Description Palo Alto Venture Partners is a venture capital firm with $150 million in assets under management. The company typically invests in the first round of fundraising for companies wanting to go public. The firm targets startups developing technology for such industries as business automation, communications infrastructure, and mobile technology. Palo Alto Venture Partners was founded in 1996 by Neil Weintraut and Peter Ziebelman; current investments include database software firm Semagix, human resources software developer Employease, and contract management software provider Nextance.