sectors

Ventures West invests in three sectors. Our investment team has extensive networks and understands the technology, competitive landscape, and market dynamics in each sector.

biotechnology

We have been investing in biotech companies since 1984. The growth of the industry is being driven by a number of factors, including a high rate of scientific discovery, pharmaceutical company dynamics and an aging population. Our biotech team is interested in early stage biotech companies located in North America which are developing new therapeutics to treat an unmet medical need.

cleantech

We have been investing in cleantech since 1987 when we led the first venture investment in industry pioneer Ballard Power. The growth of the industry is being driven by growing awareness of climate change, a growing imbalance between demand and supply of natural resources and advances in new technologies. Our current investment focus is on solar power, solid-state lighting, geothermal, clean coal, and technologies that improve the efficiency of energy consumption.

communications

We have been investing in the Communications industry since 1978. We currently focus on investment opportunities that address the carriers' need to upgrade their networks to carry high bandwidth traffic, particularly video; applications and sub-systems that provide new revenue sources on wireless networks like location based systems and mobile TV applications; and emerging consumer applications and their supporting infrastructure, often enabled by advertising driven business models, that are targeted at the "always-on" user.