Where We’ve Been

Innovation’s partner for growth

About Us

For 30 years, PFG has been a partner to the entrepreneurs and institutions driving growth in global tech and innovation. We embrace complexities and spread across geographies to create the capital that fuels our partners’ growth.

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Mission Statement

Innovation arises wherever people with diverse perspectives and the drive to solve complex problems meet. This belief has guided us to build our inclusive, global team and it underlies how we unlock growth with our entrepreneurs, institutions, and venture partners.

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Our Story

A legacy of fueling innovation

1985
Don Campbell, our founder and partner, formally creates Hambrecht & Quist Guaranty Finance (H&QGF), our preceding company to PFG as a subsidiary of the San Francisco tech investment bank Hambrecht and Quist (H&Q), H&QGF providing debt financing to high growth venture capital clients to purchase equipment and finance working capital.
Quantum logo
1986
H&Q invested $200,000 in America Online (AOL), at a pre-financing valuation of $1.9 million. At the time, the company needed a series of equipment leases to increase subscribers and reach a breakeven point which was provided by the new lending group.
1987
A long-term partnership begins with Silicon Valley Bank, a relatively new commercial bank at the time, looking to attract new customers. We collaborated to broaden support for entrepreneurs across the innovation economy, providing financing solutions for the fast-growing tech sector.
Andrew Kahn
1991
Current CEO Andrew Kahn joins the firm after providing debt financing to growth companies in Massachusetts. He partners with Don Campbell to help support and grow H&QGF.
Andrew Kahn
filling little cups with liquid
1992
H&QGF financed six biotechnology companies over a 3-year span. Biotech was pushing the frontiers of medical discovery but was underserved when it came the capital needed to purchase elaborate specialized lab equipment. We innovated new financing models for equipment lending and real estate laboratory buildouts.
filling little cups with liquid
1995
We focus on the next underserved area, growth capital typically subordinated to a commercial bank to later stage companies, mitigating the risk by focusing on companies that already have products, a stable management team, and revenues of $10 million or more.
1996
Hambrecht & Quist, our parent company goes public. Our Co-founder and CEO Andrew Kahn on the podium at the NYSE (3rd from right)
a group of people smiling
2000
Chase Manhattan Bank acquired H&Q and then merged with JP Morgan. A company is formed to manage the portfolio on behalf of JP Morgan, Andrew joins JP Morgan Partners private equity/buyout group on the West Coast as a Principal and then a Partner.
Don Campbell
“We know there will always be underserved areas, but we can’t predict where and when they will happen. When they do happen, we will be there. You can’t win by playing defense; it doesn’t work in areas that change so rapidly. So we go into new areas because we’re flexible, we can move in quickly, and we do what we do so well.” —Don Campbell
2004
Don Campbell and Andrew Kahn spin out of JP Morgan and form Partners for Growth (PFG) in San Francisco. Through disciplined and innovative custom financing, they help entrepreneurs who might not otherwise have been able to obtain funding. Soon after, Jason Georgatos joins the company, eventually becoming the current President of PFG.
Don Campbell
“We know there will always be underserved areas, but we can’t predict where and when they will happen. When they do happen, we will be there. You can’t win by playing defense; it doesn’t work in areas that change so rapidly. So we go into new areas because we’re flexible, we can move in quickly, and we do what we do so well.” —Don Campbell
2006
Dominated by large banks with little incentive to evaluate emerging growth companies and entrepreneurs with few alternatives to raising capital other than straight equity, PFG sees a unique opportunity in Australia. The following year, eKit became the first of nearly two decades of successfully financing Australian companies.
2008
Where commercial banks struggled to deliver solutions for borrowers and assets that didn’t fit an underwriting box, PFG saw an opportunity to create custom financing solutions to help provide additional capital to fund innovation.
group photo in front of the water
2014
PFG finances our 100th company.
skyscraper building in sydney austrailia
2016
PFG expands its presence beyond North America and EMEA, establishing a local office in Sydney, allowing increased exposure to companies across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
2017
Building off our legacy of partnerships including H&Q and SVB, PFG forges news partnerships with organizations in the US and international markets throughout venture, banking, investment, trade and development institutions.
2020
PFG partners with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Invest to create the Latin America Growth Lending Fund, a financing initiative that catalyzes the market for private credit solutions for tech companies across the region.
man writing on clipboard in front of a Truker truck
2020
PFG completes its first deal in the Middle East, a landmark transaction for the region’s startup and venture ecosystem. We financed TruKKer, the largest digital freight network in the Middle East. The ”Uber for Trucks” had successfully disrupted a fragmented and opaque logistics market with a simple and more efficient way of transporting goods. The capital was used to finance the company's large and growing accounts receivable book.
man writing on clipboard in front of a Truker truck
two men standing, smiling for a photo
“PFG is unique in many ways. We do not waver from our guiding principles, whatever the market conditions.We are led by experienced, global teams, trained in diverse financial disciplines, who have the drive to act small, be responsive, and provide creative, custom financing no matter the challenge.We surround ourselves with long-term trusted partners and investors who share in our mission unlock wherever innovation is happening.” - Andrew Kahn
2021
Andrew Kahn and Don Campbell celebrate 30 years in business together focused on creating custom debt solutions for growth stage companies.
two men standing, smiling for a photo
“PFG is unique in many ways. We do not waver from our guiding principles, whatever the market conditions.We are led by experienced, global teams, trained in diverse financial disciplines, who have the drive to act small, be responsive, and provide creative, custom financing no matter the challenge.We surround ourselves with long-term trusted partners and investors who share in our mission unlock wherever innovation is happening.” - Andrew Kahn
IFC Headquarters in Washington DC, February 2023
2022
PFG and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, forge a partnership to collaborate on fintech and tech lending across global growth markets.
2023
PFG continues its global expansion by growing its local presence in Sao Paulo, Dubai and Riyadh, on top of existing representation in Boston, Miami, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area and Sydney.
2024
PFG celebrates its 20th Anniversary by dedicating the year to a commemorative series: "20 Lessons from 20 Years," an initiative designed to disseminate pivotal insights and experiences gleaned from our shared path of growth and development.
Don Campbell
Don Campbell, our founder and partner, formally creates Hambrecht & Quist Guaranty Finance (H&QGF), the preceding company to PFG as a subsidiary of the San Francisco tech investment bank Hambrecht and Quist (H&Q), H&QGF providing debt financing to high growth venture capital clients to purchase equipment and finance working capital.
H&Q invested $200,000 in America Online (AOL), at a pre-financing valuation of $1.9 million. At the time, the company needed a series of equipment leases to increase subscribers and reach a breakeven point which was provided by the new lending group.
Silicon Valley Bank building
A long-term partnership begins with Silicon Valley Bank, a relatively new commercial bank at the time, looking to attract new customers. We collaborated to broaden support for entrepreneurs across the innovation economy, providing financing solutions for the fast-growing tech sector.
Andrew Kahn
Current CEO Andrew Kahn joins the firm after providing debt financing to growth companies in Massachusetts. He partners with Don Campbell to help support and grow H&QGF.
H&QGF financed six biotechnology companies over a 3-year span. Biotech was pushing the frontiers of medical discovery but was underserved when it came the capital needed to purchase elaborate specialized lab equipment. We innovated new financing models for equipment lending and real estate laboratory buildouts.
We focus on the next underserved area, growth capital typically subordinated to a commercial bank to later stage companies, mitigating the risk by focusing on companies that already have products, a stable management team, and revenues of $10 million or more.
Hambrecht & Quist, our parent company goes public.
Chase Manhattan Bank acquired H&Q and then merged with JP Morgan. A company is formed to manage the portfolio on behalf of JP Morgan, Andrew joins JP Morgan Partners private equity/buyout group on the West Coast as a Principal and then a Partner.
Don and Andrew smiling for a picture
Don Campbell and Andrew Kahn spin out of JP Morgan and form Partners for Growth (PFG) in San Francisco. Through disciplined and innovative custom financing, they help entrepreneurs who might not otherwise have been able to obtain funding. Soon after, Jason Georgatos joins the company, eventually becoming the current President of PFG.
Dominated by large banks with little incentive to evaluate emerging growth companies and entrepreneurs with few alternatives to raising capital other than straight equity, PFG sees a unique opportunity in Australia. The following year, eKit became the first of nearly two decades of successfully financing Australian companies.
Where commercial banks struggled to deliver solutions for borrowers and assets that didn’t fit an underwriting box, PFG saw an opportunity to create custom financing solutions to help provide additional capital to fund innovation.
PFG finances our 100th company.
PFG expands its presence beyond North America and EMEA, establishing a local office in Sydney, allowing increased exposure to companies across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Building off our legacy relationship with SVB, PFG forges news partnerships with organizations in the US and international markets throughout venture, banking, investment, trade and development institutions.
PFG partners with the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) Invest to create the Latin America Growth Lending Fund, a financing initiative that catalyzes the market for private credit solutions for tech companies across the region.
PFG completes its first deal in the Middle East, a landmark transaction for the region’s startup and venture ecosystem. We financed TruKKer, the largest digital freight network in the Middle East. The ”Uber for Trucks” had successfully disrupted a fragmented and opaque logistics market with a simple and more efficient way of transporting goods. The capital was used to finance the company's large and growing accounts receivable book.
PFG and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, forge a partnership to collaborate on fintech and tech lending across global growth markets.
PFG continues its global expansion by growing its local presence in Sao Paulo, Dubai and Riyadh, on top of existing representation in Boston, Miami, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area and Sydney.
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30+ Year Global Strategic Partner

SVB is a leading American bank providing products, services and strategic advice for businesses at every stage. They operate as a go-to commercial bank for start-ups and established corporations, offering venture funding, private banking & wealth advising. SVB is the largest lender to technology companies globally.

SVB has built its reputation as the financial partner of the innovation economy – helping individuals, investors and the world’s most innovative companies achieve extraordinary outcomes.
PFG and SVB have maintained an official strategic partnership since the late 1980’s. We have collaborated together as co-lenders and extended each other's ability to reach new markets and provide deeper capital to high-growth companies.

PFG and SVB have provided growth debt across the U.S. & Canada, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, where we co-manage a Venture Debt Latin America Growth Lending Fund.

IFC logo

IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. IFC works in more than 100 countries, using its capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.

PFG and IFC are strategic partners where we extend IFC’s direct venture and VC funding, collaborating on fintech and tech lending across global growth markets.

10+ Year Global Strategic Partner

Aims to be the partner of choice for the private sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. They finance projects to advance clean energy, modernize agriculture, strengthen transportation systems and expand access to financing.

IDB Invest, a member of the IDB Group, is a multilateral development bank committed to promoting the economic development of its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector. IDB Invest finances sustainable companies and projects to achieve financial results and maximize economic, social, and environmental development in the region. With a portfolio of $16.3 billion in asset management and 347 clients in 25 countries, IDB Invest provides innovative financial solutions and advisory services that meet the needs of its clients in a variety of industries.

PFG leads a joint venture with IDB Invest that provides debt capital to emerging innovative tech companies across the region via our Latin America Growth Lending Fund. The initiative brings investment expertise into LAC from top notch global players in this field.