Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. announced that in response to the unprecedented demand for venture debt, the company has expanded its operations.

“This is a very exciting time for our company,” said Manuel A. Henriquez, co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Hercules. “Over the years, venture debt has become an accepted and, at times, critical part of a company’s financing mix as entrepreneurs understand its benefits and role alongside that of existing venture capital. Hercules is one of the oldest, most experienced and trusted providers of venture debt, having completed more than $3.9 billion in commitments to over 250 companies since Hercules’ founding less than a decade ago. We are experiencing very strong demand for venture debt and, as a result, we believe we have a significant opportunity to continue to thoughtfully and strategically expand our operations while continuing to manage our ‘slow and steady’ growth strategy of deploying capital.”

Recently, Hercules opened an office in New York City and expanded its originations team in McLean, VA and Palo Alto, CA.

A total of five new managing directors and one principal have joined the firm:

• Anup Arora, Managing Director, Life Science Group, New York, NY – Arora has over 14 years of consulting, operations and investing experience in healthcare companies. He was previously with Easton Capital where he was involved in numerous venture capital investments in young life sciences companies. Prior to that, Arora was in global marketing at Pfizer and before that was a strategy consultant with Strategic Decisions Group. He also spent two years engaged in biomedical research at Stanford Medical School;
• Forbes Burtt, Managing Director, Special Opportunity Lower Middle Market Group, New York, NY – Burtt has over 25 years of transaction experience both as a principal and as an investment banker. Most recently, Burtt was a managing director at Bryant Park Capital. Previously, he was a partner and head of business development at Laurus Capital Management, a hedge fund focused on providing lower middle-market companies with creative debt capital solutions. He began his career at Drexel Burnham Lambert;
• Paul Edwards, Managing Director, Life Science Group, Palo Alto, CA – Edwards has over 23 years of diverse operational experience including fund raising, business development, marketing and equity investing in both large public and small private medical device companies. Previously, Edwards led business development and financing at IntegenX. Before that, he was a principal at Latteral Venture Partners. Edwards also held senior positions at Boston Scientific, Medtronic, SurModics, the University of Minnesota Office of Patents and Technology, and SmithKline Beecham;
• Mark Modica, Managing Director, Technology Group, McLean, VA – With over 25 years of experience, Modica has raised capital using both debt and equity, worked with over 50 venture capital firms and has taken several companies public. Previously, Modica was the CFO at Pivot3 and prior to that served as the CFO for several technology companies including Digital Sandbox (acquired by Haystax), and Digital Bridge Communications. He has also served as the CEO and co-founder of CyberCFO, was a partner at Avansis Ventures, and he has served on the boards of multiple technology companies;
• Daniel Holman, Managing Director, Technology Group, Palo Alto, CA – With over 15 years of experience in operations and structured finance, Holman joined Hercules from Box.com, a leader in the emerging Cloud-based, Enterprise Content Management market. Before that, he was a partner at Western Technology Investment where he worked on more than 50 venture debt transactions. Earlier, Holman was at salesforce.com and prior to that spent six years as an officer in the U.S. Navy SEALs; and,
• John Doyle, Principal, Energy Technology & Renewables Group, Palo Alto, CA – Doyle was most recently with Silver Lake Kraftwerk, a growth-stage venture capital firm focused on energy and resources. He was previously the Lead Associate for Business and Financial Services at Hyde Park Angels and Hyde Park Venture Partners, the University of Chicago-affiliated angel group and venture capital arm. Before that, he founded and led the business development effort at Fountain Partners, a San Francisco-based venture leasing firm.

“Every one of our new team members has significant depth of experience in their respective sectors, and it is precisely this knowledge that is most attractive to the companies we work with,” said Henriquez. “The entrepreneurs and VCs we speak with on a daily basis know that they are working with people who not only understand their industry, but who also understand the growth process these companies are going through, both the highs and the lows. They know that we will be there for them every step of the way and are committed to seeing them reach each critical milestone in their development.”

Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. is a leading specialty finance company focused on providing senior secured loans to venture capital-backed companies in technology-related markets, including technology, biotechnology, life science and energy and renewables technology industries, at all stages of development. Since inception (December 2003), Hercules has committed more than $3.9 billion to over 250 companies and is the lender of choice for entrepreneurs and venture capital firms seeking growth capital financing.