Updated:
InterWest Partners
For over four decades, InterWest Partners has invested in some of the world's most promising early-stage IT and healthcare start-ups, partnering with...
InterWest Partners
For over four decades, InterWest Partners has invested in some of the world's most promising early-stage IT and healthcare start-ups, partnering with world-class entrepreneurs to build winning companies. InterWest is not currently seeking new investments.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
1979
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Francisco
Corporate office
San Francisco, CA, United States
Additional offices
Menlo Park, CA
Principals
Wally Hawley
Co-Founder
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at InterWest Partners?
InterWest operates through dedicated sector teams with significant independence. The general partners managing enterprise, healthcare, and deep-tech practices make investment decisions within their domains. The firm has historically functioned as a partnership where senior investors lead deal sourcing, diligence, and board representation.
Does InterWest participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
InterWest primarily makes direct venture investments into private companies. The firm does not market itself as a fund-of-funds and has built its reputation on direct equity and board-level engagement with portfolio companies.
What investment stages does InterWest typically target?
The firm invests from seed-stage rounds through growth equity. In healthcare, InterWest has backed pre-clinical biotech companies and series-stage digital health platforms. In enterprise, it has written first checks into AI infrastructure and later-stage SaaS companies. This flexibility has been a consistent feature across its fund families.
Which sectors does InterWest explicitly avoid?
InterWest has not historically invested in consumer internet, gaming, crypto, or traditional energy extraction. The firm concentrates exclusively on enterprise technology, healthcare and life sciences, and industrial technology.
What is the firm's track record with healthcare and enterprise crossover?
InterWest was among the earliest Sand Hill Road firms to run parallel healthcare and IT practices under one roof. This structure gave it access to biotech and diagnostics deals at a time when most VC firms treated life sciences as a separate asset class. Portfolio companies have included surgical robotics, genomics, and medical-device businesses alongside enterprise-software platforms.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on private equity firms?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: