Summit Partners
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Investment management, Private equity, Venture capital |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Roe Stamps, Stephen Woodsum |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | Global |
Key people | Greg Avis (partner) |
| Products | Growth capital, Venture capital, Credit, Public equity |
Summit Partners is a US-based investment company located in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm focuses its investments primarily on sectors such as technology, healthcare, life sciences, and other industries experiencing significant growth.
Background
Established in 1984 by Roe Stamps and Stephen Woodsum—who previously worked together at TA Associates—Summit Partners soon welcomed Greg Avis as a partner. The company is acknowledged as one of the early innovators in the field of growth investing within private equity.
By 2000, the original founders entrusted the daily operations to a group of five partners. In 2015, Summit expanded by acquiring Alydar Capital, which now functions as its division for public equity investments.
In January 2024, Summit's credit division ceased making new investments due to fundraising difficulties tied to underperformance in its credit funds. This credit segment was considered inconsistent with Summit’s core emphasis on growth equity, leading to previous efforts to divest it.
While headquartered in Boston, Summit maintains additional offices in Menlo Park, London, and Luxembourg.
Business overview
Summit Partners' operations are divided into three primary areas:
The firm concentrates on providing growth capital to later-stage enterprises, typically allocating between $30 million and $500 million in private equity investments and between $5 million and $30 million in venture capital. Additionally, it extends debt financing alongside public equity investment services.
Among its prominent portfolio holdings are companies such as Uber, McAfee, Avast, Infor, Flow Traders, Doctrine, and Lifestance Health.