Patriot Capital Group, a multi-strategy middle market investment manager and advisory services platform announced today it has hired Franklin Staley to lead its lower middle market buyout strategy, Exeter Street Capital Partners. Staley brings to Exeter Street more than 25 years of private equity, advisory and operating experience.

Most recently, Staley spent 9+ years with DC Advisory LLC (formerly Signal Hill), where he founded the firm's sponsor coverage effort and was a Managing Director in its Business Services practice. Prior to joining Signal Hill, Staley spent 9 years as a Principal and founding member of Meriturn Partners, LLC, a private equity fund focused on buyouts of lower middle-market companies. He has prior investment banking experience with Cowen & Company, Lehman Brothers and Chase.

Charles McCusker, Managing Partner of Patriot Capital Group commented: "After 20 years of successfully managing 5 junior capital and minority equity funds and 30 years of corporate advisory investment banking services, we are excited to leverage the Patriot Capital Group platform to supercharge our efforts in the microcap buyout market on behalf of our investors. This is a very natural extension of our business, and Franklin is the right professional at the right time to take our Exeter Street strategy to the next level."

Staley will leverage Patriot Capital Group's proprietary deal sourcing resources, as well as its deep network of industry resources and partners to differentiate Exeter Street in the market as he looks to execute their investment strategy.

About Patriot Capital Group

Patriot Capital Group is a multi-strategy middle market investment manager and corporate financial advisory services platform that provides strategic leadership to the Patriot Capital Family of Funds, Bengur Bryan and Exeter Street Capital Partners.

About Exeter Street Capital Partners

Founded in 2014, Exeter Street Capital Partners makes active control equity investments and special situation investments in promising lower middle market businesses with $2-5 million of EBITDA within the industrial growth & technology, business, consumer and healthcare services sectors across North America. It works to form close partnerships with the existing management of growing businesses where its capital, operating resources, financial expertise, strategic insights and professional network can accelerate growth and profitability. Exeter Street believes that building great companies begins by establishing a seamless alignment of interests and trust among all stakeholders, then making a long-term commitment to strategies that can unlock those businesses' true potential. Since 2015, Exeter has invested in seven proprietary platform businesses across the consumer and business services sectors. For more information, please visit www.exeterstreetcapital.com.

About Patriot Capital

Patriot Capital is the structured debt and equity investment arm of Patriot Capital Group focused on the middle market. Patriot Capital, currently investing out of its fifth investment vehicle, has invested or has commitments to invest over $1 Billion in more than 130 platform investments over its 20-year history. Its professionals are senior investment professionals with over 150 collective years of experience investing minority equity and debt capital into high growth companies in the business and consumer services, consumer products, niche manufacturing and distribution, education, e-commerce, application software, transportation and telecom services industries. Patriot Capital invests between $5 - $25 million of growth capital in middle market companies for business expansion, acquisitions, management buyouts or recapitalizations. For more information please visit www.patriot-capital.com.

About Bengur Bryan

For nearly 30 years, Bengur Bryan has provided senior level corporate finance advisory services to middle market companies. Bengur Bryan provides M&A advisory, debt and equity placements, valuation analysis, fairness opinions and other financial advisory services to its clients and their shareholders. For more information, please visit www.bengurbryan.com.