Before co-founding Founders Circle, Ken Loveless spent 15 years at Silicon Valley Bank, where he built a system for ranking top private tech companies and a service to help founders get cash from their stock before an IPO—like the time he helped a fast-growing CEO use illiquid shares to buy a family home while staying focused on going public—and he's credited with shaping the vision behind Founders Circle's services, which typically hold onto shares through the IPO rather than selling early. He also brings a banker's eye to lending, once advising companies not to take on debt above 15% of their operating expenses after planning for layoffs.