Escalate Capital Partners Review

UPDATEd on
September 20, 2024
·
5
min read
Escalate Capital Partners Review

Escalate Capital Partners is a venture lending firm that provides structured debt to late-stage companies. Escalate has invested over $2 billion in more than 500 companies, since their founding almost 20 years ago. (Source - August 2022).

About Escalate Capital Partners

Escalate Capital Partners was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas with a satellite office in Campbell, California. It is a privately-held firm. Escalate Capital Partners targets rapidly-growing late-stage companies within the technology, software, services, and healthcare sectors.

Escalate Capital Partners announced its first fund in 2005, “Escalate I.” It announced the close of its fourth fund, “Escalate Capital IV,” in October 2019.

Eligibility and Products Offered

Escalate Capital Partners provides venture debt products to late-stage venture companies. It provides debt capital that can be used similarly to equity capital. Typically, they only lend to growing companies that have exhibited success in the marketplace.

Loans are typically used for growth capital and to augment equity funding with less dilutive capital. Loans provided by Escalate are repaid before equity investors receive a return on their investment.

To be eligible, companies must be in the SaaS, technology, or healthcare sectors. Featured investments by Escalate Capital Partners include Accolade, Arcadia, bswift, everspring, HomeAway, LiveIntent, Phreesia, RetailMeNot, SailPoint, ThreatQuoteint, Virtustream, and Workfront.

How to Apply

To apply, interested companies should contact the corporate office in Austin. Contact information is listed on their corporate website (Source - August 2022).

Capchase vs. Escalate Capital Partners

In addition to financing using venture debt from Escalate Capital Partners, founders and startups can work with Capchase. When compared to Escalate Capital Partners, Capchase’s funding model is designed to remove excess fees that can save clients up to 50% when compared to traditional venture debt providers (Source – June 2022).

It can be helpful to see the differences between Capchase and Escalate Capital Partners side-by-side. This is especially true for key areas like speed to funding, flexibility, structure & fees, and value add.

Speed

Capchase

24 hours to underwrite (led by a tech-driven & highly responsive underwriting system)

Escalate Capital Partners

Often an extended diligence process

Flexibility

Capchase

Highly Flexible: No traditional financial covenants on amounts financed

Escalate Capital Partners

Fairly flexible: No minimum net worth, working capital, current ratio, quick asset ratio, liquidity ratio, or debt-to-equity ratio is required to apply

Structure & Fees

Capchase

Transparent & Simple: No prepayment fees, closing fees, warrants, or hidden fees

Escalate Capital Partners

May include terms around prepayment, expensive closing process, warrants, admin fees

Value Add

Capchase

A prescriptive funding plan

Escalate Capital Partners

Discrete funding events

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