What Riverside Acceleration Capital does

Riverside Acceleration Capital (RAC) is a private growth capital firm founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of The Riverside Company, a global private equity firm with $13B+ in AUM. RAC specializes in flexible capital for expansion-stage B2B software companies, deploying two complementary instruments: non-dilutive Revenue-Based Financing (RBF) of $1M–$5M with repayments capped at 1.5x–2x over five years, and growth equity investments of $10M–$40M with reserves for follow-on. The firm targets companies with $2.5M+ ARR and 20%+ growth that have demonstrated product-market fit and need capital to expand geographies, verticals, or fund acquisitions without triggering valuation events.

Beyond capital, RAC operates an in-house Acceleration Program centered on Scale IQ, a proprietary software platform that builds customized go-to-market playbooks for portfolio companies. Surrounding services include Direct Engagement with the investment team, the RAC Toolkit, Recruiting support, a Strategic Advisory Board of functional software experts, and access to The Riverside Company's global network of 300+ team members across 12 offices on 4 continents. The firm also publishes the monthly Private Software Growth Index, benchmarking KPIs from 400+ growth-stage software companies.

RAC generates revenue through management fees and carried interest on five Delaware limited partnership funds (RAC GL I, RAC GL II, RAC GL III, RAC GE I, RAC GE II) totaling $700M+ in cumulative AUM. The firm has financed 100+ companies across 15+ countries, with offices in New York (HQ), San Francisco, and Cologne, and a leadership bench led by Managing Partner Jim Toth alongside Senior Partners Jonathan Drillings and Christian Stein.

Name

Riverside Acceleration Capital

Legal name

Riverside Acceleration Capital

Website

https://riverside.ac

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Riverside Acceleration Capital provides flexible growth equity ($10M–$40M) and non-dilutive revenue-based financing ($1M–$5M) to expansion-stage B2B software companies. Founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of The Riverside Company, it manages $700M+ AUM across five funds and runs an in-house Acceleration Program anchored by proprietary Scale IQ go-to-market software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Growth Capital / Private Equity

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Services (B2B) Growth Equity (FSANACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Venture Growth / Recurring Revenue Credit Funds (FSANAIAG)

Keywords

• Growth capital investments
• Revenue-based financing
• B2B software funding
• Expansion-stage equity
• Portfolio acceleration services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Management: RAC generates revenue through management fees and carried interest from their investment funds. They manage five funds (RAC GL I, RAC GL II, RAC GL III, RAC GE I, & RAC GE II) with $700M+ in cumulative AUM. Returns are generated through growth equity investments ($10M-$40M typical) and revenue-based financing loans ($1M-$5M), with RBF repayments capped at 1.5x-2x of investment over 5 years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Riverside Acceleration Capital provides flexible growth capital to expansion-stage B2B software and technology companies through two instruments: revenue-based financing ($1M-$5M non-dilutive loans repaid via revenue share up to 1.5x-2x over 5 years) and growth equity investments ($10M-$40M). Alongside capital, RAC delivers an Acceleration Program that includes the Scale IQ go-to-market playbook software, strategic advisory, direct engagement, and access to The Riverside Company's global network of 12 offices across 4 continents.

Product overview

Riverside Acceleration Capital (RAC) is a growth capital firm, not a product company. It provides flexible capital instruments (growth equity and revenue-based financing) and an acceleration program (including Scale IQ go-to-market playbook software, RAC Toolkit, Direct Engagement, Strategic Advisory Board, Recruiting, and Riverside Network) designed to support B2B software companies as they mature and scale. RAC does not offer standalone software products or modules as named product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RAC Acceleration Program: Programming, tools and advice designed to smartly accelerate B2B software growth, including Direct Engagement, RAC Toolkit, Strategic Advisory Board, Scale IQ, and Riverside Network.
• Private Software Growth Index
• Scale IQ

Products and services

• Revenue-Based Financing (RBF) Non-dilutive loan product for B2B software companies, ranging from $1M to $5M. Repayment occurs via a small revenue share over 5 years until a repayment cap of 1.5x-2x of the original investment is reached. No valuation or upfront equity required, covenant-light (only 1 month of payroll on balance sheet required), and no warrants or equity options.
• Growth Equity Investment Equity capital product for established B2B software companies, typically ranging from $10M to $40M per investment, with reserves allocated for future investment. Includes hands-on engagement and access to the RAC Acceleration Program.
• RAC Acceleration Program A bundled programming offering provided to portfolio companies that includes Direct Engagement, RAC Toolkit, Strategic Advisory Board, Scale IQ software, Riverside Network, and Recruiting support. Designed to accelerate B2B software growth beyond what capital alone provides.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies report improved GTM motion and strategic planning through Growth Advisor Program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Volition Capital: Volition Capital is a growth equity firm that invests in founder-owned B2B software and tech-enabled businesses. It provides operational resources alongside capital, comparable in stage focus and engagement model to RAC's growth equity strategy.
• Corl: Corl provides revenue-based financing specifically to B2B SaaS companies with a similar capped-multiplier structure. It is a direct comparable to RAC's RBF offering and competes for the same non-dilutive capital demand from growth-stage software founders.
• Accel-KKR: Accel-KKR is a technology-focused private equity firm providing capital and operational support to growth-stage and middle-market software companies. It is comparable to RAC in its software-only focus and growth-stage orientation, though at a larger scale.
• Mainsail Partners: Mainsail Partners is a growth equity firm dedicated to B2B software companies, providing both capital and operational support. It invests in similar growth-stage software companies with comparable check sizes, making it a strong direct peer to RAC's growth equity strategy.
• Lighter Capital: Lighter Capital provides revenue-based financing specifically to B2B SaaS and tech companies, using a similar capped-multiplier payback structure. It is the closest direct comparable to RAC's RBF (growth lending) offering and addresses the same founder demand for non-dilutive capital.
• JMI Equity: JMI Equity is a growth equity firm focused on software and tech-enabled services companies. It writes growth-stage equity checks with operational partnership, directly comparable to RAC's growth equity strategy, though typically at larger check sizes.
• Trinity Hunt Partners: Trinity Hunt Partners is a growth capital firm focused exclusively on founder-led B2B software and tech-enabled services companies. It targets similar ARR bands and growth profiles to RAC and offers both equity capital and operational support, making it a close comparable.
• Sumeru Equity Partners: Sumeru Equity Partners is a lower-middle-market growth equity firm investing in B2B SaaS, vertical software, and tech-enabled services. Its focus on growth-stage software with operational support closely parallels RAC's model and target profile.
• Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a global growth equity firm specializing in B2B software and technology investments. It runs a dedicated ScaleUp program providing operational support alongside capital — directly comparable to RAC's combined growth equity and Acceleration Program model, though at substantially larger AUM scale.

Broad incumbents

• Vista Equity Partners: Vista Equity Partners is one of the largest software-focused PE firms, investing across the software lifecycle from growth to buyout. While not a direct growth-stage competitor, it operates in the same software investment space at much larger scale and represents the broader incumbent ecosystem RAC's portfolio companies often graduate toward.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/riverside-acceleration-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments101 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Riverside Acceleration Capital