About

About Me

Paul Inouye was born in San Francisco, grew up in San Carlos, and is one of three brothers. Nowadays, he is staying in Portola Valley, California. He attended Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, UC Berkeley, and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania for my MBA.

His hobbies include cycling, running, swimming, CrossFit exercise, travel, skiing, '80s music, EDM, '80s'80s movies, reading, military history, and fantasy football. He played high school and collegiate Rugby and completed The Vineman Ironman, the Vineman Half Ironman, the Hawaiin Half Ironman, and the San Francisco, Avenue of the Giants, and Portola Valley, California.

He has worked for over 30 years in west coast technology banking. He has strong domain knowledge, deep insights into strategic and financial buyers, well-honed negotiating skills, and extensive knowledge of the M&A process. His focus in his career has been in M&A transactions for both software and internet tech businesses, and, like many of my clients, he is an entrepreneur in running his own M&A boutique.

He understands how hard it is to grow a business successfully, so he is very motivated to ensure that he gets successful outcomes for his clients, who have spent many years working hard to build great companies., having worked at Robertson Stephens, Morgan Stanley, Piper Jaffray, Lehman Brothers, Perella Weinberg, and Moelis & Company. He is the father of two children, Miles and Sutton.

Western Hills Partners is named after the foothills of the mountain range that runs along the Peninsula in the Bay Area. His home office looks directly at these beautiful hills overshadowing Silicon Valley, and he often rides or hikes up these hills in his spare time.

The idea for the firm comes from his early roots in banking at Robertson Stephens, where he worked with the early entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley. While he also spent time as a senior banker at bulge bracket firms working with the most prominent tech players in the Valley, his true professional passion has always been in advising vibrant tech founders and entrepreneurs to build their businesses.

He has been featured in Sportztalk, where he shares his tips for training and preparing for your first marathon. He isn't just a founder and CEO; he has many hobbies and interests and regularly competes in marathons and Ironman races. In addition to staying active, he embraces the idea of pushing himself. He is here to share his advice and top tips with us. A marathon is still possible even if you've never run a mile.

In other recent news, Paul Inouye has been featured in YahooFinance, sharing his expert advice on preparing your Software Business for an Upcoming Sale. He offers insight on how to best prepare for a successful M&A transaction. His recent conversation provided insights into software and SAAS businesses' processes to ensure a smooth and successful M&A sale.

He says it is essential to be positive and proactive in positioning the business: "As the company leader, your approach towards the merger will rub off on everyone else involved," warns him. "It is also important to take a hands-on approach to the process, including being highly involved in its positioning, articulating its value proposition, competitive advantages, and key business highlights, in working closely with your advisor."

He says entrepreneurs need to choose a banker they trust. "You are going to depend on this investment banker to take you through this complex process," he stated. "Choose a banker with industry experience to help you get the highest possible price. A great banker will also help you avoid the common risks of selling a business. You need an expert knowledgeable with core business and financial due diligence requirements."

He also says owners should look at the size of the deals the investment banker handles before going with that professional or firm. "You want to pick a firm that frequently handles deals your size," he says. "Choosing a firm used to large deals where your deal is the smallest might mean being pushed to the bottom of the priority list. If you choose a company used to smaller deals than the one you are working on, they might not be prepared to handle what you are after. A great firm will have the right team to handle your company, putting you in inattentive and capable hands,"

His day is highly varied, one of the things he loves most about his profession. A single day may consist of a 2-hour client call, making outbound marketing calls to buyers or prospective new clients, reviewing a critical due diligence-related analytical analysis and work, and collaborating with colleagues on a live project. In addition, he often researches an industry or a business or creates new pitch materials for a project on a given day. Each activity requires a unique and distinct skill that energizes me intellectually.

Paul Inouye's key to a productive day is to keep a very organized calendar that allocates discrete, dedicated time slots to complete each day's critical agenda items. He ends each day by reviewing the next day's agenda and meetings and adjusting his calendar to accommodate any new meetings or essential tasks. Then, throughout the day, he keeps a tracking sheet of items that require follow-up and uses that to plan his subsequent workweek. While a bit old-school and rote at times, he says that he has personally found his method to be highly effective and helpful.

Portfolio

Paul Inouye Portfolio