Samir Kaji is a seasoned finance professional with over 13 years of experience in the venture capital and private equity domains. Currently, he serves as the Senior Managing Director at First Republic Bank, leading the bank's efforts in venture capital, private equity, and tech banking. With a particular focus on early-stage venture capital, Samir has worked with Micro-VC and seed/Series A start-ups in his career.

Previously, Samir spent 13 years at Silicon Valley Bank, working in various capacities. Initially, he provided early-stage growth capital and working capital financing to venture and non-Venture backed software and hardware companies of all stages. Companies like LinkedIn, Aruba Networks, Meraki, Yodlee, and Shutterfly were some of his successful clients.

In his last few years at Silicon Valley Bank, Samir was part of the senior leadership team in the venture group. He worked with venture capital and private equity firms like Sequoia Capital, Francisco Partners, Lightspeed Partners, IVP, Formation8 Partners, Venrock, and Founders Fund. Over the years, Samir has completed over $5.0B in debt transactions with 500+ companies/firms.

Samir has a bachelor's degree in finance from San Jose State University and an MBA in finance from Santa Clara University. He is also a Kauffman Fellow, where he studied venture capital.

As a professional with experience in venture capital, private equity, banking, and finance, Samir's expertise lies in all aspects of lending to venture capital and private equity firms and portfolio companies. From growth capital financing to asset-based financing to venture/PE fund financing, Samir has helped several companies acquire financing. He also provides consulting services to companies seeking to acquire financing, whether through debt or equity.