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Long-Term Relationships for Long-Term Growth
Ballast Point Ventures partners with talented and driven management teams to achieve profitable long-term growth. We understand the importance of making the right decisions for the long run, and we provide our entrepreneur partners with extensive experience, critical resources, valuable introductions and helpful insights as they strive to build industry-leading companies.

Private high-growth companies often reach a point where additional capital is necessary to take full advantage of market opportunities and take the company to the next level of success. We understand that reaching this next level is both exciting and at times a bit daunting for entrepreneurs. It is important for entrepreneurs to team with a financial partner who has the capacity to provide adequate capital to fully fund the business plan. However, we believe it is even more important for a partner to understand intuitively the right kind of support to offer during both the good times and during the inevitable challenges of building a business.

While the BPV Partners have direct experience successfully managing high growth businesses, we do not play an operational role in our portfolio companies. We look to our entrepreneurial partners to run their businesses and make key decisions, but we pledge to provide you with valuable counsel and perspective that will help you make the right call. Whether we're serving as a sounding board, helping to identify and anticipate problems, or suggesting alternative paths to consider, our partners appreciate the network and experience we bring to the table. Entrepreneurs choose BPV for many of the tangible benefits we discuss below. But the overriding reason that entrepreneurs choose to partner with us is because they sense it is the right "fit" -- a shared vision of the future and a belief that we will be a valuable partner both at the summit and in the valleys.

Capital for Continued Growth, Today and Tomorrow
You recognize your company's current need for growth capital and how fresh capital will allow you to take full advantage of attractive opportunities. Perhaps you want to ramp up your sales and marketing efforts, expand your management team, invest in new product development, or add to your product and service offerings. But what about the next opportunity -- an acquisition or a new market or a regulatory change that presents you with new opportunities for growth? Most high-growth companies at some point will consider an acquisition, merger, joint venture, or strategic partnership as a means to building their business. BPV's breadth and depth of expertise, including years of direct experience in the investment banking arena, enables us to execute on all available avenues for growth: identifying targets, conducting due diligence, and acquiring assets or intellectual property. We have the resources to help fund those opportunities quickly and efficiently and with the right partners. The additional capital needed can either come from us or from one of the debt or equity capital firms in our network. The key is that we will help you streamline the process and stay focused on building your business.

Deep and Broad Support
As one of the largest venture capital firms in the Southeast, we have built an expansive network of entrepreneurs, industry experts, and service providers familiar with the needs of high-growth companies. Many of the founders, senior executives and board members of our current and past portfolio companies, as well as over 50 successful entrepreneurs who have invested in our Funds, provide valuable perspective to our portfolio companies. Such perspective varies from the "been there, done that" advice regarding specific industry or growth-related issues, to informed thoughts on how particular industry segments are developing, to key introductions to other industry players or potential partners. The BPV professionals work as a team, and the resources and network of the entire firm, and not just one investment professional, are available to our entrepreneur partners as they work to build world-class companies.

Our network is also unique in that it includes access to the resources and extended network of one of the largest financial services institutions in the Southeast -- Raymond James Financial. Raymond James has more than 85 investment bankers and 40 research analysts with extensive knowledge and relationships in our targeted industry sectors. Many of these professionals are investors in BPV - they have "skin in the game" - and are committed to helping our portfolio companies succeed. Whether it is offering perspective on where industries are headed or making an introduction to a key executive at a large public company in your industry, these individuals are part of your team and want to help you succeed.

Building a Strong Board of Directors
We believe that a strong and experienced Board of Directors, with a mix of operating, financial and strategic perspectives, can be a tremendous asset for an entrepreneur competing against larger, more established players and looking to avoid costly mistakes. BPV can help recruit seasoned executives and industry experts to your Board who will broaden your network and provide valuable knowledge, strategic acumen, and perspective to you and your team. The experience these individuals bring will help you more quickly overcome obstacles in day-to-day operations, and the doors they open will help identify trends and attractive market opportunities for your business.

Strengthening Your Management Team
Among the many demands of growth is the ongoing challenge of building a high quality management team with the complementary skill sets required for success. BPV can help you devise the right compensation and incentive structures for your key employees and assist you with the recruitment of additional management to strengthen your team. We have an extensive database and network of talented managers in the areas of operations, sales, marketing and finance who are looking for their next great opportunity and could be an exciting addition to your team.

Financial Acumen
According to numerous surveys, the top self-identified strength of entrepreneurs is "Vision" while the number one self-identified weakness is "Financial Strategies." BPV will help you formulate the right financial strategy and capital structure for your business that allows you to fund growth and maximize value. We will also help you adopt and customize best practices to measure, manage and report key operational and financial information. Your management style may be informal, but our experience tells us that formal reporting and measurement systems are essential in helping to manage rapid growth. These systems also facilitate and streamline potential acquisitions and are critical to achieving a smooth and successful exit through an eventual sale or public offering.

Maximizing The Exit
The Principals of BPV have over a century of collective experience helping entrepreneurs prepare their companies for the ideal exit, whether it is a public offering, merger, recapitalization or strategic sale to a larger industry player. Much of this preparation involves the spadework of strategic choices, tactical positioning and development of key relationships that need to occur long before an entrepreneur considers an exit. Our expertise in this arena is further enhanced through our relationship with Raymond James Financial, whose analysts and investment bankers cover every major growth sector and can provide valuable proprietary advice on both company positioning and valuation. These analysts will help you explore market opportunities and understand important industry trends and dynamics, while the investment bankers can assist with merger or sales transactions or readying your company to enter the public markets.

The Company You Keep
BPV has built a strong reputation as a capable and savvy financial partner for rapidly growing companies. We have worked for many years to expand our network and to build our reputation for partnering with great entrepreneurs. That reputation and credibility is brought to bear on behalf of our portfolio companies, whether helping to defuse a potential customer's "small company" objections, forging lasting partnerships, accelerating market acceptance, or facilitating follow-on capital raises.