SLR Capital Partners

What SLR Capital Partners does

SLR Capital Partners, LLC is a New York-based, SEC-registered private credit asset manager founded in 2006 (rebranded from Solar Capital Partners in February 2021). The firm provides primarily senior secured debt financing — cash flow loans, asset-based loans, and specialty finance solutions — to U.S. middle market companies. Its target borrowers include financial sponsor-backed upper middle market companies, healthcare providers and life science companies, small-to-medium-sized businesses with limited bank access, and other mid-sized commercial finance companies. The firm operates from approximately 20 U.S. offices with a team of 330+ professionals, of which roughly 190 focus on originations and underwriting.

The platform is organized around eight core lending products: Sponsor Finance (cash flow loans to sponsor-backed borrowers), Business Credit (asset-based working capital), Credit Solutions (complex creative financing), Equipment Finance, Lender Finance (loans to other commercial finance companies), Healthcare ABL, Life Science Finance, and Corporate Leasing (through Kingsbridge Holdings, acquired in 2020). Since inception, SLR and its affiliates have invested over $16 billion across more than 1,500 portfolio companies in partnership with approximately 250 private equity sponsors. SLR advises publicly-traded business development companies SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ: SLRC) and SLR Senior Investment Corp. (NASDAQ: SUNS), multiple private drawdown credit funds (PCIF, PCLF, SCP-CDF, SF Debt Fund, SLR HC Fund), and customized separately managed accounts.

Revenue is generated primarily through management fees on approximately $12B+ of advised capital, performance/incentive fees from private credit funds, and interest income from direct lending activities. Distribution is institutional-led: pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, wealth management firms, and family offices. The firm's go-to-market is relationship-driven, with senior investment professionals involved from origination through repayment. In October 2022, SLR received strategic minority investments from Goldman Sachs Asset Management's Petershill Program and Hunter Point Capital. Co-founders Michael Gross (formerly of Apollo Management) and Bruce Spohler (formerly of CIBC World Markets) anchor senior leadership alongside a bench of partners drawn from J.P. Morgan, Citi, BlackRock, Canyon Capital, and Blue Owl.

Name

SLR Capital Partners

Legal name

SLR Capital Partners LLC

Website

https://slrcapitalpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

SLR Capital Partners is a New York-based private credit asset manager providing senior secured cash flow loans and asset-based financing to U.S. middle market, sponsor-backed, healthcare, and life science companies, managing $12B+ across public BDCs, private credit funds, and separately managed accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Direct Lending / Private Credit

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Vehicles (52599), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Finance Services (6199), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Middle-Market Lending (FSANADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Credit / Direct Lending (FSAAAHAG), Senior Secured Direct Lending (FSANADAA), Private Credit & Direct Lending Fundraising Placement (FSAEALAE)

Keywords

• Direct lending services
• Asset-based lending
• Senior secured loans
• Middle market financing
• Private credit funds

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Management Fees: SLR manages public and private BDCs, private credit funds, and separately managed accounts, earning management fees on assets under management
2. Performance/Incentive Fees: Earns performance-based fees from investment vehicles, particularly from private credit funds and BDCs
3. Interest Income from Lending: Generates interest income from direct lending activities across its senior secured cash flow loans and asset-based financing solutions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SLR Capital Partners is an independent boutique asset manager that provides senior secured direct lending solutions, including cash flow loans and asset-based financing, to U.S. middle market companies through eight product lines (Sponsor Finance, Business Credit, Credit Solutions, Equipment Finance, Lender Finance, Healthcare ABL, Life Science Finance, and Corporate Leasing). The firm also manages investment vehicles including publicly-traded BDCs (NASDAQ: SLRC), private credit funds, and separately managed accounts for institutional and family office investors. Since inception, SLR and its affiliates have invested over $16 billion in more than 1,500 portfolio companies.

Product overview

SLR Capital Partners operates as a diversified commercial finance platform offering multiple debt financing products to U.S. middle market companies. The platform provides eight core lending products: Sponsor Finance (cash flow loans to sponsor-backed companies), Business Credit (asset-based working capital), Credit Solutions (complex creative financing), Equipment Finance, Lender Finance (loans to commercial finance companies), Healthcare ABL, Life Science Finance, and Corporate Leasing (through Kingsbridge Holdings). The company also manages investment vehicles including the publicly-traded SLR Investment Corp. (SLRC on NASDAQ), multiple private credit funds (PCIF, PCLF, SCP-CDF), healthcare-focused funds (SLR HC Fund), and offers strategic partnerships through joint ventures and separately managed accounts. The platform has approximately 330 professionals across 20 U.S. offices and has invested over $16 billion in more than 1,500 portfolio companies since inception.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sponsor Finance Senior secured cash flow loans to financial sponsor-backed companies focused on upper middle market borrowers in primarily non-cyclical industries. Designed for leveraged buyouts, acquisitions, refinancings, and growth capital transactions sponsored by private equity firms.
• Business Credit Senior secured asset-based working capital facilities focused on manufacturing, service, and distribution industries. Includes SLR Digital Finance, which provides asset-based lending to advertising technology companies, publishers, ad networks, agencies, and digital platforms. Targets privately-owned small to medium-sized businesses with limited access to traditional bank financing.
• Credit Solutions Creative, flexible, and complex asset-based and cash flow financing across diverse industries for borrowers with capital needs not fitting traditional banks. Focuses on middle-market companies with complex or non-standard financing requirements through SLR Credit Solutions.
• Equipment Finance Essential use equipment lease and loan financing primarily for non-investment grade borrowers in manufacturing, construction, and transportation industries. Targets middle market companies with essential use equipment, primarily privately held or family-owned businesses with a high percentage of fixed assets.
• Lender Finance Senior secured asset-based working capital loans to mid-sized commercial finance companies including asset-based lenders, factoring companies, leasing businesses, real estate lenders, and small business lenders. Serves as a capital partner to other specialty finance companies in the U.S. and Canada.
• Healthcare ABL Secured, asset-based loans exclusively for small and mid-sized companies that provide healthcare products and services, including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home medical equipment, medical laboratories, and surgery/outpatient care. Includes receivables-based lending against Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.
• Life Science Finance Senior secured facilities to later-stage drug, device, diagnostic, and Healthcare IT development companies backed by top-tier institutional investors. Provides non-dilutive financing for bio-pharma, medical device, healthcare IT, and healthcare services companies at the upper middle market.
• Corporate Leasing Essential use equipment lease for information technology, healthcare, and commercial investment grade borrowers through Kingsbridge Holdings, a leading independent lessor. Targets investment grade lessees across multiple equipment categories.
• SLR Investment Corp. (NASDAQ: SLRC) Yield-oriented publicly-traded Business Development Company (BDC) traded on NASDAQ (ticker SLRC) that invests primarily in senior secured loans of private middle market companies. Distributions paid quarterly to shareholders; investment grade rated.
• Private Credit Funds (PCIF, PCIF-BDC, PCLF, SCP-CDF, SF Debt Fund) Traditional draw-down private credit investment funds investing in senior secured loans to private middle market companies in the U.S. Income distributed quarterly to investors. SF Debt Fund is a side car fund focused on specialty finance. Available to qualified investors.
• SLR Healthcare Funds (SLR HC Fund, SLR HC BDC) Draw-down private credit investment funds investing in senior secured loans to private middle market healthcare companies, focusing on first lien healthcare cash flow loans and first lien life science loans. SLR HC BDC structure available for additional investor access.
• Strategic Investment Partnerships (Joint Ventures, Funds-of-One, SMAs) Customized private credit investment portfolios for sophisticated institutional and family office investors through joint ventures, funds-of-one, and separately managed accounts. Provides bespoke exposure to SLR's direct lending and specialty finance strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $16 billion invested in more than 1,500 portfolio companies since inception in 2006
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ares Capital Corporation: One of the largest publicly-traded BDCs focused on senior-secured middle-market direct lending, with a multi-strategy platform similar to SLR's Sponsor Finance and ABL offerings.
• Golub Capital: A leading middle-market direct lender with a sponsor-focused loan book and dedicated ABL/equipment finance units, closely mirroring SLR's product mix and target customer base.
• New Mountain Finance Corporation: Publicly-traded BDC providing senior-secured loans to middle-market companies, with notable overlap in life science and healthcare lending where SLR has vertical franchises.
• FS KKR Capital Corp: Large externally managed BDC offering first-lien senior-secured loans to private U.S. middle-market companies, directly comparable to SLR's Sponsor Finance strategy and public BDC structure.
• Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending: Middle-market direct lender owned by Nuveen, focused on senior-secured loans to sponsor-backed companies — directly comparable to SLR's Sponsor Finance business.
• WhiteHorse Capital: Direct lender focused on asset-based and cash flow loans to middle-market companies, including healthcare and specialty finance exposures that mirror SLR's Healthcare ABL and Credit Solutions franchises.

Broad incumbents

• Oaktree Capital Management: Established alternative asset manager with a sizable direct lending and specialty finance platform competing across the same middle-market and asset-based lending verticals as SLR.
• Apollo Credit: Apollo's direct predecessor (Apollo Investment Corporation) was founded by SLR co-founder Michael Gross; Apollo Credit today operates a much larger, multi-strategy private credit platform competing head-on with SLR's Sponsor Finance and specialty finance strategies.
• Bain Capital Credit: Global credit affiliate of Bain Capital with middle-market direct lending, special situations, and asset-based lending strategies that overlap with several SLR product lines.
• BlackRock Private Credit: BlackRock's expanding private credit platform offers direct lending and asset-based financing to middle-market borrowers, increasingly overlapping with SLR's strategy as BlackRock scales alternatives distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solar-capital-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments16 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SLR Capital Partners