Thoughts on Vector / STG Partners

Looking to recruit for value-oriented tech shops in the Bay Area next year and wanted to get some more insight on Vector Capital / STG Partners. Would appreciate any insight on reputation, culture, comp, and career track.

 

Vector is solid. One of the few PE shops that focuses on special situations / distressed investments in the tech space, and has done really well as a result. Super aggressive investment team with some big recent deal/exits (Aspect, Corel, Cheetah, etc). Great reputation in the space, I've heard they have associates / incoming associates from top groups at evercore, JPM, qatalyst, etc. Friend who worked there spoke highly of the culture, but I've heard the team is quite intense.

Can't speak to STG much. They're a bit smaller than Vector but also have a solid reputation. Much more of a traditional PE approach though, compared to Vector's more explicit value-oriented model.

 
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Both are value shops. Vector operates in distressed too whereas STG doesn't usually go full distressed. STG also focuses on software and will look more internationally.

In the past STG was mostly funded by their founder - he has since left and they're raising outside money these days.

Culture at STG is pretty decent. Smart partners and it's in Palo Alto next to Stanford's campus. Most associates live in SF and work from home 1-2 days a week given the commute.

Vector is a tough shop and their founder has a reputation in the Bay Area. Worth asking headhunters (who don't cover them) about it. It's a grind, but their assocaites usually do pretty well after with business school, etc. Has been some turnover there recently.

 

Had interactions with both firms during my BB and MF days and intimately familiar with their portfolios. Those were some of the most negative experiences I've had and I would consider them amongst the best performing shops that are awful to work for.

Most reputable, large shops that buy Vector PortCos have an explicit policy to spend several times more money during diligence than typical to hire teams of highly specialized advisors focused on every aspect of their data, technology and other aspects of their core operations to figure out where the value-driving dirt and skeletons are. It's also staffed with awful people. STG has wonderful top level people but their mid-level staff are notoriously awful. These should be your firms of last resort that you interview at on days 3/4/5 of the cycle when you strike out on higher quality names on days 0/1/2.

 

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