Joe Sweeny

Joe Sweeny is an associate for SVB’s Early Stage Practice in Boston, where he manages the bank’s portfolio of seed-stage companies. In this role, he develops relationships between the bank and game-changing startups in the Boston area. Once these breakthrough companies become clients, Joe is devoted to connecting them to the talent, customers and investors that can help them accelerate. Joe especially thrives on his close partnerships with founders, as these connections give him firsthand insights into technologies and business models being developed at the earliest stages in every arena, from virtual reality and biotech to enterprise SaaS. 

While Joe’s understanding of the startup scene is broad in scope, frontier tech is a notable passion, as it particularly spotlights his background and interests. Prior to joining SVB, Joe served on the technical research team at Lux Research (a spinout of Lux Capital), where he covered the digital health and consumer devices sectors. Earlier in his career, Joe worked with startups at incubators Harlem Biospace and New Orleans BioInnovation Center. Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering and biomedical engineering from Tulane University, New Orleans.

Joe volunteers as a mentor for BUILD Greater Boston, an organization that uses entrepreneurship to spark interest in youth from under-resourced communities and propel them to high school, college and career success. In 2019, Joe’s team of five high school students, “Fashion Tie,” took second place in the organization’s pitch competition, winning $1,000 from investors, including Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank. Free time in winter finds Joe heading to popular snowboarding destinations both near and far.