Jim Ellison


Jim Ellison is the head of Debt Platform and managing partner at SVB Capital, responsible for leading the investment and business operations. Jim has more than 30 years of experience originating, underwriting and managing portfolios of junior and senior secured debt instruments to venture capital–backed technology and life science startup, expansion and late-stage companies. Prior to his role at SVB Capital, Jim was the head of credit solutions for SVB where he was responsible for SVB’s commercial lending activity to companies within the technology sector as well as overseeing the bank’s syndications, technology sponsor finance, strategic capital, project finance and warehouse lending practices.

Before joining SVB, Jim was a managing director at Pearl Street Capital Group, an asset management firm that creates and manages venture capital (VC) debt and private equity (PE) fund investment vehicles. Prior to Pearl Street Capital Group, Jim was an organizer and chief banking officer of Square 1 Bank, where he was responsible for running the bank’s Technology and Life Science lending practice and served on the bank’s executive committee, credit committee and asset and liability committee. Jim was a founder and general partner of Escalate Capital Partners, a $495M private-structured finance firm, focused on providing senior and subordinated debt to expansion and late-stage companies in information technology and life science industry segments.

Prior to Escalate Capital, Jim was employed by Comerica Bank and its predecessor Imperial Bank as senior vice president and managing director of the Technology and Life Sciences Division, where he co-chaired the division’s credit committee. Before joining Imperial Bank, Jim spent six years with SVB, where he served as a founder and senior vice president of SVB’s National Accounts Division.

Jim graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a bachelor’s degree in finance.
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SVB Capital
Managing Partner

Expert Insights from Jim Ellison

SVB Capital Credit remains bullish

 
Jim Ellison