We Are Hippo Lending.
We’re a different kind of lender with loans tailored specifically to healthcare providers. We take the mystery out of lending and make the application process quick and simple to understand. Your time is valuable, so we promise not to waste it with unnecessary paperwork or confusing applications.
Our Story
We’ve worked in the world of finance and lending for 25 years. In that time, we’ve provided customized working capital solutions and advisory services to a wide variety of people and businesses. Our funding has supported dozens of industries, and in that exploration, we found a greatly underserved market: healthcare professionals.
Those in the medical field occupy a unique financial space: despite the opportunity for success, roadblocks like unreliable cash flow and huge upfront costs limit opportunity. We believe in financing freedom. The freedom to manage debt, grow your business, and focus on what drives you.
We free up your money for when you need it most. But beyond just providing loans, our goal is to become a trusted financial partner. We do this by offering you simple, flexible financing, on your terms.
Our Values
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Passion
If you aren’t passionate, life isn’t much fun. We’re lucky to have a team of hard-working folks who constantly strive to better the Hippo Lending experience for our customers.
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Unity
“Teamwork makes the dream work.” It’s cheesy but it’s true. We believe in collaboration. We’ve seen first hand how much more can be accomplished when we work together.
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Servanthood
Servanthood is at the core of what we do. We’re dedicated to serving our customers, business partners, and communities. We believe the world becomes a better place when we look to serve one another.
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Humility
We don’t let pride get in the way of success. If there’s a question, we ask it. If we don’t know something, we find a teammate who does.
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Integrity
We do the right thing even when no one is looking. We promise to always stay true to our values and never abuse the privilege of having you as a customer.
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Thankfulness
We believe the best way to stay grounded is to remember all the things we have to be thankful for. We’re grateful for our wonderful customers, supportive teammates and loving families.
Why the name ‘Hippo'?
With a subtle nod to the Hippocratic Oath, Hippo Lending represents the convergence of medicine and finance. While we may not be saving lives, the underlying principles of the Hippocratic Oath closely align with our values: a commitment to service and treating our customers as people, not just a loan. We ensure privacy and always act from a position of unity and humility.
The Team
Here at Hippo Lending, we have a team of folks dedicated to making financing simpler to understand and easier to access. We work hard to inspire a culture of passion and innovation, empowering all our teammates to strive for new heights, and constantly deliver a better product.
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John McCauley
John is our fearless leader and visionary. His enduring focus and drive are what led him to co-found his first business, Virginia Commercial Finance, where he has served as President & CEO for 25 years. Throughout his career, John has created paths of opportunity for business owners through an innovative and flexible approach to financing. After providing over 500 businesses a means to success, John created Hippo Lending as a vehicle to serve the healthcare industry more effectively. John is a former CPA and holds a Business Administration Degree from Old Dominion University.
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Ben Thompson
Ben leads Hippo Lending’s customer service department. He is passionate about understanding each customer’s needs and aspirations and helping them to receive the funding they need in a quick and easy manner. Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from FSU. In his spare time, Ben enjoys spending time with family and living the empty nest lifestyle with his beautiful wife.
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Luke Swygard
Luke is our Account Manager at Hippo Lending. He has been in the Richmond, Virginia area over 15 years. He and his lovely wife are living a parent’s dream in raising two boys who love life, sports, and learning. Luke has excelled in customer service, client acquisition, and client retention his entire career. Prior to Hippo Lending, Luke was fortunate to receive exceptional training in Fortune 500 and Fortune 150 companies. His background, combined with his passion to see others grow and succeed, makes for an ideal fit in managing accounts at Hippo.
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Brad Hart
Brad serves as the Controller for Hippo Lending and is responsible for accounting, financials, cash management and treasury services. He holds an MBA with an emphasis in Information Management, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a Minor in Spanish. Outside of work, Brad values spending time with his spouse and kids and is actively involved in the foster care program. Brad also enjoys participating in outdoor sports and activities and loves to travel, especially to places where Spanish is the native language.
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Lauren Onestak
Lauren serves as Hippo Lending’s coordination liaison. She is passionate about identifying systems that foster ease and efficiency for our customers, and she drives the implementation of solutions across all divisions of the organization. Lauren is a graduate of the University of Richmond where she majored in Leadership Studies and Business Administration. Outside of work, she enjoys running, spending time with friends and family, and traveling.
