Willow Run Capital

Dan Weidenbach, the founder and managing partner, makes all investment decisions. He established the office in 2021 after selling a family-owned commercial landscaping business to a private-equity-backed consolidator. Weidenbach draws on that operational experience to evaluate founder-led B2B software companies.

The firm sources through founder referrals, regional operator networks in the Southeast and Texas, and direct outreach to bootstrapped companies that have not hired an investment banker. Weidenbach deliberately avoids intermediated auction processes, targeting the large pool of profitable vertical SaaS and supply-chain companies that never attract institutional attention.

Willow Run uses minority equity and structured debt instruments rather than control buyouts. The firm describes its capital as patient and non-pressuring, designed for founders who want growth financing without a forced exit timeline. This aligns with a stated thesis of backing companies that 'never want to be sold.'

The firm targets B2B software companies with $2 million to $10 million in annual recurring revenue. This stage sits between angel and early institutional venture capital, where many bootstrapped vertical SaaS companies operate profitably but have limited access to growth capital.

The capital base originated from the sale of a family-owned commercial landscaping platform to private equity. Dan Weidenbach converted the liquidity event into a single-family office structure in 2021, pulling forward decades of operating experience into an investment vehicle.

The firm focuses narrowly on B2B vertical SaaS, industrial automation, and supply-chain technology. Consumer-facing startups, hardware-heavy businesses, and life sciences fall outside the mandate. Willow Run also avoids any company that requires a large syndicated Series A-style raise with institutional venture lead investors.

Yes, the firm has demonstrated a willingness to co-invest with aligned early-stage regional funds. In late 2023, it participated in a growth financing for field-service platform SingleOps alongside Atlanta Seed Company, indicating that Willow Run will join rounds led by local seed managers when the founder fit and sector align.