Innovation Banking
The Smarter Banking Choice for Growing Innovation Companies®
The Western Alliance Innovation Banking Group takes an entrepreneurial approach, providing financial solutions to companies nationwide in a variety of innovation sectors.
With a strong track record and staying power in helping innovation companies with their banking needs for more than 20 years, our industry know-how can unlock funding to fuel your company’s momentum, at any stage, from inception to IPO and beyond.
You’ll benefit by choosing us because as your company matures, you’ll work with one banker who understands precisely what your business needs — and have access to our senior and executive leadership for added insight.
Let’s discuss how we can help you grow.
Empowering Entrepreneurs to Thrive1
Visionary entrepreneurs take substantial risks, disrupt the status quo and drive the future growth of the economy. Our deep understanding of entrepreneurship stems from being entrepreneurs ourselves.
We work with today’s innovators and tomorrow’s world-changers to understand the nuances you must navigate. Then we work together with you to provide custom-built banking and financing solutions to empower your success in any economy, whether booming or challenging.
- You’ll know your banker: No matter your company’s life stage or the sophistication of your needs, you’ll work with one innovation banking contact who knows your business and your accounts inside out.
- Solutions from startup to IPO and beyond: We provide debt and credit products for all the stages of your company’s growth. You will work with the same banking contact at every phase of your business. Our services grow with you.
- Industry expertise: We support leading and challenger brands in enterprise software, consumer tech, hardware, life science and other industries.
- Treasury Management solutions: We work with you to leverage cash management tools and provide guidance to maximize your liquidity, free up working capital and quickly send and receive payments. We have the banking products to meet your needs for the entire lifecycle of your business.
- Global Markets Services: Our team can help you manage your foreign currency receivables and payables today and hedge future exposures. With multi-currency accounts, commercial letter of credit services, standby letters of credit or the use of interest rate swaps and caps, we can help you mitigate global exposures and risk.
The Network of Resources We Offer
Western Alliance is deeply rooted in the business community, and highly networked with firms throughout the country that provide venture capital and private equity to companies seeking the financial resources to grow.
With our strong performance history, we know what it takes to maintain growth. We work alongside our clients to provide tailored solutions, industry insights and resources to achieve desired growth. We collaborate with a wide range of investors on deals of all sizes to deliver solutions for growth capital, mergers and acquisitions, corporate buyouts and IPOs.
Relationships with Western Alliance go beyond banking. We also connect our clients to a trusted network of VCs, accountants, lawyers and other partners to cultivate opportunities and manage all facets of business.
Lending Solutions at Any Stage of Your Business
It’s not just the full range of financial products we offer that make us unique, but rather it’s the way we custom-tailor innovation finance solutions to your unique situation that make Western Alliance Bank different than any other financial resource. Whether you need venture debt, a new revolving line of credit or an asset-based lending solution, we have the capacity and tools to make it happen. It’s all part of our commitment to building relationships that go way beyond financial transactions.
- Recurring Revenue Lines of Credit: As your business grows, establishing a flexible revolving line of credit based on a multiple of monthly recurring revenue can supplement your working capital needs.
- Growth Capital: When it comes to time to expand operations, enter new markets, obtain equipment financing or finance an acquisition, we work with you to determine the right solution to secure the needed growth capital allowing you to continue to grow.
- Asset-Based Lending: Our asset-based lending solutions leverage accounts receivable or inventory to provide you with the financing to meet your working capital requirements.
- Commercial Credit Cards: No matter the stage of your company, we can work with you to issue individual corporate credit cards allowing for effective control of corporate purchases, travel and entertainment expenses.
Venture Debt to Extend Your Runway
For venture-backed companies, our venture debt term loans can help extend your runway and be a valuable financing option to supplement venture capital for growing companies. Our bankers can advise you on the many benefits of venture debt after an equity round.
- Preserves ownership: Venture debt offers economic upside for investors, founders and employees as the least dilutive financing option.
- Extends your company's cash runway: Venture debt funding extends runway, providing additional time for your company to reach value milestones prior to the next equity round.
- Fund projects leading to growth: Use venture debt to hire or bolster a sales team, enhance marketing initiatives, invest in research and development or buy capital equipment.
When venture capital investments have taken your company far, but you still have further to go, venture debt can make that initial capital more efficient. We work with growing innovation and life sciences companies across the country. No matter your company's stage of growth, you'll benefit by working with an expert relationship manager who knows your business and accounts inside out.
- Long-term support working directly with one primary banking contact who will provide sophisticated banking services to meet your company's evolving needs.
- Lower cost of capital to fund operations to scale quickly and accelerate growth.
- Flexibility to structure an extended draw period to have the funds when needed.
When You Need a Banker, Not Just a Bank
Our Innovation Banking Group serves innovation hubs across the nation and is comprised of expert bankers who understand the business banking tools and solutions innovation entrepreneurs and startups need throughout all stages of the growth cycle.
Recent Deals
Our team’s expertise spans the U.S. and across technology industries:
San Diego, CA
Mountain View, CA
Boise, ID
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
Boston, MA
Alpharetta, MA
Los Angeles, CA
Seattle, WA
Our History
In 2001, a group of entrepreneurial bankers founded Bridge Bank as a nimble Silicon Valley startup. The organization originally catered to high-growth innovation, tech and life sciences companies, founders and venture capital funds — a focus that has carried through to today.
In 2015, Western Alliance acquired Bridge Bank as a key division of the top-performing national bank, focused on commercial, tech and innovation banking.
In late 2025, Bridge Bank unified under the Western Alliance Bank brand, along with five other divisions. Now known as the Innovation Banking Group of Western Alliance Bank, the group maintains its specialized approach to serving the entrepreneurial community through tailored innovation, startup banking, life sciences and fund banking solutions.
Today, the Innovation Banking Group serves clients from offices in key innovation hubs across the U.S., including the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Denver, Austin, Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta.
1. All offers of credit are subject to credit approval, satisfactory legal documentation, and regulatory compliance. Borrowers are responsible for any appraisal and environmental fees plus customary closing costs, including title, escrow, documentation fees and may be responsible for any bank fees including bridge loan, construction loan, and packaging fees.