InterWest Partners
InterWest Partners is a private, four-decade-old venture capital firm specializing in early-stage information technology and healthcare investments, historically deploying $7-15 million per portfolio company. The firm is currently not seeking new investments and is harvesting residual portfolio value, principally from Canva.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersMenlo Park, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What InterWest Partners does
InterWest Partners is a private venture capital firm founded in 1979-1980 (per firmographic and corporate-history sources) and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area (mailing address at 548 Market St., PMB 44661, San Francisco, CA 94104). The firm specializes in early-stage investments in information technology and healthcare/life sciences startups, historically deploying an average of approximately $7-15 million per portfolio company over the span of its involvement. InterWest does not build or sell technology products; its offering is equity capital combined with strategic partnership to founding teams, with monetization occurring through portfolio company exits via IPOs and strategic acquisitions, supplemented by fund management fees from limited partners.
Over four decades of operation, InterWest has backed a broad portfolio of more than 25 named companies spanning semiconductors (Xilinx, Cyrix, Copper Mountain Networks), enterprise software (C3.ai, Marketo, Pipedrive, Braze, Tapjoy, Vungle), healthcare devices and biotech (Glaukos, IntraLase, LenSx Lasers, Tesaro, PMV Pharma, Myogen, Amplimmune, AkaRx, Aspreva, Aerie, Labrys, TheraSense, Corixa), and consumer/digital platforms (Canva, Doximity, TheRealReal, Lightera Networks, Ciena, Stratacom). Realized exits include Xilinx's acquisition by AMD for approximately $35 billion and Marketo's acquisition by Adobe for approximately $4.75 billion, alongside IPO outcomes for C3.ai, Braze, Doximity, TheRealReal, and Glaukos.
The firm is currently in a harvest posture: its website explicitly states that it is "not currently seeking new investments." The team has contracted to five identified members - Managing Partner Gil Kliman, General Partners Keval Desai and Khaled Nasr (also COO), CFO Karen Wilson, and Controller Katie Passalacqua - with legacy founders Wally Hawley, Gene Barth, and Scott Hedrick and managing directors Bruce Cleveland and Arnie Oronsky referenced as historical leaders. Canva appears to be the sole currently listed portfolio company, with Pipedrive and PMV Pharma referenced as ongoing holdings in supplementary data. Operating geographies are limited to the United States, and the firm uses minimal formal marketing channels, relying on four decades of reputational capital and professional networks for deal flow.
InterWest Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- InterWest Partners
- Legal name
- InterWest Venture Management Co.
- Website
- https://interwest.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- InterWest Partners is a private, four-decade-old venture capital firm specializing in early-stage information technology and healthcare investments, historically deploying $7-15 million per portfolio company. The firm is currently not seeking new investments and is harvesting residual portfolio value, principally from Canva.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
InterWest Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Telecom, Networking & Infrastructure Growth Equity (FSANACAJ)
Keywords
Where InterWest Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Menlo Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
InterWest Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: Venture capital returns generated from equity investments in early-stage portfolio companies through exits via IPOs and acquisitions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
InterWest Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
InterWest Partners is a venture capital firm that invests an average of $7-15 million in early-stage information technology and healthcare startups. The firm partners with entrepreneurs to provide growth capital and strategic guidance, generating returns through equity stakes in portfolio companies that exit via IPOs or acquisitions. InterWest is not currently seeking new investments and focuses on managing its existing portfolio across IT and healthcare sectors.
Product overview
InterWest Partners is a venture capital firm that provides investment capital and strategic partnership to early-stage IT and healthcare startups. As a VC firm, InterWest does not offer software products or technology services—its offering is equity investment and operational partnership with entrepreneurs building companies in information technology and healthcare sectors. The firm maintains a portfolio of successful companies across these sectors, but the portfolio companies are separate entities that InterWest has invested in, not products or services offered by InterWest Partners itself.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Early-Stage Venture Capital Investment
- Strategic Partnership and Operational Guidance
Quantifiable outcome
- Successful exits including Xilinx (acquired by AMD for $35B), Marketo (acquired by Adobe), Ciena, and numerous other portfolio companies
Companies that use InterWest Partners
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
InterWest Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
InterWest Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
InterWest Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Venrock: Early-stage venture firm investing in IT and healthcare from a Silicon Valley base, with a comparable multi-decade history and similar sector emphasis to InterWest.
- Mayfield Fund: Early-stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley focused on enterprise IT; comparable to InterWest in geography and stage, though narrower in vertical emphasis.
- Norwest Venture Partners: Diversified venture capital firm with IT and healthcare franchises and a multi-decade operating history; comparable to InterWest in sector breadth and long-tenured stage focus.
- Kleiner Perkins: Long-standing early-stage venture firm with a parallel IT and healthcare focus and a similarly long track record of category-defining exits. Most directly comparable to InterWest by thesis, stage, and Silicon Valley geography.
- Bessemer Venture Partners: Heritage early-stage venture firm with broad IT and healthcare exposure and a multi-decade operating history; comparable to InterWest as a long-tenured generalist stage-agnostic VC.
- New Enterprise Associates (NEA): Large-scale venture capital firm with deep IT and healthcare franchises; comparable to InterWest in sector breadth and early-stage orientation, though operating at far greater scale.
- Greylock Partners: Premier early-stage venture firm based in Silicon Valley with strong IT focus; comparable in stage, geography, and long tenure.
- Accel: Long-running early-stage venture capital firm with a similarly broad IT focus across enterprise and consumer software; comparable to InterWest in stage focus and tenure.
Broad incumbents
- Sequoia Capital: Largest and most-established venture capital franchise with deep IT exposure; comparable to InterWest as a benchmark for category-defining IT investments though vastly larger in scale and active deployment.
- Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): Major venture capital firm with a broad IT franchise and growing healthcare practice; comparable in stage and sector focus, but at far greater scale and recency of activity than InterWest.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
InterWest Partners social profiles
Digital presenceInterWest Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
InterWest Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
InterWest Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
InterWest Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments453 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about InterWest Partners
What does InterWest Partners do?
InterWest Partners is a venture capital firm that invests an average of $7-15 million in early-stage information technology and healthcare startups. The firm partners with entrepreneurs to provide growth capital and strategic guidance, generating returns through equity stakes in portfolio companies that exit via IPOs or acquisitions. InterWest is not currently seeking new investments and focuses on managing its existing portfolio across IT and healthcare sectors.
Is InterWest Partners a public or private company?
InterWest Partners is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was InterWest Partners founded?
InterWest Partners was founded in 1980. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is InterWest Partners based?
InterWest Partners is headquartered in Menlo Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does InterWest Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.
Who are InterWest Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Venrock, Mayfield Fund, Norwest Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Bessemer Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Greylock Partners and Accel. Broad incumbents are Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
Does InterWest Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for InterWest Partners.
What industry is InterWest Partners in?
InterWest Partners's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANACAJ, Telecom, Networking & Infrastructure Growth Equity. Its NAICS code is 523150 and its SIC code is 6211.