Hercules Technology Growth Capital and Market Bridges Announce Alliance to Bring Venture Debt and Equipment Financing to Israeli Entrepreneurs

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTGC), a leading specialty finance company providing growth capital in the form of venture debt and equity investment to venture capital and private equity backed technology and life science companies at all stages of development, today announced an alliance with Market Bridges Ltd. to bring venture lending opportunities to emerging Israeli and Israeli-related companies in the technology and life sciences sectors.

Market Bridges is a financial services and business-development firm bridging between emerging Israeli growth companies and international capital and markets.

"Israel represents a growing and vibrant market opportunity of leading technology and life science companies," said Manuel A. Henriquez, founder and chief executive officer of Hercules. According to Dow Jones VentureOne, since 2002, Israeli venture capitalists have invested more than $1.0 billion annually to over 200 venture-backed companies with offices in Israel. "In the past decade, Israel has become a center for emerging technologies and Hercules has enjoyed success working with some of the region's venture capital firms and with their innovative companies such as Omrix Pharmaceuticals and Proficiency," said Mr. Henriquez.

Mr. Henriquez added that while traditional equity investments have gained momentum in this market, venture loans, which enable young companies to gain additional financial support with minimal dilution, have traditionally been underutilized. "We believe this could be an important new financing avenue for Israeli entrepreneurs and, thus, an attractive opportunity for Hercules to work with Market Bridges," he said.

Gil Sudai, chief executive officer of Market Bridges, said, "Hercules has proven to be a highly experienced, flexible and reliable venture debt provider within the U.S., having committed more than $570 million of financing to venture capital backed companies since October 2004. By combining Hercules' balance sheet and financing offerings with our experience in the Israeli market, we expect to be able to provide Israeli entrepreneurs with the support and commitment they need to bring their innovations to success."

About Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc.

Founded in December 2003, Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. is a NASDAQ traded specialty finance company providing debt and equity growth capital to technology and life science companies at all stages of development. The Company primarily finances privately held companies backed by leading venture capital and private equity firms and also may finance certain publicly-traded companies. Hercules' strategy is to evaluate and invest in a broad range of ventures active in technology and life science industries and to offer a full suite of growth capital products up and down the capital structure to prospective clients ranging from early-stage growth to expansion stage companies. The Company's investments are originated through its principal office located in Silicon Valley, as well as additional offices in the Boston, Boulder, Costa Mesa and Chicago areas. Providing capital to publicly-traded or privately-held companies backed by leading venture capital and private equity firms involves a high degree of credit risk and may result in potential losses of capital.

For more information, please visit www.HTGC.com. Companies interested in learning more about financing opportunities should contact info@HTGC.com, or call 650.289.3060.

About Market Bridges, Inc.:

Founded in 2002, Market Bridges is financial services and business development firm bridging between Israeli emerging growth companies and International capital and markets. Market Bridges works with its overseas partners and alliances to provide investment banking services, such as private placement, public offering, strategic partnership, M&A, and PIPE. The company has a strong focus in technology and life sciences industries and it keeps close touch with entrepreneurs and management from the early stage of their companies.

For more information, please visit www.MarketBridges.com or contact info@MarketBridges.com, or call 972-3-685-1465.

Forward-Looking Statements:

The statements contained in this release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, the risks, uncertainties and other factors we identify from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe that the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate and, as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those assumptions also could be incorrect. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are made as of the date hereof, and Hercules assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements for subsequent events.

Source: Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc.

Released June 5, 2007