 Summit Partners was founded in 1984 by Stephen Woodsum and E. Roe Stamps, who had worked together at TA Associates and before that at First Chicago Investment Corporation (the predecessor of Madison Dearborn Partners).Woodsum and Stamps were joined shortly thereafter by Greg Avis, who would open the firm's California office in 1993 along with Walter Kortschak.In 2001, Summit Partners completed its management succession led by Bruce Evans, Walter Kortschak, Marty Mannion, Tom Roberts, and Joseph Trustey.