Hercules Capital Sets New Record with All-Time High New Debt and Equity Commitments

Key Terms

debt and equity commitments financial

Debt and equity commitments are formal promises by banks, investors or other parties to provide funding to a company either as a loan (debt) or by buying ownership stakes (equity). Think of them like a pre-approved loan or a pledge from an investor to buy shares when the company needs money; they matter to investors because they determine how a company will be financed, affect future cash flow obligations, ownership dilution and financial risk.

direct lending financial

Direct lending is when investors or investment funds lend money straight to companies instead of those companies borrowing from traditional banks. It matters to investors because it can offer higher interest income than public bonds or bank deposits, much like lending money to a neighbor for a premium, but it also carries greater credit risk and lower liquidity since the loans are often private and harder to sell.

portfolio companies financial

Portfolio companies are the businesses that an investor or investment firm has bought shares in or provided funding to; think of them as the items in an investor’s shopping cart. Their performance—growth, profits, or losses—directly affects the investor’s returns and the overall risk of the investor’s collection of investments, so monitoring each company helps gauge potential gains and vulnerabilities.

underwriting standards financial

Guidelines that lenders, insurers, or securities underwriters use to decide which deals to approve and on what terms; they set the criteria for acceptable borrowers, loans, insurance policies, or securities offerings. Like a shopkeeper deciding which customers to trust and what price to charge, these standards determine how much risk a firm accepts and influence loan availability, interest rates, or deal pricing—factors that affect credit markets, company financing, and investor returns.

liquidity financial

Liquidity is how easily and quickly an asset or investment can be converted into cash without losing value. It matters to investors because higher liquidity means they can access their money quickly if needed, while lower liquidity can make it harder to sell assets promptly or at a fair price, potentially creating financial challenges. Think of it like trying to sell a common item versus a rare collectible—it's much easier to sell the common item fast.

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SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HTGC) (“Hercules,” “Hercules Capital,” or the “Company”), the largest and leading specialty financing provider to innovative venture, growth and established stage companies backed by some of the leading and top-tier venture capital and select private equity firms, today announced it has set a new all-time record of $1.81 billion in new debt and equity commitments for the first quarter of 2026.

“Coming off a record-breaking performance for gross new debt and equity commitments and fundings in 2025, our momentum accelerated in Q1 — marked by an all-time high in new debt and equity commitments,” said Scott Bluestein, chief executive officer and chief investment officer of Hercules Capital. “This record setting originations performance is a result of our position as the partner of choice for some of the industry’s most innovative growth stage companies and the scale and diversification of our direct lending platform, which allows us to continue to support our portfolio companies as they achieve important milestones. We were able to expand commitments to several portfolio companies during Q1 in addition to closing new commitments with 16 new portfolio companies during the first quarter. Our investment teams delivered this new record while remaining focused on the same disciplined underwriting standards that have guided Hercules since inception and remaining focused on a balance between Life Sciences and Technology originations.”

Bluestein concluded, “As we look ahead, we believe we are well positioned to benefit from the current market conditions which are creating a more favorable originations environment in 2026. Our platform’s scale, balance sheet and liquidity allow us to play offense during market volatility, which should position us to see a robust pipeline of high-quality companies throughout the year.”

New Debt and Equity Commitments for Q1 2026

In the three months ended March 31, 2026, Hercules originated $1.81 billion of new debt and equity commitments to 16 new and 12 existing portfolio companies.

About Hercules Capital, Inc.

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HTGC) is the leading and largest specialty finance company focused on providing senior secured venture growth loans to high-growth, innovative venture capital-backed companies in a broad variety of technology and life sciences industries. Since inception (December 2003), Hercules has committed more than $27 billion to over 700 companies and is the lender of choice for entrepreneurs and venture capital firms seeking growth capital financing. Companies interested in learning more about financing opportunities should contact info@htgc.com, or call 650.289.3060.

Hercules, through its wholly owned subsidiary business, Hercules Adviser LLC (the “Adviser Subsidiary”), also maintains an asset management business through which it manages investments for external parties (“Adviser Funds”). The Adviser Subsidiary is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Hercules’ common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol “HTGC.” In addition, Hercules has one retail bond issuance of 6.25% Notes due 2033 (NYSE: HCXY).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may use words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “will,” “should,” “may” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and should not be relied upon in making any investment decision. Such statements are based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations. While we cannot identify all such risks and uncertainties, we urge you to read the risks discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and other materials that we publicly file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements made in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Hercules assumes no obligation to update any such statements in the future.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260406611569/en/

Michael Hara
Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Hercules Capital, Inc.
650-433-5578
mhara@htgc.com

Source: Hercules Capital, Inc.