Trinity Capital expanded its business with the addition of a new sponsor finance vertical. The new team, led by Chris Erro as senior managing director, Jorge Sandoval as senior managing director of credit and portfolio and Will Cook as director of credit and portfolio, extends the company’s ability to provide direct lending solutions to sponsor-backed companies across a range of industries.
“We see the ability to leverage our market knowledge and extensive networks to offer customized financing solutions to both our evolving client base and new entrants in the market, underscoring our dedication to supporting companies at every stage of their growth journey,” Kyle Brown, CEO of Trinity Capital, said.
Spearheading Trinity’s sponsor finance initiative is seasoned industry veteran Erro, joining the firm’s San Diego office. With over 20 years of experience across the capital markets and corporate finance, Erro has successfully managed and closed leveraged buyout transactions totaling more than $2.5 billion.
“We are proud of Trinity’s growth to date and are excited to continue investing in our platform’s capabilities to bring capital solutions to even more companies,” Brown said. “The establishment of our sponsor finance vertical with the addition of Chris, Jorge and Will is a key step in our ongoing commitment to enhance the Trinity platform comprehensively. In addition, we are significantly investing in technology and infrastructure, alongside expanding our team, to build a robust and scalable foundation for the long term. This allows us to optimize our operations and capitalize on new investment opportunities that offer substantial value to our shareholders.”
Erro brings a wealth of experience, most recently as a senior director in the corporate finance group of Ally Bank, where he cofounded the technology finance practice in 2015. Prior to Ally Bank, Erro was an early team member of Square 1 Bank, joining in 2006 shortly after the bank’s founding. Erro held multiple roles at Square 1 Bank, including overseeing the Southern California region for the bank and playing a senior role in the national Structured Finance group.
“I am thrilled to join Trinity to build out the firm’s sponsor finance capabilities as a complement to its established growth capital platform,” Erro said. “As the lending market continues to diversify beyond traditional banks, the ability to provide capital solutions to later-stage, private equity-backed companies represents an exciting opportunity, and I look forward to working with Trinity’s talented team to bring the benefit of these investments to the firm’s shareholders.”
Sandoval has over 20 years of experience in the financial sector, most recently as the senior director in the corporate finance group of Ally Bank, serving as the head of underwriting and portfolio management for the technology finance practice. Prior to this, he had direct experience with deal origination, leading underwriting teams and portfolio management within the sponsor finance practice. Previously, Sandoval was a principal at a private equity group, serving on the boards of several portfolio companies. During this time, he stepped into an operational role as the CFO of a portfolio company. Early in his career, he held finance positions at GE Capital, GMAC Financial Services and Raytheon Missile Systems.
“I am excited to be a part of the Trinity team and look forward to contributing to their well-established and robust credit and portfolio management processes and strategies,” Sandoval said.
Cook comes from the corporate finance group of Ally Bank, where he spent seven years in underwriting, document negotiation, credit analysis and portfolio management of sponsor-backed, middle market companies, eventually transitioning to the technology finance practice where he focused on underwriting and portfolio management.
