Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was founded in 1982; its first office opened in 1983. The bank’s main strategy was collecting deposits from businesses financed through venture capital. It then expanded into banking and financing venture capitalists themselves, and added services aimed at allowing the bank to keep clients as they matured from their startup phase.

Venture debt (including equipment leasing) made its first appearance in Europe  with Kreos (fka EVP), about 15 years after the very first venture capital firms investing into high tech companies emerged in the UK.