"Not every company should be funded by a venture capitalist," WPGVP managing partner Gill Cogan told Upside. He also explained, "We will back off if there's not good management in a company, even if there is great technology there." With this guiding philosophy, Weiss, Peck & Greer has been a player in venture capital since the firm was founded in 1971. The firm has invested in over 180 companies, and has $1 billion in investment capital under management. Headquartered in San Francisco, Weiss, Peck & Greer nevertheless has an East Coast presence through Weiss, Peck & Greer LLC, a New York-based, privately-held investment bank with over $16 billion in public securities and private buyout funds.

Investment strategy: partner with WPGVP

Weiss, Peck & Greer offers financing to ventures at both the early and expansion stages. Investments generally range between $2 million and $7 million, although the firm sometimes offers funding as low as $100,000 and as high as $10 million. Weiss, Peck & Greer, however, emphasizes that its services go well beyond financing, and offers companies operating assistance and market information.

Portfolio: two categories

The firm's portfolio is concentrated in two major areas: information technology and life sciences. Information technology is broken down into six sub-categories: e-commerce and information services (Blue Nile, DoubleClick, Federal Express, Yack.com), software (Formation Systems, Genesys Telecommunications Labs, KIVA Software), communications (Broadview Networks, Global Networks, ISR Global Telecom, P-Com); semiconductors (AuraVision, DyanChip, Micro Linear), computer peripherals (Adaptec, Advanced System Products, Micropolis), and computer systems (Auspex Systems, FileNet, Paradyne). Life sciences has three sub-categories: biotechnology (Adolor, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Ora Vax), medical devices (Biocircuits, EKOS, PercuSurge) and healthcare services (CoreSource, LifeMasters, Odyssey Healthcare).

Notable and high-rolling partners