All autopsies

// STARTUP COMPARISON

Bnext Chile vs Silicon Valley Bank

Bnext Chile failed in 2021 due to Ran Out of Money. Silicon Valley Bank failed in 2023 due to Unit Economics. Different causes, different sectors, different eras — but the same simulation outcome.

METRIC🔥 Bnext Chile🔥 Silicon Valley Bank
SectorFintechFintech
CountryChileUSA
Founded20191983
Died20212023
Raised€25M (Spanish parent)Public company (SIVB)
Peak30,000 users$209B assets
Primary CauseRan Out of MoneyUnit Economics

// WHY EACH FAILED

🔥 Bnext Chile
Ran Out of Money
Bnext, a Spanish neobank, expanded to Chile in 2019 as part of an ambitious Latin American expansion strategy. After reaching 30,000 users in Chile, the Spanish parent company faced its own funding crisis in 2020-2021 — unable to raise sufficient capital in the European neobank market. Bnext shut down its Chilean operation in 2021 to conserve capital and focus on Spain.
// LESSON
International expansion from an unfunded parent is not expansion — it is capital risk transfer to the local team and users. Before accepting a local leadership role in an international expansion, verify the parent's 24-month funding visibility.
🔥 Silicon Valley Bank
Unit Economics
Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in March 2023 after a bank run driven by duration mismatch. SVB had invested deposits in long-duration bonds during low-rate periods. When rates rose, those bonds lost value. SVB announced a $1.8B loss on bond sales and a capital raise — triggering a $42B bank run in 24 hours. The FDIC seized SVB on March 10, 2023 — the second-largest bank failure in US history.
// LESSON
Asset-liability duration matching is not optional for banks. Investing short-term deposits in long-term bonds is a structural bet against rising rates. SVB had $80B in long-duration bonds when the Fed began the fastest rate rise cycle in 40 years.

// IN THE SIMULATION

Bnext Chile triggers PARENT_FUNDING_CRISIS_CASCADES — the simulation models international expansion as creating capital exposure beyond what the parent can sustain if the parent's own fundraising fails. The most distant markets are closed first.

SVB triggers DURATION_MISMATCH_BANK_RUN — the simulation models banks with long-duration bond portfolios as having existential rate sensitivity. A 400bps rate rise on a long-duration portfolio creates mark-to-market losses that exceed capital when forced to sell.

// EXPLORE FURTHER