ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing in our securities involves certain risks relating to our structure and investment objective. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this report, before you decide whether to make an investment in our securities. The risks set forth below are not the only risks we face, and we may face other risks that we have not yet identified, which we do not currently deem material or which are not yet predictable. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the NAV of our securities could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Summary Risk Factors
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The following is a summary of certain of the principal risks that should be carefully considered before investing in our securities:
The capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability. Such market conditions may have materially and adversely affected debt and equity capital markets, which may have a negative impact on our business and operations.
Political, social and economic uncertainties may create and exacerbate risks.
Our operation as a BDC imposes numerous constraints on us and significantly reduces our operating flexibility. In addition, if we fail to maintain our status as a BDC, we might be regulated as a registered closed-end investment company, which would subject us to additional regulatory restrictions.
We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates (and any applicable U.S. state and local taxes) on all of our income if we are unable to maintain our qualification for tax treatment as a RIC, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
Regulations governing our operations as a BDC affect our ability to, and the way in which we, raise additional capital. These constraints may hinder our Investment Adviser’s ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and to achieve our investment objective.
There are risks associated with any potential merger with or asset sale to another BDC.
Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted.
Our activities may be limited as a result of potentially being deemed to be controlled by GS Group Inc., a bank holding company.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) rules may have a negative impact on us and our Investment Adviser. Our ability to enter into transactions involving derivatives and financial commitment transactions may be limited.
Certain investors are limited in their ability to make significant investments in us.
We depend upon management personnel of our Investment Adviser for our future success.
We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.
We are dependent on information systems, and systems failures or cybersecurity incidents, as well as operating failures, could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.
The potentially limited term and the expiration of the Investment Period may impact our investment strategy.
Our Investment Adviser, its principals, investment professionals and employees and the members of its Private Credit Investment Committee may have certain conflicts of interest.
Goldman Sachs’ financial and other interests may incentivize our Investment Adviser to favor other Accounts.
Our financial condition and results of operations depend on our Investment Adviser’s ability to manage our future growth effectively.
Our ability to grow depends on our access to adequate capital.
We borrow money, which may magnify the potential for gain or loss and may increase the risk of investing in us.
The Incentive Fee based on income takes into account our past performance, and we may be obligated to pay the Investment Adviser incentive compensation even if we incur a net loss due to a decline in the value of our portfolio. The conflicts of interest faced by the Investment Adviser caused by compensation arrangements with us could result in actions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders. Potential conflicts of interest with other businesses of Goldman Sachs could impact our investment returns.
Our Board of Directors may change our investment objective, operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval.
We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results.
Our investments are very risky and highly speculative.
Investing in middle-market companies involves a number of significant risks.
We have exposure to credit risk and other risks related to credit investments.
Changes in inflation may adversely affect the business, results of operations and financial condition of our portfolio companies.
We are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates.
Many of our portfolio securities do not have a readily available market price, and we value these securities at fair value as determined in good faith in accordance with the Investment Company Act, which valuation is inherently subjective and may not reflect what we may actually realize for the sale of the investment.
The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business.
Our portfolio may be focused in a limited number of portfolio companies, which will subject us to a risk of significant loss if any of these companies default on their obligations under any of its debt instruments or if there is a downturn in a particular industry.
We may not be in a position to exercise control over our portfolio companies or to prevent decisions by management of our portfolio companies that could decrease the value of our investments.
Our failure or inability to make follow-on investments in our portfolio companies could impair the value of our portfolio.
Our portfolio companies may prepay loans, which may reduce stated yields in the future if the capital returned cannot be invested in transactions with equal or greater expected yields.
By originating loans to companies that are experiencing significant financial or business difficulties, we may be exposed to distressed lending risks.
We will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds of the funds we raise from investors and will use proceeds in part to satisfy operating expenses.
Declines in market prices and liquidity in the corporate debt markets can result in significant net unrealized depreciation of our portfolio, which in turn would affect our results of operations.
Economic recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and harm our operating results.
Our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged.
Investing in our securities involves an above-average degree of risk.
Investors could receive fewer shares of our common stock than anticipated.
A stockholder’s interest in us will be diluted if we issue additional shares, which could reduce the overall value of an investment in us.
We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize taxable income before or without receiving cash representing such income.
Our common stock is subject to significant transfer restrictions, and an investment in our common stock generally will be illiquid. To the extent an investor is able to sell its common stock, such investor may not be able to recover the amount of its investment in our common stock.
Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), as well as other aspects of our structure, could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.
Investors may face various tax risks and consequences as a result of their investment in us.
To the extent OID (as defined below) and PIK (as defined below) 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.
Risks Relating to Market Developments and General Business Environment
The capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability. Such market conditions may have materially and adversely affected debt and equity capital markets, which may have a negative impact on our business and operations.
From time to time, capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability. For example, over the past few years, the U.S. capital markets experienced disruption as evidenced by volatility in global stock markets as a result of, among other things: social and political tensions in the United States and around the world; wars and other forms of conflict (including, for example, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East); natural disasters such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes; global health epidemics, pandemics and emergencies; terrorism; social unrest; fluctuations in interest rates; strikes, work stoppages, labor shortages and labor disputes; supply chain disruptions and accidents; and the fluctuating price of commodities, such as oil. remedial actions of the U.S. federal government and foreign governments, these events contributed to general economic conditions that materially and impacted broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole, and may continue into the future. These and any other economic conditions could increase our funding costs and/or limit our access to the capital markets.
Significant changes or volatility in the capital markets may negatively affect the valuations of our investments and cause our net asset value to decline. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan to hold an investment to maturity). Significant changes in the capital markets may also affect the pace of our investment activity and the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. Our valuations, and particularly valuations of private investments and private companies, are inherently uncertain, fluctuate over short periods of time and are often based on estimates, comparisons and qualitative evaluations of private information that may not reflect the full impact of market disruptions and measures taken in response thereto. Any public health emergency, including an outbreak of existing or new epidemic diseases, or the threat thereof, and the resulting financial and economic market uncertainty could have a significant adverse impact on us and the fair value of our investments and our portfolio companies.
Disruptions in economic activity have limited and could continue to limit our investment originations, limit our ability to grow, increase our funding costs and have a material negative impact on our and our portfolio companies’ operating results and the fair values of our debt and equity investments. Additionally, disruptions in economic activity have had, and may continue to have, a negative effect on the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments to access capital, if required. As a result, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments if we were required to sell them to increase our liquidity. An inability on our part to raise incremental capital, and any required sale of all or a portion of our investments as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Current market conditions may make it difficult to raise equity capital, extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness or obtain new indebtedness with similar terms and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, market conditions, including inflation, have adversely impacted, and could in the future have further negative impacts on the operations of certain of our portfolio companies. If the financial results of middle-market companies, like those in which we invest, experience deterioration, it could ultimately lead to difficulty in meeting debt service requirements and an increase in defaults. Further deterioration in market conditions may further depress the outlook for those companies. The debt capital available to us in the future, if available at all, may bear a higher interest rate and may be available only on terms and conditions less favorable than those of our existing debt. If we are to raise new debt or refinance our existing debt, then our equity investors will not from the potential for increased returns on equity resulting from leverage, and we may be to make new commitments or to fund existing commitments to our portfolio companies. Any to extend the maturity of or refinance our existing debt, or to obtain new debt, could have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Political, social and economic uncertainties may create and exacerbate risks.
Social, political, economic and other conditions and events in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Russia, the Middle East and China (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, military conflicts and social unrest) may occur that create uncertainty and have significant impacts on issuers, industries, governments and other systems, including the financial markets, to which companies and their investments are exposed.
The uncertainties caused by these conditions and events could result in or coincide with, among other things: increased volatility in the financial markets for securities, derivatives, loans, credit and currency; a decrease in the reliability of market prices and difficulty in valuing assets (including portfolio company assets); greater fluctuations in spreads on debt investments and currency exchange rates; increased risk of default (by both government and private obligors and issuers); changes to governmental regulation and supervision of the loan, securities, derivatives and currency markets and market participants; limitations on the activities of investors in the financial markets; and substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation, which can last many years and have substantial negative effects on credit and securities markets.
Other adverse developments may occur or reoccur, including: (i) the decline in value and performance of us and our portfolio companies; (ii) the ability of our borrowers to continue to meet loan covenants or repay loans provided by us on a timely basis or at all, which may require us to restructure our investments or write down the value of our investments; (iii) our ability to comply with the covenants and other terms of our debt obligations and to repay such obligations, on a timely basis or at all; (iv) our ability to comply with certain regulatory requirements, such as asset coverage requirements under the Investment Company Act; (v) our ability to maintain our distributions at their current level or to pay them at all; or (vi) our ability to source, manage and divest investments and achieve our investment objectives, all of which could result in significant losses to us. We will also be negatively affected if the operations and effectiveness of any of our portfolio companies (or any of the key personnel or service providers of the foregoing) is compromised or if necessary or beneficial systems and processes are . The U.S. economy, as well as most other major economies, may experience economic , and we anticipate our businesses could be materially and affected by a in the United States and other major global markets. See “ —The capital markets may experience periods of and . Such market conditions may have materially and affected debt and equity capital markets, which may have a impact on our business and operations. ”
Disruptions in the capital markets, including disruptions resulting from inflation, the uncertain interest rate environment, Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, have increased the spread between the yields realized on risk-free and higher risk securities, resulting in illiquidity in parts of the capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial sector and re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated market. These and future market disruptions and/or illiquidity can be expected to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Unfavorable economic conditions also would be expected to increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events could limit our investment originations, limit our ability to grow and have a material negative impact on our and our portfolio companies’ operating results and the fair values of our debt and equity investments.
In addition, fiscal and monetary actions taken by the United States and non-U.S. government and regulatory authorities, including those related to trade policies, treaties or tariffs, could have a material adverse impact on our business. To the extent uncertainty regarding the U.S. or global economy negatively impacts consumer confidence and consumer credit factors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Moreover, Federal Reserve policy, including with respect to certain interest rates, along with the general policies of the new presidential administration, may also adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend- and interest-paying securities. These conditions, government actions and future developments may cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may adversely affect our ability to access debt financing on favorable terms and may increase the interest costs of our borrowers, hampering their ability to repay us. Continued or future adverse economic conditions could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If key economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate or inflation, do not progress at a rate consistent with the Federal Reserve’s objectives, the target range for the federal funds rate may increase, or may not decrease at the pace expected by the market, and cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms and may also increase the costs of our borrowers, hampering their ability to repay us.
Legislation may be adopted that could significantly affect the regulation of U.S. financial markets. Areas subject to potential change, amendment or repeal include the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and the authority of the Federal Reserve and the Financial Stability Oversight Council. These or other regulatory changes could result in greater competition from banks and other lenders with which we compete for lending and other investment opportunities. The United States may also potentially withdraw from or renegotiate various trade agreements and take other actions that would change current trade policies of the United States. We cannot predict which, if any, of these actions will be taken or, if taken, their effect on the financial stability of the United States. Such actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
These events present material uncertainty and risk with respect to markets globally, which pose potential adverse risks to us and the performance of our investments and operations. Any such market disruptions could affect our portfolio companies’ operations and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Legal and Regulatory Matters
Our operation as a BDC imposes numerous constraints on us and significantly reduces our operating flexibility. In addition, if we fail to maintain our status as a BDC, we might be regulated as a registered closed-end investment company, which would subject us to additional regulatory restrictions.
The Investment Company Act imposes numerous constraints on the operations of BDCs. For example, BDCs generally are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of qualifying U.S. private companies or thinly traded public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less from the time of investment. These constraints may hinder our Investment Adviser’s ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and to achieve our investment objective. Furthermore, any failure to comply with the requirements imposed on BDCs by the Investment Company Act could cause the SEC to bring an enforcement action against us and/or expose us to claims of private litigants.
We may be precluded from investing in what our Investment Adviser believes are attractive investments if such investments are not qualifying assets for purposes of the Investment Company Act. If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we will be prohibited from making any additional investment that is not a qualifying asset and could be forced to forgo attractive investment opportunities. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies (which could result in the dilution of our position).
If we fail to maintain our status as a BDC, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment company that is required to register under the Investment Company Act. This would subject us to additional regulatory restrictions and significantly decrease our operating flexibility. In addition, any such failure could cause us to lose our RIC status or cause an event of default under any outstanding indebtedness we might have, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates (and any applicable U.S. state and local taxes) on all of our income if we are unable to maintain our qualification for tax treatment as a RIC, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
Although we have elected to be treated as a RIC, and we intend to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC annually, we cannot assure stockholders that we will be able to do so. To maintain RIC status and be relieved of U.S. federal income taxes on income and gains distributed to our stockholders, we must meet the annual distribution, source-of-income and quarterly-asset diversification requirements described below.
The annual distribution requirement for a RIC will generally be satisfied if we distribute to our stockholders on an annual basis at least 90% of our investment company taxable income (generally, our net ordinary income plus the excess of our realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction) for each taxable year (the “Annual Distribution Requirement”). Because we use debt financing, we are subject to an asset coverage ratio requirement under the Investment Company Act, and we are subject to certain covenants contained in our credit agreements and other debt financing agreements. This asset coverage ratio requirement and these covenants could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions to our stockholders that are necessary for us to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, and thus are unable to make sufficient distributions to our stockholders, we could fail to maintain our qualification for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax (and any applicable U.S. state and local taxes).
The source-of-income requirement will be satisfied if at least 90% of our gross income for each year is derived from dividends, interest, gains from the sale of stock or securities or foreign currencies, payments with respect to loans of certain securities, net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” or other income derived with respect to our business of investing in such stock or securities or foreign currencies.
The asset diversification requirement will be satisfied if, at the end of each quarter of our 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 acceptable securities, and no more than 25% of the value of our assets is invested in (i) the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of one issuer, (ii) the securities (other than the securities of other RICs) 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) the securities of certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships.” Failure to meet these requirements may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of our RIC status. Because most of our investments will be made in private companies, and therefore will be relatively illiquid, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and could result in substantial losses.
If we fail to maintain our qualification for tax treatment as a RIC for any reason, and we do not qualify for certain relief provisions under the Code, we would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates (and any applicable U.S. state and local taxes). In this event, the resulting taxes and any resulting penalties could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of our income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions to our stockholders, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
Regulations governing our operations as a BDC affect our ability to, and the way in which we, raise additional capital. These constraints may hinder our Investment Adviser’s ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and to achieve our investment objective.
Regulations governing our operation as a BDC affect our ability to raise additional capital, and the ways in which we can do so. Raising additional capital may expose us to risks, including the typical risks associated with leverage, and may result in dilution to our current stockholders. The Investment Company Act limits our ability to borrow amounts or issue debt securities or preferred stock, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” to amounts such that our asset coverage ratio, as defined under the Investment Company Act, equals at least 150% immediately after such borrowing or issuance if certain requirements are met, rather than 200%, as previously required and as described below. Consequently, if the value of our assets declines, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature of our leverage, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when this may be disadvantageous to us and, as a result, our stockholders. The Small Business Credit Availability Act modified the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act to reduce the required asset coverage ratio applicable to BDCs to 150%, subject to certain approval and disclosure requirements. The Initial Member approved a proposal permitting us to reduce our asset coverage ratio to 150%.
We are generally not able to issue and sell our common stock at a price per share below NAV per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the then-current NAV per share of our common stock (i) with the consent of a majority of our common stockholders (and a majority of our common stockholders who are not affiliates of ours), and (ii) if, among other things, a majority of our Independent Directors and a majority of our directors who have no financial interest in the transaction determine that a sale is in the best interests of us and our stockholders.
There are risks associated with any potential merger with or asset sale to another BDC.
Our Investment Adviser may in the future recommend to the Board of Directors that we merge with or sell all or substantially all of our assets to one or more funds, including a fund that could be managed by our Investment Adviser (including another BDC). In connection with a recommendation to the Board of a listing, an IPO or a Merger and dependent upon the relevant facts and circumstances at the time, certain expense adjustment measures may be proposed, including without limitation, potential fee discounts or other expense measures; provided, however, that there is no assurance that any such measures would ultimately be consummated. No such Merger or Asset Sale would be consummated absent the meeting of various conditions required by applicable law or contract, at such time, which may include approval of the board of directors and common equity holders of both funds. If our Investment Adviser is the investment adviser of both funds, various conflicts of interest would exist with respect to any such transaction. Such conflicts of interest may potentially arise from, among other things, differences between the compensation payable to the Investment Adviser by us and by the entity resulting from such a Merger or Asset Sale or efficiencies or other benefits to our Investment Adviser as a result of managing a single, larger fund instead of two separate funds.
We incur significant costs as a result of being subject to the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act.
We incur legal, accounting and other expenses, including costs associated with the periodic reporting requirements applicable to a company whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act, as well as additional corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and other rules implemented by the SEC. These requirements may place a strain on our systems and resources. The Exchange 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 control over financial reporting, which requires significant resources and management oversight. See “ Item 1. Business—Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act .” We have implemented 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 have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, significant annual expenses related to these steps and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees, reporting requirements of the SEC, transfer agent fees, additional administrative expenses payable to our Administrator to compensate it for hiring additional accounting, legal and administrative personnel, increased auditing and legal fees and similar expenses associated with being subject to these reporting requirements.
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 reporting companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“Section 404”).
Efforts to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act involve significant expenditures, and noncompliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may adversely affect us.
We are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the related rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC. Under current SEC rules, we are required to report on internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404. We are required to review on an annual basis our internal control over financial reporting, and on a quarterly and annual basis to evaluate and disclose changes in our internal control over financial reporting. As a result, we incur additional expenses that may negatively impact our financial performance and our ability to make distributions. This process also may result in a diversion of management’s time and attention. We cannot be certain as to the timing of completion of any evaluation, testing and remediation actions or the impact of the same on our operations, and we may not be able to ensure that the process is effective or that our internal control over financial reporting is or will be effective in a timely manner. In the event that we are unable to maintain or achieve compliance with Section 404 and related rules, we may be adversely affected.
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 date on which we are a “large accelerated filer” or an “accelerated filer” or the date we are no longer classified as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
Changes in laws or regulations governing our operations or the operations of our portfolio companies, changes in the interpretation thereof or newly enacted laws or regulations, or any failure by us or our portfolio companies to comply with these laws or regulations, could require changes to certain of our or our portfolio companies’ business practices, negatively impact our or our portfolio companies’ operations, cash flows or financial condition, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies.
We and our portfolio companies are subject to regulation at the local, state, federal and, in some cases, foreign levels. These laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation, are likely to change from time to time, and new laws and regulations may be enacted. Accordingly, any change in these laws or regulations, changes in their interpretation, or newly enacted laws or regulations, or any failure by us or our portfolio companies to comply with these laws or regulations, could require changes to certain of our or our portfolio companies’ business practices, negatively impact our or our portfolio companies’ operations, cash flows or financial condition, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies. In addition to the legal, tax and regulatory changes that are expected to occur, there may be unanticipated changes and uncertainty regarding any such changes. The legal, tax and regulatory environment for BDCs, investment advisers and the instruments that they utilize (including derivative instruments) is continuously evolving. In addition, there is significant uncertainty regarding certain legislation and the regulations that have 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 trade and invest is not fully known. Such uncertainty and any resulting may itself be to the functioning of the markets and the of certain investment strategies.
Legislative and regulatory proposals directed at the financial services industry that are proposed, pending or might be proposed in the future in the U.S. Congress, may negatively impact the operations, cash flows or financial condition of us and our portfolio companies, 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.
Over the last several years, there also has been regulatory attention on the extension of credit outside of the traditional banking sector, including the possibility that some portion of the non-bank financial sector will be subject to new regulation. While it cannot be known at this time whether any such regulation will be implemented or what form it would take, increased regulation of non-bank credit extension would negatively impact our operations, cash flows or financial condition, impose additional costs on us, intensify the regulatory supervision of us or otherwise adversely affect our business.
We may be materially affected by market, economic and political conditions globally and in the jurisdictions and sectors in which we invest or operate, including economic outlook, factors affecting interest rates, the availability of credit, currency exchange rates and trade barriers. Recent populist and anti-globalization movements, particularly in the United States, may result in material changes in economic trade and immigration policies, all of which could lead to significant disruption of global markets and could have adverse consequences for our investments.
We cannot predict how new tax legislation will affect us, our investments, or our stockholders, and any such legislation could adversely affect our business.
Legislative or other actions relating to taxes could have a negative effect on us. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Treasury Department. The likelihood of any new legislation being enacted is uncertain, but new legislation and any U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions interpreting such legislation could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC or the U.S. federal income tax consequences to us and our stockholders of such qualification and could have other adverse consequences. Stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisor regarding tax legislative, regulatory, or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our common stock.
The United States Congress has considered a proposal that would have, if enacted, had a significant adverse impact on individual retirement account (“IRA”) investors, including potentially terminating the IRA status of an IRA that acquires or holds an investment in certain private investment funds (including the Company), subjecting all of the investments in the IRA to significant taxes and subjecting the IRA’s owner to significant penalties. Other proposed legislation would have, if enacted, limited contributions by or on behalf of a high-income taxpayer to an IRA if the aggregate account balance in all applicable retirement plans (as defined in the proposal) maintained by or on behalf of the taxpayer exceeded a threshold dollar amount. These proposals were not ultimately included in legislation passed by the United States House of Representatives. Nonetheless, it is possible that either or both of these proposals (or other proposals that would adversely impact IRA investors) could be enacted as part of future tax reform legislative efforts.
Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted.
As a BDC, we are prohibited under the Investment Company Act from knowingly participating in certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of a majority of our Independent Directors who have no financial interest in the transaction, or in some cases, the prior approval of the SEC. For example, any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities is deemed our affiliate for purposes of the Investment Company Act. If this is the only reason such person is our affiliate, we are generally prohibited from buying any asset from, or selling any asset (other than our capital stock) to, such affiliate, absent the prior approval of such directors. The Investment Company Act also prohibits “joint” transactions with an affiliate, which could include joint investments in the same portfolio company, without approval of our Independent Directors or in some cases the prior approval of the SEC. Moreover, except in certain limited circumstances, we are prohibited from buying any asset from or selling any asset to a holder of more than 25% of our voting securities, absent prior approval of the SEC. The analysis of whether a particular transaction constitutes a joint transaction requires a review of the relevant facts and circumstances then existing.
In certain circumstances, we and other Accounts (which may include proprietary accounts of Goldman Sachs) can make negotiated co-investments pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC permitting us to do so. On November 16, 2022, the SEC granted the Relief to the Investment Adviser, the BDCs advised by the Investment Adviser and certain other affiliated applicants. On June 25, 2024, the SEC granted an amendment to the Relief, which permits the Company to participate in follow-on investments in the Company's existing portfolio companies with certain affiliates covered by the Relief if such affiliates, that are not BDCs or registered investment companies, did not have an investment in such existing portfolio company. If our Investment Adviser forms other funds in the future, we may co-invest alongside such other affiliates, subject to compliance with the Relief, applicable regulations and regulatory guidance, as well as applicable allocation procedures. As a result of the Relief, there could be significant overlap in our investment portfolio and the investment portfolios of other Accounts, including, in some cases, proprietary accounts of Goldman Sachs.
Our activities may be limited as a result of potentially being deemed to be controlled by GS Group Inc., a bank holding company.
GS Group Inc. is a BHC under the BHCA and therefore subject to supervision and regulation by the Federal Reserve. In addition, GS Group Inc. is a FHC under the BHCA, which is a status available to BHCs that meet certain criteria. FHCs may engage in a broader range of activities than BHCs that are not FHCs. However, the activities of FHCs and their affiliates remain subject to certain restrictions imposed by the BHCA and related regulations. Because GS Group Inc. may be deemed to “control” us within the meaning of the BHCA, these restrictions could apply to us as well. Accordingly, the BHCA and other applicable banking laws, rules, regulations and guidelines, and their interpretation and administration by the appropriate regulatory agencies, including the Federal Reserve, may restrict our investments, transactions and operations and may restrict the transactions and relationships between our Investment Adviser, GS Group Inc. and their respective affiliates, on the one hand, and us, on the other hand. For example, the BHCA regulations applicable to GS Group Inc. and to us may restrict our ability to make certain investments or the size of certain investments, impose a maximum holding period on some or all of our investments and restrict our and our Investment Adviser’s ability to participate in the management and operations of the companies in which we invest. In addition, certain BHCA regulations may require aggregation of the positions owned, held or controlled by related entities. Thus, in certain circumstances, positions held by GS Group Inc. and its affiliates (including our Investment Adviser) for client and proprietary accounts may need to be aggregated with positions held by us. In this case, where BHCA regulations impose a cap on the amount of a position that may be held, GS Group Inc. may utilize available capacity to make investments for its proprietary accounts or for the accounts of other clients, which may require us to limit and/or certain investments.
These restrictions may materially adversely affect us by affecting our Investment Adviser’s ability to pursue certain strategies within our investment program or trade in certain securities. In addition, GS Group Inc. may cease in the future to qualify as an FHC, which may subject us to additional restrictions. Moreover, we can offer no assurance that the bank regulatory requirements applicable to GS Group Inc. and us, or the interpretation thereof, will not change, or that any such change will not have a material adverse effect on us.
GS Group Inc. may in the future, in its sole discretion and without notice to investors, engage in activities impacting us and/or our Investment Adviser in order to comply with the BHCA or other legal requirements applicable to, or reduce or eliminate the impact or applicability of any bank regulations or other restrictions on, GS Group Inc., us or other accounts managed by our Investment Adviser and its affiliates. GS Group Inc. may seek to accomplish this result by causing Goldman Sachs Asset Management to resign as our Investment Adviser, voting for changes to our Board of Directors, causing Goldman Sachs personnel to resign from our Board of Directors, reducing the amount of GS Group Inc.’s investment in us (if any), revoking our right to use the Goldman Sachs name or any combination of the foregoing, or by such other means as it determines in its sole discretion. Any replacement investment adviser appointed by us may be unaffiliated with Goldman Sachs.
CFTC rules may have a negative impact on us and our Investment Adviser.
The CFTC and the SEC have issued final rules establishing that most swap transactions are subject to CFTC regulation. Engaging in such swap or other commodity interest transactions such as futures contracts or options on futures contracts may cause us to fall within the definition of “commodity pool” under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, and related CFTC regulations. Our Investment Adviser has claimed relief from CFTC registration and regulation as a commodity pool operator pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5 with respect to our operations, with the result that we will be limited in our ability to use futures contracts or options on futures contracts or engage in swap transactions. Specifically, CFTC Rule 4.5 imposes strict limitations on using such derivatives other than for hedging purposes, whereby the use of derivatives not used solely for hedging purposes is generally limited to situations where (i) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish such positions does not exceed five percent of the liquidation value of our portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such contracts it has entered into; or (ii) the aggregate net notional value of such derivatives does not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of our portfolio. Moreover, we anticipate entering into transactions involving such derivatives to a very limited extent solely for hedging purposes or otherwise within the of CFTC Rule 4.5.
The European Union's Alternative Investment Fund Managers ("AIFM") Directive may have a negative impact on our Investment Adviser and its affiliates.
The AIFM Directive regulates investment advisors domiciled in the European Union and investment advisors that manage investment funds domiciled or marketed in the European Union. The AIFM Directive imposes certain requirements and restrictions on such investment advisors, which differ based on the domicile of the applicable investment advisor and investment fund and the circumstances under which an investment fund is marketed in the European Union. Such requirements and restrictions may include disclosure and transparency obligations, capital adequacy, valuation and depositary requirements, leverage and investment restrictions, other conduct of business requirements and tax requirements. As a result of the AIFM Directive, an investment advisor may be restricted from marketing investment funds in the European Union, may incur potentially significant increased operating costs, may be unable to engage in certain activities that it otherwise would have and/or may be subject to other adverse consequences. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect the performance of the Company.
Our ability to enter into transactions involving derivatives and financial commitment transactions may be limited.
Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act includes limitations on the ability of a BDC (or a registered investment company) to use derivatives and other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations (including reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions). Under the rule, BDCs that make significant use of derivatives are subject to a value-at-risk leverage limit, a derivatives risk management program, testing requirements, and requirements related to board reporting. These requirements apply unless the BDC qualifies as a “limited derivatives user,” as defined in Rule 18f-4. Under the rule, a BDC may enter into an unfunded commitment agreement that is not a derivatives transaction, such as an agreement to provide financing to a portfolio company, if the BDC has, among other things, a reasonable belief, at the time it enters into such an agreement, that it will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its obligations with respect to all of its unfunded commitment agreements, in each case as it becomes due. Under Rule 18f-4, when we trade reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions, including certain tender option bonds, we need to aggregate the amount of indebtedness associated with the reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness (e.g., bank borrowings, if applicable) when calculating our asset coverage ratio. We currently operate as a “limited derivatives user” and these requirements may limit our ability to use derivatives and/or enter into certain other financial contracts.
Certain investors are limited in their ability to make significant investments in us.
Private funds that are excluded from the definition of “investment company” either pursuant to Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act and certain other unregistered investment companies are restricted from acquiring directly or through a controlled entity more than 3% of our total outstanding voting stock other than in accordance with the Investment Company Act (measured at the time of the acquisition, including through conversion of convertible securities). Investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act and BDCs are also subject to this restriction as well as other regulatory limitations that restrict the amount that they are able to invest in our securities. As a result, certain investors may be precluded from acquiring additional shares at a time that they might desire to do so.
Risks Relating to Competition
We depend upon management personnel of our Investment Adviser for our future success.
We do not have any employees. We depend on the experience, diligence, skill and network of business contacts of the Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Credit Team, together with other investment professionals that our Investment Adviser currently retains or may subsequently retain, to 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 our Investment Adviser’s senior investment professionals. The departure of any of our Investment Adviser’s key personnel, including members of the Private Credit Investment Committee, or of a significant number of the investment professionals of our Investment Adviser, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we cannot assure stockholders that our Investment Adviser will remain our investment adviser or that we will continue to have access to our Investment Adviser or its investment professionals. See “—Risks Relating to Our Business and Structure—Our Investment Adviser can resign on 60 days’ notice. We may not be able to find a suitable replacement within that time, resulting in a disruption in our operations that could affect our financial condition, business and results of operations. ”
We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.
A number of entities, including the Accounts and other entities, compete with us to make the types of investments that we make. We compete with other BDCs, commercial and investment banks, commercial financing companies, CLOs, private funds, including hedge funds, and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity funds. Many of our competitors are more experienced, substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. Some competitors may have a lower cost of funds, perpetual fund lives, and/or 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. Certain of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the Investment Company Act imposes on us as a BDC and that the Code imposes on us as a RIC. Additionally, an investment opportunity may be appropriate for one or more of us and other Accounts or any other entities managed by our Investment Adviser, and co-investment may not be possible. In such circumstances, the Investment Adviser will adhere to its investment allocation policy in order to determine the Accounts to which to allocate investment opportunities. Also, as a result of this competition, we may not be able to secure investment from time to time.
We do not seek to compete primarily based on the interest rates we offer, and the Investment Adviser believes that some of our competitors may make loans with interest rates that are comparable to or lower than the rates we offer. Rather, we believe our competitive strengths include: (i) the positioning of Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Credit within Goldman Sachs, given its associated relationship, sourcing and expertise advantages; (ii) Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Credit’s experience and breadth as an investor; (iii) Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Credit’s experienced team and history of investment performance; (iv) Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Credit’s depth, breadth and duration of relationships with financial sponsors, companies, borrowers and other industry participants; and (v) the alignment of interest between the Company and the Goldman Sachs private credit platform through side-by-side investments alongside institutional and retail-focused private credit Accounts, which may include proprietary accounts of Goldman Sachs. For a further discussion of our competitive strengths, see “ Item 1. Business—Competitive Advantages. ”
We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. If we match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we may experience decreased net interest income and increased risk of credit loss. As a result of operating in such a competitive environment, we may make investments that are on less favorable terms than what we may have originally anticipated, which may impact our return on these investments. We cannot assure investors that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Our Operations
We are dependent on information systems, and systems failures or cybersecurity incidents, as well as operating failures, could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.
Our business is dependent on our Investment Adviser’s and third parties’ communications and information systems. Any failure or interruption of those systems, including as a result of the termination of the Investment Management Agreement or an agreement with any third-party service providers, could cause delays or other problems in our activities. Our financial, accounting, data processing, backup or other operating systems and facilities may fail to operate properly or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of factors including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control and adversely affect our business. There could be:
sudden electrical or telecommunications outages;
natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes;
disease pandemics;
events arising from local or larger scale political or social matters, including terrorist acts and acts of war;
outages due to issues experienced by specific service providers; and/or
cyber incidents.
In addition to our dependence on information systems, poor operating performance by our service providers could adversely impact us.
These events, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and negatively affect the value of our securities and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.
Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents may adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies by causing a disruption to our operations or the operations of our portfolio companies, a compromise or corruption of our confidential information or the confidential information of our portfolio companies and/or damage to our business relationships or the business relationships of our portfolio companies, all of which could negatively impact the business, financial condition and operating results of us or our portfolio companies.
Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents have been occurring globally at a more frequent and severe level, and will likely continue to increase in frequency and sophistication in the future. A cyber incident can be an intentional attack or an unintentional event and could involve gaining unauthorized access to our or our portfolio companies’ information systems for purposes of misappropriating assets, stealing confidential information, corrupting data or causing operational disruption, including through the introduction of computer viruses, malware or through “phishing” attempts or other forms of social engineering. Attacks can also involve ransomware, data exfiltration and publication or other forms of extortion. Cyber incidents originate from a wide variety of external sources, including cyber criminals, nation state hackers, hacktivists and other parties. The occurrence of a cyber us, any of our portfolio companies, or a third-party (including a service provider) that has access to our data or networks, a natural , a , an industrial , of our recovery systems, consequential employee or service provider , or or of our or our third-party networks or software that we rely on, could have an effect on our ability to communicate or conduct business, impacting our operations and financial condition. This effect can become particularly acute if those events affect our electronic data processing, transmission, storage, and retrieval systems, or impact the availability, , or confidentiality of our data.
We and our portfolio companies depend heavily upon computer systems to perform necessary business functions. Despite the implementation of a variety of security measures, computer systems, networks, and data, like those of other companies, could be subject to cyber incidents and unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction, such as from physical and electronic break-ins or unauthorized tampering. If one or more of these events occurs, it could potentially jeopardize the confidential, proprietary, personal and other information processed, stored in, and transmitted through our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations, which could result in financial losses, litigation, regulatory penalties, client dissatisfaction or loss, reputational , and increased costs associated with mitigation of and remediation.
Third-party service providers with which we do business may also be sources of cybersecurity or other technological risk. We outsource certain functions and these relationships allow for the storage and processing of our information, as well as client, counterparty, employee, and borrower information. While we engage in actions to reduce our exposure resulting from outsourcing, ongoing threats may result in unauthorized access, loss, exposure, destruction, or other cybersecurity incidents that adversely affects the confidentiality, integrity, availability and security of our data, resulting in increased costs and other consequences as described above.
Moreover, the increased use of mobile and cloud technologies due to the proliferation of remote work could heighten these and other operational risks as certain aspects of the availability and security of such technologies may be complex and unpredictable. Reliance on mobile or cloud technology or any failure by mobile technology and cloud service providers to adequately safeguard or update their systems and prevent cyber incidents or other outages could disrupt our operations, the operations of a portfolio company or the operations of our or their service providers and result in misappropriation, corruption or loss of personal, confidential or proprietary information or the inability to conduct ordinary business operations. In addition, there is a risk that encryption and other protective measures may be circumvented, particularly to the extent that new computing technologies increase the speed and computing power available. Extended periods of remote working, whether by us, our portfolio companies, or our service providers, could technology resources, introduce operational risks and otherwise heighten the risks described above. Remote working environments may be less secure and more to hacking attacks, including phishing and social engineering attempts.
Goldman Sachs and its third-party service providers have implemented processes, procedures and internal controls to help mitigate cybersecurity 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, do not guarantee that a cyber incident will not occur and/or that our business strategy, financial results, operations or confidential information will not be negatively impacted by such an incident.
In addition, cybersecurity has become a top priority for lawmakers and regulators around the world, and some jurisdictions have proposed or enacted laws requiring companies to notify regulators, individuals and the general investing public of data security breaches involving certain types of personal data, including the SEC, which, on July 26, 2023, adopted amendments requiring the public disclosure of certain cybersecurity breaches. On May 16, 2024, the SEC also adopted amendments to Regulation S-P, which, among other things, requires investment companies (including business development companies) to develop, implement and maintain written incident response plans and timely notify individuals about certain cybersecurity incidents. The amendments come into effect in December 2025. Compliance with such laws and regulations may result in cost increases due to system changes and the development of new administrative processes. If we or our Investment Adviser or certain of its affiliates, fail to comply with the relevant and increasing laws and regulations, we could suffer financial losses, a disruption of our businesses, liability to investors, regulatory intervention or reputational .
Risks Relating to Our Business and Structure
The potentially limited term and the expiration of the Investment Period may impact our investment strategy.
Unless earlier liquidated by the Board of Directors or extended by the Board of Directors (and, to the extent necessary, a majority-in-interest of the stockholders), the term of the Company (the “Term”) will end on the sixth anniversary of the Final Closing Date unless an Exit Event occurs prior to that time. Due to the potentially finite term of the Company, we may be required to sell investments at an inopportune time, which could adversely affect our performance and/or cause us to seek to invest in loans with a shorter term than would be the case if our Term were longer, which might adversely affect the nature and/or quality of our investments.
Following the expiration of the Investment Period, we will not be permitted to reinvest proceeds realized from the sale or repayment of any investment. Accordingly, we may be required to distribute such proceeds to stockholders, which may cause our fixed expenses to increase as a percentage of assets under management. In addition, any proceeds realized from the sale or repayment of investments could result in an increased concentration of our portfolio, which could increase the risks associated with ownership of the shares of our common stock. For more, see “ —Risk Relating to our Portfolio Company Investments—Our portfolio may be focused in a limited number of portfolio companies, which will subject us to a risk of significant loss if any of these companies default on their obligations under any of their debt instruments or if there is a downturn in a particular industry. ”
Our Investment Adviser, its principals, investment professionals and employees and the members of its Private Credit Investment Committee may have certain conflicts of interest.
Our Investment Adviser, its principals, affiliates, investment professionals and employees, the members of its Private Credit Investment Committee and our officers and directors serve and may serve in the future as investment advisers, officers, directors, principals of, or in other capacities with respect to, public or private entities (including other BDCs and other investment funds) that operate in the same or a related line of business as us. Certain of these individuals could have obligations to investors in other Accounts, the fulfillment of which is not in our best interests or the best interests of our stockholders and we expect that investment opportunities will satisfy the investment criteria for both us and such other Accounts. In addition, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and its affiliates also manage other accounts, and expect to manage other vehicles or accounts in the future, that have investment mandates that are similar, in whole or in part, to ours and, accordingly, may invest in asset classes similar to those targeted by us. As a result, the Investment Adviser and/or its affiliates may face conflicts in allocating investment opportunities between us and such other entities. The fact that our investment advisory fees may be lower than those of certain other funds advised by Goldman Sachs Asset Management could result in this of interest affecting us relative to such other funds.
Subject to applicable law, we may invest alongside Goldman Sachs and other Accounts.
As a result of the Relief, there could be significant overlap in our investment portfolio and the investment portfolios of other Accounts, including, in some cases, proprietary accounts of Goldman Sachs. In such circumstances, the Investment Adviser will adhere to its investment allocation policy in order to determine the Accounts to which to allocate investment opportunities. If we are unable to rely on the Relief for a particular opportunity, when our Investment Adviser identifies certain investments, it will be required to determine which Accounts should make the investment at the potential exclusion of other Accounts. Accordingly, it is possible that we may not be given the opportunity to participate in investments made by other Accounts. See “— Risks Relating to Legal and Regulatory Matters—Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted .”
Goldman Sachs’ financial and other interests may incentivize our Investment Adviser to favor other Accounts.
Our Investment Adviser receives performance-based compensation in respect of its investment management activities on our behalf, which rewards our Investment Adviser for positive performance of our investment portfolio. As a result, our Investment Adviser may make investments for us that present a greater potential for return but also a greater risk of loss or that are more speculative than would be the case in the absence of performance-based compensation. In addition, the Investment Adviser may simultaneously manage other Accounts for which the Investment Adviser may be entitled to receive greater fees or other compensation (as a percentage of performance or otherwise) than it receives in respect of us. In addition, subject to applicable law, Goldman Sachs may invest in other Accounts, and such investments may constitute all or substantial percentages of such other Accounts’ outstanding equity interests. Therefore, the Investment Adviser may have an incentive to favor such other Accounts over us. To address these types of conflicts, the Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures under which investment opportunities will be allocated in a manner that it believes is consistent with its obligations as an investment adviser. However, the amount, timing, structuring or terms of an investment by us may differ from, and performance may be different from, the investments and performance of other Accounts.
Our financial condition and results of operations depend on our Investment Adviser’s ability to manage our future growth effectively.
Our ability to achieve our investment objective depends on our Investment Adviser’s ability to identify, invest in and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria.
Accomplishing this result on a cost-effective basis is largely a function of the structuring of our investment process and the ability of our Investment Adviser to provide competent, attentive and efficient services to us. Our executive officers and the members of the Private Credit Investment Committee have substantial responsibilities in connection with their roles at our Investment Adviser, with the Accounts, as well as responsibilities under the Investment Management Agreement. We may also be called upon to provide significant managerial assistance to certain of our portfolio companies. These demands on their time, which will increase as the number of investments grow, may distract them or slow the rate of investment. In order to grow, our Investment Adviser may need to hire, train, supervise, manage and retain new employees. However, we cannot assure investors that they will be able to do so effectively. Any failure to manage our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our ability to grow depends on our access to adequate capital.
If we do not have adequate capital available for investment, our performance could be adversely affected. In addition, we elected to be treated as a RIC, and we expect to qualify annually for tax treatment as a RIC, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2021. To maintain our qualification for tax treatment as a RIC, among other requirements, we are required to timely distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction), which is generally our net ordinary income plus the excess of realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses, if any, for each taxable year. Consequently, such distributions will not be available to fund new investments. During the Investment Period, we may issue stock to new investors, but our ability to sell additional securities may be adversely affected by a number of factors including our performance prior to such date or general market conditions. While we are permitted to reinvest proceeds realized from the sale or repayment of investments during the Investment Period, subject to the requirements of Section 852(a) of the Code and the terms of any indebtedness or preferred stock, after the expiration of the Investment Period, we will not be permitted to do so, subject to certain exceptions. Accordingly, after the Investment Period, we expect to use debt financing to fund our growth, if any. economic or capital market conditions may increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. An to access the capital markets could limit our ability to grow our business and fully execute our business strategy and could decrease our earnings, if any.
We borrow money, which may magnify the potential for gain or loss and may increase the risk of investing in us.
As part of our business strategy, we may borrow from and issue senior debt securities to banks, insurance companies and other lenders or investors. Holders of these senior securities or other credit facilities will have claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common stockholders. If the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause NAV to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have if we did not employ leverage. Similarly, any decrease in our income would cause net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to our common stockholders. In addition, we would have to service any additional debt that we incur, including interest expense on debt and dividends on preferred stock that we may issue, as well as the fees and costs related to the entry into or amendments to debt facilities. These expenses (which may be higher than the expenses on our current borrowings due to the rising interest rate environment) would decrease net investment income, and our ability to pay such expenses will depend largely on our financial performance and will be subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures. Moreover, leverage will increase the Management Fee payable to our Investment Adviser, which is based on our gross assets, including those assets acquired through the use of leverage but excluding cash and cash equivalents.
In addition to having claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common stockholders, any obligations to the lenders may be secured by a first-priority security interest in our portfolio of investments and cash. In the case of a liquidation event, those lenders would receive proceeds to the extent of their security interest before any distributions are made to our stockholders. Furthermore, the revolving credit facility with Bank of America, N.A. (the “BoA Revolving Credit Facility”) imposes, and any credit agreement or other debt financing agreement into which we may enter may impose, financial and operating covenants that restrict our investment activities (including restrictions on industry concentrations) remedies on default and similar matters. In connection with any future borrowings, our lenders may also require us to pledge assets.
We may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, including the Investment Company Act, become co-liable (as a joint borrower, guarantor or otherwise) for borrowings or other types of leverage of our subsidiaries or other entities in which we have an interest, including joint ventures.
In addition, we may be unable to obtain our desired leverage, which would, in turn, affect a stockholder’s return on investment.
We currently do not intend to enter into any collateral and asset reuse arrangements, but may decide to enter into such an arrangement in the future.
The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns on our portfolio, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical, and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing in the table below.
Assumed Return on Our Portfolio (Net of Expenses)
Corresponding Return to Common Stockholders (1)
Based on (i) $893.31 million in total assets as of December 31, 2024, (ii) $425.91 million in outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2024, (iii) $448.59 million in net assets as of December 31, 2024, and (iv) annualized average interest rate on our indebtedness, as of December 31, 2024, excluding fees (such as fees on undrawn amounts and amortization of financing costs), of 7.30% .
Our Investment Adviser will be paid the Management Fee even if the value of an investment in the Company declines and our Investment Adviser’s Incentive Fee may create incentives for it to make certain kinds of investments.
The Management Fee is payable even in the event the value of a stockholder’s investment declines.
The Investment Adviser receives substantial fees from us in return for its services, and these fees could influence the advice provided to us. The Management Fee is calculated as a percentage of the average value of our gross assets including borrowed funds (excluding cash or cash equivalents) at the end of the prior two completed calendar quarters. Accordingly, the Management Fee is payable regardless of whether the value of our gross assets and/or an investment in the Company has decreased during the then-current quarter and creates an incentive for the Investment Adviser to incur leverage.
The Incentive Fee payable by us to our Investment Adviser may create an incentive for our Investment 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 and also to incur leverage, which will tend to enhance returns where our portfolio has positive returns. Our Investment Adviser receives the Incentive Fee based, in part, upon capital gains realized on our investments. As a result, our Investment Adviser may have an incentive to invest more in companies whose securities are likely to yield capital gains, as compared to income-producing securities. Such a practice could result in our investing in more speculative securities than would otherwise be the case, which could result in higher investment losses, particularly during cyclical economic downturns.
The Incentive Fee payable by us to our Investment Adviser also may create an incentive for our Investment Adviser to invest on our behalf in instruments that have a deferred interest feature. Under these investments, we accrue the interest over the life of the investment but do not receive the cash income from the investment until the end of the term. Our net investment income used to calculate the income portion of our Incentive Fee, however, includes accrued interest. Thus, a portion of this Incentive Fee is based on income that we have not yet received in cash. This risk could be increased because our Investment Adviser is not obligated to reimburse us for any Incentive Fees received even if we subsequently incur losses or never receive in cash the accrued income (including accrued income with respect to original issue discount (“OID”), payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest and zero-coupon securities). Furthermore, in the event of a listing, our Investment Adviser will be able to earn a higher Incentive Fee.
If we increase leverage, the management fees payable to our Investment Adviser will be higher than if we did not use leverage, irrespective of the return on the incremental assets. In addition, as leverage generally would magnify positive returns, if any, on our portfolio, as noted above, the use of leverage may cause our net investment income to exceed the quarterly hurdle rate for the Incentive Fee on income payable to our Investment Adviser at a lower average return on our portfolio.
The Incentive Fee based on income takes into account our past performance.
The Incentive Fee based on income will be determined and paid quarterly in arrears at the end of each calendar quarter by reference to our aggregate net investment income, as adjusted, from the Trailing Twelve Quarters. The effect of calculating the Incentive Fee using reference to the Trailing Twelve Quarters is that, in certain limited circumstances, an Incentive Fee based on income will be payable to our Investment Adviser although our net income for such quarter did not exceed the hurdle rate or the Incentive Fee will be higher than it would have been if calculated based on our performance for the applicable quarter without taking into account the Trailing Twelve Quarters. For example, if we experience a net loss for any particular quarter, an Incentive Fee may still be paid to our Investment Adviser if such net loss is less than the net loss for the most recent quarter that preceded the Trailing Twelve Quarters. In such circumstances, our Investment Adviser would be entitled to an Incentive Fee whereas it would not have been entitled to an Incentive Fee if calculated solely on the basis of our performance for the applicable quarter.
Potential conflicts of interest with other businesses of Goldman Sachs could impact our investment returns.
There are significant potential conflicts of interest that could negatively impact our investment returns. A number of these potential conflicts of interest with affiliates of our Investment Adviser and GS Group Inc. are discussed in more detail elsewhere in this report.
GS Group Inc. is a publicly held FHC and a leading global financial institution that provides investment banking, securities and investment management services to a diversified client base, including companies and high-net-worth individuals, among others. As such, it acts as an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, financier, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, derivatives dealer, lender, counterparty, agent and principal. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates advise clients in all markets and transactions and purchase, sell, hold and recommend a broad array of investments, including securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps, indices, baskets and other financial instruments and products for its own accounts or for the accounts of their customers and have other direct and indirect interests, in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equity, bank loans and other markets in which we invest or may invest. Such additional businesses and interests will likely give rise to potential conflicts of interest and may restrict the way we operate our business. For example, (1) we may not be able to conduct transactions relating to investments in portfolio companies because our Investment Adviser is not permitted to obtain or use material nonpublic information in effecting purchases and sales in public securities transactions for us or (2) Goldman Sachs, the clients it advises, and its personnel may engage (or consider engaging) in commercial arrangements or transactions with us (subject to any under the law), and/or may compete for commercial arrangements or transactions in the same types of companies, assets, securities or other assets or instruments as us. Transactions by, advice to and activities of such accounts (including potentially Goldman Sachs acting on a proprietary basis), may involve the same or related companies, securities or other assets or instruments as those in which we invest and may affect us (including our ability to engage in a transaction or other activities) or the prices or terms at which our transactions or other activities may be effected. For example, Goldman Sachs may be engaged to provide advice to an account that is considering entering into a transaction with us, and Goldman Sachs may advise the account not to pursue the transaction with us, or otherwise in connection with a potential transaction provide advice to the account that would be to us. See “— Our Investment Adviser, its principals, investment professionals and employees and the members of its Private Credit Investment Committee may have certain of interest ” and “ —Risks Relating to Legal and Regulatory Matters—Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted .”
In addition, subject to applicable law, GS & Co. may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, including the limitations set forth in Section 57(k) of the Investment Company Act, receive compensation from us or from the borrowers if we make any investments based on opportunities that such employees or personnel of GS & Co. have referred to us. Such compensation might incentivize GS & Co. or its employees or personnel to refer opportunities or to recommend investments that might otherwise be unsuitable for us. Further, any such compensation paid by us, or paid by the borrower (to which we would otherwise have been entitled) in connection with such investments, may negatively impact our returns. Furthermore, Goldman Sachs is currently, and in the future expects to be, raising capital for new public and private investment vehicles that have, or when formed will have, the primary purpose of directly originating senior secured corporate credit. These investment vehicles, as well as existing investment vehicles (including other Accounts), will compete with us for investments. Although our Investment Adviser and its affiliates will endeavor to allocate investment opportunities among its clients, including us, in a fair and equitable manner and consistent with applicable allocation procedures, it is expected that, in the future, we may not be given the to participate in investments made by other Accounts or that we may participate in such investments to a lesser extent due to participation by such other Accounts.
In addition, Goldman Sachs or another investment account or vehicle managed or controlled by Goldman Sachs or another client of the Investment Adviser may hold securities, loans or other instruments of a portfolio company in a different class or a different part of the capital structure than securities, loans or other instruments of such portfolio company held by us. As a result, Goldman Sachs or such other investment account or vehicle or such other client of the Investment Adviser may pursue or enforce rights or activities, or refrain from pursuing or enforcing rights or activities, on behalf of its own account, that could have an adverse effect on us. In addition, to the extent Goldman Sachs has invested in a portfolio company for its own account, Goldman Sachs may limit the transactions engaged in by us with respect to such portfolio company or issuer for reputational, legal, regulatory or other reasons.
Stockholders should note the matters discussed in “— Risks Relating to Legal and Regulatory Matters—Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted .”
Our Board of Directors may change our investment objective, operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval.
Our 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 Investment Company Act or other applicable laws) and without stockholder approval. However, absent stockholder approval, we 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 securities. Nevertheless, the effects may adversely affect our business and impact our ability to make distributions or make payments with respect to our indebtedness.
Our Investment Adviser can resign on 60 days’ notice. We may not be able to find a suitable replacement within that time, resulting in a disruption in our operations that could adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations.
Our Investment Adviser has the right, under the Investment Management Agreement, to resign at any time upon 60 days’ written notice, regardless of whether we have found a replacement. If our Investment Adviser resigns, we may not be able to find a new external investment adviser or hire internal management with similar expertise and ability to provide the same or equivalent services on acceptable terms within 60 days, 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 securities may decline.
Our Investment Adviser’s responsibilities and its liability to us are limited under the Investment Management Agreement, which may lead our Investment Adviser to act in a riskier manner on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.
Our Investment Adviser will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by us in connection with the matters to which the Investment Management Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on our Investment Adviser’s part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by our Investment Adviser of its obligations and duties under the Investment Management Agreement. Any person, even though also employed by our Investment Adviser, who may be or become an employee of and paid by us shall be deemed, when acting within the scope of his or her employment by us, to be acting in such employment solely for us and not as our Investment Adviser’s employee or agent. These protections may lead our Investment Adviser to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account. See “ —Our Investment Adviser will be paid the Management Fee even if the value of an investment in the Company and our Investment Adviser’s Incentive Fee may create incentives for it to make certain kinds of investments .”
If we consummate a listing, the Management Fee and Incentive Fee will increase.
Subsequent to a listing, the Management Fee will be calculated as a percentage of the average of our gross assets including assets purchased with borrowed amounts (excluding cash and cash equivalents) at the end of the then-current calendar quarter and the prior calendar quarter, which will result in a higher Management Fee for a given level of assets when compared to the current Management Fee calculated based on NAV and will create an incentive for our Investment Adviser to incur leverage. In addition, subsequent to a listing, the Incentive Fee on income will increase from 15% to 20% of our Ordinary Income and the Incentive Fee on capital gains will increase from 15% to 20% of our aggregate realized capital gains net of our aggregate realized capital losses and our aggregate unrealized capital depreciation (in each case calculated from the date of such listing).
We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results.
We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including interest rates payable on debt investments we make, default rates on such investments, 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 certain markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods or the full fiscal year.
Investors may fail to pay their undrawn Commitments.
The obligations of stockholders to fund undrawn Commitments is without defense, counterclaim or offset of any kind. However, if a stockholder fails to pay any amount of its Commitment when called, other stockholders who have an undrawn Commitment may be required to fund their respective Commitments sooner and in a greater amount (but not more than their undrawn Commitment) than they otherwise would have absent such a default.
In addition, if funding of Commitments by other stockholders and borrowings by us are inadequate to cover defaulted Commitments, we may make fewer Investments and be less diversified than if all stockholders had paid their contributions. Additionally, we may be forced to obtain substitute sources of liquidity by selling Investments to meet our funding obligations. Such forced sales of investment assets by us may be at disadvantageous prices. In addition, if we are not able to obtain substitute sources of liquidity, we may default on our funding obligations.
We are subject to risks related to corporate social responsibility.
Our business faces increasing public scrutiny related to ESG activities, which are increasingly considered to contribute to the long-term sustainability of a company’s performance. A variety of organizations measure the performance of companies on ESG topics, and the results of these assessments are widely publicized. In addition, investment in funds that specialize in companies that perform well in such assessments are increasingly popular, and major institutional investors have publicly emphasized the importance of such ESG measures to their investment decisions.
Our brand and reputation may be negatively impacted if we fail to act responsibly (or are perceived to have failed to act responsibly) in a number of areas, such as considering ESG factors in our investment processes. Adverse incidents with respect to ESG activities could impact the value of our brand and our relationships with investors, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
At the same time, there are various approaches to responsible investing activities and divergent views on the consideration of ESG topics. These differing views increase the risk that any action or lack thereof with respect to our Investment Adviser’s consideration of responsible investing or ESG-related practices will be perceived negatively. “Anti-ESG” sentiment has gained momentum across the U.S., with several states having enacted or proposed “anti-ESG” policies, legislation or issued related legal opinions. If investors subject to such legislation view our responsible investing or ESG practices as being in contradiction of such “anti-ESG” policies, legislation or legal opinions, such investors may not invest in us. Further, asset managers have been subject to recent scrutiny related to ESG-focused industry working groups, initiatives and associations, including organizations advancing action to address climate change or climate-related risk. Such scrutiny could expose the Investment Adviser to the risk of antitrust investigations or by federal authorities, result in reputational and certain investors from investing in us. In addition, various constituencies have asserted that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down race-based affirmative action in higher education in June 2023 should be analogized to private employment matters and private contract matters. Several new cases discrimination based on similar have been filed since that decision, with of certain corporate diversity, equity and inclusion practices increasing. If the Investment Adviser does not manage expectations across these varied interests, it could trust, impact our and their reputation, and constrain our investment and fundraising .
Additionally, new state-level, federal and international regulatory initiatives related to ESG could adversely affect our business. The SEC has proposed rules that, in addition to other matters, would establish a framework for reporting of climate-related risks. There is also a risk that a significant reorientation in the market following the implementation of these and further measures could be adverse to our portfolio companies if they are perceived to be less valuable as a consequence of, for example, their carbon footprint or “greenwashing” (i.e., the holding out of a product as having green or sustainable characteristics where this is not, in fact, the case). We are, and our portfolio companies may be, or could in the future become subject to the risk that similar measures might be introduced in other jurisdictions in the future. At this time, there is uncertainty regarding the scope of such proposals or when they would become effective (if at all). Compliance with any new laws or regulations increases our regulatory burden and could make compliance more difficult and expensive, affect the manner in which we or our portfolio companies conduct our businesses and adversely affect our .
The effect of global climate change may impact the operations of our portfolio companies.
There may be evidence of global climate change. Climate change creates physical and financial risk, and we and our portfolio companies may be adversely affected by climate change. For example, the needs of customers of energy companies vary with weather conditions, primarily temperature and humidity. To the extent weather conditions are affected by climate change, energy use could increase or decrease depending on the duration and magnitude of any changes. Increases in the cost of energy could adversely affect the cost of operations of our portfolio companies if the use of energy products or services is material to their business. A decrease in energy use due to weather changes may affect the financial condition of some of our portfolio companies through, for example, decreased revenues. Extreme weather conditions in general require more system backup, adding to costs, and can contribute to increased system stresses, including service interruptions.
Risks Relating to Our Portfolio Company Investments
Our investments are very risky and highly speculative.
We invest primarily through direct originations of secured debt, including first lien, unitranche and last-out portions of such loans; second-lien debt; unsecured debt, including mezzanine debt; and select equity investments. The securities in which we invest typically are not rated by any rating agency, and if they were rated, they would be below investment grade (rated lower than “Baa3” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and lower than “BBB-” by Fitch Ratings or Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services). These securities, which may be referred to as “junk bonds,” “high yield bonds” or “leveraged loans,” have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal.
In addition, we may also originate “covenant-lite” loans, which are loans with fewer financial maintenance covenants than other obligations, or no financial maintenance covenants. Such covenant-lite loans may not include terms that allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower or to declare a default if certain criteria are breached. These flexible covenants (or the absence of covenants) could permit borrowers to experience a significant downturn in their results of operations without triggering any default that would permit holders of their debt (such as us) to accelerate indebtedness or negotiate terms and pricing. Accordingly, to the extent we invest in “covenant-lite” loans, we may have fewer rights against a borrower and may have a greater risk of loss on such investments as compared to investments in or exposure to loans with financial maintenance covenants. Therefore, our investments may result in an above-average amount of risk and volatility or loss of principal. We also may invest in other assets, including U.S. government securities and structured securities. These investments entail additional risks that could affect our investment returns.
Secured Debt. When we make a secured debt investment, we generally take a security interest in the available assets of the portfolio company, including the equity interests of any 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 debt investment may decrease in value over time, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise and 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, such as trade 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 debt investment. Consequently, the fact that our debt is secured does not guarantee that we will receive principal and interest payments according to the debt investment’s terms, or at all, or that we will be to collect on the loan, in full or at all, should we enforce our remedies.
Unsecured Debt, Including Mezzanine Debt. Our unsecured debt investments, including mezzanine debt investments, generally will be subordinated to senior debt in the event of an insolvency. This may result in an above average amount of risk and loss of principal.
Revolving Credit Facilities. From time to time, we may acquire or originate revolving credit facilities in connection with our investments in other assets, which may result in our holding unemployed funds, negatively impacting our returns.
Equity Investments. When we invest in secured debt or unsecured debt, including mezzanine debt, we may acquire equity securities from the company in which we make the investment. In addition, we may invest in the equity securities of portfolio companies independent of any debt investment. Our goal is ultimately to dispose of such equity interests and realize gains upon our disposition of such interests. However, the equity interests we hold 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.
Investing in middle-market companies involves a number of significant risks.
Investing in 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 our investment;
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 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 our portfolio company and, in turn, on us;
such companies generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, 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 positions;
there is generally little public information about these companies, they and their financial information are not subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and other regulations that govern public companies and we may be unable to uncover all material information about these companies, which may prevent us from making a fully informed investment decision and cause us to lose money on our investments;
our executive officers, directors and Investment Adviser may, in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from our investments in the portfolio companies; 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, including any debt securities held by us, upon maturity.
We have exposure to credit risk and other risks related to credit investments.
Our investments are subject to liquidity, market value, credit, interest rate and certain other risks. In addition, we cannot assure you that the Investment Adviser will correctly evaluate the nature and magnitude of the various factors that could affect the value and return of our investments. These risks could be exacerbated to the extent that the portfolio is concentrated in one or more particular types of investments or industry sectors or regions.
Prices of our investments may be volatile and may fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors that are inherently difficult to predict, including changes in interest rates, prevailing credit spreads, general economic conditions, financial market conditions, domestic and international economic or political events, developments or trends in any particular industry, and the financial condition of the issuers or obligors of the investments. Investments that become non-performing, or defaulted loans or securities may become subject to a workout negotiation or restructuring. This may entail a substantial reduction in the interest rate, a substantial write-down of principal, and a substantial change in the terms, conditions and covenants of these investments. To the extent that defaulted investments are sold, it is unlikely that the sale proceeds will be equal to the amount of unpaid principal and interest thereon. In addition, we may incur additional expenses to the extent we are required to seek recovery upon a default or to participate in the restructuring of a non-performing or defaulted investment. We can offer no assurance as to the levels of and/or recoveries that may be experienced on the investments.
Secured investments may also be subject to the risk that the security interests granted by the portfolio company obligors in the underlying collateral are not properly or fully perfected in favor of lenders (or their agents). Compounding these risks, the collateral securing the secured investments may be subject to casualty, impairment or devaluation risks.
Portfolio companies may also be permitted to issue additional indebtedness that would increase the overall leverage and fixed charges to which the portfolio companies are subject. Such additional indebtedness could have structural or contractual priority, either as to specific assets or generally, over the ranking of the investments held by us or could rank on a parity or seniority basis with respect to our investments. In the event of any default, restructuring or insolvency event of a portfolio company, we could be subordinated to, or be required to share on a ratable basis with, any recoveries in favor of the holders of such other or additional indebtedness. Our recoveries may be impaired as a result of the rights of holders of other indebtedness under any intercreditor agreement governing the relative rights of the indebtedness.
Our debt investments may also have no amortization and limited interim repayment requirements, which may increase the risk that a portfolio company will not be able to repay or refinance the debt investment when it comes due at its final stated maturity.
Changes in inflation may adversely affect the business, results of operations and financial condition of our portfolio companies.
Certain of our portfolio companies operate in industries that have been, or may be impacted by changes in inflation rates. The U.S. inflation rate remains above historical levels over the past several decades. Inflationary pressures in the past few years increased the costs of labor, energy and raw materials and adversely affected consumer spending, economic growth and our portfolio companies’ operations. Certain of our portfolio companies may be in industries that have been, or may be, affected by inflation. If such portfolio companies are unable to pass any increases in their costs along to their customers, it could adversely affect their results and impact their ability to pay interest and principal on our loans. In addition, any projected future decreases in our portfolio companies’ operating results due to inflation could adversely impact the fair value of those investments. Any decreases in the fair value of our investments could result in unrealized losses and therefore reduce our net assets resulting from operations.
The United States and other developed economies have experienced higher-than-normal inflation rates in the past few years, but it remains uncertain whether elevated inflation will continue or have a significant effect on the U.S. economy or other economies. Inflation may affect our investments adversely in a number of ways, including those noted above. During periods of rising inflation, interest and dividend rates of any instruments we or our portfolio companies may have issued could increase, which would tend to reduce returns to our investors. Inflationary expectations or periods of rising inflation could also be accompanied by the rising prices of commodities that are critical to the operation of portfolio companies as noted above. Portfolio companies may have fixed income streams and, therefore, be unable to pay their debts when they become due. The market value of such investments may decline in value in times of higher inflation rates. Some of our portfolio investments may have income linked to inflation through contractual rights or other means. However, as inflation may affect both income and expenses, any increase in income may not be sufficient to cover increases in expenses. Governmental efforts to curb inflation, such as increases to short-term interest rates by central banks, including the Federal Reserve, often have negative effects on the level of economic activity and may increase the risk that the economy enters a . In an attempt to inflation, certain countries have imposed wage and price controls at times. Past governmental efforts to curb inflation have also involved more economic measures that have had a materially effect on the level of economic activity in the countries where such measures were employed. We can offer no assurance that continued inflation in the United States and/or other economies will not become a in the future and have a material impact on us.
We are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates.
Debt investments that we make may be based on floating rates, such as SOFR (as defined below), SONIA (as defined below), the Euro Interbank Offered Rate, the Federal Funds Rate or the Prime Rate. General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact on our investments, the value of our securities and our rate of return on invested capital.
Since January 1, 2022, our new investments are generally indexed to SOFR and as of December 31, 2024, we have transitioned our investments and our Revolving Credit Facilities (as defined below) to SOFR or to alternative risk-free reference rates. We expect that going forward, our new U.S. dollars ("USD")-denominated investments and any new revolving credit facilities will be indexed to SOFR, absent a significant market shift away from such rate as an accepted benchmark.
A reduction in the interest rates on new investments relative to interest rates on current investments could also have an adverse impact on our net interest income. However, 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 income (as more fully described below). Also, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make an investment in our common stock less attractive if we are not able to increase our dividend rate, which could reduce the value of our common stock.
In addition, the Federal Reserve decreased the federal funds rate twice in 2024. The rate and timing of further rate decreases remains unknown. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Federal Reserve will not make additional upwards adjustments to the federal funds rate in the future to mitigate inflationary pressures. Uncertainty surrounding future Federal Reserve actions and changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from our performance to the extent we are exposed to such changing interest rates and/or volatility. In periods of rising interest rates, to the extent we borrow money subject to a floating interest rate, our cost of funds would increase, which could reduce our net investment income. Similarly, rising interest rates could also reduce the yield on our investments if such increases on our borrowings exceed any rise in the rate that our investments yield (including any floating rate investments or investments subject to specified minimum interest rates (such as a SOFR floor)).
If general interest rates rise, there is a risk that the portfolio companies in which we hold floating rate securities or loans will be unable to pay escalating interest amounts, which could result in a default under their notes or loan documents with us. Rising interest rates could also cause portfolio companies to shift cash from other productive uses to the payment of interest, which may have a material adverse effect on their business and operations and could, over time, lead to increased defaults. In addition, rising interest rates may increase pressure on us to provide fixed rate loans to our portfolio companies, which could adversely affect our net investment income, as increases in our cost of borrowed funds would not be accompanied by increased interest income from such fixed-rate investments.
If general interest rates were to decline, borrowers may refinance their loans at lower interest rates, which could shorten the average life of the loans and reduce the associated returns on the investment, as well as require our Investment Adviser to incur management time and expense to re-deploy such proceeds, including on terms that may not be as favorable as our existing investments.
A change in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to a change in the interest rates we receive on many of our debt investments. Accordingly, a change in the interest rate could make it easier for us to meet or exceed the performance threshold in the Investment Management Agreement and may result in a substantial increase in the amount of incentive fees payable to our Investment Adviser with respect to the portion of the Incentive Fee based on income.
Many of our portfolio securities do not have a readily available market price, and we value these securities at fair value as determined in good faith in accordance with the Investment Company Act, which valuation is inherently subjective and may not reflect what we may actually realize for the sale of the investment.
The majority of our investments are, and are expected to continue to be, in debt instruments that do not have readily ascertainable market prices. The fair value of assets that are not publicly traded or whose market prices are not readily available are determined in good faith under procedures adopted by the Investment Adviser, as the Valuation Designee (as defined below). As the Valuation Designee, the Investment Adviser is primarily responsible for the valuation of our assets, subject to the oversight of the Board, in accordance with Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act. As the Valuation Designee, the Investment Adviser utilizes the services of independent third-party valuation firms (“Independent Valuation Advisors”) engaged by us in determining the fair value of a portion of the securities in our portfolio. Investment professionals from our Investment Adviser also recommend portfolio company valuations using sources 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 our Investment Adviser in our valuation process could result in a conflict of interest, as the Management Fee is based in part on our gross assets and also because our Investment Adviser is receiving a performance-based Incentive Fee.
In addition, the Investment Adviser may value an identical asset differently than Goldman Sachs, another division or unit within Goldman Sachs, or another Account values the asset, including because Goldman Sachs, or such other division, or unit, or Account has information or uses valuation techniques and models that it does not share with, or that are different from those of the Investment Adviser or from us. These valuation differences for the same asset can result in significant differences in the treatment of such asset by the Investment Adviser, Goldman Sachs, and other divisions or units of Goldman Sachs, and/or among Accounts (for example, with respect to an asset that is a loan, there can be differences when it is determined that such loan is deemed to be on nonaccrual status and/or in default). See “Risks Relating to Our Business and Structure—Potential conflicts of interest with other businesses of Goldman Sachs could impact our investment returns. ”
Because fair valuations, and particularly fair valuations 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, it may be more difficult for investors to value accurately our investments and could lead to undervaluation or overvaluation of our common stock. In addition, the valuation of these types of securities may result in substantial write-downs and earnings volatility.
Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act establishes a regulatory framework for determining fair value in good faith for purposes of the Investment Company Act and permits boards, subject to board oversight and certain other conditions, to designate certain parties to perform the fair value determinations. In accordance with this rule and as discussed above, our Board of Directors has designated our Investment Adviser as the Valuation Designee primarily responsible for the valuation of our assets, subject to the oversight of the Board of Directors, and we are in compliance with Rule 2a-5.
Our NAV as of a particular date may be materially greater than or less than the value that would be realized if our assets were to be liquidated as of such date. For example, if we were required to sell a certain asset or all 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 NAV. 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 our NAV.
When our NAV is determined other than on a quarter-end (such as in connection with issuances of shares of our common stock on dates occurring mid-quarter), such determinations of NAV are generally made by our Investment Adviser, acting under delegated authority from, and subject to the supervision of our Board of Directors. While such NAV determinations are made in accordance with procedures adopted by our Board of Directors, such intra-quarter NAV determinations do not follow the same procedures as quarter-end NAV determinations, such as the input of our Audit Committee or Independent Valuation Advisors, which may heighten the risks described above. However, we intend to comply at all times with the limitations of Section 23 under the Investment Company Act (which generally prohibits us from issuing shares of common stock at a price below the then-current NAV of the shares of common stock as determined within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays, of such issuance, subject to certain exceptions).
The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business.
Various restrictions render our investments relatively illiquid, which may adversely affect our business. As we generally make investments in private companies, substantially all of these investments are subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or are otherwise less liquid than publicly traded securities. Our Investment Adviser is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information in effecting purchases and sales in public securities transactions for us, which could create an additional limitation on the liquidity of our investments. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need arises. Therefore, if we are required to or desire to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments or could be unable to dispose of our investments in a timely manner or at such times as we deem advisable.
Our portfolio may be focused in a limited number of portfolio companies, which will subject us to a risk of significant loss if any of these companies default on their obligations under any of its debt instruments or if there is a downturn in a particular industry.
We are classified as a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the Investment Company Act, which means that we are not limited by the Investment Company Act with respect to the proportion of our assets that we may invest in securities of a single issuer, excluding limitations on investments in certain other financial and investment companies. To the extent that we assume large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers or industries, our NAV may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified investment company as a result of changes in the financial condition or the market’s assessment of the issuer. We may also be more susceptible to any single economic or regulatory occurrence than a diversified investment company. 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. Further, any industry in which we are meaningfully concentrated at any given time could be subject to significant risks that could adversely impact our aggregate returns.
For example, as of December 31, 2024, Software represented 22.0% of our portfolio at fair value. Our investments in Software are subject to a variety of risks, including, but not limited to, intense competition, changing technology, shifting user needs, frequent introductions of new products and services, competitors in different industries and ranging from large established companies to emerging startups, decreasing average selling prices of products and services resulting from rapid technological changes, cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents and various legal and regulatory risks. As of December 31, 2024, our investments in Financial Services represented 14.2% of our portfolio at fair value. Our investments in Financial Services are subject to a variety of risks, including, but not limited to, market uncertainty, additional or changing government regulations, disclosure requirements, limits on fees, increasing borrowing costs or limits on the terms or availability of credit to such portfolio companies, and other regulatory requirements, each of which may impact the conduct of such portfolio companies. Compliance with changing regulatory requirements will likely impose staffing, legal, compliance and other costs, and administrative burdens upon our funds’ investments in financial services.
We may not be in a position to exercise control over our portfolio companies or to prevent decisions by management of our portfolio companies that could decrease the value of our investments.
We do not generally hold controlling equity positions in our portfolio companies. While we are obligated as a BDC to offer to make managerial assistance available to our portfolio companies, we can offer no assurance that management personnel of our portfolio companies will accept or rely on such assistance. To the extent that we do not hold a controlling equity interest in a portfolio company, we are subject to the risk that such portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and the stockholders and management of such 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 and equity investments that we typically hold in our portfolio companies, we may not be able to dispose of our investments in the event we disagree with the actions of a portfolio company, and may therefore suffer a decrease in the value of our investments.
In addition, we may not be in a position to control any portfolio company by investing in its debt securities. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company in which we invest may make business decisions with which we disagree and the management of such company, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors.
We may be subject to risks associated with subordinated debt.
We may acquire and/or originate junior lien or subordinated debt investments. If a borrower defaults on a junior lien or subordinated loan or on debt senior in right of payment or as to the proceeds of collateral to our debt investment, or in the event of the bankruptcy of a borrower, the debt investment will be satisfied only after, in the case of junior lien debt, the proceeds of collateral are applied to repay senior lien debt or, in the case of subordinated debt, the senior debt is repaid in full. Under the terms of typical intercreditor or subordination agreements, senior creditors may be able to block the exercise of remedies or the acceleration of the subordinated debt or the exercise by holders of junior lien or subordinated debt of other rights they may have as creditors or in respect of collateral. Accordingly, we may not be able to take the steps necessary or sufficient to protect our investments in a timely manner or at all. In addition, junior lien or subordinated debt may not always be protected by financial covenants or limitations upon additional indebtedness, may have limited liquidity and may not be rated by a credit rating agency. If a borrower declares bankruptcy, we may not have full or any recourse to the assets of the borrower, or the assets of the borrower may not be sufficient to the loan. Further, the Investment Adviser’s ability to amend the terms of our loans, assign its loans, accept prepayments, exercise its remedies and control decisions made in proceedings may be limited by intercreditor arrangements. In addition, the risks associated with junior lien or subordinated debt include a possibility that changes in the financial condition of the obligor or in general economic conditions (including a sustained period of rising interest rates or an economic ) may affect the borrower’s ability to pay principal and interest on its debt. Many obligors on junior lien or subordinated loan securities are highly leveraged, and specific developments affecting such obligors, including reduced cash flow from operations or the to refinance debt at maturity, may also affect such obligors’ ability to meet debt service obligations. The level of risk associated with investments in subordinated debt increases if such investments are debt of or below investment grade issuers. rates for junior lien or subordinated debt securities have historically been higher than has been the case for investment grade securities.
We may be subject to risks associated with unsecured debt.
We may invest in unsecured indebtedness in portfolio companies where a significant portion of such companies’ senior or junior lien indebtedness may be secured. In such situations, our ability to influence such portfolio company’s affairs, especially during periods of financial distress or following an insolvency, is likely to be substantially less than that of senior or junior lien creditors.
We may be subject to risks arising from revolving credit facilities.
We acquire or originate revolving credit facilities from time to time in connection with our investments in other assets, including term loans. A revolving credit facility is a line of credit in which the borrower pays the lender a commitment fee during a commitment period and is then allowed to draw from the line of credit from time to time until the end of such commitment period. The borrower of a revolving credit facility is typically permitted to draw thereunder for any reason, including to fund its operational requirements, to make acquisitions or to reserve cash, so long as certain customary conditions are met. Outstanding drawdowns under such revolving credit facilities can therefore fluctuate on a day-to-day basis, which may generate operational and other costs for us. If the borrower of a revolving credit facility draws down on the facility, we would be obligated to fund the amounts due.
We can offer no assurance that a borrower of a revolving credit facility will fully draw down its available credit thereunder, and in many cases a borrower with sufficient liquidity may forego drawing down its available credit thereunder in favor of obtaining other liquidity sources. As a result, we are likely to hold unemployed funds, and investments in revolving credit facilities may therefore adversely affect our returns.
We may be subject to risks arising from assignments and participations.
We may acquire investments directly (by way of assignment) or indirectly (by way of participation). As described in more detail below, holders of participation interests are subject to additional risks not applicable to a holder of a direct interest in a debt obligation.
The purchaser of an assignment of a debt obligation typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the selling institution and becomes a party to the applicable documentation relating to the debt obligation. In contrast, participations acquired by us in a portion of a debt obligation held by a seller typically result in a contractual relationship only with such seller, not with the obligor. We would have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled under the participation only from the seller and only upon receipt by the seller of such payments from the obligor. In purchasing a participation, we generally will have neither the right to enforce compliance by the obligor with the terms of the documentation relating to the debt obligation nor any rights of set-off against the obligor, and we may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, we will assume the credit risk of both the obligor and the seller, which will remain the legal owner of record of the applicable debt obligation. In the event of the insolvency of the seller, we may be treated as a general creditor of the seller in respect of the participation, may not benefit from any set-off exercised by the seller the obligor and may be subject to any set-off exercised by the obligor the seller. In addition, we may purchase a participation from a seller that does not itself retain any portion of the applicable debt obligation and, therefore, may have limited interest in monitoring the terms of the documentation relating to such debt obligation and the continuing creditworthiness of the borrower.
In addition, when we hold a participation in a debt obligation, we may not have the right to vote to waive enforcement of any default by an obligor. Sellers commonly reserve the right to administer the debt obligations sold by them as they see fit and to amend the documentation relating to such debt obligations in all respects. A seller may have interests different from ours, and the seller might not consider our interests when taking actions with respect to the debt obligation underlying the participation. In addition, some participation agreements that provide voting rights to the participant further provide that if the participant does not vote in favor of amendments, modifications or waivers to the documentation relating to the debt obligation, the seller may repurchase such participation at par. Assignments and participations are typically sold strictly without recourse to the seller thereof, and the seller will generally make no representations or warranties about the underlying debt obligation, the borrowers, the documentation relating to the debt obligations or any collateral securing the debt obligations.
We may have difficulty sourcing investment opportunities.
We cannot assure investors that we will be able to identify a sufficient number of suitable investment opportunities to allow us to deploy the capital available to us. Privately negotiated investments in loans and illiquid securities of private companies require substantial due diligence and structuring, and we cannot assure investors that we will achieve our anticipated investment pace. Our Investment Adviser will select our investments, and our stockholders will have no input with respect to such investment decisions. These factors increase the uncertainty, and thus the risk, of investing in our common stock. To the extent we are unable to deploy all investments, our investment income and, in turn, our results of operations, will likely be materially adversely affected.
Our failure or inability to make follow-on investments in our portfolio companies could impair the value of our portfolio.
Following an initial investment in a portfolio company, we may make additional investments in that portfolio company as “follow-on” investments, in order to:
increase or maintain in whole or in part our equity ownership percentage or debt participation;
exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing; or
attempt to preserve or enhance the value of our investment.
We may elect not to, or be unable to, make follow-on investments or may lack sufficient funds to make those investments.
We will have the discretion to make any follow-on investments, subject to the availability of capital resources and applicable law. The failure to make, or inability 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. Even if we have sufficient capital to make a desired follow-on investment, we may elect not to make a follow-on investment because we may not want to increase our concentration of risk, because we prefer other opportunities or because we are inhibited by compliance with BDC requirements, including the conditions of the Relief, compliance with covenants contained in the agreements governing our indebtedness or compliance with the requirements for maintenance of our qualification for tax treatment as a RIC.
Our portfolio companies may prepay loans, which may reduce stated yields in the future if the capital returned cannot be invested in transactions with equal or greater expected yields.
Certain of the loans we make are prepayable at any time, with some prepayable at no premium to par. We cannot predict when such loans may be prepaid. Whether a loan is prepaid will depend both on the continued positive performance of the portfolio company and the existence of favorable financing market conditions that permit such portfolio company to replace existing financing with less expensive capital. In periods of rising interest rates, the risk of prepayment of floating rate loans may increase if other financing sources are available. As market conditions change frequently, it is unknown when, and if, this may be possible for each portfolio company. In the case of some of these loans, having the loan prepaid early may reduce the achievable yield for us in the future below the current yield disclosed for our portfolio if the capital returned cannot be invested in transactions with equal or greater expected yields.
Investments in common and preferred equity securities, many of which are illiquid with no readily available market, involve a substantial degree of risk.
Although common stock has historically generated higher average total returns than fixed income securities over the long term, common stock also has experienced significantly more volatility in those returns. Our equity investments may fail to appreciate and may decline in value or become worthless, and our ability to recover our investment will depend on our portfolio company’s success. Investments in equity securities involve a number of significant risks, including:
any equity investment we make in a portfolio company could be subject to further dilution as a result of the issuance of additional equity interests and to serious risks as a junior security that will be subordinate to all indebtedness (including trade creditors) or senior securities in the event that the issuer is unable to meet its obligations or becomes subject to a bankruptcy process;
to the extent that the portfolio company requires additional capital and is unable to obtain it, we may not recover our investment; and
in some cases, equity securities in which we invest will not pay current dividends, and our ability to realize a return on our investment, as well as to recover our investment, will be dependent on the success of the portfolio company.
Even if the portfolio company is successful, our ability to realize the value of our investment may depend on the occurrence of a liquidity event, such as a public offering or the sale of the portfolio company. It is likely to take a significant amount of time before a liquidity event occurs or we can otherwise sell our investment. In addition, the equity securities we receive or invest in may be subject to restrictions on resale during periods in which it could be advantageous to sell them.
There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities, including:
preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, at its discretion, to defer distributions for a stated period without any adverse consequences to the issuer. If we own a preferred security that is deferring its distributions, we may be required to report income for tax purposes before we receive such distributions;
preferred securities are subordinated to debt in terms of priority to income and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than debt;
preferred securities may be substantially less liquid than many other securities, such as common stock or U.S. government securities; and
generally, preferred security holders have no voting rights with respect to the issuing company, subject to limited exceptions.
Additionally, when we invest in debt securities, we may acquire warrants or other equity securities as well. 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.
We may invest, to the extent permitted by law, in the equity securities of investment funds that are operating pursuant to certain exceptions to the Investment Company Act. To the extent we so invest, we will bear our ratable share of any such company’s expenses, including management and performance fees. We will also remain obligated to pay the Management Fee and Incentive Fee to our Investment Adviser with respect to the assets invested in the securities and instruments of such companies. With respect to each of these investments, each of our common stockholders will bear his or her share of the Management Fee and Incentive Fee due to our Investment Adviser as well as indirectly bearing the management and performance fees and other expenses of any such investment funds or advisers.
By originating loans to companies that are experiencing significant financial or business difficulties, we may be exposed to distressed lending risks.
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. Although the terms of such financing may result in significant financial returns to us, they involve 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 fund, we may lose all or part of the amounts advanced to the borrower or may be required to accept collateral with a value less than the amount of the loan advanced by us to the borrower.
We may be exposed to special risks associated with bankruptcy cases.
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, we can offer no assurance that a bankruptcy court would not approve actions that may be contrary to our interests. Furthermore, there are instances where creditors can lose their ranking and priority if they are considered to have taken over management of a borrower.
The reorganization of a company can involve substantial legal, professional and administrative costs to a lender and the borrower; it is subject to unpredictable and lengthy delays; and during the process a company’s competitive position may erode, key management may depart and a company may not be able to invest its capital 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.
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 a borrower requests significant managerial assistance from us and we provide such assistance as contemplated by the Investment Company Act.
We will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds of the funds we raise from investors and will use proceeds in part to satisfy operating expenses.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to locate a sufficient number of suitable investment opportunities to allow us to successfully deploy capital that we raise from investors in a timeframe that will permit investors to earn above-market returns. To the extent we are unable to invest substantially all of the capital we raise within our contemplated timeframe, our investment income, and in turn our results of operations, will likely be materially adversely affected. Additionally, there could be a significant lag in time between any Drawdown Date and our funding of investments.
We intend to use substantially all of the proceeds from the offering of our common stock, net of expenses, to make investments in accordance with our investment objectives and using the strategies described in this report. We anticipate that the remainder will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes, including the payment of operating expenses. However, subject to the restrictions of applicable law and regulations, including the Investment Company Act and the Code, we have significant flexibility in applying the proceeds of the funds we raise from investors and may use the net proceeds in ways with which stockholders may not agree, or for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of the capital raising. We may also pay operating expenses, and may pay other expenses such as due diligence expenses of potential new investments, from net proceeds. Our ability to achieve our investment objective may be limited to the extent that net proceeds of the funds we raise from investors, pending full investment by us in portfolio companies, are used to pay operating expenses.
Declines in market prices and liquidity in the corporate debt markets can result in significant net unrealized depreciation of our portfolio, which in turn would affect our results of operations.
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 under procedures adopted by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, as Valuation Designee. We may take into account the following types of factors, if relevant, in determining the fair value of our investments: the enterprise value of a portfolio company (the entire value of the portfolio company to a market participant, including the sum of the values of debt and equity securities used to capitalize the enterprise at a point in time), the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flow (taking into consideration current market interest rates and credit spreads), the markets in which the portfolio company does business, a comparison of the portfolio company’s securities to similar publicly traded securities and other relevant factors. When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, we use the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate our valuation. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity). As a result, volatility in the capital markets can also adversely affect our investment valuations. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments are recorded as unrealized depreciation. The effect of all of these factors on our portfolio can reduce our NAV by increasing net unrealized depreciation in our portfolio. Depending on market conditions, we could incur substantial realized and may unrealized , which could have a material impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Economic recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and harm our operating results.
Our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic downturns or recessions and may be unable to repay our loans during these periods. Therefore, during these periods our non-performing assets may increase and 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 collateral securing some of our loans and the value of our equity investments. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead to financial losses in our portfolio and a decrease in revenues, net income and assets. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results.
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 the portfolio company’s assets representing collateral for its obligations. This could trigger cross defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt that we hold and the value of any equity securities we own.
In addition, we may originate “covenant-lite” loans, which are loans with fewer financial maintenance covenants than other obligations, or no financial maintenance covenants. Such covenant-lite loans may not include terms that allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower or to declare a default if certain criteria are breached. These flexible covenants (or the absence of covenants) could permit borrowers to experience a significant downturn in their results of operations without triggering any default that would permit holders of their debt (such as the Company) to accelerate indebtedness or negotiate terms and pricing. Accordingly, to the extent we invest in “covenant-lite” loans, we may have fewer rights against a borrower and may have a greater risk of loss on such investments as compared to investments in or exposure to loans with financial maintenance covenants. Therefore, our investments may result in an above-average amount of risk and volatility or loss of principal.
Our portfolio companies may have incurred or issued, or may in the future incur or issue, debt or equity securities that rank equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies, which could have an adverse effect on us in any liquidation of the portfolio company.
Our portfolio companies may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt, or issue other equity securities that rank equally with, or senior to, our investments. By their terms, such instruments may provide that the holders are entitled to receive payment of dividends, interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments in respect of our investments. These debt instruments 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. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of securities ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company typically are entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying such holders, the portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of securities ranking equally with our investments, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other security holders in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, , reorganization or of the relevant portfolio company.
Additionally, certain loans that we make to portfolio companies may be secured on a second priority basis by the same collateral securing senior secured debt, which will be secured on a first priority basis. The first priority liens on the collateral will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under any outstanding senior debt and may secure certain other future debt that may be permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under the agreements governing the loans. 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 us. 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. We can offer no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from the sale or sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the loan obligations secured by the second priority liens after payment in full of all obligations secured by the first priority liens. If such proceeds are not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the loan obligations secured by the second priority liens, then we, to the extent not repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral, will only have an unsecured claim against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.
The rights we may have with respect to the collateral securing any junior priority loans we make to our portfolio companies may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more intercreditor agreements that we enter into with the holders of senior debt. Under such an intercreditor agreement, at any time that senior obligations are outstanding, we may forfeit certain rights with respect to the collateral to the holders of the senior obligations. These rights may include the right to commence enforcement proceedings against the collateral, the right to control the conduct of such enforcement proceedings, the right to approve amendments to collateral documents, the right to release liens on the collateral and the right to waive past defaults under collateral documents. We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if our rights as junior lenders are adversely affected. In addition, a bankruptcy court may choose not to enforce an intercreditor agreement or other arrangement with creditors. Similar risks to the foregoing may apply where we hold the last-out piece of a unitranche loan.
We may also make unsecured loans to portfolio companies, meaning that such loans will not benefit from any interest in collateral of such portfolio 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 loan 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 us. 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. We can offer no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from sales of such collateral would be sufficient to satisfy our unsecured loan obligations after payment in full of all secured loan obligations. If such proceeds were not sufficient to repay the outstanding secured loan obligations, then the unsecured claims would rank equally with the unpaid portion of such secured creditors’ claims the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.
Our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged.
Some of our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged, which may have adverse consequences to these portfolio companies and to us as an investor. These portfolio companies may be subject to restrictive financial and operating covenants and the leverage may impair these portfolio companies’ ability to finance their future operations and capital needs. As a result, these portfolio companies’ flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions and to take advantage of business opportunities may be limited. Further, a leveraged company’s income and net assets will tend to increase or decrease at a greater rate than if borrowed money were not used.
Our investments in non-U.S. companies may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.
Our investment strategy contemplates potential investments in securities of non-U.S. companies to the extent permissible under the Investment Company Act. Investing in non-U.S. companies may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. These risks include changes in exchange control regulations, political and social instability, expropriation, imposition of non-U.S. taxes (potentially at confiscatory levels), less liquid markets, less available information than is generally the case in the United States, higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility. These risks are likely to be more pronounced for investments in companies located in emerging markets and particularly for middle-market companies in these economies.
Although most of our investments are denominated in USD, our investments that are denominated in a non-USD currency will be subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency will change in relation to the USD. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation and political developments. We may employ hedging techniques to minimize these risks, but we cannot assure investors that such strategies will be effective or without risk to us.
We may expose ourselves to risks if we engage in hedging transactions.
Subject to applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act, the regulations promulgated thereunder, and applicable CFTC regulations, we may enter into hedging transactions in a manner consistent with SEC guidance, which may expose us to risks associated with such transactions. Such hedging may utilize instruments such as forward contracts, currency options and interest rate swaps, caps, collars and floors to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the relative values of our portfolio positions from changes in currency exchange rates and market interest rates. Use of these hedging instruments may involve counter-party credit risk. To the extent we have non-U.S. investments, particularly non-USD-denominated investments, our hedging costs will increase.
Hedging against a decline in the values of our portfolio positions does not eliminate the possibility of fluctuations in the values of such positions or prevent losses if the values of such positions decline. However, such hedging can establish other positions designed to gain from those same developments, thereby offsetting the decline in the value of such portfolio positions. Such hedging transactions may also limit the opportunity for gain if the values of the underlying portfolio positions should increase. Moreover, it may not be possible to hedge against an exchange rate or interest rate fluctuation that is so generally anticipated that we are not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price.
The success of any hedging transactions we may enter into will depend on our ability to correctly predict movements in currencies and interest rates. Therefore, while we may enter into such transactions to seek to reduce currency exchange rate and interest rate risks, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates or interest rates may result in poorer overall investment performance than if we had not engaged in any such hedging transactions. In addition, the degree of correlation between price movements of the instruments used in a hedging strategy and price movements in the portfolio positions being hedged may vary. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, we may not seek to (or be able to) establish a perfect correlation between such hedging instruments and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Any such imperfect correlation may prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and expose us to risk of loss. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies because the value of those securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of factors not related to currency fluctuations. Income derived from hedging transactions also is generally not eligible to be distributed to non-U.S. stockholders free from U.S. federal withholding tax. Changes to the regulations applicable to the financial instruments we use to our hedging strategy could the effectiveness of that strategy. See also “ —Risks Relating to Our Portfolio Company Investments—We are to risks associated with changes in interest rates. ”
We may form one or more CLOs, which may subject us to certain structured financing risks.
To the extent permissible under risk retention rules adopted pursuant to Section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Act and applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act, to finance investments, we may securitize certain of our investments, including through the formation of one or more CLOs, while retaining all or most of the exposure to the performance of these investments. This would involve contributing a pool of assets to a special purpose entity, and selling debt interests in such entity on a non-recourse or limited-recourse basis to purchasers. Any interest in any such CLO held by us may be considered a “non-qualifying asset” for purposes of Section 55 of the Investment Company Act.
If we create a CLO, we will depend on distributions from the CLO’s assets out of its earnings and cash flows to enable us to make distributions to our stockholders. The ability of a CLO to make distributions will be subject to various limitations, including the terms and covenants of the debt it issues. For example, tests (based on interest coverage or other financial ratios or other criteria) may restrict our ability, as holder of a CLO’s equity interests, to receive cash flow from these investments. There is no assurance any such performance tests will be satisfied. Also, a CLO may take actions that delay distributions in order to preserve ratings and to keep the cost of present and future financings lower or the CLO may be obligated to retain cash or other assets to satisfy over-collateralization requirements commonly provided for holders of the CLO’s debt. As a result, there may be a lag, which could be significant, between the repayment or other realization on a loan or other assets in, and the distribution of cash out of, a CLO, or cash flow may be completely restricted for the life of the CLO. If we do not receive cash flow from any such CLO that is necessary to the Annual Distribution Requirement for maintaining our qualification for tax treatment as a RIC, and we are to obtain cash from other sources necessary to this requirement, we could to maintain our qualification for tax treatment as a RIC, which would have a material effect on our financial performance.
In addition, a decline in the credit quality of loans in a CLO due to poor operating results of the relevant borrower, declines in the value of loan collateral or increases in defaults, among other things, may force a CLO to sell certain assets at a loss, reducing their earnings and, in turn, cash potentially available for distribution to us for distribution to our stockholders.
To the extent that any losses are incurred by the CLO in respect of any collateral, such losses will be borne first by us as owner of equity interests. Finally, any equity interests that we retain in a CLO will not be secured by the assets of the CLO, and we will rank behind all creditors of the CLO.
We may invest a significant portion of our assets in high-quality short-term investments, which will generate lower rates of return than those expected from the interest generated on our intended investment program.
From time to time, a significant portion of our assets may be invested in a money market fund managed by an affiliate of GS Group Inc. These investments may earn yields substantially lower than the income that we expect to receive from investments made in accordance with our investment objective. As a result, we may not be able to achieve our investment objective and/or pay any dividends while a significant portion of our assets are invested in the money market fund or, if we are able to do so, such dividends may be substantially lower than the dividends that we expect to pay when our portfolio is fully invested in accordance with our investment objectives. If we do not realize yields in excess of our expenses, we may incur operating losses.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
Investing in our securities involves an above-average degree of risk.
The investments we make in accordance with our investment objective may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and volatility or loss of principal. Our investments in portfolio companies may be highly speculative and aggressive. Therefore, an investment in our common stock may not be suitable for an investor with a lower risk tolerance.
Investors could receive fewer shares of our common stock than anticipated.
The purchase price per share of our common stock on each Drawdown Date is expected to be determined to ensure that such price is equal to our then-current NAV per share. As a result, in the event of an increase in our NAV per share, the purchase price for shares purchased on any Drawdown Date may be higher than the purchase price on a previous Drawdown Date, and therefore an investor may receive a smaller number of shares than in a prior drawdown.
A stockholder’s interest in us will be diluted if we issue additional shares, which could reduce the overall value of an investment in us.
Stockholders do not have preemptive rights to any shares we issue in the future. We may decide, at a subsequent closing date ("Subsequent Closing Date") and in accordance with the process described below, to issue additional shares at or below the NAV per share. To the extent we issue additional shares, a stockholder’s percentage ownership interest in us may be diluted. In addition, if such shares are issued below NAV, existing stockholders may also experience dilution in the book value and fair value of their shares.
We are generally not able to issue and sell our common stock at a price per share below NAV per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the then-current NAV per share of our common stock (i) with the consent of a majority of our common stockholders (and a majority of our common stockholders who are not affiliates of ours) and (ii) if, among other things, a majority of our Independent Directors and a majority of our directors who have no financial interest in the transaction determine that a sale is in the best interests of us and our stockholders.
We have the right to call Commitments from each investor subscribing at a Subsequent Closing Date to purchase shares in an amount such that the percentage of Commitment contributed by each stockholder in us will be the same (excluding any Defaulting Stockholder). If our NAV has decreased between the Initial Closing Date and such Subsequent Closing Date, the investors subscribing on the Subsequent Closing Date will receive more shares than they would have received had they subscribed for shares on the Initial Closing Date and accordingly, stockholders who subscribed on the Initial Closing Date would have their percentage ownership interest in us further diluted.
We may in the future determine to issue preferred stock, which could adversely affect the value of our common stock.
The issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the value of our common stock by making an investment in the common stock less attractive. In addition, the dividends on any preferred stock we issue must be cumulative. Payment of dividends and repayment of the liquidation preference of preferred stock must take preference over any distributions or other payments to our common stockholders, and holders of preferred stock are not subject to any of our expenses or losses and are not entitled to participate in any income or appreciation in excess of their stated preference (other than convertible preferred stock that converts into common stock). In addition, under the Investment Company Act, preferred stock would constitute a “senior security” for purposes of the 150% asset coverage test. See “ Risks Relating to Legal and Regulatory Matters—Regulations governing our operations as a BDC affect our ability to, and the way in which we, raise additional capital. These constraints may hinder our Investment Adviser’s ability to take advantage of investment and to our investment objective. ”
We may not be able to pay distributions to holders of our common stock, distributions to holders of our common stock may not grow over time, and a portion of our distributions may be a return of capital to holders of our common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
All distributions will be paid at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on such factors as the Board determines to be relevant from time to time, including our earnings, financial condition and compliance with any debt covenants we may be subject to. Accordingly, we may not pay distributions to stockholders.
The distributions we pay to our stockholders in a year may exceed our net ordinary income and capital gains for that year and, accordingly, a portion of such distributions may constitute a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes that would reduce a stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock and correspondingly increase such stockholder’s gain, or reduce such stockholder’s loss, on disposition of such common stock. Distributions in excess of a stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock will generally constitute capital gains to such stockholder.
Stockholders who periodically receive the payment of a distribution from a RIC consisting of a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes may be under the impression that they are receiving a distribution of the RIC’s net ordinary income or capital gains when they are not. Accordingly, stockholders should read carefully any written disclosure accompanying a distribution from us and the information about the specific tax characteristics of our distributions provided to stockholders after the end of each calendar year, and should not assume that the source of any distribution is our net ordinary income or capital gains.
If we do not distribute a certain percentage of our income annually, we will suffer adverse tax consequences, including possible loss of the tax benefits available to us as a RIC. In addition, in accordance with GAAP and tax rules, we include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as contractual PIK interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance that becomes due at the end of the loan term, or the accrual of original issue or market discount. Since we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the requirement to distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income to obtain tax benefits as a RIC. We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible federal excise tax on certain undistributed income for a calendar year unless we distribute in a timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 in that calendar year and (3) any income recognized, but not distributed, in preceding years. We will not be subject to excise taxes on amounts on which we are required to pay corporate income taxes (such as retained net capital ).
We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize taxable 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 OID, which may occur if we receive warrants in connection with the origination of a loan or possibly in other circumstances or contracted PIK interest, which generally represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term. Such OID, which could be significant relative to our overall investment assets, and increases in loan balances as a result of PIK interest 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 have not yet received or will not receive in cash, such as accruals on a contingent payment debt instrument, accruals of interest income and/or OID on defaulted debt, or deferred loan origination fees that are paid after origination of the loan or are paid in non-cash compensation such as warrants or stock. Moreover, we generally will be required to take certain amounts into income no later than the time such amounts are reflected on our financial statements. The credit risk associated with the collectability of deferred payments may be increased as and when a portfolio company increases the amount of interest on which it is deferring cash payment through deferred interest features. Our investments with a deferred interest feature may represent a higher credit risk than loans for which interest must be paid in full in cash on a regular basis. For example, even if the accounting conditions for income accrual are met, the borrower could still when our actual collection is scheduled to occur upon maturity of the obligation.
Because in certain cases we may recognize taxable income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty making distributions to our stockholders that will be sufficient to enable us to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary for us to maintain our qualification for tax treatment as a RIC. Accordingly, we may need to sell some of our assets at times and/or at prices that we would not consider advantageous, we may need to raise additional equity or debt capital, or we may need to forego new investment opportunities or otherwise take actions that are disadvantageous to our business (or be unable to take actions that are advantageous to our business) to enable us to make distributions to our stockholders that will be sufficient to enable us to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement. If we are unable to obtain cash in the amount required for us to make, or if we are restricted from making, sufficient distributions to our stockholders to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement, we may to qualify for the U.S. federal income tax benefits allowable to RICs and, thus, become subject to a corporate-level U.S. federal income tax (and any applicable U.S. state and local taxes).
Our stockholders may receive shares of our common stock as distributions, which could result in adverse tax consequences to them.
In order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement applicable to RICs, we have the ability to declare a large portion of a distribution in shares of our common stock instead of in cash. We are not subject to restrictions on the circumstances in which we may declare a portion of a distribution in shares of our common stock but would generally anticipate doing so only in unusual situations, such as, for example, if we do not have sufficient cash to meet our RIC distribution requirements under the Code. Generally, were we to declare such a distribution, we would allow stockholders to elect payment in cash and/or shares of our common stock of equivalent value. Under published IRS guidance, the entire distribution by a publicly offered RIC will generally be treated as a taxable distribution for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and count towards our RIC distribution requirements under the Code, if certain conditions are satisfied. Among other things, the aggregate amount of cash available to be distributed to all stockholders is required to be at least 20% of the aggregate declared distribution. If too many stockholders elect to receive cash, the cash available for distribution is required to be allocated among the stockholders electing to receive cash (with the balance of the distribution paid in stock) under a formula provided in the applicable IRS guidance. The number of shares of our stock distributed would thus depend on the applicable percentage limitation on cash available for distribution, the stockholders’ individual elections to receive cash or stock, and the value of the shares of our stock. Each stockholder generally would be treated as having received a taxable distribution (including for purposes of the withholding tax rules applicable to a non-U.S. stockholder) on the date the distribution is received in an amount equal to the cash that such stockholder would have received if the entire distribution had been paid in cash, even if the stockholder received all or most of the distribution in shares of our common stock. We currently do not intend to pay distributions in shares of our common stock, but we can offer no assurance that we will not do so in the future.
Our common stock is subject to significant transfer restrictions, and an investment in our common stock generally will be illiquid.
Shares of our common stock are subject to the restrictions on transfer described herein and as set forth in our certificate of incorporation. Purchasers of shares of our common stock prior to an IPO and listing (including purchasers in the offering) will not be permitted to transfer their shares after the consummation of such IPO and listing, including a transfer of solely an economic interest, without our prior written consent until a date to be established by us. If we undergo a Merger, similar restrictions may be imposed on our common stock or shares of another entity received by our stockholders in connection with such transaction. If a listing does not occur, our common stockholders will be prohibited from transferring their shares without our prior written consent. An investment in our common stock is of further limited liquidity since our common stock is not freely transferable under the securities laws. Each investor in our common stock must be prepared to bear the economic risk of an investment in our common stock for an indefinite period.
We have no obligation to conduct an Exit Event and can offer no assurances as to whether or when we may conduct an Exit Event. Even if we consummate an Exit Event, we can offer no assurances as to the price at which our common stock will be valued in an Exit Event, and it could be valued below the price in the offering or the then-current NAV. Additionally, pre-Exit Event stockholders are not expected to be able to sell their common stock in any IPO.
Shares of our common stock have not been registered under the Securities Act and, therefore, under the securities laws, cannot be sold unless such shares are subsequently registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from such registration is available. Shares of our common stock are illiquid assets for which there is not a secondary market and there is no guarantee that a secondary market will develop in the future. An investment in our common stock is therefore suitable only for certain sophisticated investors that can bear the risks associated with the illiquidity of their common stock.
You will have limited opportunities to sell your common stock and, to the extent you are able to sell your common stock, you may not be able to recover the amount of your investment in our common stock.
Beginning with the end of the Investment Period, until an Exit Event, we expect that our Board of Directors will consider repurchase offers to allow you to tender your shares of common stock on a quarterly basis at a price per share we expect to reflect a recent NAV per share. Any such share repurchase offer will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and subject to applicable law and that such repurchases do not give rise to adverse tax, ERISA or other regulatory consequences to us or our stockholders. Additionally, if we determine to make one or more repurchase offers, such offers are expected to include numerous restrictions that limit your ability to sell your shares of common stock pursuant to such offers. We expect to limit the number of shares of common stock repurchased pursuant to any share repurchase offer to 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock (with the exact amount to be set by our Board of Directors).
Although we expect that our Board of Directors will consider repurchase offers on a quarterly basis beginning with the end of the Investment Period, our 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 you may not be able to sell your shares of common stock at all. You should not assume or rely upon any expectation that we will offer to repurchase any of our 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 stockholders paid for their shares of our common stock. In addition, in the event that a stockholder chooses to participate in a quarterly repurchase offer, the stockholder 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. A stockholder seeking to sell shares of our common stock to us as part of our quarterly share repurchase offer may be required to do so without knowledge of what the repurchase price per share of our common stock will be on the repurchase date.
If we have not consummated an Exit Event by the Wind-down Determination Date, our Board of Directors (to the extent consistent with its fiduciary duties and subject to any necessary stockholder approvals and applicable requirements of the Investment Company Act and the Code) will meet to consider our potential wind down and/or liquidation and dissolution.
If we have not consummated an Exit Event by the Wind-down Determination Date, our Board of Directors (to the extent consistent with its fiduciary duties and subject to any necessary stockholder approvals and applicable requirements of the Investment Company Act and the Code) will meet to consider our potential wind down and/or liquidation and dissolution. To the extent our Board determines to pursue a liquidation or dissolution, no assurances can be provided as to what price they will be able to obtain from selling or liquidating our investments and we could end up being liquidated below our then NAV per share or at a price per share below what stockholders paid.
In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, our common stockholders would receive any remaining net assets only after payment or provision or payment of our debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights of any outstanding preferred stock. In addition, we expect that we would incur certain costs associated with a liquidation or dissolution. Accordingly, to the extent our Board of Directors determines to proceed with our liquidation or dissolution, it could result in a loss for our common stockholders.
Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the DGCL, as well as other aspects of our structure, could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as the DGCL, contain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging a third party from making an acquisition proposal for us. Among other things, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws:
provide that our Board of Directors will be classified in the event of a listing, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to change the membership of a majority of our Board of Directors;
do not provide for cumulative voting;
provide that vacancies on our Board of Directors, including newly created directorships, may be filled only by a majority vote of directors then in office;
provide that our directors may be removed only for cause, and only by a supermajority vote of the stockholders entitled to elect such directors upon Board classification at the time of a listing;
provide that stockholders may only take action at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and may not act by written consent;
restrict stockholders’ ability to call special meetings; and
require a supermajority vote of stockholders to effect certain amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws.
We have provisions comparable to those of Section 203 of the DGCL (other than with respect to GS Group Inc. and its affiliates and certain of its or their direct or indirect transferees and any group as to which such persons are a party). These provisions generally prohibit us from engaging in mergers, business combinations and certain other types of transactions with “interested stockholders” (generally defined as persons or entities that beneficially own 15% or more of our voting stock), other than the exempt parties as described above, for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder unless, prior to such stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, our Board of Directors has approved the “business combination” that would otherwise be restricted or the transaction that resulted in the interested stockholder becoming an interested stockholder or the subsequent transaction with the interested stockholder has been approved by our Board of Directors and 66 2/3% of our outstanding voting stock (other than voting stock owned by the interested stockholder). Such provisions may discourage third parties from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer.
These anti-takeover provisions may inhibit a change of control in circumstances that could give the holders of our common stock the opportunity to realize a premium over the value of our common stock. In addition, certain aspects of our structure, may have the effect of discouraging a third party from making an acquisition proposal for us.
If we are not treated as a “publicly offered regulated investment company,” as defined in the Code, U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates will be taxed as though they received a distribution of some of our expenses.
During the period when we have elected to be treated as a RIC, we expect to be treated as a “publicly offered regulated investment company” (within the meaning of Section 67 of the Code) as a result of shares of our common stock being held by at least 500 persons at all times during a taxable year. However, we cannot assure investors that we will be treated as a publicly offered regulated investment company for all years. If we are not treated as a publicly offered regulated investment company for any calendar year, each U.S. stockholder that is an individual, trust or estate will be treated as having received a dividend from us in the amount of such U.S. stockholder’s allocable share of the management and incentive fees paid to our Investment Adviser and certain of our other expenses for the calendar year, and these fees and expenses will be treated as miscellaneous itemized deductions of such U.S. stockholder. Miscellaneous itemized deductions of a U.S. stockholder that is an individual, trust or estate are disallowed for tax years beginning before January 1, 2026, and thereafter generally are (i) deductible by such U.S. stockholders only to the extent that the aggregate of such U.S. stockholder’s miscellaneous itemized deductions exceeds 2% of such U.S. stockholder’s adjusted gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (ii) not deductible for purposes of the alternative minimum tax and (iii) subject to the overall limitation on itemized deductions under the Code. In addition, if we are not treated as a publicly offered regulated investment company, we will be subject to on the deductibility of certain “preferential dividends” that are distributed to stockholders on a non- pro-rata basis.
Non-U.S. stockholders may be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax on distributions we pay.
Distributions of our “investment company taxable income” to a non-U.S. stockholder that are not effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States will generally be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate (or lower rate provided by an applicable income tax treaty) to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits.
Certain properly reported distributions are generally exempt from withholding of U.S. federal income tax where they are paid in respect of our (i) “qualified net interest income” (generally, our U.S.-source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which we or the non-U.S. stockholder are at least a 10% stockholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of our net short-term capital gain over our net long-term capital loss for such taxable year), and certain other requirements are satisfied.
NO ASSURANCE CAN BE GIVEN AS TO WHETHER ANY OF OUR DISTRIBUTIONS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS EXEMPTION FROM WITHHOLDING OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX. IN PARTICULAR, THIS EXEMPTION WILL NOT APPLY TO OUR DISTRIBUTIONS PAID IN RESPECT OF OUR NON-U.S. SOURCE INTEREST INCOME OR OUR DIVIDEND INCOME (OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF INCOME OTHER THAN GENERALLY OUR NON-CONTINGENT U.S.-SOURCE INTEREST INCOME RECEIVED FROM UNRELATED OBLIGORS AND OUR QUALIFIED SHORT-TERM CAPITAL GAINS). IN THE CASE OF OUR COMMON STOCK HELD THROUGH AN INTERMEDIARY, THE INTERMEDIARY MAY WITHHOLD U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX EVEN IF WE REPORT THE PAYMENT AS QUALIFIED NET INTEREST INCOME OR QUALIFIED SHORT-TERM CAPITAL GAIN. BECAUSE OUR COMMON STOCK WILL BE SUBJECT TO SIGNIFICANT TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS, AND AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMON STOCK WILL GENERALLY BE ILLIQUID, NON-U.S. STOCKHOLDERS WHOSE DISTRIBUTIONS ON OUR COMMON STOCK ARE SUBJECT TO WITHHOLDING OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TRANSFER THEIR SHARES OF OUR COMMON STOCK EASILY OR QUICKLY OR AT ALL.
The tax treatment of a Non-U.S. stockholder in its jurisdiction of tax residence will depend entirely on the laws of such jurisdiction, and may vary considerably from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Depending on (i) the laws of such non-U.S. stockholder’s jurisdiction of tax residence, (ii) how the Company, the investments and/or any other investment vehicles through which we directly or indirectly invest are treated in such jurisdiction, and (iii) the activities of any such entities, an investment in us could result in such non-U.S. stockholder recognizing adverse tax consequences in its jurisdiction of tax residence, including (a) with respect to any generally required or additional tax filings and/or additional disclosure required in such filings in relation to the treatment for tax purposes in the relevant jurisdiction of an interest in the Company, the investments and/or any other investment vehicles through which we directly or indirectly invest and/or of distributions from such entities and any uncertainties arising in that respect (the Company not being established under the laws of the relevant jurisdiction), (b) the possibility of taxable income significantly in excess of cash distributed to a non-U.S. stockholder, and possibly in excess of our actual economic income, (c) the possibilities of losing deductions or the ability to utilize tax basis and of sums invested being returned in the form of taxable income or gains, and (d) the possibility of being subject to tax at unfavorable tax rates. A non-U.S. stockholder may also be subject to restrictions on the use of its share of our deductions and in its jurisdiction of tax residence. Each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors with respect to the tax and tax filing consequences, if any, in its jurisdiction of tax residence of an investment in us, as well as any other jurisdiction in which such prospective investor is subject to taxation.
Beneficial owners of our equity securities may be subject to certain regulatory requirements based on their ownership percentages.
A beneficial owner, either directly or indirectly, of more than 25% of our voting securities is presumed to control us under the Investment Company Act. Certain events beyond an investor’s control may result in an increase in the percentage of such investor’s beneficial ownership of our shares, including the repurchase by us of shares from other stockholders. Control of us would also arise under the Investment Company Act if a person has the power to exercise a controlling influence over our management or policies, unless that power is solely the result of an official position with us. In the event a stockholder is or becomes a person that controls us, it and certain of its affiliated persons will be subject to, among other things, prohibitions or restrictions on engaging in certain transactions with us and certain of our affiliated persons. A beneficial owner of a large number of our equity securities may also become subject to public reporting obligations when we become a public reporting company under the Exchange Act.
Stockholders may be subject to filing requirements under the Exchange Act as a result of their investment in us.
Ownership information for any person or group that beneficially owns more than 5% of our common stock will have to be disclosed in a Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G, as required by Regulation 13D-G under the Exchange Act, or other filings with the SEC. Beneficial ownership for these purposes is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and includes having or sharing voting or investment power over the securities. Although we will provide in our quarterly statements the amount of outstanding stock, the responsibility for determining the filing obligation and preparing the filing remains with the investor. In addition, beneficial owners of more than 10% of our common stock will be subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, including the reporting obligations of Section 16(a).
Stockholders may be subject to the short-swing profits rules under the Exchange Act as a result of their investment in us.
Persons with the right to appoint a director or who beneficially own more than 10% of our common stock may be subject to Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, which recaptures for our benefit profits from the purchase and sale of registered stock within a six-month period.
To the extent OID 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 OID instruments and PIK interest arrangements, which represents contractual interest added to a loan balance and due at the end of such loan’s term. To the extent OID or PIK interest constitute 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 OID and PIK instruments reflect the payment deferral and increased credit risk associated with these instruments, and OID 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.
OID 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. OID and PIK income may also create uncertainty about the source of our cash distributions.
For accounting purposes, any cash distributions to stockholders representing OID and PIK income are not treated as coming from paid-in capital, even if the cash to pay them comes from offering proceeds. As a result, despite the fact that a distribution representing OID and PIK income could be paid out of amounts invested by our stockholders, the Investment Company Act does not require that stockholders be given notice of this fact by reporting it as a return of capital.
In addition, investments in PIK and OID instruments may provide certain benefits to the Investment Adviser, including increasing management fees and incentive fees prior to the receipt of cash with respect to accrued interest payments.
