Our Mission
Ashwin Kumar
Co-Founder, Firstlight
Queris Au
Co-Founder, Firstlight
Private Equity Firm
Dozens of portfolio companies
Key Characteristics:
Institutional investor specialized in quick flips
Competitive valuation
Inflexible terms — take it or leave it
Speed & certainty of closing the acquisition
Founders required to stay post-sale
Layoffs to reduce costs and service debt
Brand impacted by short-term focus
Creates value mainly via financial engineering
Bolt-on M&A dilutes product quality
Upside only if founders stay hands-on
Corporate Buyer
Dozens of tuck-in acquisitions
Key Characteristics:
Corporation experienced in absorbing tuck-ins
Competitive valuation
Inflexible terms — take it or leave it
Slow, bureaucratic deal process
Founders become employees post-sale
Layoffs to achieve cost synergies
Brand folded into corporate umbrella
Creates value by growing their core platform
Bolt-on M&A dilutes product quality
Upside only if founders become employees
Firstlight
Singular focus on your company's success
Key Characteristics:
Family-owned; founder-centric
Competitive valuation
Founder-centric terms tailored to your goals
Speed & certainty of closing the acquisition
Up to founders whether to fully exit or stay
Retain and develop talent
Brand grows to be a market leader
Creates value by growing your company
Customer-centric, product-obsessed culture
Founders can passively share in the upside
Competitive Valuation
We approach valuation differently than other buyers because we didn't create Firstlight to be investors. We're builders at heart, and we founded Firstlight to buy a uniquely positioned patient relationship management company and build it into an enduring market leader.
We're not here to buy a company for a lower valuation so we can more easily make a return. We're here to pay a strong, market-clearing price so we can get on to…you guessed it…building! It's not about "getting a good deal" for us. That's not going to matter when the vast, vast amount of value will be created by growing and compounding your company for the long-term.
Transparent Valuation
Aligned incentives
Quick Decision-Making
Deep respect for 0-to-1 founders
Founder-Centric Terms
Whether you want an immediate exit or a meaningful share of your company's future upside, we can draft terms bespoke to your goals. Not only can we pay a competitive price, but we can also customize the deal structure to maximize the post-tax dollars you get in your pocket. We're here to walk you through and discuss every term. No question is too big or too small.
You already did the hardest part of building from 0. It's time to let off some steam. For example, if you want your dream car delivered to your house on closing day with a bow on it, our lawyers and team can make it happen. When we say founder-centric terms, we mean it!
Straightforward Terms
No Hidden Gotchas
Collaborative approach
Tax-Efficient
Creative & Custom to You
Speed & Certainty of Closing
We are backed by entrepreneurs and investors who have established a strong and reputable track record over the past 20+ years, deploying over $17 billion across hundreds of acquisitions.
Our exclusive focus on patient relationship management software ensures that our confirmatory diligence is as efficient as possible. Our team includes legal, financial, and technical advisors well-versed in the space so that we can march to closing as fast as possible.
Backed by Strategic Capital
Experienced Deal Team
Transparent Closing Process
Custom Post-Exit Role
Selling a company you've poured years (sometimes decades!) into is a huge decision. That's why we work with you to craft a fully custom exit plan that fulfills your personal and professional goals. Whether you want to move on immediately, transition out gradually, or stay involved in your desired capacity (i.e., only do the things in the company you have fun with!), we can create a custom role that suits your goals.
And this doesn't just stop with you. We have tremendous respect for the key people who built your company alongside you, and we can explore custom plans for them as well.
Full exit
Partial rollover
Stay Involved
100% bespoke exit
Custom to you & your key people
We grow your company…
When you sell to Firstlight, your company becomes our one-and-only — not just one in a crowded portfolio.
We step into active leadership roles the day the deal closes and bring with us 10+ years of B2B software experience. We've written code, shipped product, run GTM playbooks across both PLG and enterprise sales, and scaled finance & ops at high-growth SaaS companies over the past decade.
Our board includes healthcare entrepreneurs and investors who own or are affiliated with some of the largest DSO/MSO groups in the U.S., giving us unparalleled insights into multi-site healthcare and built-in distribution to 12,539 practices across the nation.
Product Obsessed
Proven GTM Engine
Deep Connectivity in Multi-Site
You're no stranger to cold outreach from would-be acquirers. There's no shortage of people who claim to “love what you’re building!”. Yet when you go one level deeper, you quickly realize they’re not going to be a fit.
You’d consider a transition, but you’re looking for something special in a buyer. You care about the financial outcome, of course, but you also care that your company continues to serve your customers, employees, and community, and realizes its full potential. You're proud of the product you’ve built and, if you're going to sell it, you should be proud of where it's headed. You want to walk away confident that your company is best positioned for continued success.
We agree.
We designed Firstlight for founders like you because we figured if you care that much about what happens to your company after you move on, you probably built something pretty awesome. And if we're going to bet our careers on this, it better be pretty awesome.
We founded Firstlight with the singular mission to acquire a uniquely positioned patient relationship management software company and build it to be an enduring market leader. We personally bring 10 years of software experience, having held a variety of roles — go-to-market, engineering, product, and finance & ops — at tech companies ranging from VC-backed startups to Fortune 100 heavyweights. We’ve also assembled a team of healthcare and software veterans with 20+ years of multi-site experience and the relevant industry connections to accelerate growth.
Collectively, we know a great patient relationship management software company when we see one. If we reached out to you, it's because we believe you've built something special that has the legs to become a world-class leader. And if you give us the chance, we'll bet our careers (and our family's future because we're a husband-and-wife team!) on making it happen.
So we invite you to ask us hard questions about why we want to buy your company, what we're going to do with it, and why we believe we're the right people to build its future.
Let's get to work.
