Velocity Financial Group

What Velocity Financial Group does

Velocity Financial Group is a privately held specialty finance company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with a second office in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The firm provides equipment leasing and structured debt financing to two target segments: middle-market companies with annual revenues between $20 million and $1 billion, and venture-backed companies ranging from first-round financings to pre-IPO. Its products center on equipment leases for technology assets (servers, networking, storage, telecommunications, point-of-sale systems) and medical equipment (diagnostics, surgical, manufacturing, and distribution assets), supplemented by a Ventures Group offering senior secured term loans, subordinated term loans, acquisition finance, bridge loans, equipment loans, and equipment leases for growth-stage companies.

The company was launched with $400 million of total capital, anchored by a $125 million investment from American Capital Strategies. Velocity's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based, conducted through dedicated relationship managers who structure customized financing solutions; the firm does not operate a proprietary technology platform and does not disclose pricing. Its competitive positioning rests on vendor and technology neutrality, deep expertise in technology asset lifecycles, and value-added services including entrepreneurial support (business development, real estate, HR/insurance counseling) and no-cost equipment acquisition consulting.

The founding team is composed almost entirely of former Comdisco, Inc. executives, including CEO Frank Cirone and President Jan Haas, both previously co-managing partners of Cedar Boulevard Capital. The leadership group brings 25+ years of experience in technology leasing and venture lending, supported by capital from American Capital Strategies. Velocity serves customers across North America and operates as an independent entity under Illinois law, governed by the standard terms of its specialty finance business model.

Name

Velocity Financial Group

Legal name

Velocity Financial Group, Inc.

Website

https://velocityfg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Finance & Equipment Leasing

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Finance Lessors (6172)

akta.pro primary industry

Equipment Financing / Leasing (Venture-backed) (FSANAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

SME Equipment & Asset Finance (Leasing, Fleet, Capex) (FSABABAH), Venture Debt Providers (FSANAAAL)

Keywords

• Equipment leasing
• Venture debt
• Specialty finance
• Technology financing
• Medical equipment financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Wakefield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Leasing: The company generates revenue through equipment leasing arrangements for technology and medical equipment, including servers, telecommunications, computers, networking, storage, and point-of-sale systems. Leases provide flexibility for companies to replace, upgrade, or add to technology infrastructure.
2. Venture Debt and Loans: Provides senior secured term loans, subordinated term loans, acquisition finance, bridge loans, and equipment loans to venture-backed companies. These debt structures complement traditional bank and equity financing for growing companies.
3. Working Capital Financing: Offers flexible financing solutions to help growing companies efficiently finance and manage their technology assets beyond just equipment, including working capital needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Velocity Financial Group is a specialty finance company that provides equipment leasing and financing for technology and medical equipment, along with senior and subordinated venture debt for venture-backed companies. The company offers flexible lease structures and customized debt facilities to help growing companies finance, replace, or upgrade their technology and capital assets.

Product overview

Velocity Financial Group is a specialty finance company offering a comprehensive suite of equipment leasing and financing solutions. The company operates two main divisions: Technology Finance (offering equipment lease programs for technology and medical equipment) and the Ventures Group (providing flexible debt structures for venture-backed companies). Additional value-added services include entrepreneurial services and equipment acquisition consulting. The product portfolio centers on equipment leases as the primary capital form, supplemented by customized senior and subordinated debt structures for growth-stage companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equipment Lease Programs
• Technology Equipment Financing
• Medical Equipment Financing
• Ventures Group Debt Solutions
• Equipment Acquisition Consulting

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hercules Capital: Largest publicly traded specialty finance company focused on venture debt to VC-backed technology and life-science companies. Closest direct competitor to Velocity's Ventures Group in serving growth-stage borrowers with senior secured term loans.
• TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC: Public BDC providing venture debt and equipment financing to venture-backed, technology-related companies. Competes head-to-head with Velocity's senior/sub debt and equipment lease offerings to VC-backed growth-stage borrowers.
• Horizon Technology Finance: Specialty finance company (formerly BDC) providing venture debt and equipment financing to technology, life science, healthcare, and sustainability companies. Direct peer in the venture-backed equipment lease and senior debt niche.
• Oxford Finance: Specialty finance firm providing senior secured loans, venture debt, and equipment financing to life sciences and technology companies. Closely comparable to Velocity's medical equipment and tech equipment finance business.
• SLR Investment Corp: Publicly traded BIC/BDC providing senior secured loans, including to private equity-backed borrowers across healthcare and technology services. Comparable middle-market senior lending focus.

Broad incumbents

• GATX Corporation: Large publicly traded equipment lessor focused on railcar, aircraft, and industrial equipment leasing. Operates in the broader equipment finance space but at much larger scale and with different asset categories than Velocity.
• CIT Group (now First Citizens): Major U.S. commercial bank with one of the largest equipment finance franchises serving middle-market and small-business clients. Broad incumbent competitor to Velocity's middle-market equipment leasing business.
• Wells Fargo Equipment Finance: Bank-affiliated equipment finance arm of Wells Fargo serving middle-market and enterprise clients across technology, healthcare, and industrial assets. Broad incumbent competitor across both of Velocity's segments.

Others

• Comdisco (historical): Predecessor IT leasing firm where Velocity's founding team (Cirone, Haas, Neff) built their careers before its 2001 Chapter 11. Relevant comparability as the originating specialty tech-leasing franchise that Velocity's model directly descends from.

Emerging players

• Runway Growth Finance: Specialty finance company providing senior secured term loans to venture and non-venture-backed growth companies. Emerging player in the venture debt space with overlapping senior secured loan product.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments5 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Velocity Financial Group