In The Footsteps Of Berkshire Hathaway: Three Innovative Holding Companies You Should Follow

Berkshire Hathaway has achieved almost mythical status in today’s business world. The holding company, led since 1965 by visionary magnate Warren Buffett, has stood out and thrived thanks to its long-term growth mindset and strategic acquisitions. 

In the fast-moving digital realm, many internet companies have tried to replicate the success by following its principles and Buffett's business tenets. Few succeed. 

Here are three companies that are following in the footsteps of Berkshire Hathaway and can be considered the Berkshire Hathaway of the digital world.

Constellation Software Inc. 

To start with, there is Constellation Software Inc., a leading software company built on the same principles as Berkshire Hathaway. Based in Toronto, Canada, this holding company’s portfolio includes a wide array of software for the public and private sector. 

Founded in 1995 by Mark Leonard, it went public in 2006. The company now has over 45,000 employees and a consolidated revenue of over $4 billion. 

To manage its portfolio, the holding group runs six operating groups: Volaris, Harris Computer Systems, Jonas Software, Vela Software, the Perseus Operating Group, and Total Specific Solutions. Among others, its holdings include Empower LOS, Axacore, Optimal Blue, Reverse Vision, and NOVA LOS.

Tiny 

Next up, Tiny was founded by Andrew Wilkinson and Chris Sparling back in 2007. As their web agency business grew, they found themselves increasingly frustrated by the unending negotiations with private equity and venture investors. 

As a result, they decided to stop founding businesses themselves and start buying them in 2014, using Warren Buffett’s simple approach. Tiny proposes a straightforward 1-month process to incorporate a new business into their portfolio, then proceeds to let it operate with a large degree of independence, preserving company culture and the vision of its founders. 

As of late 2023, Tiny’s portfolio includes 11 companies they founded, 35 majority-owned businesses, and close to a hundred minority investments. Among them are well-known brands such as Letterboxd, AeroPress, and Dribbble. 

Awesome Motive 

Rounding out our list is Awesome Motive, a little-known web company that manages a diverse portfolio of software businesses that are used by over 25 million websites. Their solutions have become the pillar for WordPress, the single most popular content management system (CMS) in the world, which powers over 43% of the internet. 

Awesome Motive was founded back in 2011 by CEO Syed Balkhi, a young web entrepreneur who saw the massive potential of the then-fledgling CMS. 

Balkhi laid the foundation for Awesome Motive by launching WPBeginner in 2009, a blog that quickly became the most popular training resource for small businesses. Using the feedback and insights from his media business, Balkhi has been acquiring a suite of software businesses to help small businesses grow their digital presence.

Among others, Awesome Motive’s portfolio includes WPForms, OptinMonster, MonsterInsights, All In One SEO, and MemberPress, a popular LMS platform that has created a billion dollar creator economy. In total, over 25 million websites are using these solutions. 

Conclusion 

The wild popularity of Warren Buffett’s business principles among aspiring entrepreneurs can make it easy to forget that they’re well-founded, tried, and tested. 

Finding founders who want to be the next Buffett is easy, but only rarely do companies actually adhere to the principles that turned Berkshire-Hathaway into the giant it is today. 

Awesome Motive, Tiny, and Constellation prove that they exist, even in a fast-shifting sector such as the online sphere. The future will show what lies in store for these three innovative powerhouses.

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This post was authored by an external contributor and does not represent Benzinga's opinions and has not been edited for content. The information contained above is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice. Benzinga does not make any recommendation to buy or sell any security or any representation about the financial condition of any company.