OVP Venture Partners

OVP Venture Partners (originally Olympic Venture Partners) was one of the Pacific Northwest's pioneer early-stage venture capital firms, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, with an additional office in Portland, Oregon. Across nearly three decades of operation, OVP raised seven funds and managed more than $750 million in aggregate capital, led by Managing Directors Gerry Langeler, Chad Waite, and Bill Funcannon. The firm focused on information technology, software, digital media, communications, security, semiconductors, clean tech, and digital biology, with an emphasis on capital-efficient technology businesses in the western United States. OVP invested in approximately 102 companies across its history, generating 6 IPOs and 51 acquisitions. Early stakes in Qualcomm and Lam Research established the firm's track record. Later notable exits include NanoString Technologies (acquired by Bruker for $393 million in April 2024, OVP's most recent portfolio liquidity event), Cradlepoint, Fate Therapeutics, Aggregate Knowledge, Complete Genomics, Integrated Diagnostics, and RedSeal. The firm's seventh and final fund, OVP VII, was a $250 million 2006-vintage vehicle. In November 2012 OVP announced it would wind down and not raise an eighth fund, citing challenging fundraising conditions. OVP VII has since been liquidated. OVP Venture Partners is permanently closed to new investments. Its legacy portfolio has been fully managed to conclusion by the remaining partners, and the firm's track record stands as one of the most extensive in Pacific Northwest venture history, spanning four decades of technology investing and more than 50 successful exits across software, biotech, hardware, and communications.