Thomas Weisel Partners Group, Inc., also known as TWP or Weisel, is a U.S. growth focused
investment banking
Investment banking pertains to certain activities of a financial services company or a corporate division that consist in advisory-based financial transactions on behalf of individuals, corporations, and governments. Traditionally associated wit ...
firm headquartered 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.
Brandt, Richard. Capital Instincts. 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. In search of additional capital, the firm made its debut on the
NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
on February 2, 2006 under the symbol TWPG.
CBS Market Watch. Thomas Weisel IPO up 30% in debut. 02/02/2006
Following its acquisition of Westwind Partners that closed on January 2, 2008,
CNN. Thomas Weisel Partners Completes Acquisition of Westwind Partners - Announces Appointment of Westwind CEO as President of TWP and Selected Preliminary Fourth Quarter 2007 Results. 01/02/2008 the firm now offers a broad coverage platform across technology, media, healthcare, consumer products, energy, mining, and real estate.
Thomas Weisel Partners. Retrieved 01/16/2008
Thomas Weisel Partners Canada. Retrieved 01/16/2008 Equity and Debt underwriting and Merger and Acquisition advisory operations are supplemented by Research, Trading, Brokerage, and Asset Management units as the firm operates a full-service investment bank.
Various divisions operate out of San Francisco, New York, Toronto, London, Baltimore, Zurich, Calgary, Montreal, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, and Portland.
In 2010, Thomas Weisel announced its acquisition by
Stifel Nicolaus, Stifel Financial.
References
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Investment banks in the United States
1999 establishments in California
Banks established in 1999