How to work with InterWest Partners
What We Look For
Before we invest money in a company,the partners at InterWest make a substantial investment of time and effort getting to know the entrepreneurs behind the company, their background and experience, and their plans.
As we acquaint ourselves with prospective investments and the people and ideas behind them, we seek answers to key questions in several areas:
Management team. Has the team worked together before? Will they be compatible? What relevant experience does each person on the team bring to the enterprise? What will each team member focus on? Will additions to the team be required?
Business concept. What is unique or innovative about the product or service being offered — in other words, what is the company's competitive advantage? If there's a new technology under development, what progress has been made so far? Are there patent or regulatory issues? What's the distribution plan for the product? What is the overall timetable for the business?
Market and industry. What is the best estimate of the market for the company's product or service, and what data is this estimate based on? Has customer feedback been sought, measured, and analyzed? What is the existing and potential competition?
Capital requirements. How much funding is required now and how will the financing be structured? Will additional funding be needed later on? If so, at what stage or stages in the company's development?
Financial statements. Normally, we are interested in three- to five-year projections. For established companies, historical financial statements are also important.
How We Help
Beyond providing capital, at InterWest Partners we believe it is our role and responsibility to provide hands-on help of various kinds to the companies we invest in.
We typically serve on the boards of directors of the companies we invest in. Depending on the needs of each company, we may also get more directly involved with strategic and operational issues. For example, we may help identify and recruit new officers or evaluate plans for expansion. We may also assist with developing corporate partnership arrangements, obtaining a line of credit or long-term debt from financial institutions, raising additional capital, or deciding the timing of a public offering or private sale of the company.
How to Start
We invite entrepreneurs to contact InterWest with investment proposals for new and expanding businesses in information technology and life sciences.
If you're starting a company, we welcome your inquiries before you complete your business plan. A brief summary of your ideas by e-mail will often help us determine how we might best work together.
To e-mail us your ideas or business plan, please use one of the following e-mail addresses, as appropriate:
