Bonus Round Taking on some venture debt after a round of VC can give you more bang for your buck.

Silicon Semiconductor Corp. knows how to make a good thing last. The Durham, North Carolina, company makes tiny, high-efficiency power management semiconductors for use in battery-powered electronics like laptops. Late last year, the company's ability to stretch the life of a battery attracted a $10 million venture investment from the granddaddy of silicon, Fairchild Semiconductor.

That might have been enough for some companies. But Silicon Semiconductor knows that, like a battery, venture capital dollars need to last as long as possible. The company had an aggressive rollout schedule for its new technology and needed to maximize its cash available to accomplish that goal.

With the Fairchild money in the bank, Silicon Semiconductor CEO Glenn Kline went looking for even more cash. What he found was an additional $3.2 million-part loan and part lease. The package came from the venture lending arm of RBC Centura bank, in Raleigh, North Carolina. "The trick is to find lenders who have a real venture equity perspective," says Kline, 40, "not just a traditional banker."