Saltwater
Holding company founded by former Uber CEO Ryan Graves, focused on acquiring and operating small, profitable technology businesses through a partner equity model with long-term ownership.
Investment Requirements
Company Overview
Saltwater
What They Buy
- Target: Small, profitable technology businesses
- Size: $2M - $10M EBITDA (based on original list criteria)
- Focus: Growth-oriented businesses with differentiated approach
- Structure: Partner equity model (founders retain 10-30% equity)
- Approach: Majority investments or full acquisitions
- Geography: Technology companies, primarily North America
Recent Major Acquisitions
- Mayven Studios: Software design and development firm (January 2023)
- GPX: Logistics SaaS for supply chain transparency
- Quillt Media: Multi-brand content-to-commerce business
Track Record
- Founded: 2017 by Ryan Graves (former Uber CEO)
- Leadership: Ryan Graves (Founder & CEO)
- Scale: 52 investments made, 3 companies acquired
- Investment Range: $25K to $1.4M per deal
- Philosophy: Long-term ownership, not traditional VC or PE
- Approach: Partner with founders who view industries differently
Portfolio Companies
Similar Acquirers
ClearCourse
UK private equity-backed software and embedded payments specialist that acquires industry-specific software businesses across retail, hospitality, membership, and business services sectors.
Bregal Sagemount
Growth-focused private capital firm providing flexible capital and strategic assistance to market-leading companies in high-growth sectors.
Enduring Ventures
Long-term holding company inspired by Berkshire Hathaway that buys exceptional businesses and holds them forever. Founded by Xavier Helgesen and Sieva Kozinsky, focuses on control cash-flow buyers typically acquiring 51%-100% of businesses.
Last updated: October 6, 2025
Information verified from public sources. Report corrections