Relevance Ventures Named in Inc.'s 2022 List of Founder-Friendly Investors

Relevance Ventures Debuts on the Founder-Friendly Investors List Driven by Strong Partnerships With Founder-Led Companies and an Acuity for Uniting Portfolio Partners

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Relevance Ventures, a Native American-owned venture capital firm based in Nashville that focuses on investing in companies that promote wellness and positively impact the social determinants of health, announced today that Inc. has selected the firm to join its fourth annual Founder-Friendly Investors list, honoring the private equity and venture capital firms with the best track records of success backing entrepreneurs.

Last year was the first that Inc. shifted focus from previous lists — called the Private Equity 50 — and this year will continue the trend, including venture capital firms. The final list recognizes 184 firms that entrepreneurs collaborate with and trust as they receive the financial support they need to help drive growth. All 184 have successful track records of remaining actively involved with the businesses they invest in.

"Fully investing in an entrepreneur, and their innovative vision involves far more than the financial investment. By developing relationships with and supporting entrepreneurs for the long-term, these private equity and venture firms are more than investors, they're partners," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. media.

"We are honored that Inc. recognized Relevance Ventures for our thoughtful approach and ability to be present and purposeful in how we support our great portfolio partners," said Cameron Newton, Managing Partner at Relevance Ventures. "As a firm, we endeavor to not only discover companies with great potential for reshaping health and wellness and making positive contributions to the social determinants of health, but also to understand our shared goals and cultivate the connections that will empower them to generate high-quality outcomes and reshape markets."

Relevance Ventures has shown an acuity for working closely with the founders of its portfolio companies to help them grow while meeting the goals of its strategic investments. In October of 2021, the firm worked closely with the management team at Sunbasket, a subscription meal kit delivery service focused on organic and sustainable ingredients (offer paleo, gluten-free and other special diet options), and was key in its merger with Prüvit, a maker of keto supplements, The combined company is now called PSB Holdings, and currently valued at more than $1.3 billion as a unified wellness platform combining food kits and supplements, alongside its existing community of health and fitness users.

In addition, this past February, Relevance led a $4 million investment in Ombre, a wellness company that provides at-home microbiome tests and probiotic subscriptions, to continuously improve Ombre's trusted products, supply chain, and services, including their home tests, gut health reports, probiotic formulations, and the in-app experience.

Most recently, Relevance announced its investment in Rootine, a health and daily performance provider optimizing health and human performance through precision nutrition. The funding will help Rootine hire new talent, forge partnerships and create new distribution channels as it continues to grow.

To compile the list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms. Founders filled out a questionnaire about their experiences partnering with private equity and venture capital firms and shared data on how their portfolio companies have grown during these partnerships.

To see the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2022.

Introduced in 2019, the Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firms list quickly established itself as one of Inc.'s most resourceful franchises. It has become a go-to guide for entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies while retaining an ownership stake.

The October 2022 issue of Inc. magazine is available online at https://www.inc.com/magazine and will be on newsstands beginning October 4, 2022.

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community they need to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc.5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc.5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Relevance Ventures is the only Native American privately owned and operated venture capital firm. Relevance Ventures provides strategic venture assistance and guidance to entrepreneurs working to foster harmony while delivering a positive communal impact. With over $125 million under management, the firm focuses on opportunities within the health & wellness space or solutions that positively impact the social determinants of health. The firm specializes in identifying proven management teams with a solid business plan to bring harmony to an addressable market of at least $1 billion. Relevance Ventures was founded by Cameron and Dean Newton, and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit: RelevanceVentures.com.

SOURCE Relevance Ventures