About Bestop
Bestop is a company based in Louisville (United States) founded in 1954 was acquired by Kinderhook Industries in August 2015. The company has 321 employees. Bestop has completed 5 acquisitions, including 4x4 sPOD, Baja Designs and BullRing. Bestop offers products and services including Soft Tops and Accessories.
- Headquarter Louisville, United States
- Employees 321
- Website category Vehicles · Automotive Industry
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website bestop.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram
- Acquired by Kinderhook Industries (Aug 2015)
- Legal Name Bestop
- Latest Funding Round$135M (USD), Debt – Conventional
Jun 2016
- InvestorsAntares Capital
& 3 more
- Employee Count321
- Investments & Acquisitions4x4 sPOD
& 4 more
- Acquired byKinderhook Industries
(Aug 2015)
Products & Services of Bestop
Bestop offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Soft Tops and Accessories.
Soft tops are produced for Jeep and Bronco vehicles to facilitate open-air driving experiences.
Accessories including seats, storage solutions, and protective covers are manufactured to support vehicle customization.
Funding Insights of Bestop
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Debt – Conventional — $135M
- First Round $135M
(Jun 2016)
- Investors Count 3
All 1 funding rounds of Bestop with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2016 | $135M | Debt – Conventional | – | – |
4 investors in total: 4 institutional.
Investors in Bestop
Bestop has secured backing from 4 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Antares Capital, Barings and NewStar Financial.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Private fund focused on debt and equity investments in real estate and multiple sectors | 1762 | barings.com | London, United Kingdom | |
Kinderhook Industries is engaged in private equity investments. | 2003 | kinderhook.com | - | |
Financial services are provided by NewStar Financial in Boston. | 2004 | newstarfin.com | Boston, United States | |
Customized lending solutions are provided for private equity-backed companies. | 1996 | antares.com | Chicago, United States |
Investor details for Bestop
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Bestop
34 people are tracked at Bestop (4 in leadership, 30 in team); the tracked headcount is 321.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
John Larson | CEO | Leadership |
Eric Getzschman | Director Of Aftermarket Product Development | Leadership |
Melani Anders | Director Of Human Resources | Leadership |
Alejandro Delgado | Vice President Of Operations | Leadership |
Maddex Yasso | OEM Change Coordinator | Team |
Miguel Fernandez Garnica | Auxiliar De Comercio Exterior | Team |
Ana Angeles | Gerencia De RH | Team |
Kimberley Baxter-Thompson | Human Resources Manager | Team |
Bev Weinstein | CS Manager | Team |
Matt Parks | Inside Sales/service Coordinator | Team |
Marc Dougan | Customer Service Representative | Team |
Leeanne Ackley | Customer Service Specialist | Team |
Rick Troeger | Sr. Program Manager | Team |
Andres Clemente | Advance Quality & Manufacturing Manager | Team |
Natalia Esther Cruz Rivera | Planeador De Materiales | Team |
Jose Miguel Hernandez Montes de Oca | Production Manager | Team |
Tim Pettingill | Prototype Fabricator | Team |
Ofelia Briseno | Leader Production | Team |
Theresa Allard | Engineering Administrator | Team |
Bill Swan | Global Sales Manager | Team |
14 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Bestop
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
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Investments & Acquisitions by Bestop
Bestop has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 5 companies. Notable acquisitions include 4x4 sPOD, Baja Designs and BullRing.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Automotive aftermarket accessories are manufactured for 4x4 vehicles. | 4x4spod.com | Santa Clarita, United States | 2005 | Jun 2021 | •••• | |
Automotive aftermarket accessories are manufactured and supplied globally. | softopper.com | Boulder, United States | 2000 | Jun 2019 | •••• | |
Automotive aftermarket accessories are manufactured by BullRing. | bullringusa.com | Temecula, United States | 1988 | Mar 2019 | •••• | |
Suspension seats and accessories are manufactured for off-road vehicles. | prpseats.com | Temecula, United States | 1997 | Jan 2018 | •••• | |
Automotive lighting systems are manufactured and supplied worldwide. | bajadesigns.com | San Marcos, United States | 1992 | Jun 2016 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Bestop
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Bestop
8 dated milestones of Bestop across 67 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Bestop is founded.
- Exit Acquired by Kinderhook Industries.
- Funding First funding round of $135.0M.
- Acquisition Acquires Baja Designs.
- Acquisition Acquires PRP Seats.
- Acquisition Acquires BullRing.
- Acquisition Acquires Softopper.
- Acquisition Acquires 4x4 sPOD.
Web traffic of Bestop
The website of Bestop (bestop.com) receives about 86.6K visits a month and ranks #220,401 among all websites worldwide, #5,036 in Automotive Industry.
- Monthly visits86.6K
▼ 29.3% vs previous month
- Unique visitors65K
per month
- Global rank#220,401
among all websites
- Category rank#5,036
Vehicles · Automotive Industry
- Bounce rate29%
- Pages per visit5.7
- Average visit7 min 09 sec
- DevicesDesktop 37% · Mobile 63%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Bestop. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
quadratec.com | quadratec.com | 100% | – | #35,059 | – |
amp-research.com | amp-research.com | 79% | – | – | – |
| bushwacker.com | 76% | – | – | View details | |
| ruggedridge.com | 69% | 77.2K | #423,210 | View details | |
| smittybilt.com | 69% | 56.1K | #456,380 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Bestop
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- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
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Frequently Asked Questions about Bestop
Bestop was founded in 1954 and raised its 1st funding round 62 years after it was founded.
Bestop is headquartered in Louisville, United States. It is registered at Louisville, Kentucky, United States.
John Larson is the current CEO of Bestop.
Bestop has 321 employees.
Bestop was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Louisville, United States. Operations focus on the automotive sector, where jeep tops and related accessories are manufactured and distributed. Products are designed for off-road vehicle enhancements, serving enthusiasts and dealers across North America. Leadership is provided by CEO John Larson, with emphasis placed on durable, functional components for jeep customization.
Bestop offers Soft Tops and Accessories.
Bestop has made 5 acquisitions, including 4x4 sPOD, Baja Designs, and BullRing.
Bestop has 4 investors. Key investors include Antares Capital, Barings, NewStar Financial, and Kinderhook Industries.
Bestop operates through Bestop.
Yes. Bestop was acquired by Kinderhook Industries in August 2015.