Great Rock Capital Partners (Great Rock), a Connecticut-based investment management firm, announced the launch of its lending platform that will provide asset based and asset backed loans for middle market companies whose financing needs are not being served by traditional bank lenders. Commercial finance and banking veteran Stuart Armstrong will serve as Great Rock's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer.

Great Rock will meet the changing needs of middle market companies looking for liquidity in a wide variety of situations, whether driven by desire for growth or operational and/or financial stress.  Great Rock will provide a range of secured lending products and focus on refinancings, growth capital, bridge loans, rescue capital, bank replacement financings, acquisition and restructuring financings. Great Rock is being formed in partnership with Two Sigma Private Investments, which is also anchoring the specialty lending platform.

"We're pleased to be partnering with Stuart in creating Great Rock and look forward to working with the company to provide alternative customized financing solutions to companies in the middle market," said Jeff Nemanick, Senior Vice President, Two Sigma Private Investments. "Stuart brings a combination of significant business leadership experience, deep credit underwriting expertise and long-standing relationships to Great Rock, and we're confident in the company's potential."

Stuart Armstrong has over 25 years of commercial finance and banking experience. Most recently, he served as President of Great American Group's specialty lending division, GA Capital, and Chief Investment Officer of Great American Capital Partners. Mr. Armstrong was also a co-founder and Executive Vice President of Tygris Commercial Finance, President of Tygris Corporate Finance and President and CEO of Black Diamond Commercial Finance. Prior to that, Mr. Armstrong spent over 12 years at GE Capital, where he served as Senior Managing Director and leader of GE Corporate Lending's Vertical Industries.

"The current and long-term investment opportunity to support the middle market sector is significant, and we are excited Two Sigma sees this sector's investment potential as well," said Mr. Armstrong, CEO of Great Rock Capital Partners. "We are confident that our team's extensive experience in providing liquidity-driven financing solutions, paired with our deep industry relationships, will allow us to provide our middle market customers with the capital that they need to thrive in the current environment."