Devastating SVB collapse rattles tech industry: Roku, Etsy among hardest hit

New York, March 12

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has had a ripping effect across the US tech industry as many start-ups scramble to minimize the impact of its seizure by the federal government, the media reported.

SVB served a range of roles across the industry; it not only took startups' cash but also offered them venture debt and other loans while providing banking and lending money to venture capital firms. Its collapse is the largest bank failure since Washington Mutual in 2008.

SVB had reported banking 44 percent of 2022's venture-backed tech and healthcare IPOs, and 55 percent in 2021, Axios reported.

The sudden loss of access to its funds has left Silicon Valley reeling.

Roku said that SVB held 26 percent of its cash and cash equivalents - around $487 million - as of Friday, per its filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Roblox's said that SVB held around 5 percent of its $3 billion cash and securities balance as of February 28, 2023.

Space company Rocket lab USA reported that approximately 7.9 percent of its total cash — $38 million — was held at SVB as of December 31, 2022.

Vimeo's filing stated an account balance with SVB that totaled less than $250,000, which means it will be insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Etsy, the e-commerce company selling handmade and vintage items, has also been forced to delay vendor contract payments, Axios reported.

A spokesperson for Etsy said in a statement that the company is working "around the clock" to find a solution and intends to pay sellers via other payment partners in the next few days.

Some startup companies have also been forced to delay payroll due to the collapse.

Though most of these companies noted in their filings that they do not believe SVB's collapse will significantly hinder their operations, it remains unclear how much money they will be able to recover, Axios reported.

SVB executive, Jospeph Gentile, was a former executive of the Lehman Brothers' Global Investment Bank prior to the bank's public collapse in 2008, Fox Business reported.

Prior to joining SVB as Chief Administrative Officer, Gentile worked as Chief Financial Officer at Lehman Brothers' Global Investment Bank. Gentile left Lehman in 2007, just one year before it went bankrupt in 2008, Fox Business reported.

"You can't make this up," a Twitter user wrote as the internet erupted at the revelation.

"This is truly unusual," another user added.

"It's all starting to make sense now!" another wrote.

Prior to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FDIC) seizing control of SVB, the bank disclosed mounting losses, and shares plummeted more than 60 percent before being halted. The bank was in the middle of a liquidity crisis after announcing plans for a $1.25 billion stock sale with little interest.

According to the FDIC, SVB was among the top 20 American commercial banks, with $209 billion in total assets at the end of 2022, Fox Business reported.

This is the second-largest bank to close in the US since 2008. Lehman Brothers' Global Investment Bank was also impacted in the 2008 financial meltdown.

At the time of its collapse, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States with 25,000 employees worldwide. It had $639 billion in assets and $613 billion in liabilities.

--IANS