Scottsdale, Arizona, October 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —– Montage Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in Scottsdale and Salt Lake City with a “people-oriented” philosophy, announced that it has been selected for the sixth consecutive year to the Inc “Founder-Friendly Investors” ( Founder - Friendly Investors ) list. This year’s list recognizes 294 private equity firms, venture capital companies, and lending institutions that have been proven to have a track record of supporting founder-led companies.
The editorial director of Inc, Bonny Ghosh, stated: "In the current financing environment and against the backdrop of rapid changes faced by growing companies, founders are seeking more than just funds from investors. They want to find true partners who not only believe in their business but can also provide crucial advice and strategic support to help them unleash their potential. The 'Founder-Friendly Investors' award for 2026 recognizes precisely such institutions—those that are committed to collaboration, strive for excellence, and help founders lead their companies to growth."
Co-managing partner Montage Partners said, "It is of great significance for us to be on this list for six consecutive years, as the source of this recognition is very important. Inc. By directly asking the founders, they are the only ones who truly know how we got involved when decisions became difficult and long after the transactions were completed. We made an effort to remain the same cooperative partners as during our first meeting in the fifth year, and it is gratifying to see that effort recognized."
This recognition comes following a period of strong performance for the company. In 2025, Montage Partners withdrew its investments from Equity Methods and Puroflux, and won the PE Hub Annual Transaction Award (North American Small Cap) for its transaction in Southwest Data Products in 2024. In January 2026, the company announced the sale of Advantco, an integrated software company based in Charlotte, to Argano, which is a portfolio company of Trinity Hunt Partners. In May, the company invested in Lighten Up, a Los Angeles-based firm that provides high-end lighting design and technical production services for well-known live events. Montage completed this investment in collaboration with founder Nathan Megaw; Megaw retained a significant portion of the shares and continued to lead the company.
Since its establishment in 2004, Montage Partners has invested in over 20 companies led by founders, guided by six core values: people-oriented, transparent, honest, accountable, mutual respect, and excellence. The company states that through its Montage Accelerate ™ program, it can provide in-depth support in areas such as strategy, marketing, operations, recruitment, and mergers and acquisitions. Such resources are usually more common in much larger organizations, but its services are targeted at founder-owned businesses in the "mid-to-low end market." The management team also benefits from the support of a network of experienced operators, consultants, and service providers.
Montage Partners Co-Managing Partner Rob Wolfman stated: "This year once again reminds us that what is 'friendly to founders' varies from company to company. For Advantco, this means supporting the management transition and helping the company smoothly enter the next phase. For Lighten Up, it means winning the trust of Nathan and making him believe that we understand the culture they and their team have built over more than twenty years. It's certainly great to be recognized, but the real measure of success is whether founders who have worked with us will choose us again in the future."
Inc indicates that in order to compile a list of "founder-friendly investors," direct consultations were conducted with entrepreneurs who have previously sold their companies to private equity and venture capital firms. The founders filled out questionnaires, describing their experiences collaborating with private equity, venture capital, or debt institutions, and shared performance data of their companies during that period. The final list highlighted those investment institutions that the founders identified as strong partners throughout the entire investment process.
For more information or to view the complete list of winners, please visit: https :// www.inc.com / founder-friendly-investors.
About Montage Partners
Montage Partners was founded in 2004 and has offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Salt Lake City, Utah. It is a people-oriented private equity firm dedicated to helping mature companies achieve transformative growth. The firm manages $80 million in capital and invests in companies headquartered in the United States or Canada with a valuation between $1.5 million and $7 million. Its investments cover sectors such as technology and professional services, healthcare, industrial products and services, and consumer goods. The firm states that above all other investment criteria, Montage Partners places the highest value on exceptional talent.
Media contact: Brooke Ouvarov - Bancalero
Vice President of Communications
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480-676-6657
Message source: Montage Partners
