BluWave is proud to announce Bertram Capital as Innovator of the Year in the fifth annual 2026 Top Private Equity Innovator Awards*. The San Francisco-based firm was selected for its distinctive technology-enabled investment approach and disciplined evaluation process.
Press Release: BluWave Names Bertram Capital the 2026 Top Private Equity Innovator of the Year
The selection committee recognized Bertram Capital for embedding technology-driven insight and execution into every stage of the investment lifecycle. Through Bertram Labs, its dedicated in-house technology group, Bertram identifies actionable opportunities during diligence and rapidly translates them into measurable value creation initiatives post-close, accelerating portfolio transformation and sustained growth.
“Bertram Capital exemplifies what it means to lead with innovation in today’s private equity landscape,” said Sean Mooney, Founder and CEO of BluWave. “Bertram combines disciplined use of technology with a collaborative, forward thinking investment process. This approach consistently turns insight into action and delivers sustainable value for portfolio companies, investors, and the broader economy.”
BluWave is the leading market network and enablement platform that connects private equity firms and their portfolio companies with top-tier vetted service providers, independent consultants, senior advisors, and interim executives. We work with many hundreds of leading private equity firms and their thousands of portfolio companies and have a unique perspective of the private equity industry that enables us to differentially understand best practices and innovation in the private equity industry.
BluWave Founder and CEO, Sean Mooney, sat down with our 2026 Private Equity Innovator of the Year executives for an exclusive interview:
A focus on responsible ownership and durable value creation is central to Bertram Capital’s approach, supported by a collaborative, firmwide process for evaluating investment opportunities. That same long-term mindset carries through to the firm’s engagement in corporate citizenship, underscoring a broader commitment to building value that extends beyond individual investments.
“This recognition reflects our belief that innovation in private equity starts well before an investment is made,” said Jeff Drazan, Founder and Managing Partner of Bertram Capital. “By leveraging our in-house capabilities through Bertram Labs to inform diligence and enable rapid value creation, we can execute with speed and purpose post-close, helping our portfolio companies build durable, long-term growth while also driving meaningful, positive change within our broader communities.”
BluWave’s fifth annual Top Private Equity Innovator Awards recognize the top 2% of private equity firms advancing the industry through proactive due diligence, transformative value creation, modern private equity firm operations, and corporate citizenship practices. The Top Private Innovator Awards are distinct in that they involve no financial obligations from any participants, and the selection process is independent of any customer relationships.
The Top Private Equity Innovator awardees were selected by a cross-functional committee that assessed candidates in consultation with a broad universe of limited partners, investment bankers, industry thought leaders, and service providers in the private equity ecosystem. As part of its selection process, the committee evaluated more than 6,000 private equity firms and utilized more than 75 different factors, incorporating more than 400,000 data points.
You can learn more about Bertram and the other 104 Top Private Equity Innovator awardees on our dedicated 2026 awards page.
*BluWave, LP has not received investment capital from and holds no ownership interest in the PE firms recognized under the Top Private Equity Innovator awards program. BluWave received no compensation from any of the PE firms in connection with this awards program. However, BluWave may otherwise provide services to the PE firms and/or their portfolio companies, but BluWave confirms that its assessment of the PE firms was independent of any such service arrangements. Top 2% in the PE industry is based on BluWave’s review of the more than 6,000 PE firms in the U.S. and Canada from which the 105 PE firms were selected as award recipients.
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