ORIX Corporation USA (ORIX USA) today announced the appointment of Benjamin (Ben) Wu as Managing Director and Head of East Coast for its Growth Capital business. Mr. Wu is based in New York and will report to Jeff Bede, Head of Growth Capital. ORIX USA’s Growth Capital business provides customized and flexible debt and equity solutions for leading growth-stage companies with a current focus on the software (SaaS) and healthcare sectors.
Mr. Wu has over 20 years of experience investing across private credit, growth equity, and venture capital. In this new role, he will work closely with Bill Bishop, Managing Director, Growth Capital, and Mr. Bede to drive investments and the strategic development of ORIX USA’s Growth Capital business on the East Coast. Mr. Wu also brings proven fundraising experience and relationships to augment Growth Capital’s asset management strategy.
“There is increasing demand for growth capital from institutional investors and expanding our East Coast presence is a key growth initiative for us. Ben’s many years of investment experience in venture and growth debt and growth equity, as well as his partnership approach and deep sponsor relationships, are a great fit for our team,” said Mr. Bede. “We continue to focus on third party asset management to complement our proprietary balance sheet capital, and adding Ben is further validation of our platform as well as the expansion of our market presence and investor relationships.”
Mr. Wu joins ORIX USA’s Growth Capital team from Brex Asset Management (BAM), where he served as Chief Executive Officer, providing venture debt and growth equity options to customers for the firm’s capital arm. While at BAM, he launched and managed its Technology Opportunities Fund I, led investor fundraising, and spearheaded the investment team across origination, underwriting, and portfolio management. Prior to that role, he held positions including Managing Director and Business Services sector head for TPG Sixth Street Partners, Senior Managing Director at Macquarie Principal Finance, and Principal at General Catalyst’s Growth Equity group. Mr. Wu earned a JD from Harvard Law School, an MBA from The Wharton School, as well as an MSE in Engineering and dual Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Finance degrees summa cum laude from the Management & Technology Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I am very pleased to be joining Jeff and Growth Capital colleagues to expand our team and investment strategy in New York and throughout the East Coast,” added Mr. Wu. “I was impressed by not only their longevity in the growth capital space, but also their proven platform. There is a strong opportunity set in this market for the structured equity and debt financing the team provides, and I am looking forward to helping further grow the business through balance sheet investments and by raising third party capital.”
ORIX USA’s Growth Capital team has a long-proven track record in the growth lending and venture debt ecosystems. Since 2001, it has funded approximately $2.9 billion to 198 companies. Backed by both third-party assets and the stable and global sponsorship of ORIX Corporation’s balance sheet, the Growth Capital business is an enterprise value focused lender with scaled investments from $5 million to $100 million and specialties ranging from senior secured to junior lien to equity.
About ORIX Corporation USA (ORIX USA)
Established in the U.S. in 1981, ORIX USA has grown organically and through acquisition into the investment and asset management firm we are today. With a specialization in private credit, real estate, and private equity solutions for middle-market focused borrowers and investors, we combine our robust balance sheet with funds from third-party investors, providing a strong alignment of interest. ORIX USA and its subsidiaries — ORIX Advisers, ORIX Capital Partners, Signal Peak Capital Management, Boston Financial, Lument, Real Estate Capital and NXT Capital— have approximately 1300 employees across the U.S. and have $85.3 billion in assets, which include $27.1 billion of assets under management, $47.8 billion in servicing and administration assets, and approximately $10.4 billion in proprietary assets, as of June 2023. Our parent company, ORIX Corporation, is a publicly owned international financial services company with operations in 28 countries and regions worldwide. ORIX Corporation is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (8591) and New York Stock Exchange (IX). For more information, visit orix.com.
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ORIX Corporation USA
Leah Gerber
Leah.gerber@orix.com
