1. In what types of companies does Sierra Ventures invest?
Sierra Ventures invests in all types of technology companies, including enterprise software, Internet and web applications, software-as-a-service, security, mobile applications, telecommunications, semiconductors, hardware systems, components and subsystems, storage, and energy companies.

2. In what geographies does Sierra Ventures invest?
Sierra Ventures is a global firm and invests in many different geographies, including North America, Europe, China and India. Two-thirds of our current portfolio companies are located outside of the San Francisco Bay Area.

3. When does Sierra Ventures typically invest in a company?
Sierra Ventures invests in every stage of a company's lifecycle, from seed to growth.

4. What amount does Sierra Ventures invest in a company?
Sierra Ventures' initial investment is typically $2 million to $25 million. Over the life of a company, Sierra invests from $5 to $35 million. Sierra also makes seed-stage investments of $500,000 to $2 million in selected companies.

5. How should I approach Sierra Ventures about investing in my company?
The best way to approach Sierra Ventures about investing in your company is by personally contacting one of our investment professionals. Many of Sierra Ventures' investments are made in companies that were referred to us by Sierra Limited Partners, existing portfolio company executives, lawyers, accountants, bankers, or other professionals. Therefore, if you know someone with whom we have an existing relationship, please have them contact us! If you can't find a personal connection with someone at Sierra, you should submit your executive summary or investor presentation to us at info@sierraventures.com.

6. What type of information should I provide to Sierra Ventures?
The first step in presenting your company to Sierra Ventures is an executive summary or investor presentation. The summary or presentation should describe your company's product or service, the backgrounds of the founders and management team, the target market, competition, the business strategy, the company's history, the current capital structure, the historical and forecasted financials and the financing required. You can then send that to us at info@sierraventures.com.

7. Who are Sierra Ventures' investors?
Sierra Ventures' investors include established financial institutions, university endowments, and pension funds. They also include prominent individual investors, most of whom are founders, executives, or board members of technology companies.

8. After I send in a business plan, how long will it be before I hear from
Sierra Ventures?
Sierra Ventures receives thousands of business plans each year. Therefore, an investment professional will contact you only if your business meets our initial criteria review. This can take up to four to six weeks from receipt of the executive summary or investor presentation.

9. Once I am contacted by Sierra Ventures, what is the next step?
When a company's business meets our criteria, a Sierra Ventures investment professional will contact you and we will initiate the due diligence process. While our investors frequently make their investment decisions quickly, the due diligence process is complex and can take four to six weeks to complete. This process includes meetings between your company's management team and the Sierra investment team, an analysis of the market, a review of the company's competitors, reference checks on the management team, and customer reference calls.

After the due diligence process is complete, Sierra's managing directors meet to make an investment decision. We require consensus among the managing directors that an investment is attractive before we make an investment. Once we decide to invest, the ensuing legal process generally takes another four weeks to complete before we make our initial investment.

10. Does Sierra Ventures have any legal obligation with respect to the business plans that are submitted?
Sierra Ventures has no obligation to protect or preserve the information contained within a submitted business plan. In the absence of a definitive agreement executed by Sierra Ventures, no legal obligation of any kind or nature is created by the submission of a business plan. Accordingly, please act carefully in deciding to include any sensitive or confidential information in your plan as Sierra Ventures will have no obligation to maintain the confidentiality of the information and will be under no restriction with respect to such information.