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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 11, 2016

File No. 000-55592

 

 

 

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Amendment No. 1

to

FORM 10

 

 

GENERAL FORM FOR REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES

PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

OWL ROCK CAPITAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

 

Maryland   47-5402460

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or registration)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

245 Park Avenue

41St Floor

New York, New York

  10167
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

(646) 787 0100

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

with copies to:

Cynthia M. Krus

Steven B. Boehm

Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP

700 Sixth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001

(202) 383-0100

Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

None

Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share

(Title of class)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   x  (do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   ¨

 

 

 


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

Explanatory Note

     1   

Forward-Looking Statements

     1   

Item 1.

 

Business

     3   

Item 1A.

 

Risk Factors

     29   

Item 2.

 

Financial Information

     47   

Item 3.

 

Properties

     49   

Item 4.

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

     49   

Item 5.

 

Directors and Executive Officers

     50   

Item 6.

 

Executive Compensation

     56   

Item 7.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

     57   

Item 8.

 

Legal Proceedings

     59   

Item 9.

 

Market Price of and Dividends on the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

     59   

Item 10.

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

     60   

Item 11.

 

Description of Registrant’s Securities to be Registered

     61   

Item 12.

 

Indemnification of Directors and Officers

     70   

Item 13.

 

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

     72   

Item 14.

 

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

     72   

Item 15.

 

Financial Statements and Exhibits

     72   

 


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EXPLANATORY NOTE

Owl Rock Capital Corporation is filing this registration statement on Form 10 (the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), on a voluntary basis in order to permit it to file an election to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and to provide current public information to the investment community and to comply with applicable requirements in the event of the future quotation or listing of its securities on a national securities exchange (an “Exchange Listing”) or the future quotation or listing of its securities on any other public trading market.

In this Registration Statement, except where the context suggests otherwise:

 

    the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” and “Company,” refer to Owl Rock Capital Corporation; and

 

    the terms “Adviser,” “Investment Adviser,” and “Administrator” refer to Owl Rock Capital Advisors LLC, our investment adviser and administrator.

The Company is an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”) and the Company will take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).

This Registration Statement registers the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share under the 1934 Act; however:

 

    the Company’s shares may not be sold without the written consent of the Adviser;

 

    the shares are not currently listed on an exchange, and it is uncertain whether they will be listed or whether a secondary market will develop;

 

    repurchases of shares by the Company, if any, are expected to be limited; and

 

    an investment in the Company may not be suitable for investors who may need the money they invest in a specified time frame.

Once this Registration Statement has been deemed effective, we will be subject to the requirements of Section 13(a) of the 1934 Act, including the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, which will require us, among other things, to file annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K, and we will be required to comply with all other obligations of the 1934 Act applicable to issuers filing registration statements pursuant to Section 12(g) of the 1934 Act.

We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and we are subject to the 1940 Act requirements applicable to BDCs.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Registration Statement contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company, our current and prospective portfolio investments, our industry, our beliefs and opinions, and our assumptions. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “may,” “continue,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “targets,” “projects,” “outlook,” “potential,” “predicts” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements, including without limitation:

 

    an economic downturn could impair our portfolio companies’ ability to continue to operate, which could lead to the loss of some or all of our investments in such portfolio companies;

 

    such an economic downturn could disproportionately impact the companies which we intend to target for investment, potentially causing us to experience a decrease in investment opportunities and diminished demand for capital from these companies;

 

    such an economic downtown could also impact availability and pricing of our financing;

 

    a contraction of available credit and/or an inability to access the equity markets could impair our lending and investment activities;

 

    interest rate volatility could adversely affect our results, particularly if we elect to use leverage as part of our investment strategy;

 

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    currency fluctuations could adversely affect the results of our investments in foreign companies, particularly to the extent that we receive payments denominated in foreign currency rather than U.S. dollars;

 

    our future operating results;

 

    our business prospects and the prospects of our portfolio companies;

 

    our contractual arrangements and relationships with third parties;

 

    the ability of our portfolio companies to achieve their objectives;

 

    competition with other entities and our affiliates for investment opportunities;

 

    the speculative and illiquid nature of our investments;

 

    the use of borrowed money to finance a portion of our investments as well as any estimates regarding potential use of leverage;

 

    the adequacy of our financing sources and working capital;

 

    the loss of key personnel;

 

    the timing of cash flows, if any, from the operations of our portfolio companies;

 

    the ability of the Adviser to locate suitable investments for us and to monitor and administer our investments;

 

    the ability of the Adviser to attract and retain highly talented professionals;

 

    our ability to qualify and maintain our qualification as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and as a BDC;

 

    the effect of legal, tax and regulatory changes; and

 

    other risks, uncertainties and other factors we identify under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Registration Statement.

Although we believe that the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate, and as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those assumptions also could be inaccurate. In light of these and other uncertainties, the inclusion of a projection or forward-looking statement in this Registration Statement should not be regarded as a representation by us that our plans and objectives will be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include those described or identified in the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Registration Statement. These forward-looking statements apply only as of the date of this Registration Statement. Moreover, we assume no duty and do not undertake to update the forward-looking statements. Because we are an investment company, the forward-looking statements and projections contained in this Registration Statement are excluded from the safe harbor protection provided by Section 21E of the 1934 Act.

 

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS

(a) General Development of Business

We were formed on October 15, 2015 as a corporation under the laws of the State of Maryland. We were organized primarily to make loans to, and make debt and equity investments in, U.S. middle market companies. We will invest in senior secured or unsecured loans, subordinated loans or mezzanine loans and, to a lesser extent, equity-related securities including warrants, preferred stock and similar forms of senior equity, which may or may not be convertible into a portfolio company’s common equity. Our investment objective is to generate current income, and to a lesser extent, capital appreciation by targeting investment opportunities with favorable risk-adjusted returns.

We expect to conduct private offerings (the “Private Offering”) of our common shares to investors in reliance on exemptions from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. At the closing of any Private Offering, each investor will make a capital commitment (a “Capital Commitment”) to purchase shares of our common stock pursuant to a subscription agreement entered into with us. The initial closing (the “Initial Closing”) of the Private Offering occurred on March 3, 2016. Investors will be required to fund drawdowns to purchase shares of our common stock up to the amount of their respective capital commitments on an as-needed basis each time we deliver a notice to the investors. We anticipate commencing our loan origination and investment activities as soon as practicable following the initial drawdown from investors in the Private Offering (the “Initial Drawdown”) which occurred on March 30, 2016. Prior to an Exchange Listing, the Adviser may, in its sole discretion, permit one or more additional closings (“Subsequent Closings”) as additional Capital Commitments are obtained (the conclusion of all Subsequent Closings, if any, the “Final Closing” and the Initial Closing, each Subsequent Closing and the Final Closing, each a “Closing”). See “Item 1(c). Description of Business — The Private Offering.”

We have elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. We intend to elect to be treated, and intend to qualify annually thereafter, as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a BDC and a RIC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. See “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Regulation as a Business Development Company” and “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.

(b) Financial Information about Industry Segments

Our operations comprise only a single reportable segment.

(c) Description of Business

The Company — Owl Rock Capital Corporation

Owl Rock Capital Corporation is a newly formed Maryland corporation organized primarily to make loans to, and make debt and equity investments in, U.S. middle market companies. We will invest in senior secured or unsecured loans, subordinated loans or mezzanine loans and, to a lesser extent, equity-related securities including warrants, preferred stock and similar forms of senior equity, which may or may not be convertible into a portfolio company’s common equity. We expect that the companies in our investment portfolio will typically be highly leveraged, and, we expect that in many cases, our investments in these companies will not be rated by any rating agency. We expect that if these investments were rated, they would likely receive a rating of below investment grade which is often referred to as “junk”. Our investment objective is to generate current income, and to a lesser extent, capital appreciation by targeting investment opportunities with favorable risk-adjusted returns.

We expect that capital will be used to support organic growth, acquisitions, market or product expansion, refinancings and/or recapitalizations. We define “middle market companies” to generally mean companies with earnings before interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, or “EBITDA,” between $10 million and $250 million annually and/or annual revenue of $50 million to $2.5 billion at the time of investment. We may on occasion invest in smaller or larger companies if an attractive opportunity presents itself, especially when there are dislocations in the capital markets, including the high yield and large syndicated loan markets. Our target credit investments will typically have maturities between three and ten years and generally range in size between $20 and $250 million. The investment size will vary with the size of our capital base.

 

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We may invest a portion of our portfolio in opportunistic investments, which will not be our primary focus, but will be intended to enhance our returns to holders of our common stock. These investments may include, but are not limited to, large U.S. companies, foreign companies, stressed or distressed debt, structured products or private equity. We will not invest more than 20% of our total assets in companies whose principal place of business is outside the United States.

We generally intend to distribute, out of assets legally available for distribution, substantially all of our available earnings, on a quarterly basis, as determined by our board of directors (the “Board of Directors”) in its discretion.

To achieve our investment objective, we will leverage our Adviser’s investment team’s extensive network of relationships with other sophisticated institutions to source, evaluate and, as appropriate, partner with on transactions. There are no assurances that we will achieve our investment objective.

From time to time, we may be exposed to significant market risk. See “Item 1.A.Risk Factors —Risks Related to our Business and Structure —Risks Related to Changes in Interest Rates.” Our investment portfolio may be concentrated. We are subject to certain investment restrictions with respect to leverage and type of investments. We or our affiliates may engage in certain origination activities and receive attendant structuring or similar fees.

As a BDC, at least 70% of our assets must be assets of the type listed in Section 55(a) of the 1940 Act, as described herein.

The Adviser — Owl Rock Capital Advisors LLC

Owl Rock Capital Advisors serves as our investment adviser pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) between us and the Adviser. The Adviser has no operating history. Subject to the overall supervision of the Board of Directors, the Adviser is responsible for managing our business and activities, including sourcing investment opportunities, conducting research, performing diligence on potential investments, structuring our investments, and monitoring our portfolio companies on an ongoing basis through a team of investment professionals. The Adviser is an indirect subsidiary of Owl Rock Capital Partners. Owl Rock Capital Partners is led by Douglas I. Ostrover, its Chief Executive Officer and Marc S. Lipschultz, its President. The Adviser’s investment team (the “Investment Team”) is also led by Douglas I. Ostrover and Marc S. Lipschultz and is supported by certain members of the Adviser’s senior executive team and the investment committee. All investment decisions require the unanimous approval of the investment committee, which is currently comprised of Douglas I. Ostrover, Marc S. Lipschultz and Alexis Maged (the “Investment Committee”). The Adviser intends to appoint one additional senior investment professional to the Investment Committee.

The Board of Directors

Overall responsibility for the Company’s oversight rests with the Board of Directors. We have entered into the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser, pursuant to which the Adviser will manage the Company on a day-to-day basis. The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the Adviser and other service providers in our operations in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable provisions of state and other laws and our amended and restated charter, which we refer to as our charter. The Board of Directors is currently composed of five members, three of whom are directors who are not “interested persons” of the Company or the Adviser as defined in the 1940 Act. Pursuant to our charter, the directors are divided into three classes. Directors of each class will hold office for terms ending at the third annual meeting of our shareholders after their election and when their respective successors are elected and qualify. However, the initial members of the three classes of directors have initial terms ending at the first, second and third annual meeting of our shareholders after the Initial Closing, respectively.

Investment Advisory Agreement

The description below of the Investment Advisory Agreement is only a summary and is not necessarily complete. The description set forth below is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Investment Advisory Agreement attached as an exhibit to this Registration Statement.

 

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The Adviser provides management services to us pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement. Under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is responsible for the following:

 

    managing our assets in accordance with our investment objective, policies and restrictions;

 

    determining the composition of our portfolio, the nature and timing of the changes to our portfolio and the manner of implementing such changes;

 

    making investment decisions for us, including negotiating the terms of investments in, and dispositions of, portfolio securities and other instruments on our behalf;

 

    monitoring our investments;

 

    performing due diligence on prospective portfolio companies;

 

    exercising voting rights in respect of portfolio securities and other investments for us;

 

    serving on, and exercising observer rights for, boards of directors and similar committees of our portfolio companies; and

 

    providing us with such other investment advisory and related services as we may, from time to time, reasonably require for the investment of capital.

The Adviser’s services under the Investment Advisory Agreement are not exclusive, and it is free to furnish similar services to other entities so long as its services to us are not impaired.

Term

The Investment Advisory Agreement has been approved by the Board of Directors. Unless earlier terminated as described below, the Investment Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for a period of two years from the date it first becomes effective and will remain in effect from year-to-year thereafter if approved annually by a majority of the Board of Directors or by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities and, in each case, a majority of the independent directors.

The Investment Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate within the meaning of the 1940 Act and related SEC guidance and interpretations in the event of its assignment. In accordance with the 1940 Act, without payment of any penalty, we may terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser upon 60 days’ written notice. The decision to terminate the agreement may be made by a majority of the Board of Directors or the shareholders holding a majority (as defined under the 1940 Act) of the outstanding shares of our common stock. See “–Removal of Adviser.” In addition, without payment of any penalty, the Adviser may generally terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement upon 60 days’ written notice and, in certain circumstances, the Adviser may only be able to terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement upon 120 days’ written notice.

Removal of Adviser

The Adviser may be removed by the Board of Directors or by the affirmative vote of a Majority of the Outstanding Shares. “Majority of the Outstanding Shares” means the lesser of (1) 67% or more of the outstanding shares of our common stock present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock are present or represented by proxy or (2) a majority of outstanding shares of our common stock.

Compensation of Adviser

We will pay the Adviser a fee for its services under the Investment Advisory Agreement consisting of two components: a management fee and an incentive fee. The cost of both the management fee and the incentive fee will ultimately be borne by the shareholders.

The management fee is payable quarterly in arrears. Prior to an Exchange Listing, the management fee is payable at an annual rate of 0.75% of our (i) average gross assets, excluding cash and cash equivalents but

 

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including assets purchased with borrowed amounts, at the end of our two most recently completed calendar quarters plus (ii) the average of any shareholder’s remaining unfunded Capital Commitments to the Company at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. Following an Exchange Listing, the management fee is payable at an annual rate of 1.75% of our gross assets excluding cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts, at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters payable quarterly in arrears. The management fee for any partial month or quarter, as the case may be, will be appropriately prorated and adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases during the relevant calendar months or quarters, as the case may be. For purposes of the Investment Advisory Agreement, gross assets means our total assets determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, excluding cash and cash equivalents, but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts.

Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser will not be entitled to an incentive fee prior to an Exchange Listing. Following an Exchange Listing, the incentive fee will consist of two components that are independent of each other, with the result that one component may be payable even if the other is not. A portion of the incentive fee is based on our income and a portion is based on our capital gains, each as described below. The portion of the incentive fee based on income is determined and paid quarterly in arrears commencing with the first calendar quarter following an Exchange Listing, and equals 100% of the pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of a 1.5% quarterly “hurdle rate,” until the Adviser has received 20% of the total pre-incentive fee net investment income for that calendar quarter and, for pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of 1.875% quarterly, 20% of all remaining pre-incentive fee net investment income for that calendar quarter. The 100% “catch-up” provision for pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of the 1.5% “hurdle rate” is intended to provide the Adviser with an incentive fee of 20% on all pre-incentive fee net investment income when that amount equals 1.875% in a calendar quarter (7.50% annualized), which is the rate at which catch-up is achieved. Once the “hurdle rate” is reached and catch-up is achieved, 20% of any pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of 1.875% in any quarter is payable to the Adviser.

Pre-incentive fee net investment income means dividends (including reinvested dividends), interest and fee income accrued by us during the calendar quarter, minus operating expenses for the quarter (including the management fee, expenses payable under the administration agreement (the “Administration Agreement”) entered into between us and the Adviser, and any interest expense and dividends paid on any issued and outstanding preferred stock, but excluding the incentive fee). Pre-incentive fee net investment income includes, in the case of investments with a deferred interest feature (such as original issue discount, debt instruments with pay-in-kind (“PIK”) interest and zero coupon securities), accrued income that we may not have received in cash and the Adviser is not obligated to return to us the incentive fee it receives on payment-in-kind interest that is later determined to be uncollectible in cash. Pre-incentive fee net investment income does not include any realized capital gains, realized capital losses or unrealized capital appreciation or depreciation.

To determine whether pre-incentive fee net investment income exceeds the hurdle rate, pre-incentive fee net investment income is expressed as a rate of return on the value of our net assets at the end of the immediately preceding calendar quarter commencing with the first calendar quarter following an Exchange Listing. Because of the structure of the incentive fee, it is possible that we may pay an incentive fee in a calendar quarter in which we incur a loss. For example, if we receive pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of the quarterly hurdle rate, we will pay the applicable incentive fee even if we have incurred a loss in that calendar quarter due to realized and unrealized capital losses. In addition, because the quarterly hurdle rate is calculated based on our net assets, decreases in our net assets due to realized or unrealized capital losses in any given calendar quarter may increase the likelihood that the hurdle rate is reached and therefore the likelihood of us paying an incentive fee for that calendar quarter. Our net investment income used to calculate this component of the incentive fee is also included in the amount of our gross assets used to calculate the management fee because gross assets are total assets (including cash received) before deducting liabilities (such as declared dividend payments).

The following is a graphical representation of the calculation of the income-related portion of the incentive fee:

Quarterly Subordinated Incentive Fee on

Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income

(expressed as a percentage of the value of net assets)

 

0%   1.5%   1.875%
       
     
LOGO 0% LOGO   LOGO 100% LOGO   LOGO 20% LOGO
       

 

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Percentage of Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income

Allocated to Quarterly Incentive Fee

The second component of the incentive fee, the capital gains incentive fee, payable at the end of each calendar year in arrears, equals 20% of cumulative realized capital gains from the date on which the Exchange Listing becomes effective (the “Listing Date”) to the end of each calendar year, less cumulative realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation from the Listing Date to the end of each calendar year. Each year, the fee paid for the capital gains incentive fee is net of the aggregate amount of any previously paid capital gains incentive fee for prior periods. We will accrue, but will not pay, a capital gains incentive fee with respect to unrealized appreciation because a capital gains incentive fee would be owed to the Adviser if we were to sell the relevant investment and realize a capital gain. For the sole purpose of calculating the capital gains incentive fee, the cost basis as of the Listing Date for all of our investments made prior to the Listing Date will be equal to the fair market value of such investments as of the last day of the quarter in which the Listing Date occurs; provided, however, that in no event will the capital gains incentive fee payable pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement be in excess of the amount permitted by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 including Section 205 thereof.

The fees that are payable under the Investment Advisory Agreement for any partial period will be appropriately prorated.

Limitations of Liability and Indemnification

The Adviser and its affiliates (each, an “Indemnitee”) will not be liable to us for (i) mistakes of judgment or for action or inaction that such person reasonably believed to be in our best interests absent such Indemnitee’s gross negligence, knowing and willful misconduct, or fraud or (ii) losses or expenses due to mistakes of judgment, action or inaction, or the negligence, dishonesty or bad faith of any broker or other agent of the Company who is not an affiliate of such Indemnitee, provided that such person was selected, engaged or retained without gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud.

We will indemnify each Indemnitee against any liabilities relating to our offering of our common stock or our business, operation, administration or termination, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner it believed to be in, or not opposed to, our interest and except to the extent arising out of the Indemnitee’s gross negligence, fraud or knowing and willful misconduct. We may pay the expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in defending an actual or threatened civil or criminal action in advance of the final disposition of such action, provided the Indemnitee agrees to repay those expenses if found by adjudication not to be entitled to indemnification.

Board Approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement

The Board of Directors held an in-person meeting to consider and approve the Investment Advisory Agreement and related matters. The Board of Directors was provided the information it required to consider the Investment Advisory Agreement, including: (a) the nature, quality and extent of the advisory and other services to be provided to us by the Adviser; (b) comparative data with respect to advisory fees or similar expenses paid by other BDCs with similar investment objectives; (c) our projected operating expenses and expense ratio compared to BDCs with similar investment objectives; (d) any existing and potential sources of indirect income to the Adviser from its relationship with us and the profitability of that relationship; (e) information about the services to be performed and the personnel performing such services under the Investment Advisory Agreement; (f) the organizational capability and financial condition of the Adviser and its affiliates; (g) the Adviser’s practices regarding the selection and compensation of brokers that may execute our portfolio transactions and the brokers’ provision of brokerage and research services to the Adviser; and (h) the possibility of obtaining similar services from other third-party service providers or through an internally managed structure.

 

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The Board of Directors, including a majority of independent directors, oversees and monitors the investment performance and, beginning with the second anniversary of the effective date of the Investment Advisory Agreement, will annually review the compensation we pay to the Adviser to determine that the provisions of the Investment Advisory Agreement are carried out.

Administration Agreement

The description below of the Administration Agreement is only a summary and is not necessarily complete. The description set forth below is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Administration Agreement attached as an exhibit to this Registration Statement.

Under the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Adviser will perform, or oversee the performance of, required administrative services, which includes providing office space, equipment and office services, maintaining financial records, preparing reports to shareholders and reports filed with the SEC, and managing the payment of expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered by others. We will reimburse the Adviser for services performed for us pursuant to the terms of the Administration Agreement. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Adviser may delegate its obligations under the Administration Agreement to an affiliate or to a third party and we will reimburse the Adviser for any services performed for us by such affiliate or third party.

The Administration Agreement has been approved by the Board of Directors. Unless earlier terminated as described below, the Administration Agreement will remain in effect for a period of two years from the date it first becomes effective and will remain in effect from year-to-year thereafter if approved annually by a majority of the Board of Directors or by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities and, in each case, a majority of the independent directors.

We may terminate the Administration Agreement, without payment of any penalty, upon 60 days’ written notice. The decision to terminate the agreement may be made by a majority of the Board of Directors or the shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock. In addition, the Adviser may terminate the Administration Agreement, without payment of any penalty, upon 60 days’ written notice.

Payment of Our Expenses under the Investment Advisory and Administration Agreements

Except as specifically provided below, we anticipate that all investment professionals and staff of the Adviser, when and to the extent engaged in providing investment advisory and management services to us, and the base compensation, bonus and benefits, and the routine overhead expenses, of such personnel allocable to such services, will be provided and paid for by the Adviser. We will bear our allocable portion of the compensation paid by the Adviser (or its affiliates) to our chief compliance officer and chief financial officer and their respective staffs (based on a percentage of time such individuals devote, on an estimated basis, to our business affairs). We will also bear all other costs and expenses of our operations, administration and transactions, including, but not limited to (i) investment advisory fees, including management fees and incentive fees, to the Adviser, pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement; (ii) our allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by the Adviser in performing its administrative obligations under the Investment Advisory Agreement, and (iii) all other expenses of our operations and transactions including, without limitation, those relating to:

 

    the cost of our organization and this offering;

 

    the cost of calculating our net asset value, including the cost of any third-party valuation services;

 

    the cost of effecting any sales and repurchases of our common stock and other securities;

 

    fees and expenses payable under any dealer manager agreements, if any;

 

    debt service and other costs of borrowings or other financing arrangements;

 

    costs of hedging;

 

    expenses, including travel expense, incurred by the Adviser, or members of the Investment Team, or payable to third parties, performing due diligence on prospective portfolio companies and, if necessary, enforcing our rights;

 

    transfer agent and custodial fees;

 

    fees and expenses associated with marketing efforts;

 

    federal and state registration fees, any stock exchange listing fees and fees payable to rating agencies;

 

    federal, state and local taxes;

 

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    independent directors’ fees and expenses including certain travel expenses;

 

    costs of preparing financial statements and maintaining books and records and filing reports or other documents with the SEC (or other regulatory bodies) and other reporting and compliance costs, including registration and listing fees, and the compensation of professionals responsible for the preparation of the foregoing;

 

    the costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to shareholders (including printing and mailing costs), the costs of any shareholder or director meetings and the compensation of investor relations personnel responsible for the preparation of the foregoing and related matters;

 

    commissions and other compensation payable to brokers or dealers;

 

    research and market data;

 

    fidelity bond, directors and officers errors and omissions liability insurance and other insurance premiums;

 

    direct costs and expenses of administration, including printing, mailing, long distance telephone and staff;

 

    fees and expenses associated with independent audits, outside legal and consulting costs;

 

    costs of winding up;

 

    costs incurred in connection with the formation or maintenance of entities or vehicles to hold our assets for tax or other purposes;

 

    extraordinary expenses (such as litigation or indemnification); and

 

    costs associated with reporting and compliance obligations under the 1940 Act and applicable federal and state securities laws.

Fees and Expenses

The table below provides information about the Company’s estimated annual operating expenses during the following twelve months, expressed as a percentage of average net assets attributable to common stock. The percentages indicated in the table below are estimates and may vary.

 

Base Management Fee (1)

     1.875

Incentive Fee (2)

     —     

Interest Payments on Borrowed Funds (3)

     1.250

Other Expenses (4)

     1.600

Total Annual Expenses

     4.725

 

(1)  Amount assumes that we have average net assets of $500 million during the following twelve months and that we borrow funds equal to 50% of our average net assets during such period.

 

(2)  For purpose of this chart, we have assumed that we will not conduct an Exchange Listing in the next twelve months and that no incentive fee will be paid.

 

(3)  We intend to borrow funds to make investments. To the extent that we determine it is appropriate to borrow funds to make investments, the costs associated with such borrowing will be indirectly borne by our investors. The figure in the table assumes we borrow for investment purposes an amount equal to 50% of our average net assets (including such borrowed funds) during the following twelve months and that the annual interest rate on the amount borrowed is 2.5%. We may borrow additional funds from time to time to make investments to the extent we determine that the economic situation is conducive to doing so.

 

(4)  Other expenses include, but are not limited to, accounting, legal and auditing fees, as well as the reimbursement of the compensation of administrative personnel and fees payable to our directors who do not also serve in an executive officer capacity for us or the Adviser. The amount presented in the table reflects estimated amounts we expect to pay during the following twelve months.

License Agreement

We have also entered into a license agreement (the “License Agreement”) with Owl Rock Capital Partners, pursuant to which Owl Rock Capital Partners has granted us a non-exclusive license to use the name “Owl Rock.” Under the License Agreement, we have a right to use the Owl Rock name for so long as the Adviser or one of its affiliates remains our investment adviser. Other than with respect to this limited license, we have no legal right to the “Owl Rock” name or logo.

Market Opportunity

We believe the middle-market lending environment provides opportunities for us to meet our goal of making investments that generate attractive risk-adjusted returns as a result of a combination of the following factors:

Limited Availability of Capital for Middle-Market Companies. We believe that regulatory and structural changes in the market have reduced the amount of capital available to middle-market companies. Specifically, the Basel III accord, the adoption of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and recent leveraged lending guidelines and regulations implemented by the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation are expected to significantly increase capital and liquidity requirements for banks, decreasing their capacity and appetite to originate and/or hold non-investment grade loans on their balance sheets. In addition, the number of lenders serving the middle-market has declined as traditional participants, such as commercial banks and specialty finance companies, have consolidated and are pursuing larger opportunities and as many non-traditional lenders, often referred to as the “shadow banking sector” (e.g., hedge funds, private equity funds, mezzanine funds and structured vehicles) have struggled with illiquidity, been unable to satisfy investor expectations, or otherwise exited the market. Finally, while the institutional leveraged loan and high-yield bond markets have enjoyed significant investor interest in the past several years, middle-market companies are unable to access those markets as they fail to meet the size and liquidity requirements imposed by the institutional investor community.

 

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Robust Demand for Debt Capital. We believe nearly 200,000 middle-market companies will continue to require access to debt capital to refinance existing debt, support growth and finance acquisitions. In addition, we believe the large amount of uninvested capital held by private equity funds will continue to drive deal activity. We expect that private equity firms will continue to pursue acquisitions and to seek to leverage their equity investments with debt provided by companies such as us.

Compelling Investment Dynamics. We believe that the imbalance between the supply of, and demand for, middle-market debt capital creates transaction dynamics that offer opportunities to make investments with attractive risk-adjusted rates of return. In addition to commanding higher pricing, principally due to illiquidity, the directly negotiated nature of middle-market financings generally provides for more favorable terms to the lender, including more conservative leverage, stronger covenants and reporting packages, better call protection, and more restrictive change-of-control provisions. In addition, middle-market companies often have simpler capital structures than those of larger borrowers, which we believe facilitates a streamlined underwriting process and improves returns to lenders during a restructuring process.

Disparate Financing Needs. Middle-market borrowers’ needs vary considerably based on company- or industry-specific circumstances. We believe that the number of capital providers with the capabilities and flexibility of mandate to deliver tailored “one-stop” solutions addressing the idiosyncratic needs of the market remains limited. We believe that the Investment Team’s experience in designing and investing in custom solutions across the capital structure, positions us as a desirable lending partner to middle-market companies and their sponsors.

Distinctive Lender Capabilities. Lending to middle-market companies requires specialized due diligence and underwriting capabilities, as well as extensive ongoing monitoring. Middle-market lending also is generally more labor-intensive than lending to larger companies due to smaller investment sizes and the lack of publicly available information on these companies. We believe the Adviser’s experience positions us more strongly to lend to middle-market companies than many other capital providers.

Competitive Strengths

We believe that the Adviser’s disciplined approach to origination, fundamental credit analysis, portfolio construction and risk management should allow us to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns while preserving our capital. We believe that it represents an attractive investment opportunity for the following reasons:

Experienced Investment Team. The members of the Investment Committee each have an average of 25 years of experience in private lending, high yield securities, leveraged loans, high yield credit derivatives and distressed securities, as well as experience in operations, corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. The Investment Team has diverse backgrounds with investing experience through multiple business and credit cycles and certain members of the Investment Team have significant operating and investing experience at BDCs. We believe this experience provides the Adviser with an in-depth understanding of the strategic, financial and operational challenges and opportunities of middle-market companies. Further, we believe this positions the Adviser to effectively identify, assess and select quality investments while also enabling it to monitor and provide managerial assistance to our portfolio companies.

Distinctive Origination Platform. We anticipate that a substantial majority of our investments will not be intermediated and will be originated without the assistance of investment banks or other traditional Wall Street sources. The Investment Team is responsible for originating, underwriting, executing and managing the assets of our direct lending transactions and for sourcing and executing opportunities directly. The Investment Team has significant experience as transaction originators and executing direct calling campaigns on companies based on the Adviser’s sector and macroeconomic views.

The Investment Team also maintains direct contact with financial sponsors, banks, corporate advisory firms, industry consultants, attorneys, investment banks, “club” investors and other potential sources of lending opportunities. By sourcing through multiple channels, we believe we are able to generate investment opportunities that have more attractive risk-adjusted return characteristics than by relying solely on origination flow from investment banks or other intermediaries.

 

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Disciplined, Income-Orientated Investment Philosophy. The Adviser will employ a defensive investment approach focused on long-term credit performance and principal protection. This investment approach will involve a multi-stage selection process for each investment opportunity as well as ongoing monitoring of each investment made, with particular emphasis on early detection of credit deterioration. This strategy is designed to achieve optimized risk adjusted returns.

Active Portfolio Monitoring. The Adviser will closely monitor the investments in the portfolio and take a proactive approach to identifying and addressing sector- or company-specific risks. The Adviser will receive and review detailed financial information from portfolio companies no less than quarterly in addition to maintaining regular dialogue with company management teams regarding current and forecasted performance. We anticipate that a significant amount of our investments will have financial covenants that provide an early warning of potential problems facing borrowers, allowing lenders, including us, to identify and carefully manage risk.

Expertise Across All Levels of the Corporate Capital Structure. We believe that the Adviser’s broad expertise and experience at all levels of a company’s capital structure will afford it numerous tools to manage risk while preserving the opportunity for attractive returns on our investments. The Adviser will attempt to capitalize on this expertise in an effort to produce and maintain an investment portfolio that will perform in a broad range of economic conditions.

Investment Selection

The Adviser has identified the following investment criteria and guidelines that it believes are important in evaluating prospective portfolio companies. However, not all of these criteria and guidelines, either individually or collectively, will be met in connection with each of our investments.

Established Companies with Positive Cash Flow. We seek to invest in companies with sound historical financial performance which we believe tend to be well-positioned to maintain consistent cash flow to service and repay their obligations and maintain growth in their businesses or market share. The Adviser will typically focus on companies with a history of profitability on an operating cash flow basis. The Adviser does not intend to invest in start-up companies that have not achieved sustainable profitability and cash flow generation or companies with speculative business plans.

Strong Competitive Position in Industry. The Adviser will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of target companies relative to their competitors. The factors the Adviser will consider include relative product pricing, product quality, customer loyalty, substitution risk, switching costs, patent protection, brand positioning and capitalization. We seek to invest in companies that have developed leading positions within their respective markets, are well positioned to capitalize on growth opportunities and operate businesses, exhibit the potential to maintain sufficient cash flows and profitability to service their obligations in a range of economic environments or are in industries with significant barriers to entry. We seek companies that demonstrate advantages in scale, scope, customer loyalty, product pricing, or product quality versus their competitors that when compared to their competitors, may help to protect their market position and profitability.

Experienced Management Team. We seek to invest in companies that have experienced management teams. We also seek to invest in companies that have proper incentives in place, including having significant equity interests, to motivate management to act in concert with its interests as investors.

Diversified Customer and Supplier Base. We generally seek to invest in companies that have a diversified customer and supplier base. Companies with a diversified customer and supplier base are generally better able to endure economic downturns, industry consolidation, changing business preferences and other factors that may negatively impact their customers, suppliers and competitors.

 

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Exit Strategy. While certain debt investments may be repaid through operating cash flows of the borrower, we expect that the primary means by which we exit our debt investments will be through methods such as strategic acquisitions by other industry participants, an initial public offering of common stock, a recapitalization, a refinancing or another transaction in the capital markets. In addition, in connection with our investing activities, we may make commitments with respect to an investment in a potential portfolio company substantially in excess of our final investment. In such situations, while we may initially agree to fund up to a certain dollar amount of an investment, we may syndicate a portion of such amount such that we are left with a smaller investment than what was reflected in our original commitment.

Private Equity Sponsorship. Often, we will seek to participate in transactions sponsored by what we believe to be high-quality private equity firms. We believe that a private equity sponsor’s willingness to invest significant sums of equity capital into a company is an explicit endorsement of the quality of their investment. Further, private equity sponsors of portfolio companies with significant investments at risk have the ability and a strong incentive to contribute additional capital in difficult economic times should operational issues arise.

Investments in Different Portfolio Companies and Industries. We will seek to invest broadly among portfolio companies and industries, thereby potentially reducing the risk of any one company or industry having a disproportionate impact on the value of our portfolio, however there can be no assurances in this regard.

Investment Process Overview

Origination and Sourcing. The Investment Team has an extensive network from which to source deal flow and referrals. Specifically, the Adviser sources portfolio investments from a variety of different investment sources, including among others, management teams, financial intermediaries and advisers, investment bankers, private equity sponsors, family offices, accounting firms and law firms. The Adviser believes that its experience across different industries and transaction types makes the Adviser particularly and uniquely qualified to source, analyze and execute investment opportunities.

Due Diligence Process. The process through which an investment decision is made involves extensive research into the company, its industry, its growth prospects and its ability to withstand adverse conditions. If one or more of the members of the Investment Team responsible for the transaction determine that an investment opportunity should be pursued, the Adviser will engage in an intensive due diligence process. Though each transaction may involve a somewhat different approach, the Adviser’s diligence of each opportunity could include:

 

    understanding the purpose of the loan, the key personnel and variables, as well as the sources and uses of the proceeds;

 

    meeting the company’s management, including top and middle-level executives, to get an insider’s view of the business, and to probe for potential weaknesses in business prospects;

 

    checking management’s backgrounds and references;

 

    performing a detailed review of historical financial performance, including performance through various economic cycles, and the quality of earnings;

 

    contacting customers and vendors to assess both business prospects and standard practices;

 

    conducting a competitive analysis, and comparing the company to its main competitors on an operating, financial, market share and valuation basis;

 

    researching the industry for historic growth trends and future prospects as well as to identify future exit alternatives;

 

    assessing asset value and the ability of physical infrastructure and information systems to handle anticipated growth;

 

    leveraging the Adviser’s internal resources and network with institutional knowledge of the company’s business; and

 

    investigating legal and regulatory risks and financial and accounting systems and practices.

 

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Selective Investment Process. After an investment has been identified and preliminary diligence has been completed, a credit research and analysis report is prepared. This report is reviewed by the members of the Investment Team in charge of the potential investment. If these members of the Investment Team are in favor of the potential investment, then a more extensive due diligence process may be employed. Additional due diligence with respect to any investment may be conducted on our behalf by attorneys, independent accountants, and other third-party consultants and research firms prior to the closing of the investment, as appropriate on a case-by-case basis.

Structuring and Execution. Approval of an investment requires the unanimous approval of the Investment Committee. Once the Investment Committee has determined that a prospective portfolio company is suitable for investment, the Adviser works with the management team or sponsor of that company and its other capital providers, including senior, junior and equity capital providers, if any, to finalize the structure and terms of the investment.

Portfolio Monitoring. The Adviser monitors our portfolio companies on an ongoing basis. The Adviser monitors the financial trends of each portfolio company to determine if it is meeting its business plans and to assess the appropriate course of action with respect to each portfolio company. The Adviser has a number of methods of evaluating and monitoring the performance and fair value of our investments, which may include the following:

 

    assessment of success of the portfolio company in adhering to its business plan and compliance with covenants;

 

    periodic and regular contact with portfolio company management and, if appropriate, the financial or strategic sponsor, to discuss financial position, requirements and accomplishments;

 

    comparisons to other companies in the portfolio company’s industry;

 

    attendance at, and participation in, board meetings; and

 

    review of monthly and quarterly financial statements and financial projections for portfolio companies.

Structure of Investments

Our investment objective is to generate current income, and to a lesser extent, capital appreciation.

Debt Investments. The terms of our debt investments are tailored to the facts and circumstances of each transaction. The Adviser will negotiate the structure of each investment to protect our rights and manage our risk. We intend to invest in the following types of debt:

 

    First-lien debt. First-lien debt is typically senior on a lien basis to other liabilities in the issuer’s capital structure and has the benefit of a first-priority security interest in assets of the issuer. The security interest ranks above the security interest of any second-lien lenders in those assets. Our first-lien debt may include stand-alone first-lien loans, “last out” first-lien loans, “unitranche” loans and secured corporate bonds with similar features to these categories of first-lien loans.

 

  ¡    Stand-alone first-lien loans. Stand-alone first-lien loans are traditional first-lien loans. All lenders in the facility have equal rights to the collateral that is subject to the first-priority security interest.

 

  ¡   

“Last out” first-lien loans. “Last out” first-lien loans have a secondary priority behind super-senior “first out” first-lien loans in the collateral securing the loans in certain circumstances. The arrangements for a “last out” first-lien loan are set forth in an “agreement among lenders,” which provides lenders with “first out” and “last out” payment streams based on a single lien on the collateral. Since the “first out” lenders generally have priority over the “last out” lenders for receiving payment under certain specified events of default, or upon the occurrence of other triggering events under intercreditor agreements or agreements among lenders, the “last out” lenders bear a greater risk and, in exchange, receive a higher effective interest rate, through arrangements among the lenders, than the “first out” lenders or lenders in stand-alone first-lien

 

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loans. Agreements among lenders also typically provide greater voting rights to the “last out” lenders than the intercreditor agreements to which second-lien lenders often are subject. Among the types of first-lien debt in which we may invest, “last out” first lien loans generally have higher effective interest rates than other types of first-lien loans, since “last out” first lien loans rank below standalone first lien loans.

 

  ¡    Unitranche” loans. Unitranche loans combine features of first-lien, second-lien and mezzanine debt, generally in a first-lien position. In many cases, we may provide the issuer most, if not all, of the capital structure above the equity. The primary advantages to the issuer are the ability to negotiate the entire debt financing with one lender and the elimination of intercreditor issues.

 

    Second-lien debt. Our second-lien debt may include secured loans, and, to a lesser extent, secured corporate bonds, with a secondary priority behind first-lien debt. Second-lien debt typically is senior on a lien basis to other liabilities in the issuer’s capital structure and has the benefit of a security interest over assets of the issuer, though ranking junior to first-lien debt secured by those assets. First-lien lenders and second-lien lenders typically have separate liens on the collateral, and an intercreditor agreement provides the first-lien lenders with priority over the second-lien lenders’ liens on the collateral.

 

    Mezzanine debt. Structurally, mezzanine debt usually ranks subordinate in priority of payment to first-lien and second-lien debt, is often unsecured, and may not have the benefit of financial covenants common in first-lien and second-lien debt. However, mezzanine debt ranks senior to common and preferred equity in an issuer’s capital structure. Mezzanine debt investments generally offer lenders fixed returns in the form of interest payments and will often provide lenders an opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation, if any, of an issuer through an equity interest. This equity interest typically takes the form of an equity co-investment or warrants. Due to its higher risk profile and often less restrictive covenants compared to senior secured loans, mezzanine debt generally bears a higher stated interest rate than first-lien and second-lien debt.

Our debt investments will typically be structured with the maximum seniority and collateral that we can reasonably obtain while seeking to achieve our total return target. The Adviser seeks to limit the downside potential of our investments by:

 

    requiring a total return on our investments (including both interest and potential equity appreciation) that compensates us for credit risk;

 

    negotiating covenants in connection with our investments consistent with preservation of our capital. Such restrictions may include affirmative covenants (including reporting requirements), negative covenants (including financial covenants), lien protection, change of control provisions and board rights, including either observation or rights to a seat on the board under some circumstances; and

 

    including debt amortization requirements, where appropriate, to require the timely repayment of principal of the loan, as well as appropriate maturity dates.

Within our portfolio, the Adviser aims to maintain the appropriate proportion among the various types of first-lien loans, as well as second-lien debt and mezzanine debt, to allow us to achieve our target returns while maintaining our targeted amount of credit risk.

Equity Investments. Our investment in a portfolio company may include equity-related securities such as warrants, preferred stock and similar forms of senior equity, which may or may not be converted into a portfolio company’s common equity. In certain instances, we will also make direct equity investments, although those situations are generally limited to those cases where we are making an investment in a more senior part of the capital structure of the issuer.

 

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Competition

Our primary competitors in providing financing to middle-market companies include public and private funds, other BDCs, commercial and investment banks, commercial finance companies and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity and hedge funds. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical, and marketing resources than we do. Some competitors may have access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships than us. Further, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a business development company, or to the distribution and other requirements we must satisfy to maintain our RIC status. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors — Risk Relating to Our Business and Structure — Competition for Investments.”

Term

Prior to an Exchange Listing, if the Board of Directors determines that there has been a significant adverse change in the regulatory or tax treatment of the Company or our shareholders that in its judgment makes it inadvisable for the Company to continue in its present form, then the Board of Directors will endeavor to restructure or change the form of the Company to preserve (insofar as possible) the overall benefits previously enjoyed by our shareholders as a whole or, if the Board of Directors determines it appropriate (and subject to any necessary shareholder approvals and applicable requirements of the 1940 Act), (i) cause the Company to change its form and/or jurisdiction of organization or (ii) wind down and/or liquidate and dissolve the Company.

If we have not consummated an Exchange Listing by the five year anniversary of the Initial Closing, subject to extension for two additional one-year periods, in the sole discretion of the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors (subject to any necessary shareholder approvals and applicable requirements of the 1940 Act) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to wind down and/or liquidate and dissolve the Company in an orderly manner.

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, each share of common stock would be entitled to share ratably in all of our assets that are legally available for distribution after we paid or otherwise provide for all debts and other liabilities and subject to any preferential rights of holders of our preferred stock, if any preferred stock is outstanding at such time. For the purposes of this paragraph, a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into any other corporation or other entity, or a sale or conveyance of all or any part of our property or assets will not be deemed to be a dissolution, liquidation or winding up, voluntary or involuntary.

Emerging Growth Company

We are an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act and we are eligible to take advantage of certain specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise generally applicable to public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”). Although we have not made a determination whether to take advantage of any or all of these exemptions, we expect to remain an emerging growth company for up to five years following the completion of our initial public offering or until the earliest of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.0 billion, (ii) December 31 of the fiscal year that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the 1934 Act which would occur if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter and we have been publicly reporting for at least 12 months or (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the preceding three-year period. In addition, we will take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the 1933 Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards.

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan, pursuant to which we will reinvest all cash dividends declared by the Board of Directors on behalf of our shareholders who do not elect to receive their dividends in cash as provided below. As a result, if the Board of Directors authorizes, and we declare, a cash dividend or other distribution, then our shareholders who have not opted out of our dividend reinvestment plan will have their cash distributions automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock as described below, rather than receiving the cash dividend or other distribution. Any fractional share otherwise issuable to a participant in the dividend reinvestment plan will instead be paid in cash.

 

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The number of shares to be issued to a shareholder under the dividend reinvestment plan will be determined by dividing the total dollar amount of the distribution payable to such shareholder by the net asset value per share of our common stock, as of the last day of our calendar quarter immediately preceding the date such distribution was declared. We intend to use newly issued shares to implement the plan.

No action is required on the part of a registered shareholder to have his, her or its cash dividend or other distribution reinvested in shares of our common stock. A registered shareholder is able to elect to receive an entire cash dividend or other distribution in cash by notifying the Adviser in writing so that such notice is received by the Adviser no later than ten days prior to the record date for distributions to the shareholders.

There are no brokerage charges or other charges to shareholders who participate in the plan.

The plan is terminable by us upon notice in writing mailed to each shareholder of record at least 30 days prior to any record date for the payment of any distribution by us.

Repurchase Offers

Beginning with the quarter after we accept subscriptions for $1 billion of cumulative total Capital Commitments, until an Exchange Listing, we intend to conduct repurchase offers to allow shareholders to tender their shares of our common stock on a quarterly basis at a price per share expected to reflect a recent NAV per share. Any such share repurchase offer will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and subject to applicable law. We will conduct any repurchase offers in accordance with Section 23(c) of the 1940 Act and Rule 13e-4 under the 1934 Act. We intend to limit the number of shares repurchased pursuant to any such repurchase offers to 15% of the total Capital Commitments raised in excess of $1 billion, with the exact amount to be set by the Board of Directors.

For example, if in the quarter after we accept subscriptions for $1 billion of cumulative total Capital Commitments we have an aggregate of $2 billion of cumulative total Capital Commitments and 100,000,000 shares of common stock outstanding, we may, at the discretion of the Board of Directors and subject to applicable law, conduct a repurchase offer for up to $150,000,000, or 15% of the $1 billion raised in excess of the $1 billion cumulative total Capital Commitments threshold. If at the time of such repurchase offer our net asset value per share is $15 per share, a repurchase offer could be for up to 10,000,000 shares, or 10% of our outstanding common stock.

Employees

We do not currently have any employees and do not expect to have any employees. Services necessary for our business are provided by individuals who are employees of the Adviser or its affiliates, pursuant to the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement and the Administration Agreement. Each of our executive officers described under “Item 5. Directors and Executive Officers” is employed by the Adviser or its affiliates. Our day-to-day investment operations are managed by the Adviser. The services necessary for the origination and administration of our investment portfolio will be provided by investment professionals employed by the Adviser or its affiliates. The Investment Team will focus on origination and transaction development and the ongoing monitoring of our investments. In addition, we will reimburse the Adviser for the allocable portion of the compensation paid by the Adviser (or its affiliates) to the Company’s chief compliance officer and chief financial officer and their respective staffs (based on the percentage of time such individuals devote, on an estimated basis, to the business and affairs of the Company). See “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Investment Advisory Agreement”and “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Administration Agreement”

The Private Offering

We have entered into separate subscription agreements with a number of investors providing for the private placement of shares of our common stock pursuant to the Private Offering and may enter into additional subscription agreements from time to time. Each investor will make a Capital Commitment to purchase shares of our common stock pursuant to a subscription agreement. Investors will be required to make capital contributions to purchase shares of our common stock each time we deliver a drawdown notice, which will be issued based on our anticipated investment activities and capital needs, in an aggregate amount not to exceed each investor’s respective capital commitment. We will deliver drawdown requests at least ten business days prior to the required funding date. All purchases of our common stock will generally be made pro rata in accordance with remaining capital commitments of all investors, at a per-share price equal to the net asset value per share of our common stock subject to any adjustments. Any adjustments would take into account a determination of changes to net asset value within 48 hours of the sale to assure compliance with Section 23(b) of the 1940 Act. At the earlier of (i) an Exchange Listing and (ii) the end of the Commitment Period, shareholders will be released from any further obligation to fund drawdowns and purchase additional shares of our

 

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common stock, subject to certain conditions described in the subscription agreement. The “Commitment Period” will continue until the five year anniversary of the Initial Closing; provided, however, that the Commitment Period for any shareholder that makes its initial Capital Commitment after the two year anniversary of the Initial Closing will extend until the three year anniversary of such shareholder’s initial capital commitment. Prior to an Exchange Listing, no investor who participated in the Private Offering will be permitted to sell, assign, transfer or otherwise dispose of its shares or capital commitment unless the Adviser provides its prior written consent and the transfer is otherwise made in accordance with applicable law.

If, during the Commitment Period and prior to the date on which the Company has accepted subscriptions for $2.5 billion of cumulative total Capital Commitments, Douglas I. Ostrover, (i) provides notice of resignation, resigns, is terminated or is provided with notice of termination from the position of chief investment officer of the Company’s investment adviser, (ii) dies or is disabled or (iii) ceases to be actively involved as a member of the Investment Committee for any consecutive period exceeding 60 days , a “Key Person Event” will have occurred. We will send written notice of a Key Person Event to shareholders within ten business days of such occurrence, the Commitment Period shall automatically be suspended for 90 days and shareholders will not be obligated to fund drawdowns subject to certain conditions described in the subscription agreement. During the 90 day period in which the Commitment Period is suspended, we will convene a special meeting of shareholders for the purpose of determining whether the Commitment Period should be reinstated. If the shareholders entitled to cast 75% of all votes vote in favor of the proposal, and all of the independent members of the Board of Directors vote in favor the proposal, the Commitment Period will be reinstated and shareholders will be obligated to fund drawdowns as if a Key Person Event had not occurred. If the shareholders entitled to cast 75% of all votes and all of the independent members of the Board of Directors do not vote in favor of the proposal, the Commitment Period shall be deemed to have terminated upon the occurrence of the Key Person Event.

While we expect each subscription agreement to reflect the terms and conditions summarized in the preceding paragraph, we reserve the right to enter into subscription agreements that contain terms and conditions not found in the subscription agreements entered into with other investors, subject to applicable law.

Regulation as a Business Development Company

The following discussion is a general summary of the material prohibitions and descriptions governing BDCs generally. It does not purport to be a complete description of all of the laws and regulations affecting BDCs.

Qualifying Assets. Under the 1940 Act, a BDC may not acquire any asset other than assets of the type listed in Section 55(a) of the 1940 Act, which are referred to as qualifying assets, unless, at the time the acquisition is made, qualifying assets represent at least 70% of the company’s total assets. The principal categories of qualifying assets relevant to our business are any of the following:

(1) Securities purchased in transactions not involving any public offering from the issuer of such securities, which issuer (subject to certain limited exceptions) is an eligible portfolio company, or from any person who is, or has been during the preceding 13 months, an affiliated person of an eligible portfolio company, or from any other person, subject to such rules as may be prescribed by the SEC. An eligible portfolio company is defined in the 1940 Act as any issuer which:

(a) is organized under the laws of, and has its principal place of business in, the United States;

(b) is not an investment company (other than a small business investment company wholly owned by the business development company) or a company that would be an investment company but for certain exclusions under the 1940 Act; and

(c) satisfies any of the following:

(i) does not have any class of securities that is traded on a national securities exchange;

 

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(ii) has a class of securities listed on a national securities exchange, but has an aggregate market value of outstanding voting and non-voting common equity of less than $250 million;

(iii) is controlled by a business development company or a group of companies including a business development company and the business development company has an affiliated person who is a director of the eligible portfolio company; or

(iv) is a small and solvent company having total assets of not more than $4 million and capital and surplus of not less than $2 million.

(2) Securities of any eligible portfolio company controlled by the Company.

(3) Securities purchased in a private transaction from a U.S. issuer that is not an investment company or from an affiliated person of the issuer, or in transactions incident thereto, if the issuer is in bankruptcy and subject to reorganization or if the issuer, immediately prior to the purchase of its securities was unable to meet its obligations as they came due without material assistance other than conventional lending or financing arrangements.

(4) Securities of an eligible portfolio company purchased from any person in a private transaction if there is no ready market for such securities and the Company already owns 60% of the outstanding equity of the eligible portfolio company.

(5) Securities received in exchange for or distributed on or with respect to securities described in (1) through (4) above, or pursuant to the exercise of warrants or rights relating to such securities.

(6) Cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities or high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from the time of investment.

In addition, a BDC must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of securities described in (1), (2) or (3) above.

Significant Managerial Assistance. A BDC must have been organized and have its principal place of business in the United States and must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of securities described above. However, in order to count portfolio securities as qualifying assets for the purpose of the 70% test, the BDC must either control the issuer of the securities or must offer to make available to the issuer of the securities (other than small and solvent companies described above) significant managerial assistance; except that, where the BDC purchases such securities in conjunction with one or more other persons acting together, one of the other persons in the group may make available such managerial assistance. Making available significant managerial assistance means, among other things, any arrangement whereby the BDC, through its directors, officers or employees, offers to provide and, if accepted, does so provide, significant guidance and counsel concerning the management, operations or business objectives and policies of a portfolio company through monitoring of portfolio company operations, selective participation in board and management meetings, consulting with and advising a portfolio company’s officers or other organizational or financial guidance.

Temporary Investments. Pending investment in other types of qualifying assets, as described above, our investments can consist of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities or high quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from the time of investment, which are referred to herein, collectively, as temporary investments, so that 70% of our assets would be qualifying assets.

Warrants. Under the 1940 Act, a BDC is subject to restrictions on the issuance, terms and amount of warrants, options or rights to purchase shares of capital stock that it may have outstanding at any time. In particular, the amount of capital stock that would result from the conversion or exercise of all outstanding warrants, options or rights to purchase capital stock cannot exceed 25% of the BDC’s total outstanding shares of capital stock.

 

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Senior Securities; Coverage Ratio. We are permitted, under specified conditions, to issue multiple classes of indebtedness and one class of stock senior to our common stock if our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, would at least equal to 200% immediately after each such issuance. In addition, while any senior securities remain outstanding, we will be required to make provisions to prohibit any dividend distribution to our shareholders or the repurchase of such securities or shares unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of the dividend distribution or repurchase. We will also be permitted to borrow amounts up to 5% of the value of our total assets for temporary or emergency purposes, which borrowings would not be considered senior securities.

We intend to establish one or more credit facilities and/or subscription facilities or enter into other financing arrangements to facilitate investments and the timely payment of our expenses. It is anticipated that any such credit facilities will bear interest at floating rates at to be determined spreads over LIBOR. We cannot assure shareholders that we will be able to enter into a credit facility. Shareholders will indirectly bear the costs associated with any borrowings under a credit facility or otherwise, including increased management fees payable to the Adviser as a result of such borrowings. In connection with a credit facility or other borrowings, lenders may require us to pledge assets, commitments and/or drawdowns (and the ability to enforce the payment thereof) and may ask to comply with positive or negative covenants that could have an effect on our operations. In addition, from time to time, our losses on leveraged investments may result in the liquidation of other investments held by us and may result in additional drawdowns to repay such amounts. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors —Provisions in a Credit Facility May Limit Discretion.”

Code of Ethics. We and the Adviser have each adopted a code of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, respectively, that establishes procedures for personal investments and restricts certain personal securities transactions. Personnel subject to the code are permitted to invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by us, so long as such investments are made in accordance with the code’s requirements. You may read and copy this code of ethics at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. You may also obtain copies of the codes of ethics, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.

Affiliated Transactions. We may be prohibited under the 1940 Act from conducting certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of our directors who are not interested persons and, in some cases, the prior approval of the SEC. We have applied for an exemptive order from the SEC that would permit us, among other things, to co-invest with certain other persons, including the Adviser, certain of its affiliates and certain funds managed and controlled by the Adviser. Any such order would be subject to certain terms and conditions and there can be no assurance that such order will be granted by the SEC.

Other. We will be periodically examined by the SEC for compliance with the 1940 Act, and be subject to the periodic reporting and related requirements of the 1934 Act.

We are also required to provide and maintain a bond issued by a reputable fidelity insurance company to protect against larceny and embezzlement. Furthermore, as a BDC, we are prohibited from protecting any director or officer against any liability to our shareholders arising from willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person’s office.

We are also required to designate a chief compliance officer and to adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the federal securities laws and to review these policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation.

We are not permitted to change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by a majority of our outstanding voting securities. A majority of the outstanding voting securities of a company is defined under the 1940 Act as the lesser of: (i) 67% or more of such company’s shares present at a meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding shares of such company are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of such company.

 

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Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

We have delegated our proxy voting responsibility to the Adviser. The Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures of the Adviser are set forth below. The guidelines will be reviewed periodically by the Adviser and our non-interested directors, and, accordingly, are subject to change.

As an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Adviser has a fiduciary duty to act solely in the best interests of its clients. As part of this duty, the Adviser recognizes that it must vote client securities in a timely manner free of conflicts of interest and in the best interests of its clients. These policies and procedures for voting proxies for the Adviser’s investment advisory clients are intended to comply with Section 206 of, and Rule 206(4)-6 under, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Proxy Policies

The Adviser will vote all proxies relating to our portfolio securities in the best interest of our shareholders. The Adviser reviews on a case-by-case basis each proposal submitted to a shareholder vote to determine its impact on the portfolio securities held by the Company. Although the Adviser will generally vote against proposals that may have a negative impact on our clients’ portfolio securities, the Adviser may vote for such a proposal if there exists compelling long-term reasons to do so. The Adviser will abstain from voting only in unusual circumstances and where there is a compelling reason to do so.

The Adviser’s proxy voting decisions are made by members of the Investment Committee who are responsible for monitoring each of our investments. To ensure that the Adviser’s vote is not the product of a conflict of interest, the Adviser requires that: (i) anyone involved in the decision making process disclose to the Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer any potential conflict that he or she is aware of and any contact that he or she has had with any interested party regarding a proxy vote; and (ii) employees involved in the decision-making process or vote administration are prohibited from revealing how the Adviser intends to vote on a proposal in order to reduce any attempted influence from interested parties.

Proxy Voting Records

You may obtain information about how the Adviser voted proxies by making a written request for proxy voting information to: Owl Rock Capital Corporation, Attention: Chief Compliance Officer, 245 Park Avenue, 41st floor, New York, NY 10167.

Privacy Policy

We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and security of non-public personal information relating to investors. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information we collect, how we protect that information and why, in certain cases, we may share information with select other parties.

Generally, we do not collect any non-public personal information relating to our investors, other than name, address, and number of shares held by the investor. This information is used only so that we can service your account, send you annual reports, proxy statements, and other information required by law. With regard to this information, we maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards designed to protect the non-public personal information of our investors.

We may share information that we collect regarding an investor with certain of our service providers for legitimate business purposes, for example, in order to process trades or mail information to investors. In addition, we may disclose information that we collect regarding an investor as required by law or in connection with regulatory or law enforcement inquiries.

 

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Reporting Obligations

We will furnish our shareholders with annual reports containing audited financial statements, quarterly reports, and such other periodic reports as we determine to be appropriate or as may be required by law. We are filing this Registration Statement with the SEC voluntarily with the intention of establishing the Company as a reporting company under the 1934 Act. Upon the effectiveness of this Registration Statement, we will be required to comply with all periodic reporting, proxy solicitation and other applicable requirements under the 1934 Act.

We intend to make available on our website (www.owlrock.com) our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our current reports on Form 8-K. Shareholders and the public may also read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. The SEC also maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that contains such information. The reference to our website is an inactive textual reference only and the information contained on our website is not a part of this registration statement.

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

The following discussion is a general summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to us and to an investment in our common stock. This discussion does not purport to be a complete description of the income tax considerations applicable to such an investment. For example, this discussion does not describe tax consequences that we have assumed to be generally known by investors or certain considerations that may be relevant to certain types of holders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws, including persons who hold our common stock as part of a straddle or a hedging, integrated or constructive sale transaction, persons subject to the alternative minimum tax, tax-exempt organizations, insurance companies, brokers or dealers in securities, pension plans and trusts, persons whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, U.S. expatriates, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, personal holding companies, persons who acquire an interest in the Company in connection with the performance of services, and financial institutions. Such persons should consult with their own tax advisers as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our common stock, which may differ substantially from those described herein. This discussion assumes that shareholders hold our common stock as capital assets (within the meaning of the Code).

The discussion is based upon the Code, Treasury regulations, and administrative and judicial interpretations, each as of the date of this Registration Statement and all of which are subject to change, possibly retroactively, which could affect the continuing validity of this discussion. We have not sought and will not seek any ruling from the Internal Revenue Service regarding any matter discussed herein. Prospective investors should be aware that, although we intend to adopt positions we believe are in accord with current interpretations of the U.S. federal income tax laws, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may not agree with the tax positions taken by us and that, if challenged by the IRS, our tax positions might not be sustained by the courts. This summary does not discuss any aspects of U.S. estate, alternative minimum, or gift tax or foreign, state or local tax. It also does not discuss the special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws that could result if we invested in tax-exempt securities or certain other investment assets.

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Shareholder” generally is a beneficial owner of our common stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

    a citizen or individual resident of the United States;

 

    a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the U.S. or of any political subdivision thereof;

 

    a trust that is subject to the supervision of a court within the U.S. and the control of one or more U.S. persons or that has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person; or

 

    an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source.

A “Non-U.S. Shareholder” is a beneficial owner of our common stock that is not a U.S. Shareholder or a partnership for U.S. tax purposes.

 

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If a partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Any partner of a partnership holding our common stock should consult its tax advisers with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of such shares.

Tax matters are very complicated and the tax consequences to an investor of an investment in our common stock will depend on the facts of his, her or its particular situation.

Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company

As soon as practicable after our election to be a BDC, we intend to elect to be treated and to qualify each year thereafter as a RIC. As a RIC, we generally will not have to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that we distribute to our shareholders as dividends. To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements (as described below). In addition, in order to obtain RIC tax benefits, we must distribute to our shareholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of our “investment company taxable income,” which is generally our ordinary income plus the excess of realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses (the “Annual Distribution Requirement”).

If we:

 

    qualify as a RIC; and

 

    satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement,

then we will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of our income we distribute (or is deemed to distribute) to our shareholders. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rates on any income or capital gains not distributed (or deemed distributed) to our shareholders.

We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible U.S. federal excise tax on certain undistributed income unless we distribute in a timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of (i) 98% of our net ordinary income for each calendar year, (ii) 98.2% of the amount by which our capital gains exceed our capital losses (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 in that calendar year and (iii) certain undistributed amounts from previous years on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax (the “Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement”). While we intend to distribute any income and capital gains in order to avoid imposition of this 4% U.S. federal excise tax, we may not be successful in avoiding entirely the imposition of this tax. In that case, we will be liable for the tax only on the amount by which we do not meet the foregoing distribution requirement.

In order to qualify as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we must, among other things:

 

    continue to qualify as a BDC under the 1940 Act at all times during each taxable year;

 

    derive in each taxable year at least 90% of our gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to loans of certain securities, gains from the sale of stock or other securities or foreign currencies, net income from certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships,” or other income derived with respect to our business of investing in such stock or securities (the “90% Income Test”); and

 

    diversify our holdings so that at the end of each quarter of the taxable year:

 

  ¡    at least 50% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities if such other securities of any one issuer do not represent more than 5% of the value of our assets or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer; and

 

  ¡    no more than 25% of the value of our assets is invested in the (i) securities, other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs, of one issuer, (ii) securities of two or more issuers that are controlled, as determined under applicable Code rules, by us and that are engaged in the same or similar or related trades or businesses or (iii) securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (the “Diversification Tests”).

 

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We may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive cash. For example, if we hold debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with PIK interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or issued with warrants), we must include in income each year a portion of the original issue discount that accrues over the life of the obligation, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same taxable year. We may also have to include in income other amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as PIK interest and deferred loan origination fees that are paid after origination of the loan. Because any original issue discount or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the year of accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our shareholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we will not have received the corresponding cash amount.

Although we do not presently expect to do so, we are authorized to borrow funds, to sell assets and to make taxable distributions of our stock and debt securities in order to satisfy distribution requirements. Our ability to dispose of assets to meet our distribution requirements may be limited by (i) the illiquid nature of our portfolio and/or (ii) other requirements relating to our status as a RIC, including the Diversification Tests. If we dispose of assets in order to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement, we may make such dispositions at times that, from an investment standpoint, are not advantageous. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, we may fail to qualify as a RIC and become subject to tax as an ordinary corporation.

Under the 1940 Act, we are not permitted to make distributions to our shareholders while our debt obligations and other senior securities are outstanding unless certain “asset coverage” tests are met. If we are prohibited from making distributions, we may fail to qualify as a RIC and become subject to tax as an ordinary corporation.

Certain of our investment practices may be subject to special and complex U.S. federal income tax provisions that may, among other things: (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions; (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income; (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited); (iv) cause us to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash; (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of securities is deemed to occur; (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions; and (vii) produce income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test described above. We will monitor our transactions and may make certain tax decisions in order to mitigate the potential adverse effect of these provisions.

A RIC is limited in its ability to deduct expenses in excess of its “investment company taxable income” (which is, generally, ordinary income plus the excess of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses). If our expenses in a given year exceed investment company taxable income, we would experience a net operating loss for that year. However, a RIC is not permitted to carry forward net operating losses to subsequent years. In addition, expenses can be used only to offset investment company taxable income, not net capital gain. Due to these limits on the deductibility of expenses, we may, for tax purposes, have aggregate taxable income for several years that we are required to distribute and that is taxable to our shareholders even if such income is greater than the aggregate net income we actually earned during those years. Such required distributions may be made from our cash assets or by liquidation of investments, if necessary. We may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event we realize net capital gains from such transactions, a shareholder may receive a larger capital gain distribution than it would have received in the absence of such transactions.

Failure to Qualify as a RIC

While we intend to elect to be treated as a RIC as soon as practicable following our election to be a BDC, we anticipate that we will have difficulty satisfying the Diversification Tests as we ramp up our portfolio. To the extent that we have net taxable income prior to our qualification as RIC, we will be subject to U.S. federal income

 

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tax on such income. We would not be able to deduct distributions to our shareholders, nor would they be required to be made. Distributions, including distributions of net long-term capital gain, would generally be taxable to our shareholders as ordinary dividend income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. Subject to certain limitations under the Code, our corporate shareholders would be eligible to claim a dividend received deduction with respect to such dividend; our non-corporate shareholders would generally be able to treat such dividends as “qualified dividend income,” which is subject to reduced rates of U.S. federal income tax. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain. In order to qualify as a RIC, in addition to the other requirements discussed above, we would be required to distribute all of our previously undistributed earnings and profits attributable to any period prior to us becoming a RIC by the end of the first year that we intend to qualify as a RIC. To the extent that we have any net built-in gains in our assets (i.e., the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if we had been liquidated) as of the beginning of the first year that we qualify as a RIC, we would be subject to a corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on such built-in gains if and when recognized over the next ten years (or shorter applicable period). Alternatively, we may choose to recognize such built-in gains immediately prior to our qualification as a RIC.

If we have previously qualified as RIC, but are subsequently unable to qualify for treatment as a RIC, and certain amelioration provisions are not applicable, we would be subject to tax on all of our taxable income (including our net capital gains) at regular corporate rates. We would not be able to deduct distributions to our shareholders, nor would they be required to be made. Distributions, including distributions of net long-term capital gain, would generally be taxable to our shareholders as ordinary dividend income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. Subject to certain limitations under the Code, our corporate shareholders would be eligible to claim a dividend received deduction with respect to such dividend; our non-corporate shareholders would generally be able to treat such dividends as “qualified dividend income,” which is subject to reduced rates of U.S. federal income tax. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain. In order to requalify as a RIC, in addition to the other requirements discussed above, we would be required to distribute all of our previously undistributed earnings attributable to the period we failed to qualify as a RIC by the end of the first year that we intend to requalify as a RIC. If we fail to requalify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, we may be subject to regular corporate tax on any net built-in gains with respect to certain of our assets (i.e., the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if we had been liquidated) that we elect to recognize on requalification or when recognized over the next ten years (or shorter applicable period).

The remainder of this discussion assumes that we qualify as a RIC for each taxable year.

Taxation of U.S. Shareholders

Distributions by us generally are taxable to U.S. Shareholders as ordinary income or capital gains. Distributions of our “investment company taxable income” (which is, generally, our net ordinary income plus realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses) will be taxable as ordinary income to U.S. Shareholders to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of our common stock. To the extent such distributions paid by us to our shareholders taxed at individual rates are attributable to dividends from U.S. corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, such distributions (“Qualifying Dividends”) may be eligible for a current maximum tax rate of 20%. In this regard, it is anticipated that distributions paid by us will generally not be attributable to dividends and, therefore, generally will not qualify for the 20% maximum rate applicable to Qualifying Dividends. Distributions of our net capital gains (which are generally our realized net long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses) properly reported by us as “capital gain dividends” will be taxable to a U.S. Shareholder as long-term capital gains that are currently taxable at a maximum rate of 20% in the case of our shareholders taxed at individual rates, regardless of the U.S. Shareholder’s holding period for his, her or its shares of our common stock and regardless of whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional common stock. Distributions in excess of our earnings and profits first will reduce a U.S. Shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in such shareholder’s shares of our common stock and, after the adjusted basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gains to such U.S. Shareholder.

 

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We may retain some or all of our realized net long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses, but designate the retained net capital gain as a “deemed distribution.” In that case, among other consequences, we will pay tax on the retained amount, each U.S. Shareholder will be required to include his, her or its share of the deemed distribution in income as if it had been actually distributed to the U.S. Shareholder, and the U.S. Shareholder will be entitled to claim a credit equal to his, her or its allocable share of the tax paid thereon by us. Because we expect to pay tax on any retained capital gains at our regular corporate tax rate, and because that rate is in excess of the maximum rate currently payable by U.S. Shareholders taxed at individual rates on long-term capital gains, the amount of tax that individual U.S. Shareholders will be treated as having paid will exceed the tax they owe on the capital gain distribution and such excess generally may be refunded or claimed as a credit against the U.S. Shareholder’s other U.S. federal income tax obligations. The amount of the deemed distribution net of such tax will be added to the U.S. Shareholder’s cost basis for his, her or its shares of our common stock. In order to utilize the deemed distribution approach, we must provide written notice to our shareholders prior to the expiration of 60 days after the close of the relevant taxable year.

For purposes of determining (i) whether the Annual Distribution Requirement is satisfied for any year and (ii) the amount of capital gain dividends paid for that year, we may, under certain circumstances, elect to treat a dividend that is paid during the following taxable year as if it had been paid during the taxable year in question. If we make such an election, the U.S. Shareholder will still be treated as receiving the dividend in the taxable year in which the distribution is made. However, any dividend declared by us in October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to our shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following year, will be treated as if it had been received by our U.S. Shareholders on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.

As a RIC, we are subject to alternative minimum tax, also referred to as “AMT,” but any items that are treated differently for AMT purposes must be apportioned between us and our U.S. Shareholders and this may affect the U.S. Shareholders’ AMT liabilities. Although regulations explaining the precise method of apportionment have not yet been issued, it would be reasonable to apportion such items in the same proportion that dividends paid to each U.S. Shareholder bear to our taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction). We intend to use this apportionment method unless the IRS issues further guidance or a different method for a particular item is warranted under the circumstances.

With respect to the reinvestment of dividends, if a U.S. Shareholder owns shares of our common stock registered in its own name, the U.S. Shareholder will have all cash distributions automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock unless the U.S. Shareholder opts out of the reinvestment of dividends by delivering a written notice to our dividend paying agent prior to the record date of the next dividend or distribution. Any distributions reinvested will nevertheless remain taxable to the U.S. Shareholder. The U.S. Shareholder will have an adjusted basis in the additional shares of our common stock purchased through the reinvestment equal to the amount of the reinvested distribution. The additional shares will have a new holding period commencing on the day following the day on which the shares are credited to the U.S. Shareholder’s account.

If an investor purchases shares of our common stock shortly before the record date of a distribution, the price of the shares will include the value of the distribution. However, the shareholder will be taxed on the distribution as described above, despite the fact that, economically, it may represent a return of his, her or its investment.

A U.S. Shareholder generally will recognize taxable gain or loss if the U.S. Shareholder sells or otherwise disposes of his, her or its shares of our common stock. The amount of gain or loss will be measured by the difference between such U.S. Shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock sold and the amount of the proceeds received in exchange. Any gain arising from such sale or disposition generally will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Shareholder has held his, her or its shares for more than one year. Otherwise, it will be classified as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any capital loss arising from the sale or disposition of shares of our common stock held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of capital gain dividends received, or undistributed capital gain deemed received, with respect to such shares. In addition, all or a portion of any loss recognized upon a disposition of shares of our common stock may be disallowed if other shares of our common stock are purchased (whether through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the disposition.

 

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In general, U.S. Shareholders taxed at individual rates currently are subject to a maximum U.S. federal income tax rate of 20% on their recognized net capital gain (i.e., the excess of recognized net long-term capital gains over recognized net short-term capital losses, subject to certain adjustments), including any long-term capital gain derived from an investment in our shares. Such rate is lower than the maximum rate on ordinary income currently payable by such U.S. Shareholders. In addition, individuals with modified adjusted gross income in excess of $200,000 ($250,000 in the case of married individuals filing jointly) and certain estates and trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on their “net investment income,” which generally includes gross income from interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, and rents, and net capital gains (other than certain amounts earned from trades or businesses), reduced by certain deductions allocable to such income. Corporate U.S. Shareholders currently are subject to U.S. federal income tax on net capital gain at the maximum 35% rate also applied to ordinary income. Non-corporate U.S. Shareholders with net capital losses for a year (i.e., capital losses in excess of capital gains) generally may deduct up to $3,000 of such losses against their ordinary income each year. Any net capital losses of a non-corporate U.S. Shareholder in excess of $3,000 generally may be carried forward and used in subsequent years as provided in the Code. Corporate U.S. Shareholders generally may not deduct any net capital losses for a year, but may carry back such losses for three years or carry forward such losses for five years.

Under applicable Treasury regulations, if a U.S. Shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to shares of $2 million or more for a non-corporate U.S. Shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate U.S. Shareholder in any single taxable year (or a greater loss over a combination of years), the U.S. Shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct U.S. Shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, U.S. Shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to U.S. Shareholders of most or all RICs. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. U.S. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

We (or the applicable withholding agent) will send to each of our U.S. Shareholders, as promptly as possible after the end of each calendar year, a notice reporting the amounts includible in such U.S. Shareholder’s taxable income for such year as ordinary income and as long-term capital gain. In addition, the federal tax status of each year’s distributions generally will be reported to the IRS (including the amount of dividends, if any, eligible for the 20% maximum rate). Dividends paid by us generally will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction or the preferential tax rate applicable to Qualifying Dividends because our income generally will not consist of dividends. Distributions may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on a U.S. Shareholder’s particular situation.

We may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”) from all distributions to certain U.S. Shareholders (i) who fail to furnish us with a correct taxpayer identification number or a certificate that such shareholder is exempt from backup withholding or (ii) with respect to whom the IRS notifies us that such shareholder furnished an incorrect taxpayer identification number or failed to properly report certain interest and dividend income to the IRS and to respond to notices to that effect. An individual’s taxpayer identification number is his or her social security number. Any amount withheld under backup withholding is allowed as a credit against the U.S. Shareholder’s federal income tax liability, provided that proper information is provided to the IRS.

For any period that we do not qualify as a “publicly offered regulated investment company,” as defined in the Code, our shareholders will be taxed as though they received a distribution of some of our expenses. A “publicly offered regulated investment company” is a RIC whose shares are either (i) continuously offered pursuant to a public offering, (ii) regularly traded on an established securities market or (iii) held by at least 500 persons at all times during the taxable year. We anticipate that we will not qualify as a publicly offered RIC immediately after the Private Offering; we may qualify as a publicly offered RIC for future taxable years. If we are not a publicly offered RIC for any period, a non-corporate shareholder’s allocable portion of our affected expenses, including its management fees, will be treated as an additional distribution to the shareholder and will be deductible by such shareholder only to the extent permitted under the limitations described below. For our non-corporate shareholders, including individuals, trusts, and estates, significant limitations generally apply to the deductibility of certain expenses of a non-publicly offered RIC, including advisory fees. In particular, these expenses, which are miscellaneous itemized deductions, are deductible to an individual only to the extent they exceed 2% of such a shareholder’s adjusted gross income, and are not deductible for alternative minimum tax purposes.

 

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A U.S. Shareholder that is a tax-exempt organization for U.S. federal income tax purposes and therefore generally exempt from U.S. federal income taxation may nevertheless be subject to taxation to the extent that it is considered to derive unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). The direct conduct by a tax-exempt U.S. Shareholder of the activities we propose to conduct could give rise to UBTI. However, a BDC is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and its business activities generally will not be attributed to its shareholders for purposes of determining their treatment under current law. Therefore, a tax-exempt U.S. Shareholder generally should not be subject to U.S. taxation solely as a result of the shareholder’s ownership of our common stock and receipt of dividends with respect to such common stock. Moreover, under current law, if we incur indebtedness, such indebtedness will not be attributed to a tax-exempt U.S. Shareholder. Therefore, a tax-exempt U.S. Shareholder should not be treated as earning income from “debt-financed property” and dividends we pay should not be treated as “unrelated debt-financed income” solely as a result of indebtedness that we incur. Legislation has been introduced in Congress in the past, and may be introduced again in the future, which would change the treatment of “blocker” investment vehicles interposed between tax-exempt investors and non-qualifying investments if enacted. In the event that any such proposals were to be adopted and applied to BDCs, the treatment of dividends payable to tax-exempt investors could be adversely affected. In addition, special rules would apply if we were to invest in certain real estate mortgage investment conduits, which we do not currently plan to do, that could result in a tax-exempt U.S. Shareholder recognizing income that would be treated as UBTI.

Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders

The following discussion only applies to certain Non-U.S. Shareholders. Whether an investment in the shares is appropriate for a Non-U.S. Shareholder will depend upon that person’s particular circumstances. An investment in the shares by a Non-U.S. Shareholder may have adverse tax consequences. Non-U.S. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers before investing in our common stock.

Distributions of our “investment company taxable income” to Non-U.S. Shareholders (including interest income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized long-term capital losses, which generally would be free of withholding if paid to Non-U.S. Shareholders directly) will be subject to withholding of federal tax at a 30% rate (or lower rate provided by an applicable treaty) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits unless an applicable exception applies. No withholding is required with respect to certain distributions if (i) the distributions are properly reported as “interest-related dividends” or “short-term capital gain dividends,” (ii) the distributions are derived from sources specified in the Code for such dividends and (iii) certain other requirements are satisfied. No assurance can be provided as to whether any of our distributions will be reported as eligible for this exemption. If the distributions are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the Non-U.S. Shareholder, we will not be required to withhold federal tax if the Non-U.S. Shareholder complies with applicable certification and disclosure requirements, although the distributions will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. persons. (Special certification requirements apply to a Non-U.S. Shareholder that is a foreign partnership or a foreign trust, and such entities are urged to consult their own tax advisers.)

Actual or deemed distributions of our net capital gains to a Non-U.S. Shareholder, and gains realized by a Non-U.S. Shareholder upon the sale of our common stock, will generally not be subject to federal withholding tax and generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless the distributions or gains, as the case may be, are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the Non-U.S. Shareholder.

Under our reinvestment of dividends policy, if a Non-U.S. Shareholder owns shares of our common stock registered in its own name, the Non-U.S. Shareholder will have all cash distributions automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock unless it opts out of the reinvestment of dividends by delivering a written notice to our dividend paying agent prior to the record date of the next dividend or distribution. See “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Dividend Reinvestment Plan.” If the distribution is a distribution of our investment company taxable income, is not designated by us as a short-term capital gains dividend or interest-related dividend and it is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the Non-U.S. Shareholder (or, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is not attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment of the Non-U.S. Shareholder), the amount distributed (to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits) will be subject to withholding

 

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of U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate (or lower rate provided by an applicable treaty) and only the net after-tax amount will be reinvested in our common stock. The Non-U.S. Shareholder will have an adjusted basis in the additional common shares purchased through the reinvestment equal to the amount reinvested. The additional shares will have a new holding period commencing on the day following the day on which the shares are credited to the Non-U.S. Shareholder’s account.

The tax consequences to Non-U.S. Shareholders entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty or that are individuals that are present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during a taxable year may be different from those described herein. Non-U.S. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers with respect to the procedure for claiming the benefit of a lower treaty rate and the applicability of foreign taxes.

If we distribute our net capital gains in the form of deemed rather than actual distributions, a Non-U.S. Shareholder will be entitled to a U.S. federal income tax credit or tax refund equal to the shareholder’s allocable share of the tax we pay on the capital gains deemed to have been distributed. In order to obtain the refund, the Non-U.S. Shareholder must obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number and file a refund claim even if the Non-U.S. Shareholder would not otherwise be required to obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number or file a U.S. federal income tax return. For a corporate Non-U.S. Shareholder, distributions (both actual and deemed), and gains realized upon the sale of our common stock that are effectively connected to a U.S. trade or business may, under certain circumstances, be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or at a lower rate if provided for by an applicable treaty). Accordingly, investment in the shares may not be advisable for a Non-U.S. Shareholder.

We must generally report to our Non-U.S. Shareholders and the IRS the amount of dividends paid during each calendar year and the amount of any tax withheld. Information reporting requirements may apply even if no withholding was required because the distributions were effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Shareholder’s conduct of a United States trade or business or withholding was reduced or eliminated by an applicable income tax treaty. This information also may be made available under a specific treaty or agreement with the tax authorities in the country in which the Non-U.S. Shareholder resides or is established. Under U.S. federal income tax law, interest, dividends and other reportable payments may, under certain circumstances, be subject to “backup withholding” at the then applicable rate (currently 28%). Backup withholding, however, generally will not apply to distributions to a Non-U.S. Shareholder of our common stock, provided the Non-U.S. Shareholder furnishes to us the required certification as to its non-U.S. status, such as by providing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, or IRS Form W-8ECI, or certain other requirements are met. Backup withholding is not an additional tax but can be credited against a Non-U.S. Shareholder’s federal income tax, and may be refunded to the extent it results in an overpayment of tax and the appropriate information is timely supplied to the IRS.

Legislation commonly referred to as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act,” or “FATCA,” generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on payments of certain types of income to foreign financial institutions that fail to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to report certain required information with respect to accounts held by U.S. persons (or held by foreign entities that have U.S. persons as substantial owners) or that reside in a jurisdiction that has entered into an agreement with the United States to collect and share such information. The types of income subject to the tax include U.S. source interest and dividends, and after December 31, 2018, the gross proceeds from the sale of any property that could produce U.S.-source fixed or determinable annual or periodic income. The information required to be reported includes the identity and taxpayer identification number of each account holder that is a U.S. person and certain transaction activity within the holder’s account. In addition, subject to certain exceptions, this legislation also imposes a 30% withholding on payments to foreign entities that are not financial institutions unless the foreign entity certifies that it does not have a greater than 10% U.S. owner or provides the withholding agent with identifying information on each greater than 10% U.S. owner. Depending on the status of a Non-U.S. Shareholder and the status of the intermediaries through which they hold their shares, Non-U.S. Shareholders could be subject to this 30% withholding tax with respect to distributions on their shares and proceeds from the sale of their shares. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S. Shareholder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such taxes.

Non-U.S. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers with respect to the U.S. federal income tax and withholding tax, and state, local and foreign tax consequences of an investment in the shares.

 

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Investments in the Company involve a high degree of risk. There can be no assurance that our investment objectives will be achieved, or that a shareholder will receive a return of its capital. In addition, there will be occasions when the Adviser and its affiliates may encounter potential conflicts of interest in connection with the Company. The following considerations should be carefully evaluated before making an investment in our common stock. If any of those risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Structure

Lack of Operating History. We and the Adviser are new entities with no operating history and we have no financial information on which a prospective investor can evaluate an investment in our common stock or our prior performance. As a result, we are subject to the business risks and uncertainties associated with recently formed businesses, including the risk that we will not achieve our investment objective and the value of a shareholder’s investment could decline substantially or become worthless. While we believe that the past professional experiences, including investment and financial experience of the Investment Team will increase the likelihood that the Adviser will be able to manage the Company successfully, there can be no assurance that this will be the case.

Risks Related to Changes in Interest Rates. Because we intend borrow money to make investments, our net investment income will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we invest those funds. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in interest rates would not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income in the event we use debt to finance our investments. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds would increase, which could reduce our net investment income.

In addition, a substantial amount of our debt investments are likely to be based on floating rates, such as LIBOR, EURIBOR, the Federal Funds Rate or the Prime Rate. General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact our investments, the value of our shares and our rate of return on invested capital. A reduction in the interest rates on new investments relative to interest rates on current investments could also have an adverse impact on our investment income. An increase in interest rates could decrease the value of any investments we hold which earn fixed interest rates, including subordinated loans, senior and junior secured and unsecured debt securities and loans and high yield bonds, and also could increase our interest expense, thereby decreasing our net investment income. Also, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make investment in our common stock less attractive if we are not able to increase our distributions, which could reduce the value of our shares. Also, an increase in interest rates may result in an increase of the amount of our pre-incentive fee net investment income and, as a result, an increase in incentive fees payable to the Adviser.

We may seek to hedge against interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations and credit risk by using structured financial instruments such as futures, options, swaps and forward contracts, subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. Use of structured financial instruments for hedging purposes may present significant risks, including the risk of loss of the amounts invested. Defaults by the other party to a hedging transaction can result in losses in the hedging transaction. Hedging activities also involve the risk of an imperfect correlation between the hedging instrument and the asset being hedged, which could result in losses both on the hedging transaction and on the instrument being hedged. Use of hedging activities may not prevent significant losses and could increase our losses. Further, hedging transactions may reduce cash available to pay distributions to our shareholders.

Price Declines in the Corporate Leveraged Loan Market. Conditions in the medium- and large-sized U.S. corporate debt market may experience disruption or deterioration in the future, which may cause pricing levels to decline or be volatile. As a result, our net asset value could decline through an increase in unrealized depreciation and incurrence of realized losses in connection with the sale of our investments, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Defaults Under a Credit Facility. In the event we default under a credit facility or other borrowings, our business could be adversely affected as we may be forced to sell a portion of our investments quickly and prematurely at what may be disadvantageous prices to us in order to meet our outstanding payment obligations and/or support working capital requirements under such borrowing facility, any of which would have a material

 

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adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, following any such default, the agent for the lenders under such borrowing facility could assume control of the disposition of any or all of our assets, including the selection of such assets to be disposed and the timing of such disposition, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Provisions in a Credit Facility May Limit Discretion. A credit facility may be backed by all or a portion of our loans and securities on which the lenders will have a security interest. We may pledge up to 100% of our assets and may grant a security interest in all of our assets under the terms of any debt instrument we enter into with lenders. We expect that any security interests we grant will be set forth in a pledge and security agreement and evidenced by the filing of financing statements by the agent for the lenders. In addition, we expect that the custodian for our securities serving as collateral for such loan would include in its electronic systems notices indicating the existence of such security interests and, following notice of occurrence of an event of default, if any, and during its continuance, will only accept transfer instructions with respect to any such securities from the lender or its designee. If we were to default under the terms of any debt instrument, the agent for the applicable lenders would be able to assume control of the timing of disposition of any or all of our assets securing such debt, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In addition, any security interests and/or negative covenants required by a credit facility may limit our ability to create liens on assets to secure additional debt and may make it difficult for us to restructure or refinance indebtedness at or prior to maturity or obtain additional debt or equity financing. In addition, if our borrowing base under a credit facility were to decrease, we may be required to secure additional assets in an amount sufficient to cure any borrowing base deficiency. In the event that all of our assets are secured at the time of such a borrowing base deficiency, we could be required to repay advances under a credit facility or make deposits to a collection account, either of which could have a material adverse impact on our ability to fund future investments and to make distributions.

In addition, we may be subject to limitations as to how borrowed funds may be used, which may include restrictions on geographic and industry concentrations, loan size, payment frequency and status, average life, collateral interests and investment ratings, as well as regulatory restrictions on leverage which may affect the amount of funding that may be obtained. There may also be certain requirements relating to portfolio performance, including required minimum portfolio yield and limitations on delinquencies and charge-offs, a violation of which could limit further advances and, in some cases, result in an event of default. An event of default under a credit facility could result in an accelerated maturity date for all amounts outstanding thereunder, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. This could reduce our liquidity and cash flow and impair our ability to grow our business.

Competition for Investments. Other entities, including commercial banks, commercial financing companies, BDCs and insurance companies compete to make the types of investments that we plan to make in middle market companies. Certain of these competitors may be substantially larger, have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we will have and offer a wider array of financial services. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of funds or access to funding sources that are not available to us. We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. There may be intense competition for financings or investments of the type we intend to make, and such competition may result in less favorable financing or investment terms than might otherwise exist. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC or the source of income, asset diversification and distribution requirements we must satisfy to maintain our RIC status. There can be no assurance that there will be a sufficient number of attractive potential investments available to us to achieve target returns. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships than us. The competitive pressures we face may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Broad Authority for Board Action. The Board of Directors has the authority to modify or waive certain of our operating policies and strategies without prior notice (except as required by the 1940 Act) and without shareholder approval. However, absent shareholder approval, the Board of Directors may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or withdraw our election as, a BDC. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies would have on our business, operating results and value of our common stock. Nevertheless, the effects may adversely affect our business and impact our ability to make distributions.

 

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Changes in Law or Regulation. Changes to the laws and regulations governing our operations may cause us to alter our investment strategy in order to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities. These changes could result in material differences to the strategies and plans described herein and may result in a shift in investment focus.

There is significant uncertainty regarding recently enacted legislation (including the Dodd-Frank Act and the regulations that have recently been adopted and future regulations that will need to be adopted pursuant to such legislation) and, consequently, the full impact that such legislation will ultimately have on us and the markets in which we invest is not fully known. Such uncertainty and any resulting confusion may itself be detrimental to the efficient functioning of the markets and the success of certain investment strategies. The Dodd-Frank Act impacts many aspects of the financial services industry. Some of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act have been enacted, while others have extended implementation periods and delayed effective dates and will require extensive rulemaking by regulatory authorities. While the full impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on us and our portfolio companies may not be known for an extended period of time, the Dodd-Frank Act, including current rules and regulations and future rules implementing its provisions and the interpretation of those rules, along with other legislative and regulatory proposals directed at the financial services industry or affecting taxation that are proposed or pending in the U.S. Congress, may negatively impact us and our portfolio companies’ operations, cash flows or financial condition, impose additional costs on us and our portfolio companies, intensify the regulatory supervision of us and our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies.

Reliance on Personnel. Our success depends upon the diligence, skill and network of business contacts of the Investment Team. The Investment Team will evaluate, negotiate, structure, close and monitor our investments in accordance with the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement. There can be no assurance that the members of the Investment Team upon which the Adviser relies will continue to be associated with the Adviser throughout the life of the Company. Douglas I. Ostrover, together with the Investment Team and any investment professionals that the Adviser may subsequently retain, will identify, evaluate, negotiate, structure, close, monitor and manage our investments. Our future success will depend to a significant extent on the continued service and coordination of the Investment Team. If the Investment Team does not maintain their existing relationships with sources of investment opportunities and do not develop new relationships with other sources of investment opportunities available to us, the Adviser may not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom the Investment Team has relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities. Therefore, we and the Adviser can offer no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us.

Our ability to achieve our investment objective will also depend on the Adviser’s ability to manage the Company and to grow our investments and earnings. This will depend, in turn, on the Adviser’s ability to identify, invest in and monitor portfolio companies that meet our investment criteria. The achievement of our investment objective will depend upon the Adviser’s execution of our investment process, its ability to provide competent, attentive and efficient services to us and, to a lesser extent, our access to financing on acceptable terms. The Adviser’s team of investment professionals will have substantial responsibilities in connection with the management of other investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles. The personnel of the Adviser may be called upon to provide managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. These activities may distract them from servicing new investment opportunities for us or slow our rate of investment. Any failure to manage our business and our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Resignation of Adviser. Generally, the Adviser has the right, under the Investment Advisory Agreement, to resign at any time upon not less than 60 days’ written notice, regardless of whether we have found a replacement. In certain circumstances the Adviser may only be able to terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement upon 120 days’ written notice. If the Adviser resigns, we may not be able to find a new investment adviser or hire internal management with similar expertise and ability to provide the same or equivalent services on acceptable terms within 60 or 120 days, as applicable, or at all. If we are unable to do so quickly, our operations are likely to experience a disruption, our financial condition, business and results of operations as well as our ability to pay distributions are likely to be adversely affected, and the value of our common stock may decline.

 

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Potential Lack of Diversification. Our portfolio may be concentrated in a limited number of portfolio companies and industries. Beyond the asset diversification requirements associated with our intention to comply with the requirements to qualify as a RIC for U.S. tax purposes we do not have fixed guidelines for diversification, and while we are not targeting any specific industries, our investments may be concentrated in relatively few industries. As a result, the aggregate returns we realize may be significantly adversely affected if a small number of investments perform poorly or if we need to write down the value of any one investment. Additionally, a downturn in any particular industry in which we are invested could significantly affect our aggregate returns.

No Assurance of Cash Distributions. Subject to the Board of Directors’ discretion and applicable legal restrictions, we expect to declare and pay distributions quarterly. We expect to pay these distributions out of assets legally available for distribution. However, there are no assurances that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a targeted level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. All distributions that are made will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on our earnings, financial condition, maintenance of our RIC status and other factors as the Board of Directors may deem to be relevant. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by the impact of the risks described herein. In addition, the inability to satisfy the asset coverage test applicable to a BDC may limit our ability to pay distributions. There can be no assurances that we will pay distributions to our shareholders in the future.

In certain cases, we may recognize income before or without receiving the accompanying cash. Depending on the amount of noncash income, this could result in difficulty satisfying the annual distribution requirement applicable to RICs. Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our investments at times we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce new investments to meet these distribution requirements. In addition, the withholding tax treatment of our distributions to certain of our non-U.S. Shareholders will depend on whether and when Congress enacts legislation extending the pass-through treatment of “interest-related dividends,” and we may elect to defer the payment of dividends in any year pending the resolution of this issue.

Furthermore, the middle market companies in which we intend to invest are generally more susceptible to economic down-turns than larger operating companies, and therefore may be more likely to default on their payment obligations to us during recessionary periods, including the current economic environment. Any such defaults could substantially reduce our net investment income available for distribution to our shareholders.

Valuation of Portfolio Securities. Investments are valued at the end of each calendar quarter. A significant amount of our investments are expected to be in loans that do not have readily ascertainable market prices. Assets that are not publicly traded or whose market prices are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors and reviewed by the valuation committee of the Adviser. In connection with that determination, portfolio company valuations will be prepared using sources, preliminary valuations obtained from independent valuation firms, and/or proprietary models depending on the availability of information on our assets and the type of asset being valued, all in accordance with our valuation policy. The participation of the Adviser in the valuation process could result in a conflict of interest, since the Adviser’s management fee is based in part on our gross assets.

Because fair values, and particularly fair values of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time, and are often based to a large extent on estimates, comparisons and qualitative evaluations of private information, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been determined if a ready market for these securities existed. This could make it more difficult for our shareholders to value accurately our portfolio investments and could lead to undervaluation or overvaluation of our interests. In addition, the valuation of these types of securities may result in substantial write-downs and earnings volatility.

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or a substantial portion of our assets on a particular date, the actual price that we would realize upon the disposition of such asset or assets could be materially less than the value of such asset or assets as reflected in our net asset value. Volatile market conditions could also cause reduced liquidity in the market for certain assets, which could result in liquidation values that are materially less than the values of such assets as reflected in net asset value.

Potential Fluctuations in Quarterly Results. We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including our ability or inability to make investments in companies that meet our investment criteria, the interest rate payable and default rates on the debt securities we acquire, the level of our expenses, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets, and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any previous period should not be relied upon as indicative of performance in future periods. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, the value of an investment in our common stock and our ability to pay distributions.

Certain Provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, Our Charter and Our Bylaws Could Deter Takeover Attempts. Our charter and our bylaws as well as the Maryland General Corporation Law (“MGCL”) contain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging a third party from making an acquisition proposal for the Company. Among other things, our charter and our bylaws:

 

    provide that the Board of Directors is classified, which may delay the ability of our shareholders to change the membership of a majority of the Board of Directors;

 

    do not provide for cumulative voting;

 

    provide that, except for vacancies on the Board of Directors caused by the removal of a director by our shareholders before the time that we have four independent directors, newly created directorships and vacancies on the Board of Directors may be filled only by a majority vote of directors then in office;

 

    provide that directors may be removed only for cause, and only by a supermajority vote of our shareholders entitled to elect such directors;

 

    provide that our shareholders may only take action (i) at an annual or special meeting of our shareholders or (ii) by unanimous written consent;

 

    require a supermajority vote of our shareholders to effect amendments to certain provisions of our charter;

 

    vest in the Board of Directors the exclusive power to amend our bylaws; and

 

    require our shareholders to provide advance notice of new business proposals and director nominations under specific procedures.

In addition, except as otherwise provided in our charter, the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the votes entitled to be cast thereon, with each class or series of stock voting as a separate class, in addition to the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the Board of Directors is required to effect a number of actions, including certain business combinations, that the holders of shares of common stock may view as desirable or in their best interest.

Under the MGCL, certain “business combinations,” including mergers, consolidations, share exchanges, or, in circumstances specified in the statute, asset transfers or issuances or reclassifications of equity securities, between a Maryland corporation and any person who owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock, and certain other parties (each an “interested shareholder”), or an affiliate of the interested shareholder, are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder to the extent such statute is not superseded by applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. Thereafter, any of the specified business combinations must be approved by two supermajority votes of the shareholders unless, among other conditions, holders of the corporation’s common stock receive a minimum price for their shares. However, the Board of Directors has adopted a resolution exempting from the above restrictions any business combination between us and any other person, provided that such business combination is first approved by the Board of Directors (including a majority of the directors who are not “interested persons” within the meaning of the 1940 Act). This resolution, however, may be altered or repealed in whole or in part at any time.

 

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These anti-takeover provisions may inhibit a change of control in circumstances that could give our shareholders the opportunity to realize a premium over the market price for our common stock.

1934 Act Filing Requirements. Because our common stock will be registered under the 1934 Act, ownership information for any person who beneficially owns 5% or more of our common stock will have to be disclosed in a Schedule 13G or other filings with the SEC. Beneficial ownership for these purposes is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and includes having voting or investment power over the securities. In some circumstances, our shareholders who choose to reinvest their dividends may see their percentage stake in the Company increased to more than 5%, thus triggering this filing requirement. Each shareholder is responsible for determining their filing obligations and preparing the filings. In addition, our shareholders who hold more than 10% of a class of our shares may be subject to Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act, which recaptures for the benefit of the Company profits from the purchase and sale of registered stock within a six-month period.

Investment by ERISA Plans. We intend to conduct our operations so that they will not trigger “prohibited transactions” for benefit plan investors. We will use reasonable efforts to conduct our affairs so that our assets will not be deemed to be “plan assets” under the plan asset regulations promulgated by the Department of Labor. The fiduciary of each prospective benefit plan investor must independently determine that our stock is an appropriate investment for such plan, taking into account the fiduciary’s obligations under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) and the facts and circumstances of each investing benefit plan.

Limited Liquidity. There is currently no public market for our common stock, and a market for our common stock may never develop. Our common stock is not registered under the 1933 Act, or any state securities law and is restricted as to transfer by law and the terms of our charter. Our shareholders generally may not sell, assign or transfer its shares without prior written consent of the Adviser, which the Adviser may grant or withhold in its sole discretion. Except in limited circumstances for legal or regulatory purposes, our shareholders are not entitled to redeem their shares of our common stock. Our shareholders must be prepared to bear the economic risk of an investment in our common stock for an indefinite period of time. While we may undertake an Exchange Listing, there can be no assurance that such a listing will be successfully completed. Furthermore, an Exchange Listing does not ensure that an actual market will develop for a listed security.

Beginning with the quarter after we accept subscriptions for $1 billion of cumulative total Capital Commitments, until an Exchange Listing, we intend to conduct repurchase offers to allow shareholders to tender shares of our common stock on a quarterly basis at a price per share expected to reflect a recent NAV per share. Any such share repurchase offer will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and subject to applicable law. We intend to limit the number of shares repurchased pursuant to any such repurchase offers to 15% of the total Capital Commitments raised in excess of $1 billion, with the exact amount to be set by the Board of Directors. We will conduct any repurchase offers in accordance with Section 23 (c) of the 1940 Act and Rule 13e-4 under the 1934 Act. Although we intend to conduct repurchase offers on a quarterly basis beginning with the quarter after we accept subscriptions for $1 billion of cumulative total Capital Commitments, the Board of Directors has complete and absolute discretion to determine whether we will engage in any share repurchases and, if so, the terms of such repurchases. Therefore, we may ultimately not engage in any share repurchases or may cease share repurchases at any time, and shareholders may not be able to sell shares of our common stock at all. Shareholders should not assume or rely upon any expectation that we will offer to repurchase any of its shares of our common stock. The repurchase price per share of future repurchase offers, if any, may be lower than the price per share that shareholders paid for their shares of our common stock. In addition, in the event that a shareholder chooses to participate in a quarterly repurchase offer, the shareholder may be required to provide us with notice of intent to participate prior to knowing what the NAV per share will be on the repurchase date. We anticipate that certain designated principals of the Adviser will agree not to participate in any repurchase offers.

Our Shareholders May Experience Dilution. Our shareholders will not have preemptive rights to subscribe to or purchase any shares of our common stock issued in the future. To the extent we issue additional equity interests, including in a public offering or following a Subsequent Closing, a shareholder’s percentage ownership interest in the Company will be diluted. In addition, depending upon the terms and pricing of any additional offerings and the value of our investments, a shareholder may also experience dilution in the net asset value and fair value of our shares.

 

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Preferred Stock Could be Issued. Under the terms of our charter, the Board of Directors is authorized, to the fullest extent permitted by the 1940 Act, to authorize us to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more classes or series without shareholder approval. The Board of Directors, subject to the terms of any class or series of stock outstanding at the time, is required to set the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of each class or series, including preferred stock with terms that might adversely affect the interests of our existing shareholders.

Significant Financial and Other Resources to Comply with the Requirements of Being a Public Entity. Upon the effectiveness of this Registration Statement we will be subject to the reporting requirements of the 1934 Act and requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. These requirements may place a strain on our systems and resources. The 1934 Act requires that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, which are discussed below. In order to maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls, significant resources and management oversight will be required. We intend to implement procedures, processes, policies and practices for the purpose of addressing the standards and requirements applicable to public companies. These activities may divert management’s attention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We expect to incur significant additional annual expenses related to these steps and, among other things, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees, reporting requirements of the SEC, transfer agent fees, additional administrative expenses payable to the Administrator to compensate them for hiring additional accounting, legal and administrative personnel, increased auditing and legal fees and similar expenses.

The systems and resources necessary to comply with public company reporting requirements will increase further once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act. As long as we remain an emerging growth company, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years following an initial public offering, although if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31.

We Do Not Currently Have Comprehensive Documentation of Our Internal Controls. We are not required to comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including the internal control evaluation and certification requirements of Section 404 of that statute (“Section 404”), and will not be required to comply with all of those requirements until we have been subject to the reporting requirements of the 1934 Act for a specified period of time or the date we are no longer an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act. Accordingly, our internal controls over financial reporting do not currently meet all of the standards contemplated by Section 404 that we will eventually be required to meet. We are in the process of addressing our internal controls over financial reporting and are establishing formal procedures, policies, processes and practices related to financial reporting and to the identification of key financial reporting risks, assessment of their potential impact and linkage of those risks to specific areas and activities within the Company.

Additionally, we have begun the process of documenting our internal control procedures to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, which requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. Our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until the later of the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC, or the date we are no longer an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act. Because we do not currently have comprehensive documentation of our internal controls and have not yet tested our internal controls in accordance with Section 404, we cannot conclude in accordance with Section 404 that we do not have a material weakness in our internal controls or a combination of significant deficiencies that

 

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could result in the conclusion that we have a material weakness in our internal controls. As a public entity, we will be required to complete our initial assessment in a timely manner. If we are not able to implement the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, our operations, financial reporting or financial results could be adversely affected. Matters impacting our internal controls may cause us to be unable to report our financial information on a timely basis and thereby subject us to adverse regulatory consequences, including sanctions by the SEC or violations of applicable stock exchange listing rules, and result in a breach of the covenants under the agreements governing any of our financing arrangements. There could also be a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor confidence in the Company and the reliability of our financial statements. Confidence in the reliability of our financial statements could also suffer if we or our independent registered public accounting firm were to report a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting. This could materially adversely affect us and, following an Exchange Listing, lead to a decline in the market price of our common stock.

We Could Raise Capital Through Other Channels. The Board of Directors may determine to raise additional capital through other channels, including through a private offerings or continuous public offerings through the independent broker-dealer network (a “Non-Listed Offering”) or an Exchange Listing. Capital raised through other channels could subject us to additional regulatory requirements. For example, a Non-Listed Offering would require us to file a registration statement under the 1933 Act and to comply with the guidelines issued by the North American Securities Administrators Association (the “Omnibus Guidelines”) and an Exchange Listing would require us to comply with the rules of the relevant securities exchange. In order to comply with the Omnibus Guidelines, at the time of a Non-Listed Offering, certain provisions of our charter would come into effect. See “Item 11. Description of Registrant’s Securities to be Registered.” These additional provisions could, among other things, affect our shareholders and limit the ability of the Company and the Adviser to take certain actions. In addition, if capital is raised through other channels, we would have to use financial and other resources to file any required registration statements and to comply with any additional regulatory requirements including, in the case of a Non-Listed Offering, the Omnibus Guidelines.

Terrorist Attacks, Acts of War or Natural Disasters. Terrorist acts, acts of war or natural disasters may disrupt our operations, as well as the operations of the businesses in which we invest. Such acts have created, and continue to create, economic and political uncertainties and have contributed to recent global economic instability. Future terrorist activities, military or security operations, or natural disasters could further weaken the domestic/global economies and create additional uncertainties, which may negatively impact the businesses in which we invest directly or indirectly and, in turn, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. Losses from terrorist attacks and natural disasters are generally uninsurable.

Cyber-security Risks. A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our information resources. These incidents may be an intentional attack or an unintentional event and could involve gaining unauthorized access to our information systems for purposes of misappropriating assets, stealing confidential information, corrupting data or causing operational disruption. The result of these incidents may include disrupted operations, misstated or unreliable financial data, liability for stolen information, misappropriation of assets, increased cyber-security protection and insurance costs, litigation and damage to our business relationships. This could result in significant losses, reputational damage, litigation, regulatory fines or penalties, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures and to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures arising from operational and security risks. We face risks posed to our information systems, both internal and those provided to us by third-party service providers. We, the Adviser and our affiliates have implemented processes, procedures and internal controls to help mitigate cyber-security risks and cyber intrusions, but these measures, as well as our increased awareness of the nature and extent of a risk of a cyber incident, may be ineffective and do not guarantee that a cyber incident will not occur or that our financial results, operations or confidential information will not be negatively impacted by such an incident.

Third parties with which we intend to do business (including those that provide services to us) may also be sources or targets of cyber-security or other technological risks. We intend to outsource certain functions and these relationships may allow for the storage and processing of our information and assets, as well as certain investor, counterparty, employee and borrower information. While we intend to engage in actions to reduce our exposure resulting from outsourcing, ongoing threats may result in unauthorized access, loss, exposure or destruction of data,

 

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or other cyber-security incidents, with increased costs and other consequences, including those described above. Privacy and information security laws and regulation changes, and compliance with those changes, may also result in cost increases due to system changes and the development of new administrative processes.

State Licensing Requirements. We may be required to obtain various state licenses in order to, among other things, originate commercial loans. Applying for and obtaining required licenses can be costly and take several months. There is no assurance that we will obtain all of the licenses that we need on a timely basis. Furthermore, we will be subject to various information and other requirements in order to obtain and maintain these licenses, and there is no assurance that we will satisfy those requirements. Our failure to obtain or maintain licenses might restrict investment options and have other adverse consequences.

Risks Related to RICs and BDCs

We Will be Subject to Corporate-level U.S. Federal Income Tax if We are Unable to Qualify as a RIC. Although we intend to elect to be treated as a RIC as soon as practicable following our election to be a BDC, no assurance can be given that we will be able to qualify for and maintain our qualification as a RIC. To obtain and maintain our qualification as a RIC, we must meet the following source-of-income, asset diversification, and distribution requirements.

The income source requirement will be satisfied if we obtain at least 90% of our gross income for each year from dividends, interest, foreign currency, payments with respect to loans of certain securities, gains from the sale of stock or other securities, net income from certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships,” or similar sources.

The asset diversification requirement will be satisfied if we meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each quarter of our taxable year. Failure to meet those requirements may result in us having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of our qualification as a RIC. Because most of our investments will be in private companies, and therefore will be relatively illiquid, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and could result in substantial losses. We may have difficulty satisfying the diversification requirement during our ramp-up phase until we have a portfolio of investments.

The annual distribution requirement will be satisfied if we distribute to our shareholders on an annual basis at least 90% of our net ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any. Because we may use debt financing, we are subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements under the 1940 Act and financial covenants under loan and credit agreements that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to satisfy the distribution requirement. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we could fail to qualify as a RIC.

If we fail to qualify as a RIC for any reason and therefore become subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions.

Limits on Capital Raising; Asset Coverage Ratio. Our business will require a substantial amount of capital. However, we may not be able to raise additional capital in the future on favorable terms or at all. We may issue debt securities, other evidences of indebtedness or preferred stock, and may borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, which are referred to collectively herein as “senior securities,” up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act will permit us to issue senior securities in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after each issuance of senior securities. Our ability to pay dividends or issue additional senior securities would be restricted if our asset coverage ratio were not at least 200%. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that happens, we may be required to liquidate a portion of our investments and repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales or repayment may be disadvantageous. As a result of issuing senior securities, we will also be exposed to typical risks associated with leverage, including an increased risk of loss. If we issue preferred stock, such preferred stock will rank “senior” to our common stock in our capital structure, preferred shareholders will have separate voting rights for certain purposes and may have rights, preferences or privileges more favorable than those of our common stock and the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our shareholders or otherwise be in the best interest of our shareholders.

 

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To the extent we are constrained in our ability to issue debt or other senior securities, we will depend on issuances of capital stock to finance our operations. As a BDC, we will not generally be able to issue our common stock at a price below net asset value without first obtaining required approvals of our shareholders and our independent directors. If we raise additional funds by issuing more of our common stock or senior securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, the percentage ownership of our shareholders at that time would decrease and our shareholders may experience dilution. In addition to issuing securities to raise capital as described above, we could, in the future, securitize our loans to generate cash for funding new investments. An inability to successfully securitize our loan portfolio could limit our ability to grow our business, fully execute our business strategy and improve our profitability.

Legislation May Allow Us to Incur Additional Leverage. As a BDC, generally, we are not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage for total borrowings of at least 200% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 50% of the value of our assets). If recent legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives is passed, or similar legislation is introduced, it would modify this section of the 1940 Act and increase the amount of debt that BDCs may incur by modifying the asset coverage percentage from 200% to 150%. As a result, we may be able to incur additional indebtedness in the future, and our shareholders may face increased investment risk. In addition, since our management fee is calculated as a percentage of the value of our gross assets, which includes any borrowings for investment purposes, the management fee expenses will increase if we incur additional indebtedness.

We May Have Difficulty Paying Our Required Distributions if We Recognize Income Before or Without Receiving Cash Representing Such Income. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we will include in our taxable income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as original issue discount, which may arise if we receive warrants in connection with the origination of a loan or possibly in other circumstances, or contractual “payment-in-kind,” or PIK, interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term. Such original issue discount or increases in loan balances as a result of contractual PIK arrangements will be included in our taxable income before we receive any corresponding cash payments. We also may be required to include in our taxable income certain other amounts that we will not receive in cash. Since, in certain cases, we may recognize taxable income before or without receiving corresponding cash payments, we may have difficulty meeting the annual distribution requirement necessary to maintain our qualification as a RIC. Accordingly, to satisfy our RIC distribution requirements, we may have to sell some of our investments at times or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify as a RIC and thus become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax. For additional discussion regarding the tax implications of our election to be taxed as a RIC, please see “Item 1(c). Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company.”

To the extent original issue discount and PIK-interest constitute a portion of our income, we will be exposed to typical risks associated with such income being required to be included in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash representing such income. Our investments may include original-issue-discount instruments and contractual PIK-interest arrangements. To the extent original issue discount or PIK-interest constitutes a portion of our income, we are exposed to typical risks associated with such income being required to be included in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash, including the following:

 

    The higher interest rates of original issue discount and PIK instruments reflect the payment deferral and increased credit risk associated with these instruments, and original issue discount and PIK instruments generally represent a significantly higher credit risk than coupon loans.

 

    Even if the accounting conditions for income accrual are met, the borrower could still default when our actual collection is supposed to occur at the maturity of the obligation.

 

    Original issue discount and PIK instruments may have unreliable valuations because their continuing accruals require continuing judgments about the collectability of the deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral. Original issue discount and PIKincome may also create uncertainty about the source of our cash distributions.

 

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    To the extent we provide loans with interest-only payments or moderate loan amortization, the majority of the principal payment or amortization of principal may be deferred until loan maturity. Because this debt generally allows the borrower to make a large lump-sum payment of principal at the end of the loan term, there is a risk of loss if the borrower is unable to pay the lump sum or refinance the amount owed at maturity.

 

    For accounting purposes, any cash distributions to stockholders representing original issue discount and PIK-income are not treated as coming from paid-in capital, even though the cash to pay them comes from offering proceeds. As a result, despite the fact that a distribution representing original issue discount and PIK-income could be paid out of amounts invested by our stockholders, the 1940 Act does not require that stockholders be given notice of this fact by reporting it as a return of capital.

Distribution and Asset Coverage Ratio Requirements May Impact Company’s Ability to Grow. In order to satisfy the requirements applicable to RICs and to avoid payment of excise taxes, we intend to distribute to our shareholders substantially all of our ordinary income and capital gain net income except for certain net capital gains, which we intend to retain and to elect to treat as deemed distributions to our shareholders. As a BDC, we are generally required to meet a coverage ratio of total assets to total senior securities, which would include all of our borrowings and any preferred stock that we may issue in the future, of at least 200%. This requirement will limit the amount that we may borrow. Because we will continue to need capital to grow our loan and investment portfolio, this limitation may prevent us from incurring debt and require us to raise additional equity at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. While we expect to be able to borrow and to issue additional debt and equity securities, there is no assurance that debt and equity financing will be available to us on favorable terms or at all. In addition, as a BDC, we are not permitted to issue equity securities priced below net asset value without shareholder and independent director approval. However, if we do obtain the necessary approvals to issue securities at prices below their net asset values, a shareholder’s investment in our common stock will experience dilution as a result of such issuance. If additional funds are not available to us, we could be forced to curtail or cease our lending and investment activities, and our net asset value could decrease.

Unrealized Depreciation on Our Loan Portfolio May Be an Indication of Future Realized Losses and Reduction in Income Available for Distribution. As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments will be recorded as unrealized depreciation. Any unrealized depreciation in our loan portfolio could be an indication of a portfolio company’s inability to meet its repayment obligations to us with respect to the loans whose market values or fair values decreased. This could result in realized losses in the future and ultimately in reductions of our income available for distribution in future periods.

Qualifying Asset Requirements. As a BDC, we may not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets. Therefore, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if such investments are not qualifying assets. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making additional investments in existing portfolio companies, which could result in the dilution of our position, or could require us to dispose of investments at an inopportune time to comply with the 1940 Act. If we were forced to sell non-qualifying investments for compliance purposes, the proceeds from such sale could be significantly less than the current value of such investments. Conversely, if we failed to invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could lose our status as a BDC, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions and significantly decrease our operating flexibility.

Limits on Transactions with Affiliates. We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain transactions with certain of our affiliates without the prior approval of a majority of the independent members of the Board of Directors and, in some cases, the SEC. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities will be our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act, and we will generally be prohibited from buying or selling any securities from or to such affiliate, absent the prior approval of the Board of

 

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Directors. The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of the Board of Directors and, in some cases, the SEC. If a person acquires more than 25% of our voting securities, we will be prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to such person or certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons absent the prior approval of the SEC. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates. We have applied for an exemptive order from the SEC which would allow us, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to enter into transactions with certain of our affiliates. There are no assurances that such exemptive relief will be granted in a timely manner or at all. These restrictions may limit the scope of investment opportunities that would otherwise be available to us.

Risks Related to the Adviser

The Adviser Has no Prior Experience Managing a BDC. The Adviser has no prior experience managing a BDC. The 1940 Act imposes numerous constraints on the operations of BDCs that do not apply to the other types of investment vehicles. For example, under the 1940 Act, BDCs are generally required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of qualifying U.S. private or thinly traded companies. The failure to comply with these provisions in a timely manner could prevent us from qualifying as a BDC, which could be material. The Adviser’s lack of experience in managing a portfolio of assets under such constraints may hinder our ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and, as a result, achieve our investment objective.

Conflicts Related to Obligations the Adviser Has to Other Clients. Certain members of the Investment Team serve, or may serve, as officers, directors, members, or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment funds, accounts, or investment vehicles managed by the Adviser or affiliates of the Adviser. Similarly, the Adviser may have other clients with similar, different or competing investment objectives. In serving in these multiple capacities, the Adviser and certain members of the Investment Team may have obligations to other clients or investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in the best interests of the Company or our shareholders. In addition, prior to an Exchange Listing and in accordance with its obligations under the 1940 Act, the Adviser has agreed to allow certain shareholders the opportunity to participate in certain investment opportunities that we may decide to participate in. The Adviser intends to allocate any investment opportunities in a fair and equitable manner; however, there is no assurance that that we will be able to participate in all investment opportunities or that investment opportunities will be allocated in a fair and equitable manner.

Possession of Material Non-Public Information, Limiting the Adviser’s Investment Discretion. The Investment Team, including members of the Investment Committee, may serve as directors of, or in a similar capacity with, portfolio companies in which we invest, the securities of which are purchased or sold on our behalf. In the event that material non-public information is obtained with respect to such companies, or we become subject to trading restrictions under the internal trading policies of those companies or as a result of applicable law or regulations, we could be prohibited for a period of time from purchasing or selling the securities of such companies, and this prohibition may have an adverse effect on us.

Management Fees and Incentive Fees. Even in the event the value of a shareholder’s investment declines, the management fee and, in certain circumstances, the incentive fee will still be payable to the Adviser. The management fee is calculated as a percentage of the value of our gross assets and our stockholders’ remaining unfunded Capital Commitments to us at a specific time, which would include any borrowings for investment purposes, and may give the Adviser an incentive to use leverage to make additional investments and because it is based, in part, on our stockholders’ remaining unfunded Capital Commitments to us, it may be payable even when we have limited invested assets. In addition, the management fee is payable regardless of whether the value of our gross assets has decreased. The use of increased leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which would disfavor our shareholders. Given the subjective nature of the investment decisions that the Adviser will make on our behalf, we may not be able to monitor this potential conflict of interest.

One component of the incentive fee, which is only payable following an Exchange Listing, is calculated as a percentage of pre-incentive fee net investment income. Since pre-incentive fee net investment income does not include any realized capital gains, realized capital losses or unrealized capital appreciation or depreciation, it is possible that we may pay an incentive fee in a quarter in which we incur a loss. For example, if we receive pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of the quarterly hurdle rate, we will pay the applicable incentive fee even if we have incurred a loss in that quarter due to realized and unrealized capital losses. In addition, because the

 

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quarterly hurdle rate is calculated based on our net assets, decreases in net assets due to realized or unrealized capital losses in any given quarter may increase the likelihood that the hurdle rate is reached in that quarter and, as a result, that an incentive fee is paid for that quarter. Our net investment income used to calculate this component of the incentive fee is also included in the amount of our gross assets used to calculate the management fee.

The second component of the incentive fee, which is also only payable following an Exchange Listing, is calculated annually based upon our realized capital gains, computed net of realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis. As a result, we may owe the Adviser an incentive fee during one year as a result of realized capital gains on certain investments, and then later incur significant realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on the remaining investments in our portfolio during subsequent years. Incentive fees earned in prior years cannot be clawed back even if we later incur losses.

In addition, the incentive fee payable by us to the Adviser may create an incentive for the Adviser to make investments on our behalf that are risky or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such a compensation arrangement. The Adviser receives the incentive fee based, in part, upon capital gains realized on our investments. Unlike the portion of the incentive fee that is based on net investment income, there is no hurdle rate applicable to the portion of the capital gains incentive fee. As a result, the Adviser may have an incentive to invest more in companies whose securities are likely to yield capital gains, as compared to income-producing investments. Such a practice could result in us making more speculative investments than would otherwise be the case, which could result in higher investment losses, particularly during cyclical economic downturns.

Limitation on Liability of the Adviser. The Investment Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser, its officers, members and personnel, and any person controlling or controlled by the Adviser will not be liable to us or our shareholders for acts or omissions performed in accordance with and pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, except those resulting from acts constituting gross negligence, willful misconduct, bad faith or reckless disregard of the duties that Adviser owes to us under the Investment Advisory Agreement. In addition, as part of the Investment Advisory Agreement, we have agreed to indemnify the Adviser and each of its officers, directors, members, managers and employees from and against any claims or liabilities, including reasonable legal fees and other expenses reasonably incurred, arising out of or in connection with our business and operations or any action taken or omitted on our behalf pursuant to authority granted by the Investment Advisory Agreement, except where attributable to gross negligence, willful misconduct, bad faith or reckless disregard of such person’s duties under the Investment Advisory Agreement. These protections may lead the Adviser to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

Related Party Agreement. The Investment Advisory Agreement was negotiated between related parties. Consequently, its terms, including fees payable to the Adviser, may not be as favorable to us as if they had been negotiated with an unaffiliated third party.

Risks Associated with Our Investments

Nature of Investments. We intend to invest in senior secured or unsecured loans, subordinated loans or mezzanine loans and, to a lesser extent, equity-related securities including warrants, preferred stock and similar forms of senior equity, which may or may not be convertible into a portfolio company’s common equity.

Senior Secured Loans. When we make a first or second lien loan or a unitranche loan to a portfolio company, we generally take a security interest in the available assets of the portfolio company, including the equity interests of its subsidiaries, which we expect to help mitigate the risk that we will not be repaid. However, there is a risk that the collateral securing our loans may decrease in value over time, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise, or may fluctuate in value based upon the success of the business and market conditions, including as a result of the inability of the portfolio company to raise additional capital. In some circumstances, our lien could be subordinated to claims of other creditors. In addition, deterioration in a portfolio company’s financial condition and prospects, including its inability to raise additional capital, may be accompanied by deterioration in the value of the collateral for the loan. Consequently, the fact that a loan is secured does not guarantee that we will receive principal and interest payments according to the loan’s terms, or at all, or that we will be able to collect on the loan should we be forced to enforce our remedies.

 

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Mezzanine Loans. Our mezzanine loans generally will be subordinated to senior secured loans on a payment basis, are typically unsecured and rank pari passu with other unsecured creditors. As such, other creditors may rank senior to us in the event of insolvency. This may result in an above average amount of risk and loss of principal.

Equity-related Investments. When we invest in first and second lien loans, unitranche loans or mezzanine loans, we may acquire equity securities in a portfolio company. In addition, we may invest directly in the equity securities of portfolio companies. Our goal is ultimately to dispose of such equity interests and realize gains upon our disposition of such interests. However, the equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience.

In addition, our investments are likely to be in lower grade obligations. The lower grade investments in which we invest may be rated below investment grade by one or more nationally recognized statistical rating agencies at the time of investment or may be unrated but determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. Loans or debt securities rated below investment grade are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The major risks of non-investment grade investments include:

 

    Non-investment grade securities may be issued by less creditworthy issuers. Issuers of non-investment grade securities may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade securities. In the event of an issuer’s bankruptcy, claims of other creditors may have priority over the claims of holders of non-investment grade securities, leaving few or no assets available to repay holders of non-investment grade securities.

 

    Prices of non-investment grade securities are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Adverse changes in an issuer’s industry and general economic conditions may have a greater impact on the prices of non-investment grade securities than on other higher rated fixed-income securities.

 

    Issuers of non-investment grade securities may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing.

 

    Non-investment grade securities frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from us before it matures. If the issuer redeems non-investment grade securities, we may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields and may lose income.

 

    Non-investment grade securities may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the non-investment grade securities market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted by the dealers. Judgment may play a greater role in valuing these securities and we may be unable to sell these securities at an advantageous time or price.

 

    We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer.

The credit rating of a high yield security does not necessarily address its market value risk. Ratings and market value may change from time to time, positively or negatively, to reflect new developments regarding the issuer.

Risks Associated with Investments in Middle Market Companies. Investment in private and middle market companies involves a number of significant risks including:

 

    such companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their debt securities that we hold, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of us realizing any guarantees we may have obtained in connection with its investment;

 

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    such companies typically have shorter operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as to general economic downturns;

 

    such companies are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons; therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on the portfolio company and, in turn, on us;

 

    such companies generally have less predictable operating results, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position;

 

    debt investments in such companies generally may have a significant portion of principal due at the maturity of the investment, which would result in a substantial loss to us if such borrowers are unable to refinance or repay their debt at maturity;

 

    our executive officers, directors and the Adviser may, in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from our investments in such companies;

 

    such companies generally have less publicly available information about their businesses, operations and financial condition and, if we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision; and

 

    such companies may have difficulty accessing the capital markets to meet future capital needs, which may limit their ability to grow or to repay their outstanding indebtedness upon maturity.

Risks Associated with Equity Investments. Our investments may include equity related securities, such as rights and warrants that may be converted into or exchanged for our common stock or the cash value of our common stock. In addition, we may make direct equity investments in portfolio companies. The equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience. We may also be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We may be unable to exercise any put rights we acquire, which would grant us the right to sell our equity securities back to the portfolio company, for the consideration provided in its investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

Portfolio Company Debt and Equity. Our portfolio companies may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt or issue equity securities that rank equally with, or senior to, the debt in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments or equity securities may entitle the holders to receive payment of dividends, interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments with respect to our investments. These debt instruments or equity securities would usually prohibit the portfolio companies from paying interest on or repaying our investments in the event and during the continuance of a default under such debt or equity securities. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments or equity securities ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying such senior creditors, such portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt or equity securities ranking equally with debt instruments in which we invest, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt or equity in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.

Subordinated Liens on Collateral. Certain debt investments that we will make in portfolio companies will be secured on a second priority basis by the same collateral securing senior secured debt of such companies. The first priority liens on the collateral will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under any outstanding senior debt

 

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and may secure certain other future debt that may be permitted to be incurred by the company under the agreements governing the debt. The holders of obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral will generally control the liquidation of and be entitled to receive proceeds from any realization of the collateral to repay their obligations in full before we are so entitled. In addition, the value of the collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from the sale or sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the debt obligations secured by the second priority liens after payment in full of all obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral. If such proceeds are not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the debt obligations secured by the second priority liens, then, to the extent not repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral, we will only have an unsecured claim against the company’s remaining assets, if any.

We may also make unsecured debt investments in portfolio companies, meaning that such investments will not benefit from any interest in collateral of such companies. Liens on such portfolio companies’ collateral, if any, will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under its outstanding secured debt and may secure certain future debt that is permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under its secured debt agreements. The holders of obligations secured by such liens will generally control the liquidation of, and be entitled to receive proceeds from, any realization of such collateral to repay their obligations in full before we are so entitled. In addition, the value of such collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from sales of such collateral would be sufficient to satisfy its unsecured debt obligations after payment in full of all secured debt obligations. If such proceeds were not sufficient to repay the outstanding secured debt obligations, then its unsecured claims would rank equally with the unpaid portion of such secured creditors’ claims against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.

The rights we may have with respect to the collateral securing the debt investments we make in portfolio companies with senior debt outstanding may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more inter-creditor agreements that we enter into with the holders of senior debt. Under such an inter-creditor agreement, at any time that obligations that have the benefit of the first priority liens are outstanding, any of the following actions that may be taken in respect of the collateral will be at the direction of the holders of the obligations secured by the first priority liens: the ability to cause the commencement of enforcement proceedings against the collateral; the ability to control the conduct of such proceedings; the approval of amendments to collateral documents; releases of liens on the collateral; and waivers of past defaults under collateral documents. We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if our rights are adversely affected.

Our Investments Will Be Illiquid and Long Term. We will generally make loans to private companies that are illiquid and may be difficult for us to sell if the need arises. Although portfolio financings and investments by us may generate current income, the return of capital and the realization of gains, if any, from a financing or investment generally will occur only upon the partial or complete satisfaction of the financing conditions or disposition of such investment, which may not occur for a number of years after the investment is made. If we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded such investments. In addition, we will not be able to sell securities we purchase publicly, if we hold any, unless the sale of such securities is registered under applicable securities laws, or unless an exemption from such registration requirements is available. In addition, in some cases we may be prohibited by contract from selling certain securities we invest in for a period of time or we may face other restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment in a portfolio company to the extent that we hold a significant portion of a company’s equity or if we have material non-public information regarding that company. Furthermore, under the 1940 Act, if there is no readily available market for these investments, we are required to carry these investments at fair value as determined by the Board of Directors. As a result, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded these investments.

Limited Number of Portfolio Companies. To the extent we assume large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers or industries, our net asset value may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a more diversified investment company as a result of changes in the financial condition or the market’s assessment of the issuer. In addition, the aggregate returns we realize may be significantly adversely affected if a small number of investments perform poorly or if we need to write down the value of any one investment. Additionally, a downturn in any particular industry in which we are invested could significantly affect our aggregate returns.

 

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Follow-on Investments in Portfolio Companies. Following an initial investment in a portfolio company, we may make additional investments in that portfolio company as “follow-on” investments, in seeking to:

 

    increase or maintain in whole or in part our position as a creditor or equity ownership percentage in a portfolio company;

 

    exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing; or

 

    preserve or enhance the value of our investment.

We have discretion to make follow-on investments, subject to the availability of capital resources. Failure on our part to make follow-on investments may, in some circumstances, jeopardize the continued viability of a portfolio company and our initial investment, or may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation.

Portfolio Company Leverage. Our portfolio companies will typically have capital structures with significant leverage. Leveraged companies in which we invest may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their loans and debt securities that we hold. Although the Adviser will seek to structure transactions in an attempt to minimize these risks, such leverage may increase our exposure to adverse economic factors such as rising interest rates, downturns in the general economy or deterioration in the condition of the portfolio company or its sector in its particular industry. Such developments may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of us realizing any guarantees that we may have obtained in connection with our investment. Smaller leveraged companies also may have less predictable operating results and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance their expansion or maintain their competitive position.

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, acceleration of the time when the loans are due and foreclosure on its assets representing collateral for its obligations, which could trigger cross defaults under other agreements and jeopardize the value of any equity securities we own and the portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under any debt that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company.

Defaults by Portfolio Companies. A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its assets. This could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize such portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the loans or debt or equity securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting portfolio company.

Prepayments by Portfolio Companies. We will be subject to the risk that the debt investments we make in portfolio companies may be repaid prior to maturity. The Adviser expects that our investments will generally allow for repayment at any time subject to certain penalties. When this occurs, the Adviser may reinvest a portion of these proceeds in temporary investments, pending their future investment in accordance with our investment strategy. These temporary investments will typically have substantially lower yields than the debt being prepaid, and we could experience significant delays in reinvesting these amounts. Any future investment may also be at lower yields than the debt that was repaid. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our portfolio companies elect to prepay amounts owed to us.

Economic Recessions or Downturns. Our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic downturns or recessions. During these periods the value of our portfolio may decrease if we are required to write down the values of our investments. Adverse economic conditions may also decrease the value of our equity investments and the value of collateral securing any debt instruments that we hold. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead to financial losses in our portfolio and a decrease in revenues, net income and assets which could harm our operating results. In addition, a prolonged economic downturn or recession could extend our investment time horizon by limiting our ability to achieve timely liquidity events, such as a sale, merger or initial public offering or the refinancing of our debt investments, and could ultimately impact our ability to realize anticipated investment returns.

 

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Risks Related to Non-Controlling Investments. Investments we make will primarily be non-controlling investments, meaning we will not be in a position to control the management, operation and strategic decision-making of the companies in which we invest. As a result, we will be subject to the risk that a portfolio company we do not control, or in which we do not have a majority ownership position, may make business decisions with which we disagree, and the equity holders and management of such a portfolio company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that are adverse to our interests. Due to the lack of liquidity for the debt investments that we will typically hold in our portfolio companies, we may not be able to dispose of our investments in the event that we disagree with the actions of a portfolio company, and may therefore suffer a decrease in the value of such portfolio company.

Risks Associated with Bankruptcy Cases. As part of our lending activities, we may originate loans to companies that are experiencing significant financial or business difficulties, including companies involved in bankruptcy or other reorganization and liquidation proceedings. While we expect that the terms of such financing may result in significant financial returns to us, it involves a substantial degree of risk. The level of analytical sophistication, both financial and legal, necessary for successful financing to companies experiencing significant business and financial difficulties is unusually high. There is no assurance that we will correctly evaluate the value of the assets collateralizing our loans or the prospects for a successful reorganization or similar action. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a company that we invest in, we may lose all or part of the amounts advanced to the portfolio company or may be required to accept collateral with a value less than the amount of the loan advanced by us to the portfolio company.

Many of the events within a bankruptcy case are adversarial and often beyond the control of the creditors. While creditors generally are afforded an opportunity to object to significant actions, there can be no assurance that a bankruptcy court would not approve actions that may be contrary to our interests. Furthermore, there are instances where creditors and equity holders lose their ranking and priority as such if they are considered to have taken over management and functional operation of a debtor.

Generally, the duration of a bankruptcy case can only be roughly estimated. The reorganization of a company usually involves the development and negotiation of a plan of reorganization, plan approval by the creditors and confirmation by a bankruptcy court. This process can involve substantial legal, professional and administrative costs to the debtor company and the Company; it is subject to unpredictable and lengthy delays; and during the process our competitive position may erode, key management may depart and the debtor company may not be able to operate adequately. In some cases, the debtor company may not be able to reorganize and may be required to liquidate assets. The debt of companies in financial reorganization will, in most cases, not pay current interest, may not accrue interest during reorganization and may be adversely affected by an erosion of the issuer’s fundamental value. Such investments can result in a total loss of principal. U.S. bankruptcy law permits the classification of “substantially similar” claims in determining the classification of claims in reorganization for purposes of voting on a plan of reorganization. Because the standard for classification is vague, there exists a significant risk that our influence with respect to a class of securities can be lost by the inflation of the number and amount of claims in, or other gerrymandering of, the class. In addition, certain administrative costs and claims that have priority by law over the claims of certain creditors (for example, claims for taxes) may be quite high.

Furthermore, there are instances where creditors and equity holders lose their ranking and priority as such when they take over management and functional operating control of a debtor. Therefore, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to a portfolio company or its representative or the Adviser sat on the board of directors of such portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might re-characterize our debt investment and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors.

A representative of the Company may serve on creditors’ committees or other groups to ensure preservation or enhancement of our position as a creditor or equity holder. A member of any such committee or group may owe certain obligations generally to all parties similarly situated that the committee represents. If our representative concludes that the obligations they owe to other parties as a committee or group member conflict with the duties they owe to us, they will resign from that committee or group, and we will not realize the benefits, if any, of participating on the committee or group. In addition, and also as discussed above, if we are represented on a committee or group, we may be restricted or prohibited under applicable law from, disposing of or increasing our investments in such debtor company while we continue to be represented on such committee or group.

 

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In addition, lenders can be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by them where they become too involved in the borrower’s business or exercise control over the borrower. For example, we could become subject to a lender’s liability claim, if, among other things, we actually render significant managerial assistance.

ITEM 2. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Overview

We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Maryland on October 15, 2015. We have elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act, and intend to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes. As such, we are required to comply with various regulatory requirements, such as the requirement to invest at least 70% of our assets in “qualifying assets,” source of income limitations, asset diversification requirements, and the requirement to distribute annually at least 90% of our taxable income and tax-exempt interest. See “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Regulation as a Business Development Company” and “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences — Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company.” In addition, we will not invest more than 20% of our total assets in companies whose principal place of business is outside the United States.

Revenues

We plan to generate revenues in the form of interest income from the debt securities we hold and dividends and capital appreciation on either direct equity investments or equity interests obtained in connection with originating loans, such as options, warrants or conversion rights. The debt we invest in will typically not be rated by any rating agency, but if it were, it is likely that such debt would be below investment grade. In addition, we may also generate revenue in the form of commitment, loan origination, structuring or diligence fees, fees for providing managerial assistance to our portfolio companies, and possibly consulting fees. Certain of these fees may be capitalized and amortized as additional interest income over the life of the related loan.

Expenses

Except as specifically provided below, we anticipate that all investment professionals and staff of the Adviser, when and to the extent engaged in providing investment advisory and management services to the Company, and the base compensation, bonus and benefits, and the routine overhead expenses, of such personnel allocable to such services, will be provided and paid for by the Adviser. We will bear our allocable portion of the compensation paid by the Adviser (or its affiliates) to our chief compliance officer and chief financial officer and their respective staffs (based on a percentage of time such individuals devote, on an estimated basis, to our business affairs). We will bear all other costs and expenses of our operations, administration and transactions, including, but not limited to (i) investment advisory fees, including management fees and incentive fees, to the Adviser, pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement; (ii) our allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by the Adviser in performing its administrative obligations under the Investment Advisory Agreement, and (iii) all other expenses of its operations and transactions including, without limitation, those relating to:

 

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    the cost of our organization and this offering;

 

    the cost of calculating our net asset value, including the cost of any third-party valuation services;

 

    the cost of effecting any sales and repurchases of our common stock and other securities;

 

    fees and expenses payable under any dealer manager agreements, if any;

 

    debt service and other costs of borrowings or other financing arrangements;

 

    costs of hedging

 

    expenses, including travel expense, incurred by the Adviser, or members of the Investment Team, or payable to third parties, performing due diligence on prospective portfolio companies and, if necessary, enforcing our rights;

 

    transfer agent and custodial fees;

 

    fees and expenses associated with marketing efforts;

 

    federal and state registration fees, any stock exchange listing fees and fees payable to rating agencies;

 

    federal, state and local taxes;

 

    independent directors’ fees and expenses including certain travel expenses;

 

    costs of preparing financial statements and maintaining books and records and filing reports or other documents with the SEC (or other regulatory bodies) and other reporting and compliance costs, including registration and listing fees, and the compensation of professionals responsible for the preparation of the foregoing;

 

    the costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to our shareholders (including printing and mailing costs), the costs of any shareholder or director meetings and the compensation of investor relations personnel responsible for the preparation of the foregoing and related matters;

 

    commissions and other compensation payable to brokers or dealers;

 

    research and market data;

 

    fidelity bond, directors and officers errors and omissions liability insurance and other insurance premiums;

 

    direct costs and expenses of administration, including printing, mailing, long distance telephone and staff;

 

    fees and expenses associated with independent audits, outside legal and consulting costs;

 

    costs of winding up;

 

    costs incurred in connection with the formation or maintenance of entities or vehicles to hold our assets for tax or other purposes;

 

    extraordinary expenses (such as litigation or indemnification); and

 

    costs associated with reporting and compliance obligations under the 1940 Act and applicable federal and state securities laws.

Hedging

We may, but are not required to, enter into interest rate, foreign exchange or other derivative agreements to hedge interest rate, currency, credit or other risks, but we do not generally intend to enter into any such derivative agreements for speculative purposes. Any derivative agreements entered into for speculative purposes are not expected to be material to the Company’s business or results of operations. These hedging activities, which will be in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, may include the use of futures, options and forward contracts. We will bear the costs incurred in connection with entering into, administering and settling any such derivative contracts. There can be no assurance any hedging strategy we employ will be successful.

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources

        From October 15, 2015 through March 1, 2016 our only equity transaction was the issuance and sale of 100 shares of our common stock to the Adviser, for an aggregate purchase price of $1,500. During March 2016 we entered into subscription agreements with several investors providing for the private placement of our common stock. On March 17, 2016 we delivered a drawdown notice to investors relating to the issuance 3,333,344 shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $50,000,000. These shares were issued on March 30, 2016. We expect to generate cash primarily from (i) the net proceeds of the Private Offering, (ii) cash flows from our operations, (iii) any financing arrangements we may enter into in the future and (iv) any future offerings of our equity or debt securities. We may fund a portion of our investments through borrowings from banks and issuances of senior securities.

 

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Our primary uses of cash will be for (i) investments in portfolio companies and other investments to comply with certain portfolio diversification requirements, (ii) the cost of operations (including paying the Adviser), (iii) debt service of any borrowings and (iv) cash distributions to the holders of our stock.

Contractual Obligations

We have entered into the Investment Advisory Agreement and the Administration Agreement with our Adviser to provide us with investment advisory services and administrative services. Payments for investment advisory services under the Investment Advisory Agreements and reimbursements under the Administration Agreement are described in “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Investment Advisory Agreement,” “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Administration Agreement,” and “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Payment of Our Expenses under the Investment Advisory and Administration Agreements.”

We intend to establish one or more credit facilities and/or subscription facilities or enter into other financing arrangements to facilitate investments and the timely payment of our expenses. It is anticipated that any such credit facilities will bear interest at floating rates at to be determined spreads over LIBOR. We cannot assure shareholders that we will be able to enter into a credit facility on favorable terms or at all. In connection with a credit facility or other borrowings, lenders may require us to pledge assets, commitments and/or drawdowns (and the ability to enforce the payment thereof) and may ask to comply with positive or negative covenants that could have an effect on our operations.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Other than contractual commitments and other legal contingencies incurred in the normal course of our business, we do not expect to have any off-balance sheet financings or liabilities.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. We plan to invest primarily in illiquid debt and equity securities of private companies. Most of our investments will not have a readily available market price, and we will value these investments at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board in accordance with our valuation policy. There is no single standard for determining fair value in good faith. As a result, determining fair value requires that judgment be applied to the specific facts and circumstances of each portfolio investment while employing a consistently applied valuation process for the types of investments we make. See “Item 9. Market Price of and Dividends on the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters—Valuation of Portfolio Securities.”

Related Parties

See “Item 7. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” for a description of certain transactions and relationships with related parties.

ITEM 3. PROPERTIES

Our corporate headquarters are located at 245 Park Avenue, 41st floor, New York, New York 10167 and are provided by the Adviser in accordance with the terms of our Administration Agreement. We believe that our office facilities are suitable and adequate for our business as it is contemplated to be conducted.

ITEM 4. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth, as of March 31, 2016, certain ownership information with respect to our common stock for those persons who directly or indirectly own, control or hold with the power to vote, five percent or more of our outstanding common stock and all officers and directors, as a group.

Percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 3,333,444 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2016. Unless otherwise indicated, the Company believes that each beneficial owner set forth in the table has sole voting and investment power over such shares.

 

Name and Address

   Number of
Shares Owned
     Percentage of
class outstanding
 

5% Owners

     

QSP Athena LP(1)

     559,429         16.7828

Quantum Strategic Partners Ltd.(2)

     86,066         2.5820

Brown University(3)

     344,264         10.3279

MSD Owl Rock Investments, LLC(4)

     344,264         10.3279

PSPEF Limited(5)

     275,411         8.2629

Interested Directors

     

Douglas I. Ostrover(6)

     344,264         10.3279

Alan Kirshenbaum

     1,377         *   

Independent Directors

     

Edward D’Alelio

               

Eric Kaye

               

Christopher M. Temple

               

Executive Officers

     

Rebecca Tabb

               

All officers and directors as a group (6 persons)(7)

     345,641         10.3279

 

* Less than 1%.

 

(1) QSP Athena LP (“QSP Athena”) is a Delaware limited partnership. Soros Fund Management LLC (“SFM LLC”) serves as principal investment manager to QSP Athena. As such, SFM LLC has been granted investment discretion over portfolio investments, including the common stock of Owl Rock Capital Corporation held for the account of QSP Athena, but does not have the power to vote (or direct the vote) of such shares. SFM LLC must either (i) vote such shares in the same manner as other shareholders of Owl Rock Capital Corporation vote their shares or (ii) seek voting instructions from the limited partner(s) of QSP Athena and vote in accordance with such instructions. George Soros serves as Chairman of SFM LLC and Robert Soros serves as President and Deputy Chairman of SFM LLC. The business address for SFM LLC is 250 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019. The registered address for QSP Athena is c/o The Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801.
(2) Quantum Strategic Partners Ltd. (“QSP”), is a Cayman Islands exempted company. SFM LLC serves as principal investment manager to QSP. As such, SFM LLC has been granted investment discretion over portfolio investments, including the common stock of Owl Rock Capital Corporation held for the account of QSP. George Soros serves as Chairman of SFM LLC and Robert Soros serves as President and Deputy Chairman of SFM LLC. The business address of SFM LLC is 250 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019. The registered address for QSP is c/o Walkers Corporate Limited, Cayman Corporate Centre, 27 Hospital Road, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9008, Cayman Islands.
(3) Brown University is a Rhode Island corporation whose address is 121 South Main Street, 9th Floor, Providence, Rhode Island 02903.
(4) MSD Private Capital Investments, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, is the sole owner of MSD Owl Rock Investments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and may be deemed to have or share voting and dispositive power over, and/or beneficially own, the shares held by MSD Owl Rock Investments, LLC. MSD Capital, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, is the general partner of MSD Private Capital Investments, L.P. and may be deemed to have or share voting and dispositive power over, and/or beneficially own, the shares beneficially owned by MSD Private Capital Investments, L.P. MSD Capital Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is the general partner of MSD Capital, L.P. and may be deemed to have or share voting and/or dispositive power over, and beneficially own, the shares beneficially owned by MSD Capital, L.P. Michael S. Dell is the controlling member of, and may be deemed to beneficially own the shares beneficially owned by, MSD Capital Management LLC. Each of Glenn R. Fuhrman and Marc R. Lisker is a manager of MSD Capital Management LLC and may be deemed to have or share voting and/or dispositive power over, and beneficially own, the shares beneficially owned by MSD Capital Management LLC. The address for MSD Owl Rock Investments, LLC is c/o MSD Capital, L.P., 645 Fifth Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10022.
(5) PSPEF Limited is a British Virgin Islands company and its registered address is KCS Chambers, PO Box 4051, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Each of Blue Pool Management Ltd. (“BPM”), as investment manager to PSPEF Limited, and Blue Pool Capital Limited (“BPCL”), as investment adviser to BPM, has the power to vote (or to direct the voting of) and the power to dispose (or to direct the disposition of) the shares of common stock of Owl Rock Capital Corporation held by PSPEF Limited. BPCL is wholly-owned by BPM, and the shareholders of BPM are Alexander Gustav Lennart West and Oliver Paul Weisberg. The address of each of BPCL, BPM, Mr. West and Mr. Weisberg is c/o Blue Pool Capital Limited, 3208 Two Exchange Square, Central, Hong Kong.
(6) Includes 258,198 shares held directly by Mr. Ostrover and 86,066 shares held by DIO Family LLC, a Delaware limited liability company controlled by Julia Ostrover, Mr. Ostrover’s wife.
(7) The address for each of the directors and officers is c/o Owl Rock Capital Corporation, 245 Park Avenue, 41st Floor, New York, New York 10167.

 

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ITEM 5. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Our business and affairs are managed under the direction of the Board of Directors. The responsibilities of the Board of Directors include, among other things, the oversight of our investment activities, the quarterly valuation of our assets, oversight of our financing arrangements and corporate governance activities. Our Board of Directors consists of five members, three of whom will not be “interested persons” of the Company or of the Adviser as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act and are “independent,” as determined by the Board of Directors. These individuals are referred to as independent directors. Our Board of Directors elects the Company’s executive officers, who serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Board of Directors and Executive Officers

Directors

Under our charter, the directors are divided into three classes. Directors of each class will hold office for terms ending at the third annual meeting of our shareholders after their election and when their respective successors are elected and qualify. However, the initial members of the three classes of directors have initial terms ending at the first, second and third annual meeting of our shareholders after the Initial Closing, respectively. Each director will hold office for the term to which he or she is elected and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies.

Certain shareholders have been given the right to propose for nomination an individual who must qualify as an independent director, to serve on the Board of Directors and/or to invite a representative to attend meetings of the Board of Directors in a nonvoting observer capacity. Such rights will terminate prior to an Exchange Listing.

 

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Information regarding the Board of Directors is as follows:

 

Name

   Year of
Birth
  

Position

   Director
Since
   Expiration of
Term

Interested Director:

           

Douglas I. Ostrover

   1962    Director, Chief Executive Officer and President    2016    2018

Alan Kirshenbaum

   1971    Director, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer    2015    2019

Independent Directors:

           

Edward D’Alelio

   1952    Chairman of the Board, Director    2016    2019

Christopher M. Temple

   1967    Director    2016    2018

Eric Kaye

   1963    Director    2016    2017

The address for each of our directors is c/o Owl Rock Capital Corporation, 245 Park Avenue 41st floor, New York, NY 10167.

Executive Officers

 

Name

   Year of Birth     

Position

Douglas I. Ostrover

   1962      Chief Executive Officer and President

Alan Kirshenbaum

   1971      Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Rebecca Tabb

   1982      Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary

Biographical Information

Directors

Our directors have been divided into two groups — interested directors and independent directors. An interested director is an “interested person” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act.

Interested Directors

Douglas I. Ostrover

Mr. Ostrover is a co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Owl Rock Capital Partners and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Owl Rock Capital Advisors. Prior to founding Owl Rock, Mr. Ostrover was one of the founders of GSO Capital Partners, Blackstone’s alternative credit platform, and a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone until 2015. Prior to co-founding GSO in 2005, Mr. Ostrover was a Managing Director and Chairman of the Leveraged Finance Group of CSFB. Prior to his role as Chairman, Mr. Ostrover was Global Co-Head of CSFB’s Leveraged Finance Group, during which time he was responsible for all of CSFB’s origination, distribution and trading activities relating to high yield securities, leveraged loans, high yield credit derivatives and distressed securities. Mr. Ostrover was a member of CSFB’s Management Council and the Fixed Income Operating Committee. Mr. Ostrover joined CSFB in November 2000 when CSFB acquired DLJ, where he was a Managing Director in charge of High Yield and Distressed Sales, Trading and Research. Mr. Ostrover had been a member of DLJ’s high yield team since he joined the firm in 1992. Mr. Ostrover received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

We believe Mr. Ostrover’s depth of experience in corporate finance, capital markets and financial services, will give our Board of Directors valuable industry-specific knowledge and expertise on these and other matters.

Alan Kirshenbaum

Mr. Kirshenbaum is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Owl Rock Capital Corporation, Owl Rock Capital Partners and Owl Rock Capital Advisors. Prior to joining Owl Rock, Mr. Kirshenbaum was Chief Financial Officer of TPG Specialty Lending, Inc., a business development company traded on the NYSE (TSLX). Mr. Kirshenbaum was responsible for building and overseeing TSLX’s finance, treasury, accounting and operations functions from 2011 through 2015, including during its initial public offering in March

 

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2014. From 2011 to 2013, Mr. Kirshenbaum was also Chief Financial Officer of TPG Special Situations Partners. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Kirshenbaum was the Chief Financial Officer of Natsource, a private investment firm and, prior to that, Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of MainStay Investments. Mr. Kirshenbaum joined Bear Stearns Asset Management in 1999 and was BSAM’s Chief Financial Officer from 2003 to 2006. Before joining BSAM, Mr. Kirshenbaum worked in public accounting at KPMG and J.H. Cohn. Mr. Kirshenbaum received a B.S. from Rutgers University and an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

We believe Mr. Kirshenbaum’s finance and operations experience, including serving as chief financial officer for a publicly traded business development company, provides an important skillset to our Board of Directors.

Independent Directors

Edward D’Alelio

Mr. D’Alelio was formerly a Managing Director and CIO for Fixed Income at Putnam Investments, Boston, where he served from 1989 until he retired in 2002. While at Putnam, he served on the Investment Policy Committee, which was responsible for oversight of all investments. He also sat on various Committees including attribution and portfolio performance. Prior to joining Putnam, he was a portfolio manager at Keystone Investments and prior to that, he was an Investment Analyst at The Hartford Ins. Co. Since 2002, Mr. D’Alelio has served as an Executive in Residence at the University of Mass., Boston—School of Management. He is also chair of the investment committee of the UMass Foundation and chair of the UMass Memorial Hospital investment committee and serves on its corporate board. He serves on the Advisory Committees of Ceres Farms and New Generation Investments. Since May 2007, Mr. D’Alelio has served as corporate director of Engauge Inc. and since September 2009 he has served as director of Vermont Farmstead Cheese. Since January 2008 he has served on the board of Blackstone/GSO Long Short Credit Fund & Blackstone/GSO Sen. Flt Rate Fund. Since December 2008 he has served on the board of Carador PLC, a Dublin based offshore closed end fund. Mr. D’Alelio’s previous corporate board assignments include Archibald Candy, Doane Pet Care and Trump Entertainment Resorts. Mr. D’Alelio is a graduate of the Univ. of Mass Boston (1974) and has an MBA from Boston University (1977).

We believe Mr. D’Alelio’s numerous management positions and broad experiences in the financial services sector provide him with skills and valuable insight in handling complex financial transactions and issues, all of which make him well qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.

Christopher M. Temple

Mr. Temple has served as President of DelTex Capital LLC (a private investment firm) since its founding in 2010. Mr. Temple has served as an Operating Executive for Tailwind Capital, LLC, a New York based middle market private equity firm, since June 2011 and Chairman of Brawler Industries, LLC, a Houston, Texas based distributor of engineered plastics used in the energy, industrial and agriculture end markets since September 2012. Mr. Temple has also served on the board of NHME, Inc, a medical equipment rental company, since July 2015. Prior to forming DelTex Capital, Mr. Temple served as President of Vulcan Capital, the private investment group of Vulcan Inc., from May 2009 until December 2009 and as Vice President of Vulcan Capital from September 2008 to May 2009. Mr. Temple has served on the board of directors and audit committee of Plains All American Pipeline Company since 2009 and on the board of directors and audit committee of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings since April 2011. Mr. Temple has also previously served on the board of directors and audit committee of Charter Communications Inc. from November 2009 through January 2011. Prior to joining Vulcan in September 2008, Mr. Temple served as a managing director at Tailwind Capital, LLC from May to August 2008. Prior to joining Tailwind, Mr. Temple was a managing director at Friend Skoler & Co., Inc. from May 2005 to May 2008. From April 1996 to December 2004, Mr. Temple was a managing director at Thayer Capital Partners. Additionally, Mr. Temple was a licensed CPA with KPMG in Houston, Texas from 1989 to 1993. Mr. Temple holds a BBA, magna cum laude, from the University of Texas and an MBA from Harvard.

We believe Mr. Temple’s broad investment management background, together with his financial and accounting knowledge, will bring important and valuable skills to our Board of Directors.

Eric Kaye

Mr. Kaye is the founder of ARQ^EX Fitness Systems, a fitness equipment design company. Prior to founding ARQ^EX, Mr. Kaye served as a Vice Chairman and Managing Director of UBS Investment Bank, and a member of the division’s Global Operating and U.S. Executive Committees, from June 2001 to May 2012. For the majority of Mr. Kaye’s tenure with UBS, he was a Managing Director and led the firm’s Exclusive Sales and Divestitures Group, where he focused on advising middle-market companies. Prior to joining UBS, Mr. Kaye has served as Global Co-Head of Mergers & Acquisitions for Robertson Stephens, an investment banking firm, from February 1998 to June 2001. Mr. Kaye joined Robertson Stephens from PaineWebber where he served as Executive Director and head of the firm’s Technology Mergers & Acquisitions team. Since May 2012, Mr. Kaye has served as Chairman of the Greenwich Education Group’s School Foundation. Mr. Kaye holds a BA from Union College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

We believe Mr. Kaye’s management positions and experiences in the middle markets will provide our Board of Directors with valuable insight.

 

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Executive Officers Who Are Not Directors

Rebecca Tabb

Ms. Tabb is a Principal of Owl Rock Capital Partners and serves as the Chief Compliance Officer of Owl Rock Capital Corporation and Owl Rock Capital Advisors. Ms. Tabb joined Owl Rock in February 2016. Prior to joining Owl Rock, Ms. Tabb was an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York, which she joined in September 2009. Ms. Tabb received a J.D. from Stanford Law School, Order of the Coif, where she was named the Nathan Abbott Scholar for graduating first in her law school class. She also received a M.Sc. in Economics, with distinction, from University College London and a B.A. in Economics, with honors and distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University.

Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities

Overall responsibility for our oversight rests with the Board of Directors. We have entered into the Investment Advisory Agreement pursuant to which the Adviser will manage the Company on a day-to-day basis. The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the Adviser and other service providers in our operations in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable provisions of state and other laws and our charter. The Board of Directors is currently composed of five members, three of whom are directors who are not “interested persons” of the Company or the Adviser as defined in the 1940 Act. The Board of Directors meets in person at regularly scheduled quarterly meetings each year. In addition, the Board of Directors may hold special in-person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. As described below, the Board of Directors has established a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and an Audit Committee, and may establish ad hoc committees or working groups from time to time, to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities.

The Board of Directors has appointed Edward D’Alelio, an independent director, to serve in the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Chairman’s role is to preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and to act as a liaison with the Adviser, counsel and other directors generally between meetings. The Chairman serves as a key point person for dealings between management and the directors. The Chairman also may perform such other functions as may be delegated by the Board of Directors from time to time. The Board of Directors reviews matters related to its leadership structure annually. The Board of Directors has determined that the Board of Directors’ leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board of Directors to exercise informed and independent judgment over the matters under its purview and it allocates areas of responsibility among committees of directors and the full Board in a manner that enhances effective oversight.

We are subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational and valuation risks, among others. Risk oversight forms part of the Board of Directors’ general oversight of the Company and is addressed as part of various Board and committee activities. Day-to-day risk management functions are subsumed within the responsibilities of the Adviser and other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), which carry out our investment management and business affairs. The Adviser and other service providers employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various events or circumstances that give rise to risks, to lessen the probability of their occurrence and to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each of the Adviser and other service providers has their own independent interest in risk management, and their policies and methods of risk management will depend on their functions and business models. The Board of Directors recognizes that it is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Company or to develop processes and controls to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. As part of its regular oversight of the Company, the Board of Directors interacts with and reviews reports from, among others, the Adviser, our chief compliance officer, our independent registered public accounting firm and counsel, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Company and applicable risk controls. The Board of Directors may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts risk oversight.

 

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Committees

The Board of Directors has an Audit Committee and a Nominating Committee and may form additional committees in the future.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee is currently composed of Edward D’Alelio, Eric Kaye and Christopher M. Temple, each of whom is not considered an “interested person” of the Company as that term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act. Mr. Temple serves as Chair of the Audit Committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Temple is an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined under Item 407 of Regulation S-K, as promulgated under the 1934 Act. Messrs. D’Alelio, Kaye and Temple meet the current independence and experience requirements of Rule 10A-3 of the 1934 Act.

In accordance with its written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, the Audit Committee (a) assists the Board’s oversight of the integrity of our financial statements, the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the performance of our independent registered public accounting firm; (b) prepares an Audit Committee report, if required by the SEC, to be included in our annual proxy statement; (c) oversees the scope of the annual audit of our financial statements, the quality and objectivity of our financial statements, accounting and financial reporting policies and internal controls; (d) determines the selection, appointment, retention and termination of our independent registered public accounting firm, as well as approving the compensation thereof; (e) pre-approves all audit and non-audit services provided to us and certain other persons by such independent registered public accounting firm; and (f) acts as a liaison between our independent registered public accounting firm and the Board of Directors.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

The members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Nominating Committee”) are Edward D’Alelio, Eric Kaye and Christopher M. Temple, each of whom is not considered an “interested person” of the Company as that term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act. Mr. D’Alelio serves as Chair of the Nominating Committee.

In accordance with its written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, the Nominating Committee recommends to the Board persons to be nominated by the Board for election at the Company’s meetings of our shareholders, special or annual, if any, or to fill any vacancy on the Board of Directors that may arise between shareholder meetings. The Nominating Committee also makes recommendations with regard to the tenure of the directors and is responsible for overseeing an annual evaluation of the Board of Directors and its committee structure to determine whether the structure is operating effectively. The Nominating Committee will consider for nomination to the Board of Directors candidates submitted by our shareholders or from other sources it deems appropriate.

Compensation Committee

The Board does not currently intend to delegate any authority to a compensation committee because our executive officers will not receive any direct compensation from us.

Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors. The indemnification agreements are intended to provide our directors the maximum indemnification permitted under Maryland law and the 1940 Act. Each indemnification agreement provides that we will indemnify the director who is a party to the agreement including the advancement of legal expenses, if, by reason of his or her corporate status, the director is, or is threatened to be, made a party to or a witness in any threatened, pending, or completed proceeding, other than a proceeding by or in the right of the Company.

 

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Portfolio Management

The management of our investment portfolio is the responsibility of the Adviser and the Investment Team, including the Investment Committee. We consider these individuals to be its portfolio managers. The Investment Team sources investment opportunities, conducts research, performs due diligence on potential investments, structures our investments and will monitor our portfolio companies on an ongoing basis. The Investment Committee meets regularly to consider our investments, direct our strategic initiatives and supervise the actions taken by the Adviser on our behalf. In addition, the Investment Committee reviews and determines whether to make prospective investments and monitors the performance of the investment portfolio. Each investment opportunity requires the unanimous approval of the Investment Committee. Follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies may require the Investment Committee’s approval beyond that obtained when the initial investment in the company was made. In addition, temporary investments, such as those in cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less, may require approval by the Investment Committee. Their compensation package from the Adviser includes some combination of fixed draw and variable incentive compensation based primarily on performance for services provided.

None of the Adviser’s investment professionals receive any direct compensation from the Company in connection with the management of our portfolio. The members of the Investment Committee, through their financial interests in the Adviser, are entitled to a portion of the profits earned by the Adviser, which includes any fees payable to the Adviser under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, less expenses incurred by the Adviser in performing its services under the Investment Advisory Agreement.

The Adviser

Owl Rock Capital Advisors will serve as the Company’s investment adviser. The Adviser is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Adviser is an indirect subsidiary of Owl Rock Capital Partners. Owl Rock Capital Partners is led by Douglas I. Ostrover, its Chief Executive Officer and Marc Lipschultz, its President. The Adviser has no operating history. Subject to the overall supervision of the Board of Directors, the Adviser manages the day-to-day operations of, and provides investment advisory and management services to, the Company.

Investment Team and Investment Committee

All investment decisions require the unanimous approval of the Investment Committee. The Investment Committee is currently comprised of Douglas I. Ostrover, Marc S. Lipschultz and Alexis Maged and the Adviser intends to appoint one additional senior investment professional to the Investment Committee. The Board of Directors, including a majority of independent directors, oversees and monitors the investment performance and, beginning with the second anniversary of the effective date of the Investment Advisory Agreement, will annually review the compensation the Company pays to the Adviser to determine that the provisions of the Investment Advisory Agreement are carried out. See “Description of Business Investment Advisory Agreement” for more information, including information regarding the termination provisions of the Investment Advisory Agreement.

Information regarding the Investment Team, including the Investment Committee is as follows:

 

Name

   Year of Birth

Investment Committee

  

Douglas I. Ostrover

   1962

Marc S. Lipschultz

   1969

Alexis Maged

   1965

Investment Team

  

Nicole Drapkin

   1984

Greg Boxer

   1985

Matt Tier

   1985

Biographical information regarding members of the Investment Team, including the Investment Committee, who are not directors or executive officers of the Company is as follows:

Marc S. Lipschultz

Mr. Lipschultz is a co-founder and the President of Owl Rock Capital Partners and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Owl Rock Capital Advisors. Prior to founding Owl Rock, Mr. Lipschultz spent more than two decades at KKR, and

 

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he served on the firm’s Management Committee and as the Global Head of Energy and Infrastructure. Mr. Lipschultz has a wide range of experience in alternative investments, including leadership roles in private equity, infrastructure and direct-asset investing. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Lipschultz was with Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and principal investment activities. He received an A.B. with honors and distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University and an M.B.A. with high distinction, Baker Scholar, from Harvard Business School. Mr. Lipschultz is actively involved in a variety of non-profit organizations, serving as a trustee or board member of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Mount Sinai Health System, Riverdale Country School and as the President of the Board of Directors of the 92nd Street Y.

Alexis Maged

Mr. Maged is a Managing Director of Owl Rock Capital Partners, and serves as the Head of Underwriting and Portfolio Management for Owl Rock Capital Advisors. Prior to joining Owl Rock in January 2016, Mr. Maged was Chief Financial Officer of Barkbox, Inc., a New York-based provider of pet-themed products and technology, from September 2014 through September 2015. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director with Goldman Sachs & Co. from July 2007 through September 2014. At Goldman, Mr. Maged held several leadership positions, including Chief Operating Officer of the investment bank’s global credit finance businesses, co-chair of the Credit Markets Capital Committee and a member of the Firmwide Capital Committee. Prior to assuming that role in 2011, Mr. Maged served as Chief Underwriting Officer for the Americas and oversaw the US Bank Debt Portfolio Group and US Loan Negotiation Group. From mid-2007 to the end of 2008, Mr. Maged was head of Bridge Finance Capital Markets in the Americas Financing Group’s Leveraged Finance Group, where he coordinated the firm’s high yield bridge lending and syndication business. Prior to joining Goldman, Mr. Maged was head of the Bridge Finance Group at Credit Suisse and also worked in the Loan Capital Markets Group at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette. Upon DLJ’s merger with Credit Suisse in 2000, Mr. Maged joined Credit Suisse’s Syndicated Loan Group and, in 2003, founded its Bridge Finance Group. Earlier in his career, Mr. Maged was a member of the West Coast Sponsor Coverage Group at Citigroup and the Derivatives Group at Republic National Bank, as well as a founding member of the Loan Syndication Group at Swiss Bank Corporation. Mr. Maged received a B.A. from Vassar College and an M.B.A. from New York University.

Nicole Drapkin

Ms. Drapkin is a Principal of Owl Rock Capital Partners and serves as a member of Owl Rock Capital Advisors’ Originations team. Prior to joining Owl Rock in January 2016, Ms. Drapkin was a Principal in the Principal Credit Investments group at the CPP Investment Board from 2013 to 2015, where she focused on sourcing and evaluating credit investments across the gaming, consumer retail, software and healthcare sectors. Prior to that, Ms. Drapkin was a Vice President in the Leveraged Finance Group at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York from 2006 to 2013. Ms. Drapkin received a B.A., with Honors, from Princeton University in 2006.

Greg Boxer

Mr. Boxer is a Principal of Owl Rock Capital Partners and serves as a member of Owl Rock Capital Advisors’ Originations team. Prior to joining Owl Rock in March 2016, Mr. Boxer was the Director of Finance and Capital Markets for American Energy Partners from 2014 to 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Boxer was a Vice President in the Leveraged Finance Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York from 2007 to 2014. Mr. Boxer received a B.S. from Babson College.

Matt Tier

Mr. Tier is a Vice President of Owl Rock Capital Partners. Prior to joining Owl Rock in March 2016, Mr. Tier spent nearly five years at Fifth Street Asset Management, most recently as a Vice President, where he served as a senior credit underwriter and was responsible for structuring, underwriting, documenting and managing middle-market sponsor transactions across a variety of industries. Prior to that, Mr. Tier began his career in the U.S. Corporate Banking group at Wells Fargo in New York, where he underwrote syndicated loans to support investment-grade, Fortune 1000 companies and managed a portfolio of existing borrowers. Mr. Tier earned his B.A. in Economics with a minor in History at New York University.

ITEM 6. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation of Executive Officers

We do not currently have any employees and do not expect to have any employees. Services necessary for our business are provided by individuals who are employees of the Adviser or its affiliates, pursuant to the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement and the Administration Agreement, as applicable. Our day-to-day investment and administrative operations are managed by the Adviser. Most of the services necessary for the origination and administration of our investment portfolio will be provided by investment professionals employed by the Adviser or its affiliates.

None of our executive officers will receive direct compensation from us. We will reimburse the Adviser the allocable portion of the compensation paid by the Adviser (or its affiliates) to our chief compliance officer and chief financial officer and their respective staffs (based on the percentage of time such individuals devote, on an estimated basis, to our business and affairs). The members of the Investment Committee, through their financial interests in the Adviser, are entitled to a portion of the profits earned by the Adviser, which includes any fees payable to the Adviser under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, less expenses incurred by the Adviser in performing its services under the Investment Advisory Agreement. See “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Investment Advisory Agreement” and “Item 7. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.”

 

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Compensation of Directors

No compensation is expected to be paid to our directors who are “interested persons,” as such term is defined in Section 2(a) (19) of the 1940 Act. We will pay each independent director the following amounts for serving as a director: (i) $75,000 ($100,000 after an Exchange Listing) per year, (ii) $2,500 for each meeting of the Board of Directors attended, (iii) $1,000 for each committee meeting of the Company attended, (iv) an additional fee of $10,000 ($15,000 after an Exchange Listing) for the chairman of the Board of Directors, (v) an additional fee of $5,000 ($7,500 after an Exchange Listing) per year for the chairman of the Audit Committee and (vi) an additional fee of $2,500 ($5,000 after an Exchange Listing) per year for the chairman of any other committee of the Board of Directors. We are also authorized to pay the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses of each independent director incurred by such director in connection with the fulfillment of his or her duties as an independent director.

ITEM 7. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Transactions with Related Persons, Promoters and Certain Control Persons

Investment Advisory Agreement; Administration Agreement

We have entered into the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser pursuant to which we will pay management fees and incentive fees to the Adviser. In addition, pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement and the Administration Agreement, we will reimburse the Adviser for certain expenses as they occur. See “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Investment Advisory Agreement,” “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Administration Agreement,” and “Item 1(c). Description of Business — Payment of Our Expenses under the Investment Advisory and Administration Agreements.” The Investment Advisory Agreement and the Administration Agreement have been approved by the Board of Directors. Unless earlier terminated, the Investment Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for a period of two years from the date it first becomes effective and will remain in effect from year-to-year thereafter if approved annually by a majority of the Board of Directors, including a majority of independent directors, or by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities.

License Agreement

We have entered into the License Agreement with Owl Rock Capital Partners, pursuant to which Owl Rock Capital Partners has granted us a non-exclusive license to use the name “Owl Rock.” Under the License Agreement, we have a right to use the Owl Rock name for so long as the Adviser or one of its affiliates remains our investment adviser. Other than with respect to this limited license, we have no legal right to the “Owl Rock” name or logo.

Relationship with the Adviser and Potential Conflicts of Interest

We, the Adviser and our respective direct or indirect members, partners, officers, directors, employees, agents and affiliates may be subject to certain potential conflicts of interest in connection with our activities and investments. For example, the terms of the Adviser’s management and incentive fees may create an incentive for the Adviser to approve and cause us to make more speculative investments than we would otherwise make in the absence of such fee structure. In addition, certain members of the Investment Team serve, or may serve, as officers, directors, members, or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment funds, accounts, or investment vehicles managed by the Adviser. Similarly, the Adviser may have other clients with similar, different or competing investment objectives. In serving in these multiple capacities, they may have obligations to other clients or investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in the best interests of the Company or our shareholders. In addition, prior to an Exchange Listing and in accordance with its obligations under the 1940 Act, the Adviser has agreed to allow certain shareholders the opportunity to participate in certain investment opportunities that the we may also participate in.

 

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The Adviser and its affiliates have procedures and policies in place designed to manage the potential conflicts of interest between its fiduciary obligations to us and its similar fiduciary obligations to other clients. An investment opportunity that is suitable for multiple clients of the Adviser and its affiliates may not be capable of being shared among some or all of such clients and affiliates due to the limited scale of the opportunity or other factors, including regulatory restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act. There can be no assurance that the Adviser’s or its affiliates’ efforts to allocate any particular investment opportunity fairly among all clients for whom such opportunity is appropriate will result in an allocation of all or part of such opportunity to us. Not all conflicts of interest can be expected to be resolved in our favor.

The principals of the Adviser may manage investment vehicles with similar or overlapping investment strategies. In order to address these issues, the Adviser has put in place an investment allocation policy that addresses the co-investment restrictions set forth under the 1940 Act and seeks to ensure the equitable allocation of investment opportunities when we are able to co-invest with other accounts managed by the Adviser and affiliated entities. In the absence of receiving exemptive relief from the SEC that would permit greater flexibility relating to co-investments, the Adviser will apply the investment allocation policy. When we engage in such permitted co-investments, we will do so in a manner consistent with the Adviser’s allocation policy. In situations where co-investment with other entities managed by the Adviser or its affiliates is not permitted or appropriate, such as when there is an opportunity to invest in different securities of the same issuer, the Adviser will need to decide whether we or such other entity or entities will proceed with the investment. The Adviser will make these determinations based on its policies and procedures, which generally require that such opportunities be offered to eligible accounts in a manner that will be fair and equitable over time.

Co-Investment Opportunities

As a BDC, we are subject to certain regulatory restrictions in negotiating certain investments with entities with which we may be restricted from doing so under the 1940 Act, such as the Adviser and its affiliates, unless we obtain an exemptive order from the SEC. We, the Adviser and certain of its affiliates have submitted an exemptive application to the SEC to permit us to co-invest with other funds managed by the Adviser or its affiliates in a manner consistent with our investment objective, positions, policies, strategies and restrictions as well as regulatory requirements and other pertinent factors. There can be no assurance that this exemptive order will be granted. If such relief is granted, then we will be permitted to co-invest with our affiliates if a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our independent directors make certain conclusions in connection with a co-investment transaction, including that (1) the terms of the transactions, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable and fair to us and our shareholders and do not involve overreaching by us or our shareholders on the part of any person concerned and (2) the transaction is consistent with the interests of our shareholders and is consistent with our investment objective and strategies.

Certain Business Relationships

Certain of our current directors and officers are directors or officers of the Adviser.

Indebtedness of Management

None.

Promoters and Certain Control Persons

The Adviser may be deemed a promoter of the Company. We have entered into the Investment Advisory Agreement and the Administration Agreement with the Adviser. The Adviser, for its services to us, will be entitled to receive management fees and incentive fees in addition to the reimbursement of certain expenses. In addition, under the Investment Advisory Agreement, we expect, to the extent permitted by applicable law and in the discretion of our Board of Directors, to indemnify the Adviser and certain of its affiliates. See “Item 1 (c). Description of Business—General.”

 

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ITEM 8. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Neither we nor the Adviser are currently subject to any material legal proceedings, nor, to our knowledge, are any material legal proceeding threatened against us or the Adviser. From time to time, we or the Adviser may be a party to certain legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business, including proceedings relating to the enforcement of our rights under contracts with our portfolio companies. Our business is also subject to extensive regulation, which may result in regulatory proceedings against us. While the outcome of these legal or regulatory proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not expect that these proceedings will have a material effect upon our financial condition or results of operations.

ITEM 9. MARKET PRICE OF AND DIVIDENDS ON THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Market Information

Until the completion of an Exchange Listing, our outstanding common stock will be offered and sold in transactions exempt from registration under the 1933 Act under Section 4(2) and Regulation D. See “Item 10. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities” for more information. There is no public market for our common stock currently, nor can we give any assurance that one will develop.

Because shares of our common stock are being acquired by investors in one or more transactions “not involving a public offering,” they are “restricted securities” and may be required to be held indefinitely. Our common shares may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or otherwise disposed of unless (i) our consent is granted, and (ii) the common shares are registered under applicable securities laws or specifically exempted from registration (in which case the stockholder may, at our option, be required to provide us with a legal opinion, in form and substance satisfactory to us, that registration is not required). Accordingly, an investor must be willing to bear the economic risk of investment in the common shares until we are liquidated. No sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or other disposition, whether voluntary or involuntary, of the common shares may be made except by registration of the transfer on our books. Each transferee will be required to execute an instrument agreeing to be bound by these restrictions and the other restrictions imposed on the common shares and to execute such other instruments or certifications as are reasonably required by us.

Holders

Please see “Item 4. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” for disclosure regarding the holders of our common stock.

Valuation of Portfolio Securities

Investments for which market quotations are readily available will typically be valued at those market quotations. To validate market quotations, we will utilize a number of factors to determine if the quotations are representative of fair value, including the source and number of the quotations. Debt and equity securities that are not publicly traded or whose market prices are not readily available, as is expected to be the case for substantially all of our investments, will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors, based on, among other things, the input of the Adviser, the Audit Committee and independent third-party valuation firm(s) engaged at the direction of the Board of Directors to review our investments.

The Board of Directors will undertake a multi-step valuation process, which includes, among other procedures, the following:

 

    With respect to investments for which market quotations are readily available, those investments will typically be valued at those market quotations;

 

    With respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available, the valuation process begins with the independent valuation firm(s) providing a preliminary valuation of each portfolio company or investment to the Adviser’s valuation committee;

 

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    Preliminary valuation conclusions will then be documented and discussed with management of the Adviser. Agreed upon valuation recommendations will be presented to the Audit Committee;

 

    The Audit Committee will review the valuations presented and recommend values for each investment to the Board of Directors; and

 

    The Board of Directors will review the recommended valuations and determine the fair value of each investment; valuations that are not based on readily available market quotations will be valued in good faith based on, among other things, the input of the Adviser, the Audit Committee and, where applicable, other third parties.

Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available market value, the fair value of our investments may fluctuate from period to period. Additionally, the fair value of such investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a ready market existed for such investments and may differ materially from the values that may ultimately be realized. Further, such investments are generally less liquid than publicly traded securities and may be subject to contractual and other restrictions on resale. If we were required to liquidate a portfolio investment in a forced or liquidation sale, we could realize amounts that are different from the amounts presented and such differences could be material.

In addition, changes in the market environment and other events that may occur over the life of the investments may cause the gains or losses ultimately realized on these investments to be different than the unrealized gains or losses reflected in our financial statements.

Distribution Policy

We generally intend to distribute, out of assets legally available for distribution, substantially all of our available earnings, on a quarterly basis, as determined by the Board of Directors in its discretion.

We will reinvest dividends on behalf of our shareholders that do not elect to receive their dividends in cash. A shareholder may elect to receive its entire dividend in cash by notifying the Adviser in writing no later than ten days prior to the record date for dividends to our shareholders. See “Item 1(c). Description of Business—Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”

Reports to Shareholders

We will furnish our shareholders with annual reports containing audited financial statements, quarterly reports, and such other periodic reports as we determine to be appropriate or as may be required by law. Upon the effectiveness of this Registration Statement, we will be required to comply with all periodic reporting, proxy solicitation and other applicable requirements under the 1934 Act.

Following a Non-Listed Offering, within 60 days after each calendar quarter, we will distribute our quarterly report on Form 10-Q to all of our shareholders of record. In addition, following a Non-Listed Offering, we will distribute our annual report on Form 10-K to all of our shareholders within 120 days after the end of each calendar year, which must contain, among other things, a breakdown of the expenses reimbursed by us to the Adviser.

ITEM 10. RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES

In conjunction with our formation, we issued and sold 100 shares of our common stock to the Adviser, for an aggregate purchase price of $1,500. These shares were issued and sold in reliance upon the available exemptions from registration requirements of Section 4(2) of the 1933 Act.

During March 2016, we entered into subscription agreements with several investors providing for the private placement of our common stock. On March 17, 2016 we delivered a drawdown notice to investors relating to the issuance 3,333,344 shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $50,000,000. These shares were issued and sold on March 30, 2016 in reliance upon the available exemption from registration requirements of the 1933 Act under Section 4(2) and Regulation D.

 

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ITEM 11. DESCRIPTION OF REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES TO BE REGISTERED

The following description is based on relevant portions of the Maryland General Corporation Law and on our charter and bylaws. This summary possesses the provisions deemed to be material, but is not necessarily complete. Following a Non-Listed Offering, we will be required to comply with the Omnibus Guidelines. If we complete a Non-Listed Offering, certain provisions of our charter described herein will come into effect. We do not currently anticipate making a Non-Listed Offering; however, the Board of Directors, taking into account market conditions and other factors, may determine to do so in the future.

General

Under the terms of our charter, our authorized stock consists solely of 500 million shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and no shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. As permitted by the MGCL, our charter provides that a majority of the entire Board of Directors, without any action by our shareholders, may amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we have authority to issue. Our charter also provides that the Board of Directors may classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock into one or more classes or series of our common stock or Preferred Stock by setting or changing the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, or limitations as to dividends, qualifications, or terms or conditions of redemption of the shares. There is currently no market for our stock, and we can offer no assurances that a market for our stock will develop in the future. We do not currently intend for our shares to be listed on any national securities exchange, although it is possible that they would be listed in the future. There are no outstanding options or warrants to purchase our stock. No stock has been authorized for issuance under any equity compensation plans. Under Maryland law, our shareholders generally are not personally liable for our debts, except as they may be liable by reason of their own conduct or acts. Unless the Board of Directors determines otherwise, we will issue all shares of its stock in uncertificated form.

None of our shares of common stock are subject to further calls or to assessments, sinking fund provisions, obligations of the Company or potential liabilities associated with ownership of the security (not including investment risks).

The following are our outstanding classes of securities as of March 31, 2016:

 

        (1)

Title of Class

   (2)
Amount
Authorized
   (3)
Amount Held
by
Us or for
Our Account
     (4)
Amount
Outstanding
Exclusive of
Amounts Shown
Under(3)

Common stock

   500,000,000      —        3,333,444

Common Stock

Under the terms of our charter, all shares of our common stock have equal rights as to dividends, distributions and voting and, when they are issued, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Dividends and distributions may be paid to our shareholders if, as and when authorized by the Board of Directors and declared by the Company out of funds legally available therefor. Shares of our common stock have no preemptive, exchange, conversion or redemption rights and our shareholders generally have no appraisal rights. Shares of our common stock are freely transferable, except where their transfer is restricted by federal and state securities laws or by contract and except that, in order to avoid the possibility that our assets could be treated as “plan assets,” we may require any person proposing to acquire shares of our common stock to furnish such information as may be necessary to determine whether such person is a Benefit Plan Investor (within the meaning of Section 3(42) of ERISA and certain Department of Labor regulations) or a controlling person, restrict or prohibit transfers of shares of such stock or redeem any outstanding shares of stock for such price and on such other terms and conditions as may be determined by or at the direction of the Board of Directors. In the event of our liquidation,

 

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dissolution or winding up, each share of our common stock would be entitled to share ratably in all of our assets that are legally available for distribution after we pay or otherwise provide for all debts and other liabilities and subject to any preferential rights of holders of our preferred stock, if any preferred stock is outstanding at such time. Subject to the rights of holders of any other class or series of stock, each share of our common stock is entitled to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including the election of directors, and our shareholders will possess the exclusive voting power. There will be no cumulative voting in the election of directors. Cumulative voting entitles a shareholder to as many votes as equals the number of votes which such holder would be entitled to cast for the election of directors multiplied by the number of directors to be elected and allows a shareholder to cast a portion or all of the shareholder’s votes for one or more candidates for seats on the Board of Directors. Without cumulative voting, a minority shareholder may not be able to elect as many directors as the shareholder would be able to elect if cumulative voting were permitted. Subject to the special rights of the holders of any class or series of preferred stock to elect directors, each director will be elected by a majority of the votes cast with respect to such director’s election, except in the case of a “contested election” (as defined in our bylaws), in which directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast in the contested election of directors.

Preferred Stock

Under the terms of our charter, the Board of Directors may authorize us to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more classes or series, without shareholder approval, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. The Board of Directors has the power to fix the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of each class or series of preferred stock. We do not currently anticipate issuing preferred stock in the near future. In the event we issue preferred stock, we will make any required disclosure to our shareholders. We will not offer preferred stock to the Adviser or our affiliates except on the same terms as offered to all other shareholders.

Preferred stock could be issued with terms that would adversely affect our shareholders. Preferred stock could also be used as an anti-takeover device through the issuance of shares of a class or series of preferred stock with terms and conditions which could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control. Every issuance of preferred stock will be required to comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act requires, among other things, that: (1) immediately after issuance and before any dividend or other distribution is made with respect to our common stock and before any purchase of our common stock is made, such preferred stock together with all other senior securities must not exceed an amount equal to 50% of our total assets after deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution or purchase price, as the case may be, and (2) the holders of shares of preferred stock, if any are issued, must be entitled as a class voting separately to elect two directors at all times and to elect a majority of the directors if distributions on such preferred stock are in arrears by two full years or more. Certain matters under the 1940 Act require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of preferred stock (as determined in accordance with the 1940 Act) voting together as a separate class. For example, the vote of such holders of preferred stock would be required to approve a proposal involving a plan of reorganization adversely affecting such securities.

The issuance of any preferred stock must be approved by a majority of the independent directors not otherwise interested in the transaction, who will have access, at our expense, to our legal counsel or to independent legal counsel.

Limitation on Liability of Directors; Indemnification and Advance of Expenses

Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision eliminating the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its shareholders for money damages except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our charter contains a provision that eliminates directors’ and officers’ liability, subject to the limitations of Maryland law and the requirements of the 1940 Act.

Maryland law requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity against reasonable expenses actually

 

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incurred in the proceeding in which the director or officer was successful. Maryland law permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that (1) the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (a) was committed in bad faith or (b) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; (2) the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or (3) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation also may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or on behalf of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that a personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification, and then only for expenses. In addition, Maryland law permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of (a) a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation and (b) a written undertaking by him or her or on his or her behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the standard of conduct was not met.

Our charter obligates us, subject to the limitations of Maryland law and the requirements of the 1940 Act, to indemnify (1) any present or former director or officer; (2) any individual who, while a director or officer and at our request, serves or has served another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise as a director, officer, partner, member, manager or trustee; or (3) the Adviser or any of its affiliates acting as an agent for us, from and against any claim or liability to which the person or entity may become subject or may incur by reason of such person’s service in that capacity, and to pay or reimburse such person’s reasonable expenses as incurred in advance of final disposition of a proceeding. These indemnification rights vest immediately upon an individual’s election as a director or officer. In accordance with the 1940 Act, we will not indemnify any person for any liability to the extent that such person would be subject by reason of such person’s willful misconduct, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his, her or its office.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, and in accordance with the Omnibus Guidelines, at anytime following a Non-Listed Offering, our charter prohibits us from holding harmless a director, the Adviser or any affiliate of the Adviser for any loss or liability suffered by us, or indemnifying such persons for any loss or liability by him, her or it, unless each of the following conditions are met: (1) the party seeking indemnification has determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct that caused the loss or liability was in our best interest; (2) the party seeking indemnification was acting or performing services on our behalf; (3) such liability or loss was not the result of (a) negligence or misconduct, in the case that the party seeking indemnification is the Adviser or any of its affiliates or an officer of the Company, or (b) gross negligence or willful misconduct, in the case that the party seeking indemnification is an independent director (and not also an officer of the Company, the Adviser or any of its affiliates); and (4) such indemnification or agreement to hold harmless is recoverable only out of our net assets and not from our shareholders. Our charter provides that this provision does not apply to any dealer manager.

Our charter further provides that, following a Non-Listed Offering, we may not provide indemnification to a director, the Adviser or any affiliate of the Adviser for any loss, liability or expense arising from or out of an alleged violation of federal or state securities laws by such party unless one or more of the following conditions are met: (1) there has been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged material securities law violations as to the party seeking indemnification; (2) such claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction as to such party; or (3) a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against such party and finds that indemnification of the settlement and the related costs should be made, and the court considering the request for indemnification has been advised of the position of the SEC and of the published position of any state securities regulatory authority in which our securities were offered or sold as to indemnification for violations of securities laws.

Our charter provides that, following a Non-Listed Offering, we may pay or reimburse reasonable legal expenses and other costs incurred by a director, the Adviser or any affiliate of the Adviser in advance of final disposition of a proceeding only if all of the following are satisfied: (1) the proceeding relates to acts or omissions with respect to the performance of duties or services on our behalf; (2) such party provides us with written affirmation of his, her or

 

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its good faith belief that he, she or it has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by us; (3) the legal proceeding was initiated by a third party who is not a shareholder or, if by a shareholder acting in his or her capacity as such, a court of competent jurisdiction approves such advancement; and (4) such party provides us with a written agreement to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by us, together with the applicable legal rate of interest thereon, if it is ultimately determined that such party did not comply with the requisite standard of conduct and is not entitled to indemnification. Our charter provides that this provision does not apply to any dealer manager.

Maryland Law and Certain Charter and Bylaw Provisions; Anti-Takeover Measures

Maryland law contains, and our charter and bylaws also contain, provisions that could make it more difficult for a potential acquirer to acquire us by means of a tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. These provisions are expected to discourage certain coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of the Company to negotiate first with the Board of Directors. These measures may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in the best interests of our shareholders. We believe, however, that the benefits of these provisions outweigh the potential disadvantages of discouraging any such acquisition proposals because, among other things, the Board of Director’s ability to negotiate such proposals may improve their terms.

Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, amend its charter, merge, consolidate, convert into another form of business entity, sell all or substantially all of its assets or engage in a statutory share exchange unless declared advisable by the corporation’s board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of our shareholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. A Maryland corporation may provide in its charter for approval of these matters by a lesser or greater percentage, but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Subject to certain exceptions discussed below, our charter provides for approval of these actions by the affirmative vote of our shareholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.

Subject to certain exceptions provided in our charter, the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the votes entitled to be cast thereon, with the holders of each class or series of our stock voting as a separate class, in addition to the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the members of the Board of Directors, shall be necessary to effect any of the following actions:

 

    any amendment to our charter to make our common stock a “redeemable security” or to convert the Company from a “closed-end company” to an “open-end company” (as such terms are defined in the 1940 Act);

 

    any shareholder proposal as to specific investment decisions made or to be made with respect to our assets;

 

    following a Non-Listed Offering, any proposal as to the voluntary liquidation or dissolution of the Company or any amendment to our charter to terminate our existence;

 

    following a Non-Listed Offering, any merger, consolidation or statutory share exchange of the Company with or into any other person; or

 

    following a Non-Listed Offering, the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, as further described in our charter, when such sale is to be made other than in the ordinary course of our business.

However, if the proposal, transaction or business combination is approved by at least 75% of our continuing directors, the proposal, transaction or business combination may be approved only by the Board of Directors and, if necessary, our shareholders as otherwise would be required by applicable law, our charter and bylaws and, following a Non-Listed Offering, the Omnibus Guidelines, without regard to the supermajority approval requirements discussed above. A “continuing director” is defined in our charter as a director who (i) is not an interested party (meaning a person who has or proposes to enter into a business combination with us or owns more than 5% of any class of our stock) or an affiliate or an associate of an interested party and who has been a member of the Board of

 

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Directors for a period of at least 24 months (or since we commenced operations, if that period is less than 24 months); or (ii) is a successor of a continuing director who is not an interested party or an affiliate or an associate of an interested party and is recommended to succeed a continuing director by a majority of the continuing directors then in office or is nominated for election by our shareholders by a majority of the continuing directors then in office; or (iii) is elected to the Board of Directors to be a continuing director by a majority of the continuing directors then in office and who is not an interested party or an affiliate or associate of an interested party.

Our charter also provides that the Board of Directors is divided into three classes, as nearly equal in size as practicable, with each class of directors serving for a staggered three-year term. Additionally, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock to elect or remove one or more directors, directors may be removed at any time, but only for cause (as such term is defined in our charter) and only by the affirmative vote of our shareholders entitled to cast at least 75% of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors, voting as a single class. Our charter and bylaws also provide that, except as provided otherwise by applicable law, including the 1940 Act and subject to any rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock to elect or remove one or more directors, any vacancy on the Board of Directors, except, until such time as we have three independent directors, for vacancies resulting from the removal of a director by our shareholders, and any newly created directorship resulting from an increase in the size of the Board of Directors, may only be filled by vote of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director; provided that, under Maryland law, when the holders of any class, classes or series of stock have the exclusive power under our charter to elect certain directors, vacancies in directorships elected by such class, classes or series may be filled by a majority of the remaining directors so elected by such class, classes or series of our stock. In addition, our charter provides that, subject to any rights of holders of one or more classes or series of stock to elect or remove one or more directors, the total number of directors will be fixed from time to time exclusively pursuant to resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors.

The classification of the Board of Directors and the limitations on removal of directors described above as well as the limitations on our shareholders’ right to fill vacancies and newly created directorships and to fix the size of the Board of Directors could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire the Company, or of discouraging a third party from acquiring or attempting to acquire the Company.

Maryland law and our charter and bylaws also provide that:

 

    any action required or permitted to be taken by our shareholders at an annual meeting or special meeting of our shareholders may only be taken if it is properly brought before such meeting or by unanimous consent in lieu of a meeting;

 

    special meetings of our shareholders may only be called by the Board of Directors, the chairman of the Board of Directors or the chief executive officer, and must be called by the secretary upon the written request of our shareholders who are entitled to cast at least a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on such matter at such meeting; and

 

    from and after the Initial Closing, any shareholder nomination or business proposal to be properly brought before a meeting of our shareholders must have been made in compliance with certain advance notice and informational requirements.

Our charter also provides that any tender offer made by any person, including any “mini-tender” offer, must comply with the provisions of Regulation 14D of the 1934 Act, including the notice and disclosure requirements. Among other things, the offeror must provide us with notice of such tender offer at least ten business days before initiating the tender offer. Our charter prohibits any shareholder from transferring shares of stock to a person who makes a tender offer which does not comply with such provisions unless such shareholder has first offered such shares of stock to us at the tender offer price in the non-compliant tender offer. In addition, the non-complying offeror will be responsible for all of our expenses in connection with that offeror’s noncompliance.

These provisions could delay or hinder shareholder actions which are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities. These provisions may also discourage another person or entity from making a tender offer for our common stock, because such person or entity, even if it acquired a majority of our outstanding

 

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voting securities, would be able to take action as a shareholder (such as electing new directors or approving a merger) only at a duly called shareholders meeting, and not by written consent. The provisions of our charter requiring that the directors may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of at least three-quarters of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors will also prevent our shareholders from removing incumbent directors except for cause and upon a substantial affirmative vote. In addition, although the advance notice and information requirements in our bylaws do not give the Board of Directors any power to disapprove shareholder nominations for the election of directors or business proposals that are made in compliance with applicable advance notice procedures, they may have the effect of precluding a contest for the election of directors or the consideration of shareholder proposals if proper procedures are not followed and of discouraging or deterring a third party from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or to approve its own proposal without regard to whether consideration of such nominees or proposals might be harmful or beneficial to us and our shareholders.

Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot amend its charter unless the amendment is declared advisable by the corporation’s board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of shareholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. A Maryland corporation may provide in its charter for approval of these matters by a lesser or greater percentage, but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Subject to certain exceptions discussed below, our charter provides for approval of charter amendments by the affirmative vote of our shareholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. The Board of Directors, by vote of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors, has the exclusive power to adopt, alter, amend or repeal our bylaws. Our charter provides that any amendment to the following provisions of our charter, among others, shall require, in addition to any other vote required by applicable law or our charter, the affirmative vote of our shareholders entitled to cast at least three-quarters of the votes entitled to be cast thereon, with the holders of each class or series of our stock voting as a separate class, in addition to the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the members of the Board of Directors, unless three-quarters of the continuing directors approve the amendment, in which case such amendment must be approved as would otherwise be required by applicable law, our charter, bylaws and, following a Non-Listed Offering, the Omnibus Guidelines:

 

    the provisions regarding the classification of the Board of Directors;

 

    the provisions governing the removal of directors;

 

    the provisions limiting shareholder action by written consent;

 

    the provisions regarding the number of directors on the Board of Directors;

 

    the provisions specifying the vote required to approve extraordinary actions and amend our charter and the Board of Directors’ exclusive power to amend our bylaws;

 

    the limitations of directors’ and officers’ liability for money damages and the requirement that we indemnify its directors and officers as described above; and

 

    the provisions imposing additional voting requirements on certain business combinations and other actions.

Following a Non-Listed Offering, without the approval of our shareholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, we may not permit the Adviser to:

 

    amend our charter, except for amendments that would not adversely affect the interests of our shareholders;

 

    except as permitted in the Investment Advisory Agreement, voluntarily withdraw as investment adviser, unless such withdrawal would not affect our tax status and would not materially adversely affect our shareholders;

 

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    appoint a new investment adviser other than a sub-adviser pursuant to the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement and applicable law;

 

    sell all or substantially all of our assets other than in the ordinary course of our business or as otherwise permitted by law; and

 

    cause a merger or any other reorganization of the Company except as permitted by law.

Our charter prohibits the Adviser from, following a Non-Listed Offering: (i) receiving or accepting any rebate, give-ups or similar arrangement that is prohibited under applicable federal or state securities laws, (ii) participating in any reciprocal business arrangement that would circumvent provisions of applicable federal or state securities laws governing conflicts of interest or investment restrictions, or (iii) entering into any agreement, arrangement or understanding that would circumvent the restrictions against dealing with affiliates or promoters under applicable federal or state securities laws. In addition, the Adviser may not directly or indirectly pay or award any fees or commissions or other compensation to any person or entity engaged to sell our stock or give investment advice to a potential shareholder; provided, however, that the Adviser may pay a registered broker-dealer or other properly licensed agent from sales commissions for selling or distributing our common stock.

Advance Notice Provisions for Shareholder Nominations and Shareholder Proposals

Our bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of our shareholders, nominations of individuals for election as directors and the proposal of business to be considered by our shareholders may be made only (a) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (b) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (c) by a shareholder who is a shareholder of record both at the time of giving the advance notice required by tour bylaws and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated or on any such other business and who has complied with the advance notice procedures of our bylaws. With respect to special meetings of our shareholders, only the business specified in our notice of the meeting may be brought before the meeting. Nominations of individuals for election as directors at a special meeting at which directors are to be elected may be made only (a) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (b) provided that the special meeting has been called in accordance with our bylaws for the purpose of electing directors, by a shareholder who is a shareholder of record both at the time of giving the advance notice required by our bylaws and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated and who has complied with the advance notice provisions of our bylaws.

The purpose of requiring our shareholders to give us advance notice of nominations and other business is to afford the Board of Directors a meaningful opportunity to consider the qualifications of the proposed nominees and the advisability of any other proposed business and, to the extent deemed necessary or desirable by the Board of Directors, to inform our shareholders and make recommendations about such qualifications or business, as well as to provide a more orderly procedure for conducting meetings of our shareholders. Although our bylaws do not give the Board of Directors any power to disapprove shareholder nominations for the election of directors or proposals recommending certain action, the advance notice and information requirements may have the effect of precluding election contests or the consideration of shareholder proposals if proper procedures are not followed and of discouraging or deterring a third party from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or to approve its own proposal without regard to whether consideration of such nominees or proposals might be harmful or beneficial to the Company and our shareholders.

No Appraisal Rights

For certain extraordinary transactions and charter amendments, the MGCL provides the right to dissenting shareholders to demand and receive the fair value of their shares, subject to certain procedures and requirements set forth in the statute. Those rights are commonly referred to as appraisal rights. As permitted by the MGCL, our charter provides that our shareholders will not be entitled to exercise appraisal rights unless the Board of Directors determines that appraisal rights apply, with respect to all or any classes or series of stock, to one or more transactions occurring after the date of such determination in connection with which our shareholders would otherwise be entitled to exercise appraisal rights.

 

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Control Share Acquisitions

Certain provisions of the MGCL provide that a holder of control shares of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share acquisition has no voting rights with respect to the control shares except to the extent approved by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, which is referred to as the Control Share Acquisition Act. Shares owned by the acquiror, by officers or by employees who are directors of the corporation are excluded from shares entitled to vote on the matter. Control shares are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other shares of stock owned by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power:

 

    one-tenth or more but less than one-third;

 

    one-third or more but less than a majority; or

 

    a majority or more of all voting power.

The requisite shareholder approval must be obtained each time an acquirer crosses one of the thresholds of voting power set forth above. Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained shareholder approval or shares acquired directly from the corporation. A control share acquisition means the acquisition of issued and outstanding control shares, subject to certain exceptions.

A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition may compel the board of directors of the corporation to call a special meeting of shareholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. The right to compel the calling of a special meeting is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including an undertaking to pay the expenses of the meeting. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any shareholders meeting.

If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then the corporation may redeem for fair value any or all of the control shares, except those for which voting rights have previously been approved. The right of the corporation to redeem control shares is subject to certain conditions and limitations. Fair value is determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or if a meeting of shareholders is held at which the voting rights of the shares are considered and not approved, as of the date of such meeting. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a shareholder meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other shareholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquirer in the control share acquisition.

The Control Share Acquisition Act does not apply (a) to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or (b) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the Control Share Acquisition Act any and all acquisitions by any person of shares of stock. There can be no assurance that such provision will not be amended or eliminated at time in the future. However, the SEC staff has taken that position that, if a BDC fails to opt-out of the Control Share Acquisition Act, its actions are inconsistent with Section 18(i) of the 1940 Act and we will amend our bylaws to be subject to the Control Share Acquisition Act only if the Board of Directors determines that it would be in our best interests and if the SEC staff does not object to our determination that being subject to the Control Share Acquisition Act does not conflict with the 1940 Act.

Business Combinations

Under Maryland law, “business combinations” between a Maryland corporation and an interested shareholder or an affiliate of an interested shareholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. An interested shareholder is defined as:

 

    any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s stock; or

 

    an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting stock of the corporation.

 

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A person is not an interested shareholder under this statute if the corporation’s board of directors approves in advance the transaction by which he or she otherwise would have become an interested shareholder. However, in approving a transaction, the board may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board.

After the five-year prohibition, any such business combination generally must be recommended by the corporation’s board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

 

    80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation; and

 

    two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested shareholder with whom or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested shareholder.

These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if holders of the corporation’s common stock receive a minimum price, as defined under Maryland law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested shareholder for its shares. The statute provides various exemptions from its provisions, including for business combinations that are exempted by the corporation’s board of directors before the time that the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. The Board of Directors has adopted a resolution exempting from the requirements of the statute any business combination between the Company and any other person, provided that such business combination is first approved by the Board of Directors (including a majority of the directors who are not “interested persons” within the meaning of the 1940 Act). This resolution, however, may be altered or repealed in whole or in part at any time. If this resolution is repealed, or the Board of Directors does not otherwise approve a business combination, the statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of the Company and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer.

Restrictions on Roll-Up Transactions

Following a Non-Listed Offering, in connection with a proposed “roll-up transaction,” which, in general terms, is any transaction involving the acquisition, merger, conversion or consolidation, directly or indirectly, of the Company and the issuance of securities of an entity that would be created or would survive after the successful completion of the roll-up transaction, we will obtain an appraisal of all of its properties from an independent expert. In order to qualify as an independent expert for this purpose, the person or entity must have no material current or prior business or personal relationship with the Company and must be engaged to a substantial extent in the business of rendering opinions regarding the value of assets of the type held by the Company, who is qualified to perform such work. Following a Non-Listed Offering, our assets will be appraised on a consistent basis, and the appraisal will be based on the evaluation of all relevant information and will indicate the value of our assets as of a date immediately prior to the announcement of the proposed roll-up transaction. The appraisal will assume an orderly liquidation of our assets over a 12-month period. The terms of the engagement of such independent expert will clearly state that the engagement is for our benefit and the benefit of our shareholders. We will include a summary of the appraisal, indicating all material assumptions underlying the appraisal, in a report to our shareholders in connection with the proposed roll-up transaction. If the appraisal will be included in a prospectus used to offer the securities of the roll-up entity, the appraisal will be filed with the SEC and the states as an exhibit to the registration statement for the offering.

Following a Non-Listed Offering, in connection with a proposed roll-up transaction, the person sponsoring the roll-up transaction must offer to our shareholders who vote against the proposal a choice of:

 

    accepting the securities of the entity that would be created or would survive after the successful completion of the roll-up transaction offered in the proposed roll-up transaction; or

 

    one of the following:

 

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  ¡    remaining as our shareholders and preserving their interests in the Company on the same terms and conditions as existed previously; or

 

  ¡    receiving cash in an amount equal to their pro rata share of the appraised value of our net assets.

Following a Non-Listed Offering, we are prohibited from participating in any proposed roll-up transaction:

 

    which would result in our shareholders having voting rights in the entity that would be created or would survive after the successful completion of the roll-up transaction that are less than those provided in our charter, including rights with respect to the election and removal of directors, annual and special meetings, amendments to our charter and our dissolution;

 

    which includes provisions that would operate as a material impediment to, or frustration of, the accumulation of shares of our common stock by any purchaser of the securities of the entity that would be created or would survive after the successful completion of the roll-up transaction, except to the minimum extent necessary to preserve the tax status of such entity, or which would limit the ability of an investor to exercise the voting rights of its securities of the entity that would be created or would survive after the successful completion of the roll-up transaction on the basis of the number of shares held by that investor;

 

    in which our shareholders’ rights to access to records of the entity that would be created or would survive after the successful completion of the roll-up transaction will be less than those provided in our charter; or

 

    in which we would bear any of the costs of the roll-up transaction if our shareholders reject the roll-up transaction.

Reports to Shareholders

Following a Non-Listed Offering, within 60 days after each calendar quarter, we will distribute our quarterly report on Form 10-Q to all of our shareholders of record. In addition, following a Non-Listed Offering, we will distribute our annual report on Form 10-K to all of our shareholders within 120 days after the end of each calendar year, which must contain, among other things, a breakdown of the expenses reimbursed by us to the Adviser.

Conflict with the 1940 Act

Our bylaws provide that, if and to the extent that any provision of the MGCL, including the Control Share Acquisition Act (if we amend our bylaws to be subject to such Act) and the Business Combination Act or any provision of our charter or bylaws conflicts with any provision of the 1940 Act, the applicable provision of the 1940 Act will control.

ITEM 12. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Limitation on Liability of Directors; Indemnification and Advance of Expenses

See “Item 11. Description of Registrant’s Securities to be Registered — Limitation on Liability of Directors and Officers; Indemnification and Advance of Expenses.

Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors. The indemnification agreements are intended to provide our directors the maximum indemnification permitted under Maryland law and the 1940 Act. Each indemnification agreement provides that we shall indemnify the director who is a party to the agreement including the advancement of legal expenses, if, by reason of his or her corporate status, such director is, or is threatened to be, made a party to or a witness in any threatened, pending, or completed proceeding, other than a proceeding by or in the right of the Company.

 

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Adviser

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser and its affiliates (each, an “Indemnitee”) will not be liable to us for (i) mistakes of judgment or for action or inaction that such person reasonably believed to be in our best interests absent such Indemnitee’s gross negligence, knowing and willful misconduct, or fraud or (ii) losses or expenses due to mistakes of judgment, action or inaction, or the negligence, dishonesty or bad faith of any broker or other agent of the Company who is not an affiliate of such Indemnitee, provided that such person was selected, engaged or retained without gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud.

We will indemnify each Indemnitee against any liabilities relating to our offering of our common stock or our business, operation, administration or termination, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner it believed to be in, or not opposed to, our interest and except to the extent arising out of the Indemnitee’s gross negligence, fraud or knowing and willful misconduct. We may pay the expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in defending an actual or threatened civil or criminal action in advance of the final disposition of such action, provided the Indemnitee agrees to repay those expenses if found by adjudication not to be entitled to indemnification.

 

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ITEM 13. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Set forth below is an index to our financial statements attached to this Registration Statement.

 

       Page    

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

  

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of March 1, 2016

     F-2   

Statement of Operations for the Period from October 15, 2015 (inception) through March 1, 2016

     F-3   

Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the Period from October 15, 2015 (inception) through March 1, 2016

     F-4   

Statement of Cash Flows for the Period from October 15, 2015 (inception) through March 1, 2016

     F-5   

Notes to Financial Statements

     F-6   

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of March 31, 2016 (unaudited)

     F-11   

Statement of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 (unaudited)

     F-12   

Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 (unaudited)

     F-13   

Statement of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 (unaudited)

     F-14   

Notes to Financial Statements

     F-15   

ITEM 14. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

There are not and have not been any disagreements between the Company and its accountant on any matter of accounting principles, practices, or financial statement disclosure.

ITEM 15. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

(a) List separately all financial statements filed

The financial statements attached to this Registration Statement are listed under “Item 13. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

(b) Exhibits

 

    3.1    Articles of Amendment and Restatement dated March 1, 2016
    3.2    Bylaws dated January 11, 2016
    4.1    Form of Subscription Agreement*
  10.1    Investment Advisory Agreement between the Company and the Adviser, dated March 1, 2016
  10.2    Administration Agreement between the Company and the Adviser, dated March 1, 2016
  10.3    Dividend Reinvestment Plan effective as of March 1, 2016
  10.4    Form of Indemnification Agreement*
  10.5    Custody Agreement by and between the Company and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated February 24, 2016
  10.6    License Agreement between the Company and Owl Rock Capital Partners LP, dated March 1, 2016
  21.1    List of Subsidiaries—None

 

* previously filed

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Owl Rock Capital Corporation
By:   /s/ Alan Kirshenbaum
  Name: Alan Kirshenbaum
 

Title: Chief Operating Officer and

Chief Financial Officer

Date: April 11, 2016

 

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INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F-2   

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of March 1, 2016

     F-3   

Statement of Operations for the Period from October  15, 2015 (inception) through March 1, 2016

     F-4   

Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the Period from October  15, 2015 (inception) through March 1, 2016

     F-5   

Statement of Cash Flows for the Period from October  15, 2015 (inception) through March 1, 2016

     F-6   

Notes to Financial Statements

     F-7   

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of March 31, 2016 (unaudited)

     F-12   

Statement of Operations for the Three Months Ended March  31, 2016 (unaudited)

     F-13   

Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the Three Months Ended March  31, 2016 (unaudited)

     F-14   

Statement of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March  31, 2016 (unaudited)

     F-15   

Notes to Financial Statements

     F-16   

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Stockholders

Owl Rock Capital Corporation:

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Owl Rock Capital Corporation (the Company) as of March 1, 2016, and the related statements of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows for the period from October 15, 2015 (inception) to March 1, 2016. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Owl Rock Capital Corporation as of March 1, 2016, and the results of its operations, changes in its net assets, and its cash flows for the period October 15, 2015 (inception) to March 1, 2016, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

/s/ KPMG LLP

New York, New York

April 11, 2016

 

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Owl Rock Capital Corporation

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 

     As of March 1, 2016  

Assets

  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ —     

Due from affiliate

     1,500   

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     409,699   
  

 

 

 

Total Assets

   $ 411,199   
  

 

 

 

Liabilities

  

Other accrued expenses

   $ 1,030,509   

Payable to affiliate

     486,992   
  

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

   $ 1,517,501   
  

 

 

 

Commitment and contingencies (Note 4)

  

Net Assets

  

Common shares, $0.01 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 100 shares issued and outstanding

   $ 1   

Additional paid-in capital

     1,499   

Accumulated net loss

     (1,107,802
  

 

 

 

Total Net Assets

   $ (1,106,302
  

 

 

 

Total Liabilities and Net Assets

   $ 411,199   
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share

   $ (11,063.02
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

 

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Owl Rock Capital Corporation

Statement of Operations

 

     Period from October 15,
2015 (inception) to
March 1, 2016
 

Expenses

  

Initial organization

   $ 1,107,802   
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     1,107,802   
  

 

 

 

Net investment loss

     (1,107,802
  

 

 

 

Decrease in net assets resulting from operations

   $ (1,107,802
  

 

 

 

Loss Per Share - Basic and Diluted

   $ (11,078.02
  

 

 

 

Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding - Basic and Diluted

     100   
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

 

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Owl Rock Capital Corporation

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

     Period from October 15,
2015 (inception) to
March 1, 2016
 

Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

  

Net investment loss

   $ (1,107,802
  

 

 

 

Decrease in net assets resulting from operations

     (1,107,802
  

 

 

 

Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Capital Share Transactions

  

Issuance of common shares

     1,500   
  

 

 

 

Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Capital Share Transactions

     1,500   
  

 

 

 

Total Decrease in Net Assets

     (1,106,302

Net assets, beginning of period

     —     
  

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period

   $ (1,106,302
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

 

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Owl Rock Capital Corporation

Statement of Cash Flows

 

     Period from October 15,
2015 (inception) to
March 1, 2016
 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

  

Decrease in net assets resulting from operations

   $ (1,107,802

Adjustments to reconcile net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations to net cash provided by operating activities:

  

Change in prepaid expenses and other assets

     (409,699

Change in other accrued expenses

     1,030,509   

Change in payables to affiliates

     486,992   
  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

     —     
  

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     —     

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

   $ —     
  

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ —     
  

 

 

 

Non-cash financing activities:

As of March 1, 2016, the Company had a $1,500 receivable relating to the issuance of 100 common shares from the Adviser. The Company received $1,500 in cash from the Adviser on March 14, 2016.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

 

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Notes to Financial Statements

 

1. Organization and Basis of Presentation

Organization

Owl Rock Capital Corporation (“Owl Rock” or the “Company”) is a Maryland corporation formed on October 15, 2015. The Company was formed primarily to make loans to, and make debt and equity investments in, U.S. middle market companies. The Company has elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). In addition, for tax purposes, the Company intends to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Company is managed by Owl Rock Capital Advisors LLC (the “Adviser”). As of March 1, 2016, the Company had not commenced its investing activities. As of March 1, 2016, the Company was still devoting substantially all of its efforts to establishing the business and its planned principal operations had not commenced.

Because the Company has elected to be regulated as a BDC and intends to qualify as a RIC under the Code, the Company’s portfolio will be subject to diversification and other requirements.

The Company expects that capital will be used to support organic growth, acquisitions, market or product expansion, refinancings and/or recapitalizations. The Company defines “middle market companies” to generally mean companies with earnings before interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, or “EBITDA,” between $10 million and $250 million annually and/or annual revenue of $50 million to $2.5 billion at the time of investment. The Company may on occasion invest in smaller or larger companies if an attractive opportunity presents itself, including when there are dislocations in the capital markets, including the high yield and large syndicated loan markets. Its target credit investments will typically have maturities between three and ten years and generally range in size between $20 and $250 million. The investment size will vary with the size of its capital base.

The Company expects to conduct private offerings (the “Private Offering”) of its common shares to investors in reliance on exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. At the closing of any Private Offering, each investor will make a capital commitment (a “Capital Commitment”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to a subscription agreement entered into with the Company. Investors will be required to fund drawdowns to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock up to the amount of their respective Capital Commitment on an as-needed basis each time the Company delivers a notice to its investors. The Company anticipates commencing its loan origination and investment activities contemporaneously with the initial drawdown from investors in the Private Offering.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The Company is an investment company and, therefore, applies the specialized accounting and reporting guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting solely of accruals considered necessary for the fair presentation of financial statements, have been included. The results of operations are not indicative of results to be expected for the full year.

Fiscal Year End

The Company’s fiscal year ends on December 31.

 

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2. Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Such amounts could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents consist of demand deposits and highly liquid investments (e.g. U.S. treasury notes) with original maturities of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents are carried at cost which approximates fair value.

Organization Expenses

Costs associated with the organization of the Company are expensed as incurred. These expenses consist primarily of legal fees and other costs of organizing the Company.

Offering Expenses

Costs associated with the offering of common shares of the Company are capitalized as deferred offering expenses and included as prepaid and other assets on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and amortized over a twelve-month period from incurrence. These expenses consist primarily of legal fees and other costs incurred in connection with the Company’s share offering, the preparation of the Company’s registration statement, and registration fees.

Income Taxes

The Company has elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. The Company also intends to elect to be treated as a RIC under the Code for the taxable year ending December 31, 2016. So long as the Company maintains its status as a RIC, it generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes at least annually to its stockholders as dividends. Rather, any tax liability related to income earned and distributed by Owl Rock represents obligations of the Company’s investors and will not be reflected in the financial statements of the Company.

To continue to qualify as a RIC, the Company must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements. In addition, to qualify for RIC tax treatment, the Company must distribute to its stockholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of its “investment company taxable income” for that year, which is generally its ordinary income plus the excess of its realized net short-term capital gains over its realized net long-term capital losses.

Subsequent Events

The Company has evaluated subsequent events through April 11, 2016 and determined that there have been no events that have occurred that would require adjustments to the Company’s disclosures in the financial statements.

New Accounting Standards

Management does not believe any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.

 

3. Agreements and Related Party Transactions

Administration Agreement

On March 1, 2016, the Company entered into an Administration Agreement (the “Administration Agreement”) with the Adviser. Under the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Adviser will perform, or oversee the performance of, required administrative services, which includes providing office space, equipment and office services, maintaining financial records, preparing reports to shareholders and reports filed with the SEC, and managing the payment of expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered by others.

The Company will reimburse the Adviser for services performed for it pursuant to the terms of the Administration Agreement. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Adviser may delegate its obligations under the Administration Agreement to an affiliate or to a third party and the Company will reimburse the Adviser for any services performed for it by such affiliate or third party. As of March 1, 2016, the Company incurred approximately $0.5 million of costs and expenses reimbursable to the Adviser under the terms of the Administration Agreement.

 

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Unless earlier terminated as described below, the Administration Agreement will remain in effect until March 1, 2018 and from year to year thereafter if approved annually by (1) the vote of the Company’s Board of Directors, or by the vote of a majority of its outstanding voting securities, and (2) the vote of a majority of the Company’s directors who are not “interested persons” of the Company, of the Adviser or of any of their respective affiliates, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Administration Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days’ written notice, by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company, or by the vote of the Board of Directors or by the Administrator.

Investment Advisory Agreement

On March 1, 2016, the Company entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) with the Adviser. Under the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser will be responsible for managing the Company’s business and activities, including sourcing investment opportunities, conducting research, performing diligence on potential investments, structuring its investments, and monitoring its portfolio companies on an ongoing basis through a team of investment professionals.

The Adviser’s services under the Investment Advisory Agreement are not exclusive, and it is free to furnish similar services to other entities so long as its services to the Company are not impaired.

Under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Company will pay the Adviser a base management fee and may also pay to it certain incentive fees. The cost of both the management fee and the incentive fee will ultimately be borne by the Company’s shareholders.

The management fee is payable quarterly in arrears. Prior to the future quotation or listing of the Company’s securities on a national securities exchange (an “Exchange Listing”) or the future quotation or listing of its securities on any other public trading market, the management fee is payable at an annual rate of 0.75% of the Company’s (i) average gross assets, excluding cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts, at the end of the Company’s two most recently completed calendar quarters plus (ii) the average of any remaining unfunded Capital Commitments at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. Following an Exchange Listing, the management fee is payable at an annual rate of 1.75% of the Company’s gross assets excluding cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts, at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. The management fee for any partial month or quarter, as the case may be, will be appropriately prorated and adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases during the relevant calendar months or quarters, as the case may be.

Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser will not be entitled to an incentive fee prior to an Exchange Listing. Following an Exchange Listing, the incentive fee will consist of two components that are independent of each other, with the result that one component may be payable even if the other is not. A portion of the incentive fee is based on the Company’s pre-incentive fee net investment income and a portion is based on the Company’s capital gains. The portion of the incentive fee based on pre-incentive fee net investment income is determined and paid quarterly in arrears commencing with the first calendar quarter following an Exchange Listing, and equals 100% of the pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of a 1.5% quarterly “hurdle rate,” until the Adviser has received 20% of the total pre-incentive fee net investment income for that calendar quarter and, for pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of 1.875% quarterly, 20% of all remaining pre-incentive fee net investment income for that calendar quarter.

The second component of the incentive fee, the capital gains incentive fee, payable at the end of each calendar year in arrears, equals 20% of cumulative realized capital gains from the date on which the Exchange Listing becomes effective (the “Listing Date”) to the end of each calendar year, less cumulative realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation from the Listing Date to the end of each calendar year, less the aggregate amount of any previously paid capital gains incentive fee for prior periods. In no event will the capital gains incentive fee payable pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement be in excess of the amount permitted by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, including Section 205 thereof.

Unless earlier terminated as described below, the Investment Advisory Agreement will remain in effect until March 1, 2018 and will remain in effect from year-to-year thereafter if approved annually by a majority of the Board of Directors or by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities and, in each case, by a majority of independent directors.

The Investment Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate within the meaning of the 1940 Act and related SEC guidance and interpretations in the event of its assignment. In accordance with the 1940 Act, without payment of any penalty, the Company may terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser upon 60 days’ written notice. The decision to terminate the agreement may be made by a majority of the board of directors or the shareholders holding a majority (as defined under the 1940 Act) of the

 

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outstanding shares of our common stock. In addition, without payment of any penalty, the Adviser may generally terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement upon 60 days’ written notice and, in certain circumstances, the Adviser may only be able to terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement upon 120 days’ written notice.

 

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4. Commitments and Contingencies

From time to time, the Company may become a party to certain legal proceedings incidental to the normal course of its business. At March 1, 2016, management is not aware of any pending or threatened litigation.

 

5. Net Assets

In connection with its formation, the Company had the authority to issue 500,000,000 common shares at $0.01 per share par value.

On March 1, 2016, the Company issued 100 common shares for $1,500 to the Adviser. The Company has not engaged in any other equity transactions as of March 1, 2016. The Company received $1,500 in cash from the Adviser on March 14, 2016.

During March 2016, the Company entered into subscription agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) aggregating $973.25 million, of which $110.4 million is from executives of the Adviser, with several investors providing for the private placement of the Company’s common shares. Under the terms of the Subscription Agreements, investors are required to fund drawdowns to purchase the Company’s common shares up to the amount of their respective Capital Commitment on an as-needed basis each time the Company delivers a notice to its investors.

The commitments received provide the Company with sufficient liquidity to settle its liabilities and commence its lending activities.

On March 17, 2016, pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the Company delivered a capital drawdown notice to its investors relating to the issuance of 3,333,344 common shares for an aggregate offering price of $50 million. The shares were issued on March 30, 2016.

 

6. Financial Highlights

The following per share data and ratios have been derived from information provided in the financial statements. The following are the financial highlights for a common share outstanding during the period from October 15, 2015 (inception) to March 1, 2016:

 

     Period from
October 15, 2015
(inception) to
March 1, 2016

Per Share Data

    

Net asset value, beginning of period

   $ —       

Net investment loss

   $ (11,078.02  

Issuance of common shares

     15.00     

Net decrease in net assets

   $ (11,063.02  

Net asset value, end of period

   $ (11,063.02  

Shares outstanding, end of period

     100     

Total Return

     N/M     

Ratios / Supplemental Data

    

Ratio of operating expenses to average net assets

     N/M     

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

     N/M     

Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets

     N/M     

Net assets, end of period

   $ (1,106,302  

Weighted-average shares outstanding

     100     

Year of formation

     2015     

N/M Not meaningful.

 

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Owl Rock Capital Corporation

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

(Unaudited)

 

     As of March 31, 2016  

Assets

  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 49,717,482   

Subscription receivable

     284,018   

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     764,438   
  

 

 

 

Total Assets

   $ 50,765,938   
  

 

 

 

Liabilities

  

Management fees payable to affiliate

   $ 566,045   

Directors’ fees payable to affiliate

     20,208   

Other accrued expenses

     1,434,605   

Payable to affiliate

     1,062,889   
  

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

   $ 3,083,747   
  

 

 

 

Commitment and contingencies (Note 4)

  

Net Assets

  

Common shares, $0.01 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 3,333,444 shares issued and outstanding

   $ 33,334   

Additional paid-in-capital

     49,968,166   

Accumulated net loss

     (2,319,309
  

 

 

 

Total Net Assets

   $ 47,682,191   
  

 

 

 

Total Liabilities and Net Assets

   $ 50,765,938   
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share

   $ 14.30   
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

 

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Owl Rock Capital Corporation

Statement of Operations

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31, 2016
 

Expenses

  

Initial Organization

   $ 1,223,542   

Management fees

     566,045   

Professional fees

     304,010   

Directors’ fees

     20,208   

Other general and administrative

     205,504   
  

 

 

 

Net Expenses

     2,319,309   
  

 

 

 

Net Investment Loss

     (2,319,309
  

 

 

 

Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

   $ (2,319,309
  

 

 

 

Loss Per Share - Basic and Diluted

   $ (21.55
  

 

 

 

Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding - Basic and Diluted

     107,627   
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

 

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Owl Rock Capital Corporation

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31, 2016
 

Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

  

Net Investment Loss

   $ (2,319,309
  

 

 

 

Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

     (2,319,309
  

 

 

 

Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Capital Share Transactions

  

Issuance of common shares

     50,001,500   
  

 

 

 

Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Capital Share Transactions

     50,001,500   
  

 

 

 

Total Increase in Net Assets

     47,682,191   

Net assets, beginning of period

     —     
  

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period

   $ 47,682,191   
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

 

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Owl Rock Capital Corporation

Statement of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31, 2016
 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

  

Decrease in net assets resulting from operations

   $ (2,319,309

Adjustments to reconcile net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations to net cash provided by operating activities:

  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

  
  

Change in prepaid expenses and other assets

     (764,438

Change in management fees payable

     566,045   

Change in directors’ fees payable to affiliate

     20,208   

Change in other accrued expenses

     1,434,605   

Change in payable to affiliate

     1,062,889   
  

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

     —     
  

 

 

 

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

  

Proceeds from issuance of common shares

   $ 49,717,482   
  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

     49,717,482   
  

 

 

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

     49,717,482   

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

   $ —     
  

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 49,717,482   
  

 

 

 

Non-cash financing activities

  

Subscriptions receivable

   $ 284,018   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited)

 

1. Organization and Basis of Presentation

Organization

Owl Rock Capital Corporation (“Owl Rock” or the “Company”) is a Maryland corporation formed on October 15, 2015. The Company was formed primarily to make loans to, and make debt and equity investments in, U.S. middle market companies. The Company has elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). In addition, for tax purposes, the Company intends to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Company is managed by Owl Rock Capital Advisors LLC (the “Adviser”). As of March 31, 2016, the Company has not commenced its investing activities.

Because the Company has elected to be regulated as a BDC and intends to qualify as a RIC under the Code, the Company’s portfolio will be subject to diversification and other requirements.

The Company expects that capital will be used to support organic growth, acquisitions, market or product expansion, refinancings and/or recapitalizations. The Company defines “middle market companies” to generally mean companies with earnings before interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, or “EBITDA,” between $10 million and $250 million annually and/or annual revenue of $50 million to $2.5 billion at the time of investment. The Company may on occasion invest in smaller or larger companies if an attractive opportunity presents itself, including when there are dislocations in the capital markets, including the high yield and large syndicated loan markets. Its target credit investments will typically have maturities between three and ten years and generally range in size between $20 and $250 million. The investment size will vary with the size of its capital base.

The Company expects to conduct private offerings (the “Private Offering”) of its common shares to investors in reliance on exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. At the closing of any Private Offering, each investor will make a capital commitment (a “Capital Commitment”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to a subscription agreement entered into with the Company. Investors will be required to fund drawdowns to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock up to the amount of their respective Capital Commitment on an as-needed basis each time the Company delivers a notice to its investors. The Company anticipates commencing its loan origination and investment activities contemporaneously with the initial drawdown from investors in the Private Offering.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The Company is an investment company and, therefore, applies the specialized accounting and reporting guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting solely of accruals considered necessary for the fair presentation of financial statements for interim periods, have been included. The results of operations for interim periods are not indicative of results to be expected for the full year.

Fiscal Year End

The Company’s fiscal year ends on December 31.

 

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2. Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Such amounts could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents consist of demand deposits and highly liquid investments (e.g. U.S. treasury notes) with original maturities of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents are carried at cost which approximates fair value.

Organization Expenses

Costs associated with the organization of the Company are expensed as incurred. These expenses consist primarily of legal fees and other costs of organizing the Company.

Offering Expenses

Costs associated with the offering of common shares of the Company are capitalized as deferred offering expenses and are included in prepaid and other assets in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and are amortized over a twelve-month period from incurrence. These expenses consist primarily of legal fees and other costs incurred in connection with the Company’s share offering, the preparation of the Company’s registration statement, and registration fees.

Reimbursement of Transaction-Related Expenses

The Company may receive reimbursement for certain transaction-related expenses in pursuing portfolio company investments. Transaction-related expenses, which are generally expected to be reimbursed by third parties, are typically deferred until the transaction is consummated and are recorded in prepaid expenses and other assets on the date incurred. The costs of successfully completed investments not otherwise reimbursed are borne by the Company and are included as a component of the investment’s cost basis. Subsequent to closing, investments are recorded at fair value at each reporting period.

Cash advances of transaction-related expenses received are recorded as cash and cash equivalents with an offset to other accrued expenses and payables to affiliates. Other accrued expenses and payables to affiliates are relieved as reimbursable expenses are incurred.

Income Taxes

The Company has elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. The Company also intends to elect to be treated as a RIC under the Code for the taxable year ending December 31, 2016. So long as the Company maintains its status as a RIC, it generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes at least annually to its stockholders as dividends. Rather, any tax liability related to income earned and distributed by Owl Rock represents obligations of the Company’s investors and will not be reflected in the financial statements of the Company.

To continue to qualify as a RIC, the Company must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements. In addition, to qualify for RIC tax treatment, the Company must distribute to its stockholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of its “investment company taxable income” for that year, which is generally its ordinary income plus the excess of its realized net short-term capital gains over its realized net long-term capital losses.

Subsequent Events

The Company has evaluated subsequent events through April 11, 2016 and determined that there have been no events that have occurred that would require adjustments to the Company’s disclosures in the financial statements.

New Accounting Standards

Management does not believe any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.

 

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3. Agreements and Related Party Transactions

Administration Agreement

On March 1, 2016, the Company entered into an Administration Agreement (the “Administration Agreement”) with the Adviser. Under the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Adviser will perform, or oversee the performance of, required administrative services, which includes providing office space, equipment and office services, maintaining financial records, preparing reports to shareholders and reports filed with the SEC, and managing the payment of expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered by others.

The Administration Agreement also provides that the Company will reimburse the Adviser for certain organization costs incurred prior to the commencement of the Company’s operations, and for certain offering costs.

The Company will reimburse the Adviser for services performed for it pursuant to the terms of the Administration Agreement. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Adviser may delegate its obligations under the Administration Agreement to an affiliate or to a third party and the Company will reimburse the Adviser for any services performed for it by such affiliate or third party.

As of March 31, 2016, the Company incurred approximately $0.6 million of costs and expenses reimbursable to the Adviser under the terms of the Administration Agreement.

Unless earlier terminated as described below, the Administration Agreement will remain in effect until March 1, 2018 and from year to year thereafter if approved annually by (1) the vote of the Company’s Board of Directors, or by the vote of a majority of its outstanding voting securities, and (2) the vote of a majority of the Company’s directors who are not “interested persons” of the Company, of the Adviser or of any of their respective affiliates, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Administration Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days’ written notice, by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company, or by the vote of the Board of Directors or by the Administrator.

Investment Advisory Agreement

On March 1, 2016, the Company entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) with the Adviser. Under the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser will be responsible for managing the Company’s business and activities, including sourcing investment opportunities, conducting research, performing diligence on potential investments, structuring its investments, and monitoring its portfolio companies on an ongoing basis through a team of investment professionals.

The Adviser’s services under the Investment Advisory Agreement are not exclusive, and it is free to furnish similar services to other entities so long as its services to the Company are not impaired.

Under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Company will pay the Adviser a base management fee and may also pay to it certain incentive fees. The cost of both the management fee and the incentive fee will ultimately be borne by the Company’s shareholders.

The management fee is payable quarterly in arrears. Prior to the future quotation or listing of the Company’s securities on a national securities exchange (an “Exchange Listing”) or the future quotation or listing of its securities on any other public trading market, the management fee is payable at an annual rate of 0.75% of the Company’s (i) average gross assets, excluding cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts, at the end of the Company’s two most recently completed calendar quarters plus (ii) the average of any remaining unfunded Capital Commitments at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. Following an Exchange Listing, the management fee is payable at an annual rate of 1.75% of the Company’s gross assets excluding cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts, at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. The management fee for any partial month or quarter, as the case may be, will be appropriately prorated and adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases during the relevant calendar months or quarters, as the case may be.

 

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For the three month period ended March 31, 2016, Management Fees were $566,045.

Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser will not be entitled to an incentive fee prior to an Exchange Listing. Following an Exchange Listing, the incentive fee will consist of two components that are independent of each other, with the result that one component may be payable even if the other is not. A portion of the incentive fee is based on the Company’s pre-incentive fee net investment income and a portion is based on the Company’s capital gains. The portion of the incentive fee based on pre-incentive fee net investment income is determined and paid quarterly in arrears commencing with the first calendar quarter following an Exchange Listing, and equals 100% of the pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of a 1.5% quarterly “hurdle rate,” until the Adviser has received 20% of the total pre-incentive fee net investment income for that calendar quarter and, for pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of 1.875% quarterly, 20% of all remaining pre-incentive fee net investment income for that calendar quarter.

The second component of the incentive fee, the capital gains incentive fee, payable at the end of each calendar year in arrears, equals 20% of cumulative realized capital gains from the date on which the Exchange Listing becomes effective (the “Listing Date”) to the end of each calendar year, less cumulative realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation from the Listing Date to the end of each calendar year, less the aggregate amount of any previously paid capital gains incentive fee for prior periods. In no event will the capital gains incentive fee payable pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement be in excess of the amount permitted by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, including Section 205 thereof.

 

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There was no Incentive Fee for the three month period ended March 31, 2016.

Unless earlier terminated as described below, the Investment Advisory Agreement will remain in effect until March 1, 2018 and will remain in effect from year-to-year thereafter if approved annually by a majority of the Board of Directors or by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities and, in each case, by a majority of independent directors.

The Investment Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate within the meaning of the 1940 Act and related SEC guidance and interpretations in the event of its assignment. In accordance with the 1940 Act, without payment of any penalty, the Company may terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser upon 60 days’ written notice. The decision to terminate the agreement may be made by a majority of the board of directors or the shareholders holding a majority (as defined under the 1940 Act) of the outstanding shares of our common stock. In addition, without payment of any penalty, the Adviser may generally terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement upon 60 days’ written notice and, in certain circumstances, the Adviser may only be able to terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement upon 120 days’ written notice.

 

4. Commitments and Contingencies

As of March 31, 2016, the Company had $973.25 million in total capital commitments from investors ($923.25 million unfunded), of which $110.4 million is from executives of the Adviser ($104.9 million unfunded).

From time to time, the Company may become a party to certain legal proceedings incidental to the normal course of its business. At March 31, 2016, management is not aware of any pending or threatened litigation.

 

5. Net Assets

In connection with its formation, the Company had the authority to issue 500,000,000 common shares at $0.01 per share par value.

On March 1, 2016, the Company issued 100 common shares for $1,500 to the Adviser.

During March 2016, the Company entered into subscription agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) with several investors providing for the private placement of the Company’s common shares. Under the terms of the Subscription Agreements, investors are required to fund drawdowns to purchase the Company’s common shares up to the amount of their respective Capital Commitment on an as-needed basis each time the Company delivers a notice to its investors.

On March 17, 2016, pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the Company delivered a capital drawdown notice to its investors relating to the issuance of 3,333,344 common shares for an aggregate offering price of $50 million. The shares were issued on March 30, 2016.

On March 30, 2016, pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the Company delivered a capital drawdown notice to its investors relating to the issuance of 17,213 common shares for an aggregate offering price of $0.3 million. The shares are expected to be issued on or around April 12, 2016.

 

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6. Financial Highlights

The following per share data and ratios have been derived from information provided in the financial statements. The following are the financial highlights for a common share outstanding during the three month period ended March 31, 2016:

 

     Three Months
Ended

March 31, 2016
 

Per Share Data

  

Net asset value, beginning of period

   $ —    

Net investment loss

   $ (0.70 )

Issuance of common shares

     15.00  

Net increase in net assets

   $ 14.30  

Net asset value, end of period

   $ 14.30  

Shares outstanding, end of period

     3,333,444  

Total Return

     N/M   

Ratios / Supplemental Data

  

Ratio of operating expenses to average net assets (1)

     9.73 %

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets (1)

     9.73 %

Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets (1)

     9.73 %

Net assets, end of period

   $ 47,682,191   

Weighted-average shares outstanding

     107,627  

Total committed capital, end of period (2)

   $ 973,250,000  

Ratio of total contributed capital to total committed capital, end of period

     5.14 %

Year of formation

     2015  

 

N/M Not meaningful.
(1) Not annualized.
(2) Amount includes $110.4 million of commitments from executives of the Adviser.

 

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