Put the money in a money market fund backed by T-bills. Zero credit risk and easy access to cash.

> Was there any level of due diligence that could have warned people off of SVB?

Really no. A small business manager doesn't have time or expertise to read a bank's financial statements. SVB's did show serious problems but most businesses don't have the capacity to spot this.

But the answer to that is to not trust any bank for any long period when zero-risk options are available.

> Really no. A small business manager doesn't have time or expertise to read a bank's financial statements. SVB's did show serious problems but most businesses don't have the capacity to spot this.

But surely smart VCs with millions / billions invested are capable and have capacity to do this?

Yes. They could have purchased insurance for their excess deposits. Other large businesses do this as a matter of course.