Camp toy store pleads for help after Silicon Valley Bank collapse
By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN
A toy company based in New York has gotten caught up in the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and is pleading with customers for help keeping it afloat.
Camp, a venture-backed retailer, sent an email to customers Friday announcing it was slashing prices and would use sales to help fund its continued operations after much of its money was tied up in the bank failure.
“Unfortunately, we had most of our company’s cash assets at a bank which just collapsed. I’m sure you’ve heard the news,” co-founder Ben Kaufman said in an email to customers.
He urged customers to use the code “BANKRUN” to save 40% off all merchandise, in an apparent nod to the run on the bank that may have helped bring down the Silicon Valley lender. Camp also said customers could pay full price, which it said would be appreciated.
Kaufman said the company was “hopeful that this will be resolved soon.”
CNN has not confirmed if Camp had funds with Silicon Valley Bank when the bank collapsed.
Silicon Valley Bank was put under control of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on Friday, capping off a stunning 48 hour period during which fears of a liquidity crisis at the firm prompted some startups to weigh withdrawing funds.
The sudden collapse of the Silicon Valley lender has pushed tech investors and startups to scramble to figure out their financial exposure to the bank, with founders worrying about getting their money out, making payroll and covering operating expenses.
The rapidly unfolding fallout at Silicon Valley Bank comes at a challenging moment for startup and tech industries. Rising interest rates have eroded the easy access to capital that helped fuel soaring startup valuations and funded ambitious, money-losing projects.
Kaufman, a former BuzzFeed executive, founded Camp in 2018. It has nine stores in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Texas.
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