Edison Partners, the growth equity investment firm, has promoted Kelly Ford to General Partner. This promotion recognizes Ford’s contributions in shaping the firm’s differentiated approach to growth-stage investing, value creation, and her track record with enterprise software and fintech companies.
“Kelly has brought a number of critical firsts to Edison Partners. She was our first operating partner. She brought the Edison Edge operating platform to life and ushered in our uniquely integrated approach to growth-stage investing—where operators and investors work as one team to deliver more than capital to our portfolio companies. She established our Center of Excellence for Sales & Marketing, and is also the creator of the Edison Growth Index, a proprietary study on the key characteristics of fast-growing technology companies,” said Chris Sugden, Managing Partner, Edison Partners.
In 2014, Ford joined Edison after spending 20 years working inside high-growth B2B software companies. As Partner, she pioneered the Edison Edge operating platform, a catalyst for the firm’s team-based approach that brings both investing and operating expertise to every investment. Ford has worked with more than 55 portfolio companies, has served on the boards of seven companies, and has completed three successful exits.
“Kelly possesses both the empathy and ‘whatever it takes’ attitude that entrepreneurs value,” added Sugden. “She is a constant force of positive motion, an essential asset to our companies and our firm. This promotion to General Partner sets a great example for our next generation of leaders.”
Ford is currently on the board of directors for Blue Medora, ExecVision, Kinetiq and Suuchi. Other active investments include Bento for Business, Emplify, LawnStarter and Terminus. In the year ahead, Ford will focus on fintech investing, where Edison is already an industry leader. She led Edison’s recent exit of New Jersey-based accounts receivables automation provider Billtrust for an 11X return and remains an independent board member for the fintech company.
“I am lucky to be surrounded by a diverse team of successful investors, tenacious entrepreneurs and leadership teams, and highly supportive Limited Partners. It’s a privilege and an exciting time to do what we do,” said Kelly Ford, General Partner, Edison Partners. “The year ahead presents immense opportunity for the private capital and fintech industries. Growth equity is taking center stage and receiving its due as an asset class. Fintech businesses are maturing as both critical ingredients and platforms. I am thankful to our team at Edison for this recognition and look forward to further advancing our growth equity platform to harness these market opportunities.”
With Ford’s promotion, the firm now has six General Partners, including Sugden, Michael Kopelman, Lenard Marcus, Tom Vander Schaaff, and Ryan Ziegler.
About Edison Partners
For more than 33 years, Edison Partners has been helping CEOs and their executive teams grow and scale successful companies. The firm’s investment team brings extensive investing and operating experience to each investment. Through a unique combination of growth capital and the Edison Edge platform, consisting of operating centers of excellence, the Edison Director Network, and executive education programs, Edison employs a truly integrated approach to accelerating growth and creating value for businesses. A team of experts in financial technology, healthcare IT and enterprise software sectors, Edison targets high-growth companies with $5 to $25 million in revenue; investments also include buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts and secondary stock purchases.
