Executive Team

Scott Bluestein was named chief executive officer and president, and appointed to the board of directors and in July 2019. He was appointed chief investment officer in 2014, and continues to serve in that role today. He joined Hercules in 2010 as chief credit officer and brings more than 22 years of financial services, direct investment and credit experience to Hercules. Before joining Hercules, he served as founder and partner of Century Tree Capital Management, a fund established to make senior secured debt investments with warrants and equity co-investments in small and micro cap public and private companies. Prior to that, he was managing director at Laurus - Valens Capital Management, where he had responsibility for a structured debt with equity investment portfolio, including new investments, portfolio management, and restructurings. Previously, Bluestein worked at UBS Investment Bank, where he was a member of the Financial Technology Coverage Group. Bluestein received his B.B.A. in Finance from Emory University.

Seth Meyer joined Hercules in March of 2019 as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer, where he brings more than 25 years of international business management and strategic planning experience in the financial services industry. Most recently, he served as the CFO of Swiss Re's Commercial Insurance business unit for over six years where he led a global finance team of approximately 200 professionals covering business development, M&A, strategic direction setting, financial planning & reporting, controlling and capital management. Mr. Meyer joined Swiss Re in 2000 and was appointed Group Tax Director in 2007, and then promoted to Finance Division Operating Officer in 2009, a position he held until appointed CFO in 2011. Prior to joining Swiss Re, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Senior Tax Manager. Mr. Meyer began his finance career as a senior tax accountant at KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Meyer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and an M.B.A. from Michigan State University.

Kiersten Zaza Botelho was appointed general counsel and chief compliance officer in January 2022.  Previously, she was a vice president and associate general counsel in the Boston office of Bain Capital Credit, LP from July 2019 to December 2021.  At Bain, she advised the private credit and structured credit groups on transactions, offerings and strategic initiatives, with a specific responsibility for Bain's business development company. Prior to Bain, Kiersten was a vice president in the New York legal department of BlackRock, Inc. from May 2017 to June 2019, where she focused on the firm's closed-end funds and business development company. Before BlackRock, she was an associate in the investment management group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where she represented public and private investment funds and investment advisers with the structuring and distribution of investment products, and in other regulatory, compliance and governance matters. Kiersten holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Boston University and a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law. She is a member of the Massachusetts State Bar.

Christian Follmann was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in February 2022. Christian has served a long-term tenure of more than 15 years at Hercules and has made strategic contributions to the growth of the Company’s infrastructure and operations. Christian first joined Hercules as an analyst intern in the Palo Alto office in July 2006 and was promoted to the role of associate in December 2009 and then director of investment analysis and strategy in August 2011. He was promoted to Sr. Director of Operations and Strategic Projects in 2016. Christian has a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from both Northeastern University and Reutlingen University in Germany.

Charlie Vandis was promoted to Chief Credit Officer in February 2022. Charlie joined Hercules in 2017 to lead the East Coast Credit Team and was promoted to sole lead for Hercules Credit in 2021. Prior to Hercules, Charlie was at GE Capital for 16 years where he spent most of his time as an underwriter and portfolio manager supporting Private Equity and strategic led buyouts, recapitalizations, acquisitions and refinancings. He spent the last two years in GE Capital Corporate as part of the leadership team of Global Credit Risk Review. Charlie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Asian Studies from Tufts University and an MBA from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.