Thomas Weisel Partners

In the world of finance, some stories are about reinvention. This is one of them. In 1997, Thom Weisel, a key figure in Silicon Valley's tech boom, orchestrated the sale of his investment bank, Montgomery Securities, to NationsBank for $1.3 billion. But the story didn't end there. A year later, after a culture clash within the newly merged entity, Weisel decided to start again. In January 1999, Thom Weisel and a group of former Montgomery Securities personnel launched Thomas Weisel Partners (TWP), a new investment bank focused on growth sectors like technology and healthcare. They secured backing from prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalists, a testament to Weisel's reputation. The firm rode the end of the dot-com boom, establishing itself quickly. To fuel further growth, TWP went public on the NASDAQ in February 2006. The firm's journey as an independent entity reached its final chapter in 2010 when it was acquired by Stifel Financial for approximately $300 million, merging into a larger financial services company.