K1 Investment Management
K1 Investment Management is a Manhattan Beach, California-based private equity firm that invests in small-cap AI-enabled enterprise software companies, partnering early with founders to build category leaders across 25+ countries and 275+ portfolio companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersManhattan Beach, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What K1 Investment Management does
K1 Investment Management is a private equity firm headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, founded in 2010–2011 and operating with a deliberately singular focus: investing in small-cap AI-enabled enterprise software companies. The firm employs a "single office, single team, single strategy" model, partnering early with founders and management teams to build category-leading vendors that deploy mission-critical, AI-powered systems of record for global enterprise clients. Since inception K1 has invested in more than 275 portfolio companies across 25+ countries and completed acquisitions across verticals including FinTech, HR Tech, GovTech, RegTech, Security, and EdTech.
The firm's core offerings are organized across three layers. The first is growth equity capital deployed primarily into founder-led, lower middle-market software businesses (e.g., Board Intelligence, Spin.AI, TechnoMile, Micad/Singu, MariaDB, Emburse, Subsplash). The second is K1 Operations LLC, a wholly-owned affiliate providing executive recruiting, strategic workshops, peer connections at K1 Summits, and operational consulting to portfolio companies. The third is K1 Accelerate, a global events and networking platform that hosted 41 events across 20 cities in 2025, with 6.4k+ strategic introductions and 220+ events historically. Revenue is generated through two principal mechanisms: management and performance fees on investment funds, and capital gains from the exit of portfolio companies at higher valuations — recent realizations include sales to Roper Technologies, FactSet, and Nemetschek Group, plus the TechnoMile/SIMS Software combination.
K1 operates with 101–250 employees, leverages $2.3B in debt capital across 17 portfolio financing transactions in 2025, and placed 195 leadership hires across its portfolio in the same year. The firm is privately held (Delaware LLC), has no public listing, and reports no direct revenue disclosure. Marketing and deal sourcing rely on direct relationships, the K1 Accelerate event platform, portfolio referrals, and earned media, with notable external validation including PEI 300 rank #66 (2026), HEC-Dow Jones #13 globally, six consecutive years on Inc.'s Founder-Friendly Investors list, and GrowthCap Top Private Equity Firm of 2025.
K1 Investment Management firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- K1 Investment Management
- Legal name
- K1 Investment Management LLC
- Website
- https://k1.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- K1 Investment Management is a Manhattan Beach, California-based private equity firm that invests in small-cap AI-enabled enterprise software companies, partnering early with founders to build category leaders across 25+ countries and 275+ portfolio companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
K1 Investment Management industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Equity / Growth Capital Investment Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Technology & Software Growth Equity (FSANACAA)
Keywords
Where K1 Investment Management is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manhattan Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
K1 Investment Management business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Private Equity Returns: K1 generates returns through exits of portfolio companies at higher valuations, realizations to strategic buyers and public companies, and management/performance fees from its investment funds.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
K1 Investment Management product offering
Product offeringCore offering
K1 Investment Management provides growth equity capital and operational partnership to small-cap, founder-led AI-powered enterprise software companies. Through its wholly-owned affiliate K1 Operations LLC, it delivers executive recruiting, strategic workshops, and leadership development, while its K1 Accelerate platform hosts 40+ events annually connecting portfolio executives with operators, advisors, and board members.
Product overview
K1 Investment Management is a private equity firm offering investment management services and operational support to AI-powered software companies. The firm does not offer a unified software product but provides investment partnership, operational consulting through K1 Operations, and networking services via K1 Accelerate. Their portfolio consists of category-leading software companies across multiple verticals including HR Tech, FinTech, GovTech, Security, RegTech, and EdTech. K1 partners with founders early to build mission-critical systems of record for enterprise clients globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Investment Management Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 6 realizations in the last 12 months with 2 exits to public companies
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use K1 Investment Management
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
K1 Investment Management technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
K1 Investment Management partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
K1 Investment Management competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Insight Partners: Global software-focused growth equity and venture firm investing across stages in enterprise software companies. Highly comparable because Insight competes with K1 for AI-enabled and vertical SaaS businesses scaling from $20M-$300M ARR.
- Silversmith Capital Partners: Boston-based growth equity firm exclusively focused on software and tech-enabled services. Closely comparable to K1 in vertical SaaS thesis and founder-led growth-stage target profile.
- Battery Ventures: Global technology-focused venture and growth equity firm investing across software, fintech, and digital health. Overlaps directly with K1 in early-growth B2B SaaS and AI-enabled software categories.
- Thoma Bravo: Pure-play software private equity firm applying a buy-and-build strategy to enterprise application and infrastructure software companies. Direct competitor to K1 in software-focused growth and buyout investing.
- JMI Equity: Software-focused growth equity firm investing in founder-led B2B SaaS companies. Closely comparable to K1 in size, vertical software focus, and emphasis on operational partnership.
- Summit Partners: Global growth equity firm investing across technology, healthcare, and consumer sectors. Competes with K1 in AI-enabled and vertical software growth equity, particularly for U.S. founder-led platforms.
- Vista Equity Partners: Largest dedicated enterprise software private equity firm globally, investing across the full lifecycle from small-cap to mature platforms. K1 is the most direct comparable because both firms focus narrowly on enterprise software and pursue majority-control growth investments in vertical SaaS.
- TA Associates: Global growth equity firm investing in technology, business services, and consumer companies. Directly competes with K1 in vertical software and AI/SaaS growth investments.
- PSG Equity: Growth equity firm specializing in software and technology-enabled services businesses. Closely comparable to K1 by mandate, size, and emphasis on operating partnership with founder-led SaaS companies.
Broad incumbents
- TPG Growth: The growth-equity arm of TPG, a global alternative asset manager. TPG Growth invests across tech, business services, and consumer; it overlaps with K1 in software and AI growth investments but operates as part of a much larger, diversified platform.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
K1 Investment Management social profiles
Digital presenceK1 Investment Management financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
K1 Investment Management leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
K1 Investment Management subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
K1 Investment Management funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
K1 Investment Management M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A11 records
Investments73 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about K1 Investment Management
What does K1 Investment Management do?
K1 Investment Management provides growth equity capital and operational partnership to small-cap, founder-led AI-powered enterprise software companies. Through its wholly-owned affiliate K1 Operations LLC, it delivers executive recruiting, strategic workshops, and leadership development, while its K1 Accelerate platform hosts 40+ events annually connecting portfolio executives with operators, advisors, and board members.
Is K1 Investment Management a public or private company?
K1 Investment Management is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was K1 Investment Management founded?
K1 Investment Management was founded in 2011. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is K1 Investment Management based?
K1 Investment Management is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does K1 Investment Management make money?
One revenue line is on record: private Equity Returns.
Who are K1 Investment Management's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Insight Partners, Silversmith Capital Partners, Battery Ventures, Thoma Bravo, JMI Equity, Summit Partners, Vista Equity Partners, TA Associates and PSG Equity. TPG Growth is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does K1 Investment Management have an API?
No public API is recorded for K1 Investment Management.
What industry is K1 Investment Management in?
K1 Investment Management's product category is Private Equity / Growth Capital Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANACAA, Technology & Software Growth Equity. Its NAICS code is 523940.