What Riverside Company does

The Riverside Company is a global private equity firm founded in 1988, headquartered in New York with primary offices in Cleveland and a network spanning North America (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston), Europe (Cologne, Luxembourg, United Kingdom), and Australia/New Zealand (Melbourne). The firm manages $13B+ in assets under management across multiple specialized fund strategies: Value Fund (lower-middle-market control investments), Micro-Cap (RMCF), Strategic Capital (non-control investments), Riverside Acceleration Capital or RAC (growth equity and growth lending for B2B software), and regional Europe and Australia funds. Since founding, Riverside has executed over 1,100 investments and currently maintains an active portfolio of 140+ companies, employing 350+ professionals worldwide under the co-leadership of Co-CEOs Stewart Kohl and Béla Szigethy.

The firm's investment focus is the smaller end of the middle market, targeting companies with $5M-$75M in annual revenue, with RAC specifically targeting B2B software companies with $4M+ ARR for growth equity ($10M-$40M checks) or $2.5M+ ARR with 20%+ growth for revenue-based growth lending ($1M-$5M non-dilutive loans). Riverside generates revenue through management fees on committed and invested capital across its fund vehicles, plus carried interest from portfolio company exits, and supplements this with interest income and revenue participation from RAC's growth lending product. The firm sources deals through direct outreach to business owners, intermediary relationships with investment bankers and advisors, industry events, referral networks, and a structured RAC qualification process, supported by value-add platforms including Riverside University, the RAC Acceleration Program (Scale IQ GTM playbooks, RAC Toolkit partner network, Strategic Advisory Board).

Recent strategic activity demonstrates active portfolio management and platform building. Notable 2024-2026 transactions include acquisitions of Certified Collision Group, Wall Street Prep, Dingo Software, Cloudpermit, The Townsend Group, The Lash Lounge, Essential Compositions, Impact XM (which subsequently acquired Jack Morton from Omnicom), Western Botanicals, AssetIntel, Workbench International, and Seatex (with Key Polymer as first add-on). Divestitures in the same period include PFB Corp (sold to Carlisle for $260M), CertaSite (APi Group), Netwatch, Modern Campus (Providence Equity), FlavorSum (Warburg Pincus), Trustwell (TPG Rise), and PSI (Summit Fire & Security). RAC has also deployed growth lending and growth equity into AI-native companies including Allure Security ($17M Series B), heyData ($16.5M Series A), and MontyCloud ($11.47M Series B).

Name

Riverside Company

Legal name

Riverside Partners L.L.C.

Website

https://riversidecompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Riverside Company is a global private equity firm (founded 1988, $13B+ AUM) investing in the smaller end of the middle market ($5M-$75M revenue), operating through Value Fund, Micro-Cap, Strategic Capital, RAC (B2B software growth equity/lending), and regional Europe and Australia funds, with 1,100+ investments completed across 140+ active portfolio companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity / Middle-Market Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Large-Cap / Sponsor Finance Direct Lending (FSANADAJ)

Keywords

• Private equity investing
• Middle market buyouts
• Flexible capital solutions
• Growth equity software
• Portfolio company management

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Equity Fund Management: Riverside generates revenue through management fees charged on assets under management across its various private equity funds, plus carried interest (performance fees) when investments are exited at gains. The firm manages multiple fund strategies including core private equity, micro-cap, Europe funds, acceleration capital, and strategic capital.
2. Growth Capital Investment Returns: Returns from portfolio company investments through value creation initiatives, add-on acquisitions, and eventual exits. Revenue realized through distributions from successful portfolio company outcomes.
3. Riverside Acceleration Capital (RAC) Growth Lending: RAC provides growth loans to enterprise software companies with a capped revenue share approach. The $200 million RAC Growth Lending Fund III has been deployed across 18 investments with AI identified as a strong investment theme. Revenue generated through interest income and revenue participation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Riverside Company is a global private equity and flexible capital investment firm focused on the smaller end of the middle market (companies with $5M-$75M in annual revenues). The firm operates two primary strategies: Private Equity (control buyouts and growth investments with operational support and add-on acquisitions) and Flexible Capital (non-control solutions including Riverside Strategic Capital and Riverside Acceleration Capital, which provides growth equity of $10M-$40M and growth lending of $1M-$5M for B2B software companies). Riverside manages dedicated funds including the Value Fund, Micro-Cap Fund, Europe Fund, and RAC Growth Lending Fund III.

Product overview

Riverside Company is a global private equity and flexible capital firm focused on the smaller end of the middle market. The firm operates through two primary investment strategies: Private Equity (control investments for growth through operational improvements and add-on acquisitions) and Flexible Capital (non-control solutions including Riverside Strategic Capital Fund and Riverside Acceleration Capital/RAC). RAC provides growth equity ($10M-$40M) and growth lending ($1M-$5M) for B2B software companies, combined with the RAC Acceleration Program offering Scale IQ (GTM playbook), RAC Toolkit, Strategic Advisory Board, Direct Engagement, and Riverside Network. The firm's portfolio spans diverse sectors including Software & IT, Business Services, Consumer, Healthcare, Education & Training, Franchisors, and Specialty Manufacturing. Key portfolio companies include Cloudpermit (community development software), Cryptomathic (cybersecurity with TrustSkills add-on), AssetIntel (infrastructure inspection software), Workbench International (construction SaaS), Allure Security (AI disinformation defense), Wall Street Prep Group (financial training), and various home services platforms. The firm has completed over 1,100 investments since 1988 with current portfolio of 140+ companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Riverside Acceleration Capital (RAC): Flexible capital solutions for B2B software companies including growth equity and growth lending
• Riverside Strategic Capital
• Riverside Micro-Cap (RMCF)
• Riverside Value Fund (RVF)
• Riverside Europe Fund
• Head to Toe Brands
• EverSmith Brands
• Evive Brands

Products and services

• Private Equity Buyouts and Recapitalizations

Quantifiable outcome

• Never failed to close a deal for lack of funding
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability11 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Copper Run, Ampica Energy Solutions, ScaleCo CapitalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Jake Derenthal from Riverside participated in a panel on 'AI on the Buy-Side' at the Middle Market M&A Conference alongside representatives from these PE firms and operators.
• Clearlake, FTV, Thoma BravominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026Riverside participated in a panel at the Smart Business Dealmakers' Middle Market M&A Conference alongside Clearlake, FTV, and Thoma Bravo to discuss strategies for investing in software companies amid AI disruption.
• Jack MortoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2026Impact XM, a Riverside portfolio company, acquired Jack Morton from Omnicom. The merger combines two leading experiential marketing agencies under the Jack Morton brand, creating one of the industry's most comprehensive global experiential partners with 20 offices across North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific. This represents Impact XM's fifth add-on acquisition since Riverside acquired the company in December 2023.
• Financial Edge and Euromoney LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Wall Street Prep, a Riverside portfolio company, acquired Financial Edge Training and Euromoney Learning, both London-based providers of financial education. The combination creates a unified global platform for finance training serving financial institutions across EMEA and globally, integrating investment banking new-hire programs with digital learning and open-enrollment courses.
• PFLminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2025The Vomela Companies, a Riverside portfolio company, acquired PFL, a direct mail automation and printing company. The acquisition enhances Vomela's data-driven, multi-channel marketing capabilities including CRM integration with Salesforce and Adobe Marketo Engage.
• Best Life BrandsminorOthersBest Life Brands is a platform company within Riverside's portfolio focused on health and wellness services. CarePatrol operates under this platform with Keith Kuhn appointed as Brand President.
• Various ACG MembersminorOthersAssociation for Corporate Growth member data compiled 50 notable platform deals completed by private equity firms during Q4 2025, including Riverside's transactions.

Scale indicators29 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Gryphon Investors: San Francisco-based middle-market private equity firm investing in profitable, growing businesses — directly comparable to Riverside's smaller-end middle market focus and add-on-driven value creation model.
• NewSpring Capital: Middle-market PE firm with multiple fund strategies including growth equity, directly comparable to Riverside's flexible-capital offering and lower-middle-market control investments.
• HKW (Hammond Kennedy Whitney): Middle-market private equity firm focused on service businesses; co-invested with Riverside on CMIT Solutions. Closely comparable on check size, sector mix, and operating playbook.
• Sentinel Capital Partners: Lower-middle-market PE firm that sold Corporate Visions to Riverside. Directly comparable on target size, sector breadth, and control-investment style.
• Incline Equity Partners: Middle-market PE firm that sold Certified Collision Group to Riverside in January 2026. Strongly comparable on franchisor/services-platform focus and lower-middle-market thesis.
• FTV Capital: Growth equity firm focused on enterprise technology and financial services; co-panelist with Riverside on AI software investing. Comparable on B2B software growth-equity orientation similar to RAC.

Broad incumbents

• Thoma Bravo: Large-cap software-focused PE firm; co-panelist with Riverside on AI software investing. Comparable on software-PE theme but operates at materially larger check sizes.
• Clearlake Capital: Technology-focused PE firm co-paneling with Riverside on AI investing. Overlaps on software/tech investing thesis but at a larger scale than Riverside.
• Providence Equity Partners: Media/education/technology-focused PE firm that acquired Modern Campus from Riverside. Comparable on education-software exposure but at significantly larger scale.
• Warburg Pincus: Global growth investor that acquired FlavorSum from Riverside. Comparable on PE-style growth investing in lower-middle-market companies, though operating at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheRiversideCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-riverside-company

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A267 records

Investments120 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Riverside Company