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NewSpring ("the Firm"), a family of private equity strategies focused on the lower-middle market, announced today that it has been named to Inc.'s annual Founder-Friendly Investors list for the seventh consecutive year. The list recognizes private equity and venture capital firms with strong track records backing entrepreneurs. NewSpring partners with lower-middle market management teams on acquisitions, product launches, and the other decisions that drive portfolio company growth.

Jorge Brea founded Symphonic Distribution in 2006 and leads the company as CEO. Symphonic is a current NewSpring portfolio company, and Brea shares his perspective on choosing a private equity partner.

"When we started looking for capital, we wanted a true partnership, someone we could collaborate with and learn from, and NewSpring has been that. For founders choosing an investor, it's important to find a partner that is aligned with you and principled." Jorge Brea, Founder and CEO, Symphonic Distribution

"Founders are the source of this recognition, and we are grateful to each of them for sharing their experience. We look forward to partnering with more innovative companies in the years ahead." NewSpring President, Jon Schwartz

About the Inc. Founder-Friendly Investors List

To compile the 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have partnered with private equity and venture capital firms. Founders completed detailed questionnaires about their experiences working with investors and shared data on how their companies have grown during these partnerships.

About NewSpring

NewSpring invests across five strategies: NewSpring Growth, NewSpring Healthcare, NewSpring Holdings, NewSpring Mezzanine, and NewSpring Franchise. Spanning growth equity, private debt, and buyouts, the Firm focuses on software and tech-enabled services, healthcare, and franchise businesses. NewSpring has partnered with lower-middle market companies for more than 25 years.

Award Disclosure

The Inc. Founder-Friendly Investors award is prepared by Inc.com. The designation is awarded on an annual basis, and NewSpring has received the award in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. The Inc.com Founder-Friendly Investor list for 2023 was published on October 31, 2023, the list for 2024 was published on October 30, 2024, the list for 2025 was published on October 28, 2025, and the list for 2026 was published on October 27, 2026. Private equity, venture capital and related lender firms are able to apply for the Inc.com Founder-Friendly Investor award. Inc.com uses a proprietary score and founder references to evaluate whether a firm meets its criteria. The full extent of the scope of firms and data included in the related surveys or evaluations is unknown. NewSpring paid an application fee in order to be considered for the Inc.com award.