AUA Private Equity Named to Inc.’s 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors List

Founder & Managing Partner, Andy Unanue, included in the 2026 Founder Champions list

Annual list recognizes the leading private equity, venture capital, and lending firms that support and partner with family-owned and founder-led businesses

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – OCTOBER 27, 2026 – AUA Private Equity is proud to announce that it has been named to Inc.’s 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors list, which recognizes leading private equity firms, venture capital firms, and lenders that support family-owned and founder-led companies. In addition, AUA Founder and Managing Partner, Andy Unanue, was also included in the 2026 Founder Champions list, an achievement that highlights his commitment to building meaningful partnerships with founders and family-owners.

AUA Private Equity Partners is an operationally focused, lower middle-market investment firm that partners with founder and family-owned businesses in the consumer products and services sectors, with a particular focus on the U.S. Hispanic and multicultural consumer markets. The firm was founded in 2011 by Andy Unanue, who previously served as COO of Goya Foods, a company founded by his grandfather. Recent activity includes the 2025 sale of Western Smokehouse Partners to Monogram Capital Partners, after the business more than doubled in size under AUA’s ownership, and the 2024 sale of Raymundo’s Food Group to Lakeview Farms. In 2024, AUA acquired Tropical Cheese Industries, which has since expanded through the add-on acquisitions of Cibao Meat Products and Pineland Farms Dairy.

“Being recognized in Inc.’s 2026 Founder-Friendly Investors list is a great honor for us at AUA, reflecting the entire team’s ongoing efforts to partner with founder and family-owners in a strategic, thoughtful, and value-additive manner. I am also personally honored to be included in the 2026 Founder Champions list,” said Andy Unanue, Founder & Managing Partner at AUA Private Equity. “Our experience in the consumer products and services sector, combined with our intimate understanding of the challenges founders and families face as they grow their businesses, is a key differentiator for our firm. We are grateful for the trust these owners place in us and look forward to continuing to serve them.”

The prestigious Founder-Friendly Investors list celebrates the investors and firms that work closely with entrepreneurs and remain engaged with the businesses they back. Honorees are recognized for their approach to partnering with family-owners and founders that support these companies through growth and beyond.

“With the current funding environment and rapid changes facing growing companies, founders are looking for more than just capital from their investors. They want true partners who both understand and believe in their business, but who are also able to provide the critical advisement and strategic support they need to reach their full growth potential,” said Bonny Ghosh, Editorial Director at Inc. “The 2026 Founder-Friendly Investor awards celebrate those firms committed to this high-standard of partnership and excellence.”

To compile the Founder-Friendly Investors list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity and venture capital firms. Founders completed questionnaires about their experiences partnering with private equity, venture capital, and debt firms and shared data on how their companies have performed during these partnerships. The resulting list highlights investors that founders identified as strong partners throughout the investment process.

For more information or to view the complete list of honorees, visit https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2026.

About AUA Private Equity Partners
AUA Private Equity Partners is an operationally focused, lower middle-market investment firm providing strategic capital to companies in the consumer products and services sectors with a particular focus on family-owned businesses or companies benefiting from the growth of the U.S. multi-cultural population. AUA Private Equity invests in companies in their core sectors that generate in excess of $10 million in EBITDA. For more information on AUA Private Equity Partners, please visit www.auaequity.com.

About Inc.
Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

AUA Private Equity Media Contact
Max Rayden
Managing Director, ASC Advisors
+1 917 705-1970
mrayden@ascadvisors.com