Francisco Partners wants to be the patron saint of companies at a crossroads. The private equity firm invests in public and private technology companies that are past their start-up stage, but are at a transition point such as a management change or a merger. It works closely with venture capital firm Sequoia Capital to identify possible investment targets. Francisco Partners has raised more than $7 billion in committed capital; typical investments range from $50 million to $2 billion per transaction. Its portfolio includes stakes in some 65 companies such as Barracuda, Paymetric, and WebTrends, with more than 75 follow-on acquisitions. Francisco Partners was founded in 1999.