NEW YORK, May 16, 2023 – Today, Trident releases its annual Doing Well While Doing Good Report. Trident is a buyout private equity firm focused on investing in American small businesses that intentionally stewards portfolio companies to do well while doing good. Trident has committed to promoting equitable access to the American Dream for the benefit of investors and communities that it engages with, especially in the Black American Community. Trident’s approach is institutionalized by our Doing Well While Doing Good policy, accounted for in this annual report, and demonstrated through relevant data that is monitored and analyzed on a monthly and quarterly basis.

In the past year, Trident progressed on a number of Doing Well While Doing Good initiatives:

1. Trident has built a suite of strategic partners and allies to advance our mission, from joining as signatories to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investing, the CFA’s DEI Code and ILPA’s DEI in Action, to partnering with the National Association of Black Accounts, a Black- and women-led IT and supplier optimization service provider TCGi, and National Bankers Association, among others.
2. Our 13% Initiative continues to make measurable progress that aims to have at least 13% of the value created in our investments accrue in the Black community. 13% correlates to the percentage of Black Americans in the US population. By committing to ascribe at least 13% of the value we create in our post-transaction investment growth in the Black community, we are actively reducing the racial wealth gap. Since the Initiatives inception in 2021, Trident is on track to over index for the 13% threshold, and we have found that good investment performance is mutually reinforcing with DEI.
3. Diversity is fundamental in our team makeup: Trident is a majority Black-owned firm with an Investment Committee led by two Black professionals. Our Investment Team is women-led, 63% of our full team are people of color, and 38% are women. Moreover, the Trident Advisory Board is 86% people of color and 29% are women.
4. To augment our diversity efforts, Trident’s rigorous accounting resulted in all investments potentially meeting Public Welfare Investment status, through the Bank Holding Company Act, which is measured by engagement in low- to moderate-income communities and making Trident eligible to receive investments from traditional banks. All of Trident portfolio companies meet the PWI eligibility threshold of having majority LMI employee base, residing in LMI areas, targeted by the government for redevelopment, and/or qualified CRA investment.
5. Finally, this year Trident announced the launch of the Trident American Dreams Fellowship. This Fellowship is a technical program for minority entrepreneurs to accelerate their access to opportunity as ISOPs (Independent Sponsor and Operating Partners) and be better equipped to source, acquire, and lead small business acquisitions through private equity deals. The inaugural Trident Fellowship Class began May 1, 2023.

Trident’s second annual Doing Well While Doing Good Report underscores our commitment to act with intentionality and authenticity in our commercial and social commitment to LPs and we are proud to share our annual progress results.