05/14/2025
Citizens Private Bank Empowers Founder Community with New Offering: Citizens for Startups
Citizens redefines Private Banking for the next generation of innovators with tailored solutions and exclusive benefits
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (May 14, 2025) – Eligible early-stage founders will have access to customized banking solutions and deep expertise tailored to their unique needs through a new offering unveiled by Citizens today. This offering, “Citizens for Startups,” provides access to dedicated startup bankers, curated resources and extraordinary service to support every stage of the startup growth journey, enabling founders to concentrate on scaling their ventures.
“Founders today face a dynamic environment, and Citizens for Startups stands out as a true differentiator revolutionizing the industry’s approach to banking early-stage entrepreneurs,” said Sam Heshmati, Head of Emerging VC and Innovation Banking at Citizens Private Bank. “With a proven track record of working closely with VC firms and venture-backed startups from inception to exit and beyond, Citizens’ bankers serve as trusted partners to help founders navigate complex financial challenges and scale effectively. Unlike other firms who prefer to work only with later-stage startups, Citizens is dedicated to the holistic growth journey, particularly in the early stages when support is crucial, and is committed to harnessing the full power of the bank to bolster the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Each client will be served by a dedicated relationship management team committed to being their single point of contact and creating a personalized banking experience best suited to their unique needs and preferences. Additionally, Citizens for Startups will provide founders with access to unique networking opportunities, as well as specialized offers, including three years of business banking, access to personal banking solutions for founders and more.
This latest offering highlights Citizens’ commitment to serving the innovation economy as an end-to-end solution. Citizens Private Bank partners closely with the enterprise’s Commercial Bank, Investment Bank and Wealth Management services to support the next generation of creators, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Citizens Private Bank serves clients nationwide with a presence in key markets, including Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Southern California, New York, Boston and Palm Beach, by providing holistic, high-touch client service to high-net-worth individuals, families and businesses. In addition to deep expertise in innovation banking, venture capital and private equity, Citizens Private Bank specializes in private family foundations, non-profits, multifamily and commercial real estate, life sciences and more.
About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $220.1 billion in assets as of March 31, 2025. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,100 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on X, LinkedIn or Facebook.
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