Computer History Museum

Silicon Valley Bank oral history panel : Robert W. Medearis and Roger V. Smith

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.

Item Details

Date
2014-11-11 (Made)
Type
Document
Catalogue number
102739977
Organization
Computer History Museum (Publisher)
People
Robert W. Medearis (Panelist)
Roger V. Smith (Panelist)
Stephen Smith (Moderator)
Category
Transcript
Credit line
Computer History Museum
Extent
42 p.
Place of publication
USA/CA/Mountain View
Language
English
Acquisition number
X7274.2015
Subject
Venture Capital
Archive collection
Oral history collection
Archive hierarchy
Silicon Valley 360 : Silicon Valley Bank