has been acquired by
a portfolio company of
Cascadia Capital, an investment bank serving middle-market clients globally, is pleased to announce that Vertical Raise (the “Company”), a leading provider of K-12 fundraising solutions, has been acquired by Arbiter, a portfolio company of Accel-KKR.
Headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and founded in 2018 by Paul Landers, Vertical Raise is recognized for combining modern fundraising technology with hands-on project management to help schools run effective, high participation campaigns. Over the past five years, Vertical Raise has supported tens of thousands of teams and schools, delivering an average of 37% more per fundraiser through its best in class digital campaigns and the Funds Manager Pro platform.
This strategic move strengthens Arbiter’s commitment to supporting schools, families, and communities by integrating high performance, technology enabled fundraising into its growing suite of solutions, which already includes registration, payments, scheduling, facilities, and website management.
“Fundraising is an essential part of youth sports and a natural extension of how Arbiter can further serve families and schools,” said Kyle Ford, CEO of Arbiter. “By welcoming Vertical Raise into our organization, we can deliver even more tools and more coordinated support to schools, while maintaining continuity in the products and teams they trust today.”
“Schools and teams need fundraising that’s simple, secure, and proven,” said Paul Landers, Founder and CEO of Vertical Raise. “Our combination of automated digital outreach, personalized pages, and enterprise grade controls through Funds Manager Pro helps programs raise more money in less time. Now as part of Arbiter and their network of schools, leagues and families, we are excited to help even more teams and programs thrive.”
This transaction highlights Cascadia Capital’s deep expertise in advising companies across education, fundraising, and marketing software verticals and reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to delivering outstanding outcomes for its clients.