Hercules Capital Receives a BBB+ Reaffirmed Investment Grade Corporate Rating from Kroll Bond Rating Agency, Inc.

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hercules Capital, Inc. (HTGC) (?Hercules? 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 that Kroll Bond Rating Agency, Inc. (?KBRA?) has reaffirmed Hercules? investment grade corporate and credit rating of BBB+. KBRA issued a statement announcing the reaffirmation of the rating and stable outlook, as well as its underlying analysis.

?We are very pleased that KBRA has reaffirmed our BBB+ investment grade corporate and credit rating,? stated Seth Meyer, chief financial officer of Hercules. ?This rating exemplifies our strong 20-year operating record and further validates our differentiated business model, scale and institutionalized lending platform.?

The affirmed BBB+ rating reflects the Company?s diversified investment portfolio with a focus on senior secured first lien venture debt investments in the technology and life sciences sectors, solid 20-year operating record, including during the global financial crisis, and appropriate leverage metrics. The Company?s solid credit quality has benefited from the Company?s robust risk management and solid investment team with years of experience in the venture capital space. Furthermore, the ratings are supported by the Company?s proven access to capital markets, diversified funding mix and high proportion of unsecured debt to total debt outstanding allowing for solid protection for noteholders.

About Hercules Capital, Inc. (HTGC)

Hercules Capital, Inc. (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 $20 billion to over 660 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 .

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.

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Source: Hercules Capital, Inc. (HTGC)