NEW CANAAN, CT, October 29, 2026 - Gridiron Capital, LLC ("Gridiron Capital" or "Gridiron"), an investment firm focused on partnering with founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams, is pleased to announce that it has been named to Inc. Magazine's 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors List. The award recognizes private equity firms, venture capital firms, and lenders with proven track records of backing founder-led companies and staying actively engaged in the businesses they support. This marks the sixth time Inc. has recognized Gridiron, which was selected among 294 firms across the investment landscape this year.

Gridiron's approach begins with its roots. Founded by former operators, the firm pairs hard work with partnerships grounded in shared values and a culture shaped by hands-on experience building and running businesses. That foundation allows Gridiron to align vision and values with founders and management teams from day one, preserving what makes each company unique while putting the resources in place to help it grow. Inc. compiled the 2026 list by going directly to entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms, gathering their perspective on the partnership and the growth their companies achieved.

"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."

Since its founding in 2005, Gridiron has invested in and worked alongside more than 247 growth-oriented companies, including 44 platform companies, many of which were founder-owned at the time of Gridiron's investment, among them its two most recent platforms, van den Boom & Associates and Weed Man. Across business services, consumer products & services, and industrial growth, Gridiron brings together operational expertise, financial resources, and disciplined strategic planning to help its companies scale.

Central to that effort are Gridiron's Centers of Excellence, where experienced operators work side by side with management on the priorities that matter most to a growing business, from talent and go-to-market to M&A integration and technology. The result is a tailored plan for each company, built together with the founders and leaders who know it best.

Tom Burger, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Gridiron, stated, "We are immensely proud to be named a Founder-Friendly Investor by Inc. for the sixth time, and prouder still that the recognition comes from founders themselves. The founders we partner with have spent years building companies with real cultures, loyal customers, and teams that depend on them. Having been operators in founder- and family-owned businesses, we value our commitment to being authentic, results-driven partners who understand the daily challenges they face, honor the legacy they have built, and help them grow."

Kevin Jackson, Managing Partner at Gridiron Capital, added, "This recognition is a credit to the founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams we have the privilege of working alongside. Our focus is on being a trusted partner to their teams, supporting them through challenging decisions, collaborating to build value through our Centers of Excellence, and helping them scale their companies to achieve more together."

See the complete 2026 Inc. Founder-Friendly Investors List and more information here:

https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors

About Gridiron Capital, LLC
Gridiron Capital is an investment firm focused on partnering with founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams, and creating value by building middle-market companies into industry-leaders in business services, consumer products & services, and industrial growth segments in the United States and Canada. We help transform growing companies by winning together through hard work, partnerships grounded in shared values and a unique culture that comes from hands-on experience building and running businesses. As a team led by former operators and entrepreneurs, we know what it takes to run successful businesses on a day-to-day basis. Additional information is available on the firm's website: www.gridironcapital.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.

Contacts
Gridiron Capital, LLC
Tom Burger
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Contact Us

This award is the opinion of the party conferring the award and not of Gridiron. The 2026 list of Founder-Friendly Investors, issued by Inc. on 10/27/2026, was based on the time period of October 2025 - October 2026. Gridiron submitted a nomination and paid a participation fee to be considered for this list. There can be no assurance that other providers or surveys would reach the same conclusion as the foregoing.