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Duff, Ackerman and Goodrich

North America, California, United States, San Francisco

Description

Duff, Ackerman & Goodrich (DAG) is a long-established private investment firm based in San Francisco, California, founded in 1991. While their initial description sometimes mentions managing both private equity and venture capital funds, their primary and most prominent activity has consistently been in private equity. DAG focuses on making control and significant minority investments in middle-market companies, primarily through leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and growth equity transactions. Their strategy targets established businesses with strong management teams and growth potential, rather than early-stage ventures.

The firm's investment approach is sector-agnostic but has shown a preference for companies operating within business services, consumer products, industrial products, and healthcare sectors. DAG seeks to partner with management to drive operational improvements, strategic growth initiatives, and market expansion. Their long tenure in the private equity space, spanning over three decades, indicates a consistent focus on value creation within mature, cash-flow positive businesses.

DAG's investment capacity is evidenced by their historical fundraises. For instance, their DAG Private Equity Fund III, LP, launched around 2012, reportedly targeted capital commitments in the range of $300 million to $400 million. This substantial fund size enables them to deploy significant capital into their portfolio companies. Typical first-time equity checks from Duff, Ackerman & Goodrich generally range from $5 million for growth equity investments to as much as $100 million for larger leveraged buyouts, reflecting their commitment to substantial stakes in their target companies.

Overall, Duff, Ackerman & Goodrich stands as a seasoned private equity firm with a clear mandate to invest in and grow middle-market companies across diverse industries. Their established track record and focus on traditional private equity strategies distinguish them as a reliable partner for businesses seeking capital for buyouts, recapitalizations, or significant growth initiatives.

Investor Profile

Duff, Ackerman and Goodrich has backed more than 25 startups, with 0 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 6 rounds, about 24% of its total and boasts 13 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Series B, Series C, Series D rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Telecommunications, Enterprise Software.
  • Typical check size: $5M – $100M.

Stage Focus

  • Series B (32%)
  • Series C (24%)
  • Series D (16%)
  • Private Equity (12%)
  • Series A (12%)
  • Series Unknown (4%)

Country Focus

  • United States (100%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Telecommunications
  • Enterprise Software
  • Internet
  • Network Hardware
  • Wireless
  • Cloud Infrastructure
  • Infrastructure
  • Virtualization
  • Manufacturing
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Duff, Ackerman and Goodrich frequently co-invest with?

CRV
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Co-Investments: 2
Credit Suisse
North America, North Carolina, United States, Morrisville
Co-Investments: 2
Kleiner Perkins
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 4
Norwest Venture Partners
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Co-Investments: 2
Artis Ventures (AV)
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 2
Accel
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Co-Investments: 6
Pinnacle Ventures
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 3
Greylock
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 4
Intel Capital
North America, California, United States, Santa Clara
Co-Investments: 2
Benchmark
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 8

Which angels does Duff, Ackerman and Goodrich often collaborate with?

MK
North America, Washington, United States, Bellevue
Shared Deals: 1
MM
North America, Texas, United States, Houston
Shared Deals: 1
JC
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
SP
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
HW
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
AD
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Shared Deals: 1
CH
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
MS
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Shared Deals: 1
AD
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1
PP
North America, California, United States, Manhattan Beach
Shared Deals: 1

What are some of recent deals done by Duff, Ackerman and Goodrich?

Wealthfront

Palo Alto, California, United States

Wealthfront integrates investing and saving products to help young professionals build long-term wealth in any market condition.

FinanceFinancial ServicesFinTechPersonal FinanceWealth Management
Series BMar 20, 2013
Amount Raised: $20,000,000
CardioDx

Redwood City, California, United States

CardioDx is a cardiovascular genomic diagnostics company providing clinicians with information to enhance patient care.

BiotechnologyGeneticsHealth CareHealth DiagnosticsPharmaceutical
Private EquityJul 1, 2012
Amount Raised: $30,509,000
D2S

San Jose, California, United States

D2S designs and develops software and IPs that facilitate direct write e-beam lithography for the production of SoC integrated circuits.

ManufacturingSemiconductorSoftware
Private EquityOct 7, 2011
Amount Raised: $12,663,227
Segway-Ninebot

Bedford, New Hampshire, United States

Segway develops and manufactures a personal transporter, a two-wheeled and self-balancing electric vehicle.

Electric VehicleManufacturingRobotics
Series CMay 2, 2008
Amount Raised: $35,000,000
Edeniq

Visalia, California, United States

Edeniq is a leading biotechnology company that develops processes for producing and measuring cellulosic ethanol from corn kernel fiber.

AgricultureBiotechnologyFuel
Series AApr 21, 2008
Amount Raised: $33,120,000
Silver Peak Systems, Inc.

Santa Clara, California, United States

Global SD-WAN Market Leader

Cloud InfrastructureInfrastructureNetwork HardwareVirtualization
Series DJan 15, 2008
Amount Raised: $21,000,000
Qlusters

Palo Alto, California, United States

Qlusters offers openQRM, a data center provisioning and management software for software provisioning and virtual environment management.

Data CenterData IntegrationSoftware
Series CAug 8, 2007
Amount Raised: $10,360,000
Silver Peak Systems, Inc.

Santa Clara, California, United States

Global SD-WAN Market Leader

Cloud InfrastructureInfrastructureNetwork HardwareVirtualization
Series CJan 29, 2007
Amount Raised: $17,000,000
Segway-Ninebot

Bedford, New Hampshire, United States

Segway develops and manufactures a personal transporter, a two-wheeled and self-balancing electric vehicle.

Electric VehicleManufacturingRobotics
Series UnknownJan 1, 2007
Amount Raised: $126,000,000
Oakley Networks

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Oakley Networks develops specialized network security software for managing insider threat risks

Network SecurityRisk ManagementSoftware
Series BOct 21, 2006
Amount Raised: $12,000,000