Bindi Karia, Microsoft's 'queen of start-ups', joins Silicon Valley Bank UK

14 November 2012 | 1205 views | 0 Source: Silicon Valley Bank

Silicon Valley Bank, financial partner to the technology, life science, cleantech, private equity and venture capital industries, today announces a significant new appointment, as Bindi Karia joins the Bank's UK Branch to lead its efforts in the early stage "Accelerator" space.

Bindi Karia, currently the Venture Capital/Emerging Business Lead at Microsoft UK, will begin the newly created role in January 2013, reporting into Phil Cox, Head of EMEA & India and President of the Bank's UK Branch.

Commenting on the new appointment, Phil Cox, today said: "This new appointment demonstrates Silicon Valley Bank's commitment to the UK technology scene. Bindi is extremely well connected within the industry and we are delighted to have her on board to drive our growth efforts for new banking clients in the Accelerator space. Bindi's knowledge and enthusiasm for the emerging ecosystem of entrepreneurs and investors will be a tremendous asset to our business."

As the VC/Emerging Business Lead for Microsoft UK and the UK representative of the Silicon Valley Emerging Business Team, Bindi led BizSpark and BizSpark One in the UK for close to five years, where she focused on driving Microsoft's success in the early-stage technology market. Bindi is also accustomed to working alongside the UK investor community, sitting on many Advisory Boards, including Seedcamp, Astia, EVCA - Digital Agenda Task Force, SVC2UK CEO Day, and BCS Entrepreneurs.

"As a commercial bank that is focused solely on the innovation space and entrepreneurs, Silicon Valley Bank's offering is entirely unique in the UK market. I am excited to join the team and relish the opportunity to continue to support emerging technology businesses. This is, of course, where my passion lies and I cannot wait to join the team and share my vision to drive the business forward," said Bindi Karia commenting on her appointment.

Bindi is well recognised for her work with emerging companies and entrepreneurs: Wired UK Top 100 Digital Power Broker list from 2010 - 2012, Women of the Year Awards list, 2012 Girls in Tech Euro 100 Women's list, one of the Six Most Connected Women in the UK by the IoD in 2011, and a finalist for Asian Business Woman of the Year in the 2010 AWA Awards. She was also given a special mention in the 2010 TechCrunch Europas Awards as Best Startup Advisor/Mentor of the Year, and re-nominated in 2011.