Polen Capital: First CLO Closed At $407.15 Million 

By Amit Chowdhry • Mar 11, 2025

Polen Capital Management – a global investment management firm specializing in growth equity and credit – announced the closing of its debut collateralized loan obligation (CLO). And Polen Capital CLO 2025-1, Ltd., a $407.15 million CLO that is secured primarily by a pool of broadly syndicated first-lien loans represents an important step in Polen’s strategy to expand its credit and structured finance offerings to serve a wider range of investors. 

Polen – which has decades of credit expertise – specializes in the leveraged credit markets, including high yield bonds, syndicated bank loans, private credit, and other special situations. And the CLO team is co-led by Jim Stehli, lead for capital markets and structured credit; Rick Richert, co-Portfolio Manager; and Roman Rjanikov, co-Portfolio Manager. Polen’s CLO strategy emphasizes mitigating risk, actively building par, and minimizing volatility to deliver value for investors. 

Polen Capital CLO 2025-1 is managed by Polen Capital CLO Management, LLC, a registered investment adviser and subsidiary of Polen. 

BofA Securities served as the placement and structuring agents. 

KEY QUOTES: 

“We are thrilled to announce the close of our debut CLO, Polen Capital CLO 2025-1, through which we aim to construct a liquid, diversified portfolio that seeks to protect our investors throughout the capital structure from debt to equity. This closing marks a significant moment in the growth and expansion of our credit business as we continue to deliver solutions that address our clients’ investment needs. We appreciate the chance to partner with investors as we establish our new CLO strategy, particularly at a time of enormous opportunity in the space.” 

  • Jim Stehli 

“Polen’s CLO business represents a natural extension of our nearly 30-year history in credit investing. Polen is committed to delivering innovative investment strategies that are backed by experienced and seasoned talent, which we see in the exceptional CLO team that we have on board. We look forward to growing relationships with new and existing investors who are looking to manage volatility in this period of tight spreads and economic uncertainty.” 

  • David Breazzano, Head of Credit at Polen 

“I’m pleased to be part of a strong team focused on creating a first-class CLO franchise. We have constructed a portfolio that we believe will be among the most resilient in the market, and we intend to run this platform with the primary goal of delivering a very tight variance to our expected returns. We look forward to driving value through this platform as we continue to expand Polen’s structured financing capabilities.” 

  • Rick Richert