Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania Named to Inc.’s 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors List

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania Named to Inc.'s 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors List

The annual list recognizes private equity, venture capital, lending firms with strong track records of supporting founder-led businesses

PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 27, 2026) - Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Ben Franklin) has been named to Inc.'s 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors list, which recognizes private equity firms, venture capital firms and lenders with demonstrated track records of supporting founder-led companies. This year's list recognizes Ben Franklin among 294 firms across the investment landscape.

The prestigious Founder-Friendly Investors list celebrates the investors and firms that work closely with entrepreneurs and remain engaged with the businesses they back. Honorees are recognized for their approach to partnering with founders and supporting their companies through growth and beyond.

"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."

In 2025 alone, Ben Franklin approved more than $6.5 million in funding to 28 companies throughout its five-county region, according to the latest annual impact report. Those investments included $3.55 million for 17 technology-related companies and $2.9 million for 11 companies in the health-care sector.

Further, in 2025 Ben Franklin's portfolio included 188 companies that raised $521 million in post-Ben Franklin follow-on capital, helping clients create 259 jobs while retaining another 2,036 positions in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties and Philadelphia. Almost half of Ben Franklin's portfolio companies are led by BIPOC founders (48%) and nearly half are led by women (47%).

"Ben Franklin has always believed that investing in a company means investing in the people behind it," said Scott Nissenbaum, Ben Franklin's President and CEO. "Capital matters, but so do the connections, guidance and support that help founders turn good ideas into growing companies. We succeed when our founders succeed, and this recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects what entrepreneurs themselves value in an investment partner."

To compile the Founder-Friendly Investors list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms. Founders completed questionnaires about their experiences partnering with private equity, venture capital and debt firms and shared data on how their companies have performed during these partnerships. The resulting list highlights investors that founders identified as strong partners throughout the investment process.

For more information or to view the complete list of honorees, visit www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors.

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.

ABOUT BEN FRANKLIN TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania ("Ben Franklin") is the Philadelphia region's Partners with a Purpose. Nationally ranked among the most active seed and early-stage investors, Ben Franklin helps high-growth innovative enterprises plant and nurture their roots, creating both immediate connections and lasting economic growth. The nonprofit has supported more than 2,000 companies to deliver an impact of more than $5 billion and 32,000 jobs in the Philadelphia region. Whether in tech, life sciences, manufacturing, or industries and breakthroughs yet discovered, Ben Franklin works to raise the community of innovation higher, to benefit present and future generations of Pennsylvanians. Ben Franklin is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority. Visit us at partnerswithapurpose.org.