This website includes testimonials from individuals who have been or are currently associated with a Summit Park portfolio company. The individuals quoted are not investors in any vehicle managed by Summit Park. None of these individuals received compensation for their contributions.
Award Criteria
Top 50 PE Firms in the Middle Market
Given by: Grady Campbell Incorporated
Years received: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
A nominal fee was paid to submit Summit Park’s application to be eligible for inclusion.
About: The TOP 50 PE Firms in the Middle Market™ is the original awards program designed specifically to acknowledge and promote small and mid-sized leading private equity firms in the middle market. Recognition in the TOP 50 PE Firms in the Middle Market is widely recognized by PE professionals, founders and business owners, investment banks, and limited partners as a noteworthy distinction. Since its inception in 2016, the TOP PE Firms in the Middle Market awards program has earned its reputation as a trusted and unbiased resource. While large private equity firms tend to draw most of the media attention, we know that the majority of middle market M&A activity is driven by small and mid-sized firms. TOP 50 PE Firms in the Middle Market’s focus is to acknowledge highly reputable, small and mid-sized firms that have great teams, significant deal flow, persistent fundraising, and exceptional track records.
Criteria: Winning firms are selected based upon the merits of their nomination(s) which include but are not limited to their track record, reputation, leadership and third-party endorsement. The quality and detail of a firm’s submission as well as responses from references also inform our decision to include a firm as a winner. The best private equity firms possess similar characteristics: Strong Management Team, Established Market Position, Solid Track Record, Continuous and/or Rapid Growth, Stable and Recurring Cash Flow, Differentiating Culture, Product and/or Service and Fund Size. Top 50 Firms will have fund sizes of $375MM to $1.25B. Applicants must also have a headquarters within the United States.
A nominal fee was paid to submit Summit Park’s application to be eligible for inclusion.
About: The Inc. Founder-Friendly Investors list honors the private equity firms, venture capital firms, and lenders with a track record of backing founder-led companies. The list celebrates the investors that believe in backing founder-led businesses and helping them thrive. All companies on the list have successful track records of collaboration and remaining actively involved with the businesses they invest in.
Criteria: To apply to Founder-Friendly Investors, firms complete a short application that covers basic information such as headquarters address and whether they manage PE, VC, or debt funds–or a combination of multiple strategies. As part of this first step, companies select which categories they would like to enter. The categories are based on industry verticals, size of portfolio companies, and regions of headquarters. Firms provide Inc. with at least one and no more than five founder references. For PE and VC firms, references must be from founders of portfolio companies exited within the past five years. Inc. sends each founder reference a short survey about their experience partnering with the firm. To confirm the PE, VC, and debt firms’ commitment to backing founder-led companies, Inc. gathers data on how those portfolio companies grew while partnered with the PE, VC, or debt firm and interviews founders on how these partners helped them grow during investment holding periods. On that basis, they produce a proprietary score that determines the PE, VC, and debt firms whose missions most significantly support the men and women behind these portfolio companies. This score, along with findings from their editors’ research, determines which companies make it onto the Founder-Friendly Investors list. Companies are listed alphabetically within each category, not by rank.
