Golub Capital Provides One-Loan Debt Facility To Support Linden Capital’s Investment In Spear Education

CHICAGO, Aug. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Golub Capital announced today that as Sole Lead-Arranger and Administrative Agent, it provided a GOLD financing to support the recapitalization of Spear Education, LLC (“Spear Education” or the “Company”) by Linden Capital Partners (“Linden”) and the Spear Education management team. GOLD financings are Golub Capital’s One-Loan Debt facilities.

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, Spear Education is a leading provider of post-graduate dental education. Spear Education provides dentists with an integrated educational platform, featuring campus-based and distance-learning resources that provide advanced training in specialty dental procedures, as well as enhancing their patient communications skills, practice management acumen, and referral networks with other dentists, all of which can drive a significant increase in practice performance.

“Spear Education offers general practice and specialist dentists a unique opportunity to further enhance their knowledge base, skill set, and peer network, which can have a powerful and positive impact on their practice. Spear Education represents a differentiated offering that benefits from all of the supporting macro-trends driving industry growth,” said Stefano Robertson, Managing Director and the head of Golub Capital’s healthcare finance team. “Linden has excellent insight into the dental end markets and is very well positioned to help the Company achieve its growth objectives, so we are thrilled to invest in this company alongside of them.”

Michael Watts, a Principal at Linden Capital Partners, said, “We are excited to work with Golub Capital again. Consistent with our prior experiences with their healthcare finance team, Golub Capital acted quickly and decisively, ultimately delivering a very efficient financing package that provided a solution to our needs.”

About Golub Capital
With over $10 billion of capital under management, Golub Capital is a leading provider of financing solutions for the middle market, including one-loan financings (through the firm’s proprietary MiniGOLD, GOLD, and MegaGOLD facilities), senior, second lien, and subordinated debt, preferred stock and co-investment equity. The firm underwrites and syndicates senior credit facilities up to $300 million. Golub Capital’s hold sizes range up to $200 million per transaction.

Golub Capital has been a top 3 Traditional Middle Market Bookrunner each year from 2008 through 1Q 2014 for senior secured loans of up to $100 million for leveraged buyouts (according to Thomson Reuters LPC and internal data; based on number of deals). Year to date 2014, Golub Capital has been awarded Acquisition International’s 2014 Fund Awards “Credit Asset Management Firm of the Year – USA,” ACQ’s Global Awards “US Credit Asset Manager of the Year,” Acquisition International’s “Broadly Syndicated Loans Specialist of the Year – USA,” and Acquisition International’s Hedge Fund Award “USA Credit Asset Manager of the Year.” In 2013, Golub Capital was awarded Finance Monthly’s Global Awards 2013 “Credit Asset Manager of the Year” and DealMakers M&A Awards 2013 “Middle Market Lender of the Year.” Golub Capital is a national firm with principal offices in Chicago and New York. For more information, please visit the firm’s website at www.golubcapital.com.

About Linden Capital Partners
Linden Capital Partners is a Chicago-based private equity firm focused exclusively on middle market, healthcare leveraged buyouts. Linden’s strategy is based upon three elements: i) healthcare and life science industry specialization, ii) integrated private equity and operating expertise, and iii) strategic relationships with large corporations. Linden invests in middle market platforms in the medical products, specialty distribution, pharmaceuticals, and services segments of healthcare. For more information, please visit the firm’s website at www.lindenllc.com.