They wanted to be differentiated from their stodgy, conservative competitors, which we were happy to do.
Most banks don't specialize, they do everything. Everyone was jumping on the high-tech bandwagon, but many had little experience with it. Thomas Weisel Partners wanted to make sure that people knew that this was their bailiwick.
TWP wanted to target young, aggressive investors willing to take a risk, or two. The benefits are the rewards of such a venture.