclosed to Mainsail, and therefore, it and the percentage of nominees receiving the recognition, cannot be disclosed herein. Inc.’s recognition is based on its own evaluation and opinion and is not indicative of Mainsail Partners’ future performance, and does not reflect the experience of, or any rating by, Mainsail Partners’ investors. Mainsail Partners paid an application fee to participate in the process. The receipt of compensation influences, and is likely to present a potential material conflict of interest, relating to the award. There can be no assurance that other providers or surveys would reach the same conclusions as the foregoing.
For additional important disclosures, please see the disclosure page here: https://mainsailpartners.com/disclosures/