Silicon Valley Bank oral history panel : Robert W. Medearis and Roger V. Smith
Catalog Number
102739977
Type
Text
Date
2014-11-11
Contributor
Medearis, Robert W., Panelist
Smith, Roger V., Panelist
Smith, Stephen, Moderator
Publisher
Computer History Museum
Place of Publication
Mountain View, California
Extent
42 p.
Description
Founders of Silicon Valley Bank tell why and how they started a bank that changed the world for entrepreneurial companies.
Roger Smith, Bob Medearis, and Bill Biggerstaff (1919–2010) came together in the early 1980s around the idea of creating a commercial bank that would be designed to gather deposits and lend money to early stage venture backed companies to support their growth. The bank they created added greatly to the financing opportunities for these companies. In turn, this financing helped to stimulate the remarkable explosion of successful new companies in Silicon Valley. Roger and Bob tell their personal story as well as the struggles and successes they encountered in the first 10 years of building this remarkable banking institution.
Category
Transcription
Subject
commercial banking; Silicon Valley Bank; Smith, Roger; Medearis, Bob; Biggerstaff, Bill; Sonsini, Larry; lending; venture-backed companies; Venture Capital
