I recently moderated a virtual roundtable on the topic of managing finances in a time of economic uncertainty – a pressing issue these days. The theme of the discussion was that while tough decisions need to be made, CEOs and senior finance executives shouldn’t panic. The economic recalibration we’re going through is not unprecedented; these […]

Matt Hensler is an executive consultant with an extensive background in branding, marketing, and customer experience. In this article, he offers marketing leaders three strategies for optimizing their programs to support business resilience in tough financial times. “If the board gave you an extra $1 million today, how would you spend it?” This is a […]

During a long period of economic growth, huge influxes of capital, and a vibrant IPO market in the 2010s, entrepreneurs became accustomed to a stable and generally favorable environment. That has all changed now, starting with the pandemic, and extending into geopolitical upheaval, falling equity markets, supply chain disruptions, and spiraling inflation. Today’s volatile economic […]

You’re looking for some advice on selling your company. Why read an article by me on the topic? Because I was fortunate enough to sell my business, Infutor Data Solutions, not once but twice. The first was a leveraged buyout from Norwest Venture Partners in 2016; the second was an acquisition by Verisk in February […]

DEI – diversity, equity, and inclusion – is widely discussed today in executive suites, boardrooms, and investment firms. And it’s not an issue for only large enterprises. Start-ups and rapidly scaling companies are also trying to figure out how they can adopt DEI best practices. But how do they go about it? Can they learn […]

Our journey began two years ago with a pledge. It was the summer of 2020 and Norwest was compelled to do our part to confront racism in the United States. We pledged to take action, committing to educate ourselves, to have the hard conversations, and to increase diversity and inclusion within our firm, our portfolio, […]

So far, 2022 has been a dismal year for IPOs, especially compared to last year’s record-setting activity. According to PwC and Dealogic, only 8 traditional IPOs (as distinct from SPACs) were filed in the first quarter of this year, raising $2 billion. That was an 88 percent decrease in volume and a 94 percent drop […]

Customer acquisition costs (CAC) – the amount of money a company spends on marketing, advertising, and sales initiatives to gain new customers – are top of mind for most marketers. According to a study by martech firm Iterable – 2021 Marketing Trends: Dissecting the Unexpected – increased customer acquisition is the top priority for 65% […]

When I first heard the term Imposter Syndrome, I was relieved—relieved that someone had put a name to something that I had experienced for decades. For so long, I thought it was just me. I remember the first time I felt like a fraud: freshman year of college. As I looked around and compared my […]

Here at Norwest, we are committed to providing our portfolio companies with the tools to grow and succeed. True to that commitment, we are always willing to share advice, lessons, and insights from our own experiences. Many of our founders have also become great resources. As a general partner here at Norwest, I can say […]

When a top corporate executive, Paul H. O’Neill, took the reins at industrial giant Alcoa in 1987, he inherited a company in a tough spot encountering several operational and financial challenges. Common sense suggested that cutting costs and making the company more efficient were logical routes to take, considering the company’s poor financial position. Instead, […]

Founded a company and thinking about raising a Series A? Matt Howard has led 22 Series A investments over the past 20+ years as a VC through five recessions. Most of these investments occurred well before the product launched and were largely based on one or two founders with 15+ PowerPoint slides!  We take pride […]

The percentage of workers permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021. However, very few of these employees will never visit a company office again. In reality, the future for many millions of workers is a transition to some form of a hybrid work environment, in which most employees split their time between […]

When your company has grown significantly and reached a certain stage, it’s natural to consider your exit strategy. Today, there are more options available than ever before for private companies to tap into liquidity options, ranging from public markets to strategic outcomes. Despite the uncertainty and economic turbulence of 2020, last year saw unprecedented activity […]

This year we interviewed portfolio founders across a wide range of industries, analyzed emerging trends, and offered guidelines and advice to help entrepreneurs and companies face the challenges of 2020.  From how to build a COVID-19 operating plan to what you need to know about the Gen Z market, our investors and founders shared some […]

It’s been a difficult year. But if there’s one thing that marks a successful entrepreneur, it’s the ability to weather any storm. Whatever societal disruption or economic turbulence arrives, successful business leaders have the power to adapt. At Norwest, we’ve seen our founders and portfolio companies show incredible resilience and agility over the past year. […]

Back in May, when the pandemic was at its height, we published a blog that offered a bit of optimism. We described why —despite the volatile market —growth equity was still open for business. Six months in, it feels like a good time to offer an update. And though the overall economic outlook is still […]

For SaaS businesses, customer retention is priority one, two, and three – even in normal times. During a global pandemic and a historic economic downturn, it is a challenge that takes on all new proportions. 2020 has taken the things we thought we knew about customer retention and scrambled them. The basic business goal is […]

Most companies that are starting out rightfully focus on building great products and expanding their market share. Yet at a certain stage, it becomes critical to build out the internal operational infrastructure to ensure scalable growth.  A key component of this infrastructure is finance. A mature CFO and finance team provide valuable levers for a […]

“Should a small business have a board of directors?” Short answer: Usually, yes. Longer answer: Only if that board is built and optimized well. When we first meet founders, we sometimes find that either they do not have a board, or they have an informal or advisory group composed of co-founders and personal advisors. While […]

I know. The overall economic outlook isn’t exactly rosy right now. The market shocks are very real, and companies and management teams are working through a lot of disruption. Companies with liquidity issues are just trying to make payroll and anyone tied into global supply chains is scrambling; it’s a good time to be working […]

What to Look for in a Private Equity Partner and When to Bring Them On For established and profitable companies, partnering with a private equity firm is more often than not a prudent move IF you can find the right partner.  Bringing on a private equity partner can provide substantial advantages including wealth diversification to […]

5 Ways Portfolio Companies Can Build Business Resilience As the impact of COVID-19 grows each day, companies not only have to ensure their employees are safe, informed and prepared, but must also plan for the turbulent road ahead in order to protect their businesses. Norwest leaders have been collaborating for the past several weeks to […]

Sergio Monsalve first met Udemy in 2014 and led Norwest’s investment shortly thereafter. Since then, he has been a board member for nearly five years. Over the years, Sergio and the team at Norwest have been impressed by the company’s growth as well as its impact on the lives of many instructors and students around the world. Today, […]

Even the most successful startup founders had to start somewhere—and that first step is overcoming the fear of failure. But it’s not just would-be founders who have to fight the fear—our CEO Journey Survey found 90 percent of CEOs and founders admit the fear of failure keeps them up at night more than any other concern. That’s […]

Global M&A hit a record high in Q1 of 2018, with over $1.2 trillion in deals—a 67% year-over-year increase. But with all the focus on going public, some companies may not be positioning themselves to be equally attractive for a merger or acquisition. As a CEO is busy building a company, M&A is usually not […]

Elizabeth Iorns founded Science Exchange to address the challenges she encountered as a cancer researcher. She needed to conduct immunology experiments while studying mechanisms of breast cancer development and progression at the University of Miami, but had difficulty finding collaborators and providers. She realized that the cumbersome process of outsourcing R&D, a $140 billion market that […]

Solving a Real Problem Josh Reeves likes to solve problems. So much so that he decided to build a startup that tackles some of the biggest problems in the world of HR such as payroll management and benefits. “We built a business to solve problems, not for our own sake,” said Josh, the CEO and […]

The history of M&A is filled with stories of young entrepreneurs with great intelligence—and great timing. These stories always start with an ambitious new player who aligned their strengths and exploited the new gap left in the market by the acquisition to grow and gain competitive advantage. Timing is always critical, especially in the current […]

Once your startup’s first product starts to resonate in the market and sales pick up some steam, you need to leverage every bit of that momentum to propel your company to the next level. At this point, some simple realignment to your compensation structure and sales cycle can reap huge dividends—the right timing and delivery […]

I have always been a big believer in brand: having one, building one and the value of one. Over the years, I have heard many different theories, best practices and strategies for growing a brand, but one in particular has fascinated me in terms of how quickly a household name can be born. Franchise concepts […]

We recently published an article in the Business Journal about capital efficiency. I take a deeper look at the subject in the below blog post.  To say there’s a lot of money available for tech entrepreneurs is an understatement. As startup valuations rise, founders often assume that everyone is raising as much money as possible […]

Earlier this month we announced our investment in Minted, an online crowdsourcing marketplace that connects consumers with the world’s best independent fine artists and designers. On the heels of that news, I’d like to share some thoughts I’ve put together on marketplace development and best practices.  I hope these articles are useful to you. Below […]

Norwest Venture Partners is an active investor within consumer Internet, particularly in ecommerce. Through our experience partnering with entrepreneurs to build companies, we have found that the most successful ecommerce companies reflect a few shared characteristics. Successful ecommerce companies are those that own their merchant category and have founding teams that understand their particular customer […]