Norwest Venture Partners

We’re honored that GrowthCap has selected Norwest once again for its list of Top Growth Equity Firms! Our growth equity team’s superpowers are their domain expertise, value-creation services, and resources. Together, they’ve helped us write “a rich history of partnering with visionary CEOs, founders, and management teams to build the next generation of category-defining companies,” as Managing Partner and Co-Head of the Growth Equity team Jon Kossow put it. Our “invited guest” approach has also been in our growth equity team’s DNA since we began this work more than 15 years ago. We strive to support the culture and strategy that made a company successful in the first place, while offering the resources and guidance that help leaders build a strategic edge. There’s lots of opportunity ahead for the growth equity team this year. Read more on their exciting work and this recognition: https://lnkd.in/g2ptDbNe

Taking your SaaS company upmarket? Here's what you need to know, according to Norwest Partner Sean Jacobsohn! 👇 Moving from SMBs to enterprises can mean greater profitability and stability. With 15 years in SaaS, Sean has seen the highs and lows of this transition. Here are 5 strategies for making the transition: 🌟 Prepare for a tough journey. 🌟 Value your first enterprise customers. 🌟 Don't rush into customization. 🌟 Nurture customer relationships. 🌟 Understand how enterprises operate. Read more in his blog: https://lnkd.in/gSSWz4Ee 

We’re diving in with Pinkfish! 🐠 We’re delighted to announce that Norwest is leading the company’s pre-seed funding round. Pinkfish is a standout in a sea of AI agent startups. Gone are the days of needing advanced coding skills to automate business processes. Users just have to tell the Pinkfish platform what they want to achieve, and AI agents will determine how to do it. Automation that used to take organizations weeks can now be done in minutes. Norwest Partner Scott Beechuk has known Pinkfish co-founders Charanya “CK” Kannan and Ben Rigby since their days as executives at Talkdesk. Now, he’s ready to help them scale. More from Scott on why Pinkfish is such a catch: https://nvp.co/pinkfish-ai

The devastating L.A. fires have left many without homes, forcing families to rebuild from the ground up. In the wake of this tragedy, Norwest portfolio company GoFundMe has become a vital resource for those in need, with more than $250 million raised for wildfire victims and relief efforts.   GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan was among those forced to evacuate his home and shared how its impacted him in this The New York Times feature: “I had a mission, which is help people, help each other. I felt like it was really deep in my core. But like, now it’s like in the bones, you know?   We are proud to partner with GoFundMe. Read more on the company’s mission to help those in need: https://lnkd.in/gNF-YVuW

On February 26, Norwest Operating Executive Renee Cohen is heading to Scottsdale for B2B Marketing Exchange West to share key insights from our latest research on how B2B marketing leaders are investing in today’s budget-constrained landscape. She’ll be joined by Jill Melchionda (Brand Advisor & SVP Growth, Marketbridge) and Trent Talbert (Head of Strategy, April Six) for a data-driven session on marketing investment patterns and strategic priorities. Together, they’ll break down the latest trends from 500+ marketing leaders, covering: 1️⃣ How high-growth companies are investing differently 2️⃣ The relationship between growth stage and brand investment 3️⃣ Where to focus limited resources for maximum impact If you’ll be in Scottsdale, don’t miss this one! More details here: https://lnkd.in/erFAZS57

When companies rely on the founder-led sales model for too long, they can create an organizational gap that will make their next stage of growth much more difficult. CEO, and sales & marketing exec Tom Turner calls this the “GTM Operator Gap,” a risky blind spot that he encountered often during his CEO years. These ‘Operator Gaps’ slow down product-market-fit progress, delay important revenue and customer growth milestones, lead to a roulette-style approach to senior executive hiring, and dramatically increase cash burn and CXO/board frustration. His blog details how startups can evolve beyond founder-led sales: https://lnkd.in/g9ZjdCFP 

Meet our team at #IFA2025! Sonya Brown, Connor Pike, Jordan Siegal and Manav Shah will be in Las Vegas and are looking forward to connecting with attendees in the franchise ecosystem. International Franchise Association

Heading to Women’s Venture Capital Summit this week? Don’t miss Norwest Partner Lisa Wu on Feb. 5 as she takes the stage to share some of the lessons she’s learned to be an effective board member. She’ll join speakers Jacqueline Grant, Sonali Vijayavargiya, Jeep Kline, and Renata Quintini on stage, as well as Becki DeGraw, who will moderate the conversation. Learn more about their panel: https://lnkd.in/gaTe6HPa 

Our Growth Equity team rallied 🏓 alongside Wells Fargo to host an unforgettable Pickleball Tournament in Salt Lake City for Utah Tech Week.    Norwest pickleballers Mary Miller, Scott Mitchell, Lauren Beauchamp, and Emily Rupper hit the court with founders, investors, and tech leaders for some fun, friendly competition. Special thank you to the Wells Fargo team for making it a successful day! Matt Servatius, Tom Harper, Joshua D. Creer, Sarah Hatch, Steve Lowe, Lacy Houstoun, Carrie Palmquist, Nathan B. Paddock, Nathan Callister, Talena Hooper.

In 2023, Norwest Partner Sean Jacobsohn created the Failure Museum, a collection of 1,000+ artifacts from failed products and businesses. Through it all, he's synthesized critical advice for founders. Now he’s taken that advice to the pages of Harvard Business Review so entrepreneurs everywhere can avoid repeating the mistakes of entrepreneurs past. Read on to learn about Sean’s six forces of failure and how founders can apply them to build enduring companies. Which piece of advice resonates with you?