Alpine Investors
Software-Focused Private Equity Firm
San Francisco, CA
Category: Established Growth
Mark: AA
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Profile
Alpine Investors is a people-driven middle-market private equity firm with $18.8 billion AUM, 850+ investments and 9 flagship funds that help build enduring software and services companies.
Awards
2025 Top Growth Equity Firms
2024 Top Growth Equity Firms, Top Private Equity Firms, Top Women Leaders
2023 Top 40 Under 40 Growth Investors, Top Private Equity Firms
2022 Top 40 Under 40 Growth Investors, Top Private Equity Firms
2019 Top Business Services Investors
2017 Top 40 Under 40 Growth Investors
2016 Top 40 Under 40 Growth Investors
Features
PeopleFirst in Private Equity: Alpine Investors’ Graham Weaver
GrowthCap’s RJ Lumba spoke with Graham Weaver on October 26, 2022. Graham founded Alpine based on the belief that exceptional people create exceptional businesses, a PeopleFirst philosophy that guides the firm’s choices today.
Key People
Graham Weaver, Founder and CEO
Mark Strauch, Partner and President
Dan Sanner, Partner
Daniel Cohen, Partner
Haley Van Cleve, Partner
Funds Raised
| Fund Name | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Fund IX | $4.50B | 2023 |
| Fund VIII | $2.25B | 2021 |
| Fund VII | $1.0B | 2019 |
| Fund VI | $532M | 2017 |
| Fund V | $406M | 2015 |
Key Investments
Apex Service Partners: Invested 7/19/2019
Sector: HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Services
Apex Service Partners is a people-focused HVAC, plumbing and electrical services group whose goal is to partner with and build for the long-term leading local brands around the country that represent the best places to receive residential service work and the best place to work for any tradesperson.
Vertex Service Partners: Invested 7/27/2023
Sector: Residential Home Improvement Services
Vertex Service Partners is a home improvement services group that aspires to build an enduring legacy of being the best partner for homeowners, employees, communities, and founders.
Ascend Service Partners: Invested 1/30/2023
Sector: Accounting
Ascend has developed a modern approach to growth, partnership, and practice management for the accounting industry. Regional firms remain independent, receive capital for investments in talent, mergers, and technology, and execute on their growth strategy with the support of Ascend’s leadership team.
Trilon: Invested 2/01/2022
Sector: Engineering Services
Trilon is a platform formed with the vision of partnering with a comprehensive family of engineering services businesses focused on delivering practical and sustainable infrastructure solutions. Trilon partners with like minded engineering firms and aims to accelerate their growth through investment in talent, technology, and targeted M&A. Trilon’s key markets include Transportation, Water, Energy, Environment, and Community Infrastructure.
ASG: Invested 2016
Sector: SaaS (Software as a Service)
ASG, backed by Alpine Investors, is a unique and fast-growing software business that buys and builds market leading vertical SaaS companies. ASG believes deeply in the power of people and data to grow great organizations, and that sharing knowledge, expertise, and resources across its community of businesses drives exponential growth.
Innovative Systems: Invested 1/12/2021-8/27/2025
Sector: Telecom
Innovative Systems is an enterprise software solution that enables independent service providers to seamlessly manage their business, deliver modern network services, and enhance existing offerings. Based in Michell, South Dakota, Innovative Systems supports connectivity across the country, including delivering outstanding service to its Telecom, Cable, Municipality, Power, and Utility customers and their constituents.
Corporate Responsibility
Alpine Investors’ focus on the PeopleFirst philosophy has directly translated to the growth of the business. Alpine prioritizing its people leads to well-supported portfolio companies and creates growth in AUM.
PeopleFirst is Alpine’s overarching investing and operating philosophy, where the firm drives results by attracting and retaining extraordinary people. This philosophy shapes how it invests, how it develops talent, its recipe for growth and its platform for impact. With Alpine’s investments, it hires people first when replacing or supplementing management teams. The firm believes great people and teams are what create exceptional outcomes, so it seeks the right people first through its executive talent programs and then finds the right companies for them to lead.
Using the PeopleFirst philosophy, Alpine created the PeopleFirst Leadership Program, which is its operating rhythm and engagement program offered to its portfolio company leaders to help them lead successful, people-oriented businesses. The firm has 20+ coaches and consultants available to its teams who are certified by The Co-Active Training Institute, a training and leadership development organization. These coaches and consultants are aligned and confident with helping its portfolio company leaders carry out these practices. Alpine’s portfolio company leaders create cultures with high engagement in part because its tested practices are designed to align employees with their company’s vision, mission and core values. In practice, employees become clear on how they personally contribute each day to realizing those desired outcomes for the business, and for themselves.
Not all private equity firms are focused on the impact they make on people. In addition to their PeopleFirst philosophy, Alpine also prioritizes ESG goals by appropriately considering material environmental, social, and governance factors when making investment decisions. Alpine works with its portfolio companies to ensure they are operating with attention to these concerns and are committed to considering material ESG factors in connection with Alpine’s operations.
By focusing on the positive impact the company can make, Alpine sets an example for the private equity industry.
CEO Reviews
Lee Cohen, Founder & CEO of LMC Advisors
“I definitely had preconceived notions about private equity. What set Alpine apart from other private equity firms was the fact that we could remain independent as LMC and be able to leverage what Ascend had to offer. They were able to help me understand the growth potential of LMC, my role as CEO in the firm, as well as taking over some of the back-office and technology for us.”
Ben & Robert Horne, Co-Founders of DryLux Restoration
“What drew us in initially (to Alpine) was their focus on people. We’ve always believed if you get that right—the team, the relationships—and you’re ethical, the rest falls into place.”

