Bill Kirsch

Bill Kirsch, Managing Director, with 28 years of experience in venture lending, oversees all aspects of the firm's operations with particular emphasis on new company assessment and transaction structuring.

In 1986, Bill co-founded Costella Kirsch (CK) and pioneered the use of bank leverage to build a venture lease portfolio of over $350,000,000 in commitments to over 250 early-stage technology companies. Bill has recruited a strong team and developed streamlined systems and procedures to efficiently document and administer a large venture portfolio, enabling CK to focus its resources on the crucial task of deal assessment.

Prior to co-founding CK, Bill headed the western region leasing operation for Rolm Credit Corporation, the vendor-financing arm of Rolm Corporation, where he was the top-volume producer nationwide in 1984 and 1985. Before joining Rolm, he worked in the lease underwriting division of GATX Capital Corporation, structuring and negotiating large, tax-oriented leasing transactions.

Bill is a community activist, leading efforts to improve pedestrian safety and access in West Menlo Park and the adjoining business district through his work with the Alameda Streetscape Task Force and Sherman Avenue Working Group. As a lifetime bicycle commuter, he has a strong interest in promoting bicycle transportation and currently serves as Chairman of the Bicycle Commission for the City of Menlo Park.

Bill serves on the Board of Advisors for the Baker Institute, the epicenter for Lehigh University's entrepreneurship programs, and helped Baker establish LehighSiliconValley, a one-week intensive immersion into the start-up culture of Silicon Valley.  Bill holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and a BS with Honors in Accounting and Economics from Lehigh University.