Summit Partners is a principal investment firm specializing in later stage venture capital, private equity, and mezzanine debt financings. The firm seeks to invest in growth capital, recapitalization transactions, divestitures, management buyouts, spin-off transactions, and shareholder liquidity. It seeks to invest in software, communications technology and services, semiconductors and electronics, Internet and information services, energy, media and entertainment, business services, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, industrial products, consumer products, and other growth industries. The firm prefers to invest in private companies based in North America, Europe, and Asia. It seeks to make private equity investments between $25 million and $450 million; venture capital investments between $5 million and $25 million; and mezzanine debt financing of up to $70 million in conjunction with equity investment. The firm seeks to invest between $5 million and in excess of $500 million per company in a combination of equity and subordinated debt funds. It prefers to be a lead or sole investor and can act as a minority investor or controlling stakeholder in its portfolio companies. The firm seeks to take a board seat and prefers to be a first institutional investor in its portfolio companies. Summit Partners was founded in 1984 by Mr. Gregory M. Avis, Mr. E. Roe Stamps, IV, and Mr. Stephen G. Woodsum and is based in Boston, Massachusetts with additional offices in Palo Alto, California and London, United Kingdom.