Would you like to invest in cutting-edge technology businesses while they are still in their start-up stages? If you don't have enough capital to spread among dozens of qualified candidates, or a team of experienced analysts who can help you recognize potential winners, you would be more likely to lose your shirt by putting your money into such businesses than to realize significant gains over the long run.

Lending to tech start-ups is far too risky for individual investors, but not for an organization like Hercules Capital (NYSE: HTGC). This business development company (BDC) sports a portfolio worth about $3.6 billion spread among dozens of different borrowers.

This makes the company a straightforward way for retail investors to gain exposure to the sort of investments that are generally limited to institutional investors and the wealthy. Surprisingly, billionaires who have enough resources to start BDCs themselves are adding this stock to the portfolios they manage.

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Source Fool.com