Paul Inouye is currently the CEO and Founder of Western Hills Partners. His firm focuses on the software, Internet, and technology sectors, similar to his historic coverage at previous firms that Mr. Inouye has worked at. Previous to starting his own firm in 2020, one of the previous positions that he held was with Moelis & Company. Here is a bit more about that specific role.
In 2012, Paul Inouye Was Hired As the Managing Director For Moelis & Company
Moelis & Company is a global independent investment bank. The company focuses primarily on providing strategic financial advice to global clients across all major industry groups, including Media, Technology, and the Internet. In 2012, the company announced that it had hired Paul Inouye as a new Managing Director in its Palo Alto offices. Mr. Inouye’s over 20 years of experience in investment banking in Silicon Valley and coverage of the technology and internet sectors made him a strong candidate for the position.
The Responsibilities Paul Inouye Had With Moelis & Company
Paul Inouye’s role as a Managing Director at Moelis & Company included coverage of the software and internet sectors. At the time that he took this position, many media companies and investors were acquiring or putting money into the Internet sector. This industry was growing and active, but it was also still relatively new. Hence, buyers and investors were unfamiliar with all the startup companies in the sector or which businesses were the most strategically valuable and well-positioned. Mr. Inouye was able to help identify which companies were the most strategically valuable and help structure and negotiate transactions between those buyers and sellers.
How Moelis & Company Shaped Paul Inouyes’ Future
Given the strong media practice at Moelis & Company, Paul Inouye benefitted from its network of clients and insights into their core strategic priorities in helping find buyers for the sell-side work he focused on at the firm. After he left his position with Moelis & Company, he moved on to becoming a partner with Union Square Advisor, where he continued to focus on the software and internet sectors and leverage the insights he gained at Moelis & Company. After being a partner for five years at Union Square Advisors, he then made the decision to start his firm, Western Hills Partners, which he started in February 2020.
Paul Inouye loves his current job, working as the Founder and CEO of Western Hills Partners. This decision to start his own company was born from the experience and exposure from the work he did with several technology-based investment banks in Silicon Valley, including Moelis & Company. These firms helped him gain the skills, expertise, and reputation to be able to start up his own business successfully. While his former role at Moelis & Company started close to a decade ago, Mr. Inouye will also be grateful for the opportunity to work for this highly respected firm and the skills he gained during his time with them.