Thomas Weisel Partners

Thomas Weisel Partners Group, Inc., also known as TWP or Weisel, is a U.S. growth focused investment banking firm based in San Francisco, California. The firm was launched in January 1999 by Thom Weisel and other personnel from the former Montgomery Securities. In 1997, Thom Weisel helped to orchestrate a $1.3 billion acquisition of Montgomery Securities by NationsBank. The following year, however, NationsBank acquired BankAmerica Corp, which itself had acquired Technology-based rival Robertson Stephens. A culture clash and fight for control ensued at the newly combined investment banking units of what is now known as Banc of America Securities. In the process, senior bankers from Montgomery Securities secured backing from the Silicon Valley Venture Capital community and left to form their own venture: Thomas Weisel Partners. Thomas Weisel Partners, heavily focused on technology, prospered during the dot-com rise that peaked in its early years. The firm, however, hit turbulent times as technology saw a tremendous downturn. Bolstered by diversification into areas such as healthcare and consumer products, however, the firm survived and continued to operate independently.