BlackRock Capital Investment Corp - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

Unsecured Convertible Senior Notes Due 2022

Market disruptions and other geopolitical or macroeconomic events could create market volatility that negatively impacts our business, financial condition and earnings.

General economic and market conditions, such as interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, energy and other resource shortages, changes in laws, trade barriers, currency exchange controls and national and international political circumstances, may have long-term negative effects on the U.S. and worldwide financial markets and economy. These conditions have resulted in, and in many cases continue to result in, greater price volatility, less liquidity, widening credit spreads and a lack of price transparency, with many securities remaining illiquid and of uncertain value. Such market conditions may adversely affect the Company, including by making valuation of some of the Company’s securities uncertain and/or result in sudden and significant valuation increases or declines in the Company’s holdings. If there is a significant decline in the value of the Company’s portfolio, this may impact the asset coverage levels for the Company’s outstanding leverage.

Risks resulting from any future debt or other economic crisis could also have a detrimental impact on the global economy, the financial condition of financial institutions and our business, financial condition and results of operation. Market and economic disruptions have affected, and may in the future affect, consumer confidence levels and spending, personal bankruptcy rates, levels of incurrence and default on consumer debt and home prices, among other factors. 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 significantly and adversely affected. Downgrades to the credit ratings of major banks could result in increased borrowing costs for such banks and negatively affect the broader economy. Moreover, Federal Reserve policy, including with respect to certain interest rates, may also adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend- and interest-paying securities. Market volatility, rising interest rates and/or a return to unfavorable economic conditions could impair the Company’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

The occurrence of events similar to those in recent years, such as localized wars, instability, new and ongoing pandemics (such as COVID-19), epidemics or outbreaks of infectious diseases in certain parts of the world, and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and global health epidemics, terrorist attacks in the U.S. and around the world, social and political discord, debt crises sovereign debt downgrades, increasingly strained relations between the U.S. and a number of foreign countries, new and continued political unrest in various countries, the exit or potential exit of one or more countries from the EU or the EMU, continued changes in the balance of political power among and within the branches of the U.S. government, government shutdowns, among others, may result in market volatility, may have long term effects on the U.S. and worldwide financial markets, and may cause further economic uncertainties in the U.S. and worldwide.

In particular, the consequences of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the impact on inflation and increased disruption to supply chains and energy resources may impact our portfolio companies, result in an economic downturn or recession either globally or locally in the U.S. or other economies, reduce business activity, spawn additional conflicts (whether in the form of traditional military action, reignited "cold" wars or in the form of virtual warfare such as cyberattacks) with similar and perhaps wider ranging impacts and consequences and have an adverse impact on the Company's returns and net asset value. In response to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the U.S. and other countries have imposed sanctions or other restrictive actions against Russia, Russian-backed separatist regions in Ukraine, and certain banks, companies, government officials and other individuals in Russia and Belarus. Any of the above factors, including sanctions, export controls, tariffs, trade wars and other governmental actions, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations and could cause the market value of our common shares and/or debt securities to decline. We have no way to predict the duration or outcome of the situation, as the conflict and government reactions are rapidly developing and beyond our control. Prolonged unrest, military activities, or broad-based sanctions could have a material adverse effect on our portfolio companies. Such consequences also may increase our funding cost or limit our access to the capital markets.

The current political climate has intensified concerns about a potential trade war between China and the U.S., as each country has imposed tariffs on the other country’s products. These actions may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of China’s export industry, which could have a negative impact on our performance. U.S. companies that source material and goods from China and those that make large amounts of sales in China would be particularly vulnerable to an escalation of trade tensions. Uncertainty regarding the outcome of the trade tensions and the potential for a trade war could cause the U.S. dollar to decline against safe haven currencies, such as the Japanese yen and the euro. Events such as these and their consequences are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed

or other escalating actions may be taken in the future. Any of these effects could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The effects described above on our portfolio companies could impact their ability to make payments on their loans on a timely basis and may impact their ability to continue making their loan payments on a timely basis or meeting their loan covenants. The inability of portfolio companies to make timely payments or meet loan covenants may in the future require us to undertake amendment actions with respect to our investments or to restructure our investments, which may include the need for us to make additional investments in our portfolio companies (including debt or equity investments) beyond any existing commitments, exchange debt for equity, or change the payment terms of our investments to permit a portfolio company to pay a portion of its interest through payment-in-kind, which would defer the cash collection of such interest and add it to the principal balance, which would generally be due upon repayment of the outstanding principal.

Economic recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and harm our operating results.

Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our loans during these periods. Therefore, our non-performing assets may increase and the value of our portfolio may decrease during these periods as we are required to record the values of our investments. Adverse economic conditions also may 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, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company. In addition, if one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, even though we or one of our affiliates may have structured our interest in such portfolio company as senior debt, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might re-characterize our debt holding as equity and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to claims of other creditors.

Recently, central banks such as the Federal Reserve Bank have been increasing interest rates in an effort to slow the rate of inflation. There is a risk that increased interest rates may cause the economy to enter a recession. Any such recession would negatively impact the businesses in which we invest and our business. These impacts may include:

We are subject to risks related to inflation.

Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. Recently, inflation has increased to its highest level in decades, and the Federal Reserve has been raising the federal funds rate in response. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Company’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to shareholders. As inflation increases, the real value of our shares and dividends therefore may decline. In addition, during any periods of rising inflation, interest rates of any debt securities issued by the Company would likely increase, which would tend to further reduce returns to shareholders. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic

or global economy and changes in economic policies, and our investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to our shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

Capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability. Such market conditions may materially and adversely affect debt and equity capital markets in the U.S. and abroad, which may have a negative impact on our business and operations.

From time to time, capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability, which may be evidenced by a lack of liquidity in debt capital markets, write-offs in the financial services sector, re-pricing of credit risk and failure of certain major financial institutions. While the extreme volatility and disruption that U.S. and global markets experienced for an extended period of time beginning in 2007 and 2008 had, until the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, generally subsided, uncertainty and periods of volatility still remain, and risks to a robust resumption of growth persist.

Equity capital may be difficult to raise because, subject to some limited exceptions, as a BDC, we are generally not able to issue additional shares of common stock at a price less than net asset value without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. We generally seek approval from our stockholders so that we have the flexibility to issue up to 25% of our then outstanding shares of our common stock immediately prior to any such sale at a price below net asset value. We did not obtain approval at our special meeting of stockholders held on May 3, 2022, to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below net asset value. We are seeking such stockholder approval at a special meeting of stockholders on May 3, 2023 for the twelve month period immediately following May 3, 2023 but there can be no assurance we will obtain such approval. In addition, our ability to incur indebtedness (including by issuing preferred stock) is limited by applicable regulations such that our asset coverage ratio, as calculated in accordance with the 1940 Act, must equal at least 150% immediately after each time we incur indebtedness. The debt capital that will be available to us in the future, if at all, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions than our current leverage. Any inability to raise capital could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Market conditions may in the future make it difficult to extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business. The debt capital that will be available to us in the future, if at all, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions than what we currently experience. Further, if we are unable to raise or refinance debt, then our equity investors may not benefit from the potential for increased returns on equity resulting from leverage and we may be limited in our ability to make new commitments or to fund existing commitments to our portfolio companies.

The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if required. As a result, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments. 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). In addition, significant changes in the capital markets, including disruption and volatility, have had, and may in the future have, a negative effect on the valuations of our investments and on the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. An inability to raise capital, and any required sale of our investments for liquidity purposes, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Price declines and illiquidity in the corporate debt markets have adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, the fair value of our portfolio investments, reducing our net asset value through increased net unrealized depreciation.

Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Company's Board of Directors has designated BCIA as the Company's valuation designee (the "Valuation Designee") to perform certain fair value functions, including performing fair value determinations (see Note 2 to the Company's consolidated financial statements for further information). As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value as determined in good faith by the Valuation Designee. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments are recorded as unrealized depreciation, which reduces our net asset value. Depending on market conditions, we could incur substantial realized losses and may suffer additional unrealized losses in future periods, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in legal, tax and regulatory regimes could negatively impact our business, financial condition and earnings.

Changes enacted by the current presidential administration could significantly impact the regulation of financial markets in U.S. Areas subject to potential change, amendment or repeal include trade and foreign policy, corporate tax rates, energy and infrastructure policies, the environment and sustainability, criminal and social justice initiatives, immigration, healthcare and the oversight of certain federal financial regulatory agencies and the Federal Reserve. Certain of these changes can, and have, been effectuated through executive order. For example, the current administration has taken steps to rejoin the Paris climate accord of 2015 and incentivize certain clean energy technologies, cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, provide military support to Ukraine and change immigration enforcement priorities. Other potential changes that could be pursued by the current presidential administration could include an increase in the corporate income tax rate; changes to regulatory enforcement priorities; and spending on clean energy and infrastructure. It is not possible to predict which, if any, of these actions will be taken or, if taken, their effect on the economy, securities markets or the financial stability of the U.S. The Company may be affected by governmental action in ways that are not foreseeable, and there is a possibility that such actions could have a significant adverse effect on the Company and its ability to achieve its investment objective.

Additional risks arising from the differences in expressed policy preferences among the various constituencies in the branches of the U.S. government has led in the past, and may lead in the future, to short-term or prolonged policy impasses, which could, and has, resulted in shutdowns of the U.S. federal government. U.S. federal government shutdowns, especially prolonged shutdowns, could have a significant adverse impact on the economy in general and could impair the ability of issuers to raise capital in the securities markets. Any of these effects could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, the rules dealing with the U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made substantial changes to the Code. Among those changes were a significant permanent reduction in the generally applicable corporate tax rate, changes in the taxation of individuals and other non-corporate taxpayers that generally but not universally reduce their taxes on a temporary basis subject to “sunset” provisions, the elimination or modification of various previously allowed deductions (including substantial limitations on the deductibility of interest and, in the case of individuals, the deduction for personal state and local taxes), certain additional limitations on the deduction of net operating losses, certain preferential rates of taxation on certain dividends and certain business income derived by non-corporate taxpayers in comparison to other ordinary income recognized by such taxpayers, and significant changes to the international tax rules. In addition, the Biden administration has indicated that it intends to modify key aspects of the Code, including by increasing corporate and individual tax rates. The effect of these and other changes is uncertain, both in terms of the direct effect on the taxation of an investment in the Company’s shares and their indirect effect on the value of the Company’s assets, the Company’s shares or market conditions generally.

Changes to U.S. tariff and import/export regulations may have a negative effect on our portfolio companies and, in turn, harm us.

There has been ongoing discussion and commentary regarding potential significant changes to U.S. trade policies, treaties and tariffs. There remains uncertainty about the future relationship between the U.S. and other countries with respect to the trade policies, treaties and tariffs. These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between the impacted nations and the U.S. Any of these factors could depress economic activity and restrict our portfolio companies’ access to suppliers or customers and have a material adverse effect on their business, financial condition and results of operations, which in turn would negatively impact us.

Uncertainty regarding the impact of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union could negatively impact our business, financial condition and earnings.

On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit”. Following a transition period, the United Kingdom and the EU signed a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“UK/EU Trade Agreement”), which came into full force on May 1, 2021 and set out the foundation of the economic and legal framework for trade between the United Kingdom and the EU. As the UK/EU Trade Agreement is a new legal framework, the implementation of the UK/EU Trade Agreement may result in uncertainty in its application and periods of volatility in both the United Kingdom and wider European markets. The United Kingdom’s exit from the EU is expected to result in additional trade costs and disruptions in this trading relationship. Furthermore, there is the possibility that either party may impose tariffs on trade in the future in the event that regulatory standards between the EU and the UK diverge. The terms of the future relationship may cause continued uncertainty in the global financial markets, and adversely affect our ability, and the ability of our portfolio companies, to execute our respective strategies and to receive attractive returns.

Rising interest rates or changes in interest rates may adversely affect the value of our portfolio investments which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our debt investments are generally based on floating rates, such as London Interbank Offer Rate (“LIBOR”), EURIBOR, Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), 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 common stock and our rate of return on invested capital. An increase in interest rates generally will increase the cost of borrowing for the companies in which we invest and may make them less profitable, which generally would decrease the value of our investments in them. In addition, although we generally expect to invest a limited percentage of our assets in instruments with a fixed interest rate, including subordinated loans, senior and junior secured and unsecured debt securities and loans in high yield bonds, an increase in interest rates could decrease the value of those fixed rate investments. Rising interest rates may also increase the cost of debt for our underlying portfolio companies, which could adversely impact their financial performance and ability to meet ongoing obligations to the Company. Also, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make investment in our common stock less attractive if we are not able to increase our dividend rate, which could reduce the value of our common stock.

Because we have borrowed money, and may issue preferred stock to finance investments, our net investment income depends, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds or pay dividends on preferred stock and the rate that our investments yield. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. In this period of rising interest rates, our cost of funds may increase except to the extent we have issued fixed rate debt or preferred stock, which could reduce our net investment income.

You should also be aware that a change in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to a change in the interest rate 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 and may result in a substantial increase in the amount of Incentive Fees payable to our Advisor with respect to the portion of the Incentive Fee based on income.

Interest rates have risen in recent months, and the risk that they may continue to do so is pronounced.

Changes relating to the London Interbank Offer Rate ("LIBOR") calculation process, the phase-out of LIBOR and the use of replacement rates for LIBOR may adversely affect the value of our portfolio securities.

In July 2017, the head of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority announced the desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. The announcement indicates that the continuation of LIBOR on the current basis cannot and will not be guaranteed after 2021. Since December 31, 2021, all sterling, euro, Swiss franc and Japanese yen LIBOR settings and the 1-week and 2-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings have ceased to be published or are no longer representative, and after June 30, 2023, the overnight, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and 12-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings will cease to be published or will no longer be representative. Various financial industry groups have begun planning for the transition away from LIBOR, but there are challenges to converting certain securities and transactions to a new reference rate (e.g., the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is intended to replace the U.S. dollar LIBOR). Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

As an alternative to LIBOR, the Financial Reporting Council, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions recommended replacing U.S. dollar LIBOR with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), a new index calculated by reference to short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities. Abandonment of, or modifications to, LIBOR could have adverse impacts on newly issued financial instruments and any of our existing financial instruments which reference LIBOR. Given the inherent differences between LIBOR and SOFR, or any other alternative benchmark rate that may be established, there are many uncertainties regarding a transition from LIBOR, including, but not limited to, the need to amend all contracts with LIBOR as the referenced rate and how this will impact the cost of variable rate debt and certain derivative financial instruments. In addition, SOFR or other replacement rates may fail to gain market acceptance. Any failure of SOFR or alternative reference rates to gain market acceptance could adversely affect the return on, value of and market for securities linked to such rates.

Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets for, and reduce the effectiveness of, new hedges placed against, instruments whose terms currently include LIBOR. While some existing LIBOR-based instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate-setting methodology, there may be significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies to replicate LIBOR. Not all existing LIBOR-based instruments may have alternative rate-setting provisions and there remains uncertainty regarding the willingness and ability of issuers to add alternative rate-setting provisions in certain existing instruments. Moreover, these alternative rate-setting provisions may not be designed for regular use in an environment where LIBOR ceases to be published and may be an ineffective fallback following the discontinuation of LIBOR. On March 15, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, which among other things, provides for the use of interest rates based on SOFR in certain contracts currently based on LIBOR and a safe harbor from liability for utilizing SOFR-based interest rates as a replacement for LIBOR. The elimination of LIBOR could have an adverse impact on the market value of and/or transferability of any LIBOR-linked securities, loans, and other financial obligations or extensions of credit held by or due to us or on our overall financial condition or results of operations.

We may not replicate the historical performance of other investment companies and funds with which our investment professionals have been affiliated.

The 1940 Act imposes numerous constraints on the investment activities of BDCs. For example, BDCs are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of U.S. private companies or thinly traded public companies (public companies with a market capitalization of less than $250 million), cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. These constraints may hinder our Advisor’s ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and to achieve our investment objectives. In addition, the investment philosophy and techniques used by our Advisor may differ from those used by other investment companies and funds advised by our Advisor. Accordingly, we can offer no assurance that we will replicate the historical performance of other investment companies and funds with which our investment professionals have been affiliated, and we caution that our investment returns could be substantially lower than the returns achieved by such other companies.

We are not managed by BlackRock, but rather one its subsidiaries and may not replicate the success of that entity or BlackRock.

Our investment strategies differ from those of BlackRock or its affiliates. As a BDC, we are subject to certain investment restrictions that do not apply to BlackRock. Our performance may be lower or higher than the performance of other entities managed by BlackRock or its affiliates and their past performance is no guarantee of our future results.

Our business model depends upon the development and maintenance of strong referral relationships with other asset managers and investment banking firms.

We are substantially dependent on our informal relationships, which we use to help identify and gain access to investment opportunities. If we fail to maintain our relationships with key firms, or if we fail to establish strong referral relationships with other firms or other sources of

investment opportunities, we will not be able to grow our portfolio of investments and achieve our investment objective. In addition, persons with whom we have informal relationships are not obligated to inform us of investment opportunities, and therefore such relationships may not lead to the origination of equity or other investments. Any loss or diminishment of such relationships could effectively reduce our ability to identify attractive portfolio companies that meet our investment criteria, either for direct investments or for investments through private secondary market transactions or other secondary transactions.

The Advisor's liability is limited under the investment management agreement, and we are required to indemnify the Advisor against certain liabilities, which may lead the Advisor to act in a riskier manner on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

The Advisor has not assumed any responsibility to us other than to render the services described in the investment management agreement, and it will not be responsible for any action of our Board of Directors in declining to follow the Advisor’s advice or recommendations. Pursuant to the investment management agreement, the Advisor and its members and their respective officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons and members and any other person or entity affiliated with it will not be liable to us for their acts under the investment management agreement, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties. We have agreed to indemnify, defend and protect the Advisor and its members and their respective officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons and members and any other person or entity affiliated with it with respect to all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses resulting from acts of the Advisor not arising out of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties under the investment management agreement. These protections may lead the Advisor to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

We may suffer credit losses.

Investment in middle-market companies is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk of credit loss, and therefore our securities may not be suitable for someone with a low tolerance for risk. These risks are likely to increase during an economic recession.

In addition to regulatory restrictions that restrict our ability to raise capital, our debt arrangements contain various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate repayment of our debt, thereby materially and adversely affecting our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

The agreements governing our Credit Facility and our 2025 Private Placement Notes require us to comply with certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants include:

As of December 31, 2022, we were in compliance with all applicable covenants for our outstanding borrowings. However, our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with the covenants in our debt arrangements. Failure to comply with these covenants would result in a default under these arrangements which, if we were unable to obtain a waiver from the lenders thereunder, could result in an acceleration of repayments on our debt and thereby have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The disposition of our investments may result in contingent liabilities.

Most of our investments will involve private securities. In connection with the disposition of an investment in private securities, we may be required to make representations about the business and financial affairs of the portfolio company typical of those made in connection with the sale of a business. We may also be required to indemnify the purchasers of such investment to the extent that any such representations turn out to be inaccurate or with respect to certain potential liabilities. These arrangements may result in contingent liabilities that ultimately yield funding obligations that must be satisfied through our return of certain distributions previously made to us. As of December 31, 2022, the Company is not aware of any contingent liabilities.

Substantially all of our assets are subject to security interests under our borrowings and if we default on our obligations, we may suffer adverse consequences, including the lenders foreclosing on our assets.

As of December 31, 2022, substantially all of our assets were pledged as collateral under our Credit Facility. If we default on our obligations under these debt facilities, the lenders may have the right to foreclose upon and sell, or otherwise transfer, the collateral subject to their security interests. In such event, we may be forced to sell our investments to raise funds to repay our outstanding borrowings in order to avoid foreclosure and these forced sales may be at times and at prices we would not consider advantageous. Moreover, such deleveraging of our company could significantly impair our ability to effectively operate our business in the manner in which we have historically operated. As a result, we could be forced to curtail or cease new investment activities and lower or eliminate the distributions that we pay to our stockholders.

In addition, if the lenders exercise their right to sell the assets pledged under our borrowings, such sales may be completed at distressed sale prices, thereby diminishing or potentially eliminating the amount of cash available to us after repayment of the amounts outstanding.

Our Credit Facility matures on April 23, 2025, and our 2025 Private Placement Notes mature on December 9, 2025, and any inability to renew, extend or replace our Credit Facility or 2025 Private Placement Notes could adversely impact our liquidity and ability to fund new investments or maintain distributions to our stockholders.

We maintain a multi-currency $265.0 million senior secured credit facility with a group of lenders, under which we had $162.0 million of indebtedness outstanding at December 31, 2022. Undrawn amount under our Credit Facility was $103.0 million at December 31, 2022. The Credit Facility’s commitment may increase in size, under certain circumstances, up to a total of $325.0 million. The Credit Facility has a stated maturity date of April 23, 2025. We maintain $92.0 million of aggregate principal amount outstanding on 2025 Private Placement Notes which mature on December 9, 2025 unless previously repaid or redeemed in accordance with their terms. There can be no assurance that we will be able to renew, extend or replace the Credit Facility or 2025 Private Placement Notes upon its maturity on terms that are favorable to us, if at all. Our ability to renew, extend or replace the Credit Facility or 2025 Private Placement Notes will be constrained by then-current economic conditions affecting the credit markets. In the event that we are not able to renew, extend or replace the Credit Facility or 2025 Private Placement Notes at the time of its maturity, this could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and ability to fund new investments, our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and our ability to qualify as a RIC.

Incurring additional indebtedness could increase the risk in investing in shares of our common stock.

As a BDC regulated under the 1940 Act, we are generally required to maintain a certain asset coverage for senior securities representing indebtedness (i.e., debt) or stock (i.e., preferred stock).

Following receipt of the necessary stockholder and Board approvals, effective May 2, 2020, the minimum asset coverage ratio requirement was reduced from 200% to 150%, pursuant to Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act, as amended by the Small Business Credit Availability Act (the “SBCAA”) (i.e., from a 1:1 debt to equity ratio to a 2:1 debt to equity ratio). Therefore, we may be able to issue an increased amount of senior securities and incur additional indebtedness in the future and, therefore, your risk of an investment in shares of our common stock may increase.

If our asset coverage falls below the required limit, we will not be able to incur additional debt until we are able to comply with the asset coverage applicable to us. This could have a material adverse effect on our operations, and we may not be able to make distributions to stockholders. The actual amount of leverage that we employ will depend on our and our Board of Directors’ assessment of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain credit at all or on terms acceptable to us.

We have indebtedness outstanding pursuant to our Credit Facility and may enter into new facilities and/or may increase the size of our existing credit facilities. As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding approximately $92.0 million of 2025 Private Placement Notes, and $162.0 million outstanding on our Credit Facility. Lenders under our Credit Facility and 2025 Private Placement Notes have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common stockholders or any preferred stockholders. We have granted a security interest in our assets in connection with our Credit Facility.

In the case of a liquidation event, those lenders would receive proceeds before our stockholders. In addition, borrowings, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and, therefore, increase the risks associated with investing in our common stock. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique. If the value of our assets increases, then leveraging would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to increase more than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to decline more than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged. Similarly, any increase in our revenue in excess of interest expense on our borrowed funds would cause our net income to increase more than it would without the leverage. Any decrease in our revenue would cause our net income to decline more than it would have had we not borrowed funds and could negatively affect our ability to make distributions on our common stock. Our ability to service any debt that we incur depends largely on our financial performance and is subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures.

Illustration. The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing below. The calculation is based on our level of leverage at December 31, 2022, which represented borrowings equal to 43.1% of our total assets. On such date, we also had $589.1 million in total assets; $570.5 million in total investments; $254.0 million in aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding; and $318.5 million of total net assets. In order to compute the “Corresponding Return to Common Stockholders,” the “Assumed Return on Portfolio (Net of Expenses Other than Interest)” is multiplied by the total value of our investment portfolio at December 31, 2022 to obtain an assumed return to us. From this amount, interest expense (calculated by multiplying the weighted-average interest rate of 5.36% by the $254.0 million of debt) is subtracted to determine the return available to stockholders. The return available to stockholders is then divided by the total value of our net assets at December 31, 2022 to determine the “Corresponding Return to Common Stockholders.” Actual interest payments may vary.

The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business.

We make investments in private companies. A portion of these investments may be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale, transfer, pledge or other disposition or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need arises. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments. In addition, we face other restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment in a business entity to the extent that we or the Advisor has or could be deemed to have material non-public information regarding such business entity.

A substantial portion of our portfolio investments are recorded at fair value as determined using a consistently applied valuation process in accordance with our documented valuation policy that has been reviewed and approved by our Board of Directors and, as a result, there may be uncertainty regarding the value of our portfolio investments.

The debt and equity investments that we make for which market quotations are not readily available will be valued at fair value as determined using a consistently applied valuation process in accordance with our documented valuation policy that has been reviewed and approved by our Board of Directors. The Valuation Designee approves in good faith the valuation of such securities. Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available market value, the fair value of our investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a readily available market value existed for such investments, and the differences could be material. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if determinations regarding the fair value of these investments were materially higher than the values ultimately realized upon the disposal of such investments.

Our use of borrowed funds to make investments exposes us to risks typically associated with leverage.

We borrow money and may issue additional debt securities or preferred stock to leverage our capital structure. As a result:

A portion of our distributions to stockholders may include a return of stockholder capital.

We intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. A portion of such distributions may include a return of stockholder capital. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits are considered non-taxable distributions and serve to reduce the basis of our shares in the hands of the stockholders rather than being currently taxable, and as a result of the reduction of the basis of our shares, stockholders may incur additional capital gains taxes or may have lower capital losses.

We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP and tax regulations, we include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as PIK interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term. The increases in loan balances as a result of contracted PIK arrangements are included in income for the period in which such PIK interest was received, which is often in advance of receiving cash payment. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts that we will not receive in cash. Any warrants that we receive in connection with our debt investments are generally valued as part of the negotiation process with the particular portfolio company. As a result, a portion of the aggregate purchase price for the debt investments and warrants are allocated to the warrants that we receive. This will generally result in “original issue discount,” or OID, for tax purposes, which we must recognize as ordinary income, increasing the amounts we are required to distribute to qualify for the federal income tax benefits applicable to RICs. Because such original issue discount income would not be accompanied by cash, we would need to obtain cash from other sources to satisfy such distribution

requirements. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources to satisfy such distribution requirements, we may fail to qualify for favorable tax treatment as a RIC and, thus, could become subject to a corporate-level income tax on all of our income. Other features of the debt instruments that we hold may also cause such instruments to generate original issue discount, resulting in a distribution requirement in excess of current cash received. Similarly, newly enacted tax legislation contains rules that may in certain other circumstances require the recognition of non-cash taxable income or may limit the deductibility of certain of our cash expenses. Since in certain cases we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income or may be subject to limitations on the deductibility of cash expenses, we may have difficulty meeting the requirement to distribute at least 90% of our net ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any. If we are unable to meet these distribution requirements, we will not qualify for favorable tax treatment as a RIC or, even if such distribution requirements are satisfied, we may be subject to tax on the amount that is undistributed. Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our assets, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce new investment originations to meet these distribution requirements and avoid tax.

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:

Any unrealized losses we experience on our investment portfolio may be an indication of future realized losses, which could reduce our income available for distribution.

Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments will be recorded as unrealized depreciation. Any unrealized losses in our investment portfolio could be an indication of a portfolio company’s inability to meet its repayment obligations to us with respect to the affected investments. This could result in realized losses in the future and ultimately in reductions of our income available for distribution in future periods.

Our Advisor and its affiliates and employees may have certain conflicts of interest.

As a global provider of investment management, risk management and advisory services to institutional and retail clients, BlackRock, the Advisor and their respective affiliates (for purposes of this discussion of potential conflicts, the “BlackRock Entities”), engage in a broad spectrum of activities, including sponsoring and managing a variety of public and private investment funds, funds of funds and separate accounts across fixed income, liquidity, equity, alternative investment and real estate strategies; providing financial advisory services; providing technology infrastructure and analytics under the BlackRock Solutions® brand and engaging in certain broker-dealer activities and other activities. Although the relationships and activities of the BlackRock Entities should help enable these entities to offer attractive opportunities and services to the Company, such relationships and activities create certain inherent actual and potential conflicts of interest. In the ordinary course of business, the BlackRock Entities engage in activities where their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with the interests of the Company, certain investors or a group of investors, or the Company’s investments. The following discussion enumerates certain potential and actual conflicts of interest.

Allocation of Investment Opportunities. The BlackRock Entities manage and advise numerous accounts for clients around the world, such as registered and unregistered funds and owners of separately managed accounts (collectively, “Client Accounts”). Client Accounts include funds and accounts in which the BlackRock Entities or their personnel have an interest (“BlackRock Accounts”). Certain of these Client Accounts have investment objectives, and utilize investment strategies, that are similar to the Company’s. As a result, certain investments may be appropriate for the Company and also for other Client Accounts. The BlackRock Entities’ allocation of investment opportunities among various Client Accounts presents inherent potential and actual conflicts of interest, particularly where an investment opportunity is limited.

These potential conflicts are exacerbated in situations where BlackRock is entitled to higher fees and incentive compensation from certain Client Accounts than from other Client Accounts (including the Company), where the portfolio managers making an allocation decision are entitled to an incentive fee, carried interest or other similar compensation from such other Client Accounts, or where there are differences in proprietary investments in the Company and other Client Accounts. The prospect of achieving higher compensation or greater investment return from another investment vehicle or separate account than from the Company provides incentives for the Advisor or other BlackRock Entities to favor the other investment vehicle or separate account over the Company when, for example, allocating investment opportunities that the Advisor believes could result in favorable performance. It is the policy of BlackRock not to make decisions based on the foregoing interests or greater fees or compensation.

Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities or is managed by the Advisor will generally be an affiliate of the Company for purposes of the 1940 Act and the Company is generally prohibited from participating in certain transactions such as co-investing with, or buying or selling any security from or to, such affiliate, absent the prior approval of the Independent Directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. However, the Advisor and the funds managed by the Advisor have received an order providing an exemption from certain SEC regulations prohibiting transactions with affiliates (the “Order”). The Order requires that certain procedures be followed prior to making an investment subject to the Order and such procedures could in certain circumstances adversely affect the price paid or received by the Company or the availability or size of the position purchased or sold by the Company. The Advisor may also face conflicts of interest in making investments pursuant to the Order.

The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of the Company’s affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of the Independent Directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. The Company is prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any person who owns more than 25% of the Company’s voting securities and from or to certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons, absent the prior approval of the SEC (other than certain limited situations pursuant to current regulatory guidance). The analysis of whether a particular transaction constitutes a joint transaction requires a review of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the particular transaction. Similar restrictions limit the Company’s ability to transact business with its officers or directors or their affiliates.

To address actual and potential conflicts associated with allocation of investments, BlackRock has developed an investment allocation policy (the “Investment Allocation Policy”) and related guidelines. In addition, certain BlackRock Entities and business units have supplemental allocation policies for making allocation decisions among Client Accounts managed by such BlackRock Entities (together with the Investment Allocation Policy and related guidelines, the “Allocation Policy”). The Allocation Policy is intended to ensure that investment opportunities are allocated on a fair and equitable basis among Client Accounts over time, taking into account various factors including the Client Account’s investment objective, guidelines and restrictions and other portfolio construction considerations; available capital and liquidity needs; tax, regulatory and contractual considerations; risk or investment concentration parameters; supply or demand for a security at a given price level; size of available investment; unfunded capital commitments or cash availability and liquidity requirements; leverage limitations; regulatory restrictions; contractual restrictions (including with other clients); minimum investment size; relative size; and such other factors as may be relevant to a particular transaction or Client Account. The BlackRock Entities reserve the right to allocate investment opportunities appropriate for the investment objectives of the Company and other Client Accounts in any other manner deemed fair and equitable by the BlackRock Entities consistent with the Allocation Policy, the Order and applicable law. The application of the Allocation Policy, the Order and the foregoing considerations may result in a particular Client Account, including the Company, not receiving an allocation of an investment opportunity that has been allocated to other Client Accounts following the same or similar strategy, or receiving a smaller allocation than other Client Accounts or an allocation on an other than pro rata basis. Furthermore, as the investment programs of the Company and the other applicable Client Accounts change and develop over time, additional issues and considerations may affect the Allocation Policy and the expectations of the BlackRock Entities with respect to the allocation of investment opportunities to the Company and other Client Accounts. BlackRock and the Advisor reserve the right to change the Allocation Policy and guidelines relating thereto from time to time without the consent of or notice to stockholders, subject to the disclosure requirements of applicable law.

As a general matter, it is expected the Company will participate in investments deemed appropriate for the Company’s strategy and either sourced by the investment personnel directly responsible for managing the Company (though investments sourced by such personnel may also be allocated to other Client Accounts that may be managed by other investment teams) or made available for investment by the Company pursuant to the terms of the Order.

Allocation of Expenses. Side-by-side management by the BlackRock Entities of the Company and Client Accounts raises other potential and actual conflicts of interest, including those associated with allocating expenses attributable to the Company and one or more other Client Accounts. The Advisor and its affiliates will attempt to make such allocations on a basis that they consider to be fair and equitable to the Company under the circumstances over time and considering such factors as it deems relevant. The allocations of such expenses may not be proportional, and any such determinations involve inherent matters of discretion, e.g., in determining whether to allocate pro rata based on number of Client Accounts or proportionately in accordance with asset size, or in certain circumstances determining whether a particular expense has a greater benefit to the Company, other Client Accounts or the Advisor and/or its affiliates.

Activities of Other Client Accounts. The BlackRock Entities will, from time to time, be actively engaged in transactions on behalf of other Client Accounts in the same investments, securities, derivatives and other instruments in which the Company will directly or indirectly invest. Trading for certain other Client Accounts is carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Company and may have an effect on the value or liquidity of the positions so held or may result in another Client Account having an interest in an issuer adverse to that of the Company.

Under certain circumstances and subject to the Order and applicable law, the Company may invest directly or indirectly in a transaction in which one or more other Client Accounts are expected, or seek, to participate or already have made, or concurrently will make or seek to make, an investment. The Company and the other Client Accounts may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investments, including with respect to views on the operations or activities of the project or company involved, the targeted returns from the investment and the timeframe for, and method of, exiting the investment. For example, the Advisor’s decisions on behalf of other Client Accounts to sell, redeem from or otherwise liquidate a security in which the Company is invested may adversely affect the Company, including by causing such investment to be less liquid or more concentrated, or by causing the Company to no longer participate in a controlling position in the investment or to lose the benefit of certain negotiated terms, including, without limitation, fee discounts. Conflicts will also arise in cases where the Company, directly or indirectly, and other Client Accounts invest in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, including circumstances in which one or more Client Accounts may own private securities or obligations of an issuer and other Client Accounts may own public securities of the same issuer. If an issuer in which the Company, directly or indirectly, and one or more other Client Accounts hold different classes of securities (or other assets, instruments or obligations issued by such issuer) encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of any workout will raise potential conflicts of interests (including, for example, conflicts regarding the terms of recapitalizations and proposed waivers, amendments or enforcement of debt covenants). As a result, one or more Client Accounts may pursue or enforce rights with respect to a particular issuer in which the Company has directly or indirectly invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Company. Because of the different legal rights associated with debt and equity of the same portfolio company, BlackRock expects to face a potential conflict of interest in respect of the advice given to, and the actions taken on behalf of, the Company versus another Client Account (e.g., the terms of debt instruments, the enforcement of covenants, the terms of recapitalizations and the resolution of workouts or bankruptcies). For example, if the Company holds debt securities of an issuer and a Client Account directly or indirectly holds equity securities of the same issuer, then, if the issuer experiences financial or operational challenges, the Company may seek a liquidation of the issuer in which it may be paid in full, whereas the Client Account, as a direct or indirect equity holder, might prefer a reorganization that holds the potential to create value for the equity holders. Similarly, if additional capital is necessary as a result of financial or other difficulties, or to finance growth of other opportunities, subject to the Order and applicable law and regulation, a Client Account may not provide such additional capital and the Company may do so, or vice versa. In the event of an insolvency, bankruptcy or similar proceeding of an issuer, the Company may be limited (by applicable law, courts or otherwise) in the positions or actions it may be permitted to take due to other interests held or actions or positions taken by other Client Accounts. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, or any subsequent amendments or waivers, the Advisor and the other BlackRock Entities may find that their own interests, the interests of the Company and/or the interests of one or more other Client Accounts could conflict. Any of the foregoing conflicts of interest will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis. The resolution of such conflicts will take into consideration the interests of the relevant parties, the circumstances giving rise to the conflict, the Order to the extent applicable and applicable law. Stockholders should be aware that conflicts will not necessarily be resolved in favor of the Company and that the Company could be adversely affected by the actions taken by BlackRock Entities on behalf of Client Accounts.

In order to avoid or reduce the conflicts that may arise in cases where the Company, directly or indirectly, and other Client Accounts invest in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, or for other reasons, the Company may choose not to invest in issuers in which other Client Accounts hold an existing investment, even if the Advisor believes such investment opportunity to be attractive and otherwise appropriate for the Company and is permitted under applicable law and regulation, which may adversely affect the performance of the Company.

Other transactions by one or more Client Accounts also may have the effect of diluting the values or prices of investments held directly or indirectly by the Company or otherwise disadvantaging the Company. This may occur when portfolio decisions regarding the Company are based on research or other information that is also used to support portfolio decisions for other Client Accounts. When a BlackRock Entity implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of a Client Account other than the Company ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar portfolio decisions or strategies for the Company (whether or not the portfolio decisions emanate from the same research analysis or other information), market impact, liquidity constraints or other factors could result in the Company receiving less favorable investment results, and the cost of implementing such portfolio decisions or strategies for the Company could increase, or the Company could otherwise be disadvantaged.

Additionally, if the Company makes an investment in a portfolio company in conjunction with an investment made by another Client Account, the Company may not invest through the same investment vehicles, have the same access to credit or employ the same hedging or investment strategies as such other Client Account. This likely will result in differences in investment cost, investment terms, leverage and associated expenses between the Company and any other Client Account. There can be no assurance that the Company and the other Client Accounts will exit the investment at the same time or on the same terms, and there can be no assurance that the Company’s return on such an investment will be the same as the returns achieved by any other Client Accounts participating in the transactions. Given the nature of these conflicts, there can be no assurance that the resolution of these conflicts will be beneficial to the Company.

The BlackRock Entities may also, in certain circumstances and subject to the Order and applicable law and regulation, pursue or enforce rights or take other actions with respect to a particular issuer or investment jointly on behalf of the Company and other Client Accounts. In such circumstances, the Company may be adversely impacted by the other Client Accounts’ activities, and transactions for the Company may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case had the other Client Accounts not pursued a particular course of action with respect to the issuer or investment. For example, one or more Client Accounts may dispose of or make an in kind distribution of its portion of an investment that is also held by the Company and other Client Accounts, and such action may adversely affect the Company and such other Client Accounts that continue to hold such investment.

Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions made by the Advisor on behalf of the Company may benefit other BlackRock Entities or Client Accounts, including BlackRock Accounts. For example, subject to the Order and applicable law and regulation, the Company may

invest directly or indirectly in the securities, bank loans or other obligations of issuers in which a Client Account has an equity, debt or other interest, or vice versa. In certain circumstances, the Advisor may be incentivized not to undertake certain actions on behalf of the Company in connection with such investments, in view of a BlackRock Entity’s or Client Account’s involvement with the relevant issuer or investment. Further, the Company may also engage in investment transactions that result in other Client Accounts being relieved of obligations or otherwise divesting of investments that the Company also holds or which cause the Company to have to divest certain investments. The purchase, holding and sale of investments by the Company may enhance the profitability of another Client Account’s own investments in and activities with respect to such investments.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company may invest, directly or indirectly, in equity of investments or issuers affiliated with the BlackRock Entities or in which a BlackRock Entity or a Client Account has a direct or indirect debt or other interest, or vice versa, and may acquire such equity or debt either directly or indirectly through public or private acquisitions. Such investments may benefit the BlackRock Entities or Client Accounts. In addition, the Advisor may be incentivized not to undertake certain actions on behalf of the Company in connection with such investments, in view of a BlackRock Entity’s or Client Account’s involvement with the relevant issuer or investment.

Moreover, the Advisor’s investment professionals, its senior management and employees serve or may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as the Company. Accordingly, these individuals may have obligations to investors in those entities or funds, the fulfillment of which might not be in the best interests of the Company or stockholders. In addition, certain of the personnel employed by the Advisor or focused on the Company’s business may change in ways that are detrimental to the Company’s business.

Transactions Between Client Accounts. Each of the BlackRock Entities and the Advisor reserve the right to conduct cross trades between the Company and other Client Accounts in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The Advisor may cause the Company to purchase securities or other assets from or sell securities or other assets to, or engage in other transactions with, other Client Accounts or vehicles when the Advisor believes such transactions are appropriate and in the participants’ best interest, subject to applicable law and regulation. The Company may enter into “agency cross transactions,” in which a BlackRock Entity may act as broker for the Company and for the other party to the transaction, to the extent permitted under applicable law and regulation and the relevant Client Account governing documents. In such cases, the Advisor and such other Client Accounts or BlackRock Entities, as applicable, may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities regarding both parties to the transaction. To the extent that any provision of Section 11(a) of the Exchange Act, or any of the rules promulgated thereunder, is applicable to any transactions effected by the Advisor, such transactions will be effected in accordance with the requirements of such provisions and rules.

Proxy Voting. The Board of Directors has delegated to the Advisor discretion with respect to voting and consent rights of the assets of the Company. Consistent with applicable rules under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), BlackRock has adopted and implemented written proxy voting policies and procedures with respect to individual securities held by the Company that are reasonably designed: (i) to ensure that proxies are voted, consistent with its fiduciary obligations, in the best interests of Client Accounts under the circumstances over time; and (ii) to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions made on behalf of clients. Nevertheless, when votes are cast in accordance with BlackRock’s proxy voting policy and in a manner that BlackRock believes to be consistent with its fiduciary obligations, actual proxy voting decisions made on behalf of one Client Account may have the effect of favoring or harming the interests of other Client Accounts, including the Company. Stockholders may receive a copy of BlackRock’s proxy voting policy, upon request, and may also obtain a copy at: http://www.blackrock.com/corporate/en-us/about-us/responsible-investment/responsible-investment-reports.

Investment Terms of Other Client Accounts. The investment terms offered to other Client Accounts or to investors in other Client Accounts with similar investment objectives as the Company may be different than those applicable to our stockholders and may create conflicts. In particular, with respect to investors in other Client Accounts that are managed as dedicated funds or with respect to other Client Accounts investing through separate accounts with similar investment objectives to the Company, information sharing may, to the extent permitted under applicable law and regulation, be more extensive, detailed and timely as compared to information available to our stockholders, and the other Client Accounts’ liquidity may not be subject to the restrictions that apply to our stockholders.

Management of the Company. In connection with the management of the Company, the Board of Directors and/or the Advisor will have the right to make certain determinations on behalf of the Company, in its discretion. Any such determinations may affect stockholders differently and some stockholders may be adversely affected by such determinations by the Board of Directors or Advisor. Stockholders may be situated differently in a number of ways, including being resident of, or organized in, various jurisdictions, being subject to different tax rules or regulatory structures and/or having different internally- or externally-imposed investment policies, restrictions or guidelines. As a result, conflicts of interest may arise in connection with decisions made by the Board of Directors or the Advisor that may be more beneficial for certain stockholders. In making determinations on behalf of the Company, including in structuring and completing investments, the Advisor intends to consider the investment and tax objectives of the Company and the stockholders as a whole, not the investment, tax or other objectives of any stockholder individually.

Subject to applicable law, including the 1940 Act, and the terms of the applicable contracts with the Company, BlackRock Entities may from time to time, and without notice to the Company or stockholders, insource or outsource to third-parties, including parties which are affiliated with BlackRock, certain processes or functions in connection with a variety of services that they provide to the Company in their administrative or other capacities. Such in-sourcing or outsourcing may give rise to potential conflicts of interest.

Limited Access to Information; Information Advantage of Certain BlackRock Clients. As a result of receiving client reports, service on a Client Account’s advisory board, affiliation with the Advisor or otherwise, one or more BlackRock clients may have access to different information regarding the BlackRock Entities’ transactions, strategies or views, and may act on such information in accounts not controlled by the BlackRock Entities, which may have a material adverse effect on the performance of the Company. The Company and its investments may also be adversely affected by market movements or by decreases in the pool of available securities or liquidity arising from purchases and sales by, as well as increases of capital in, and withdrawals of capital from, other Client Accounts and other accounts of BlackRock clients not controlled by BlackRock. These effects can be more pronounced in respect of investments with limited capacity and in thinly traded securities and less liquid markets.

Furthermore, our stockholders’ rights to information regarding the Advisor or the Company generally will be limited to applicable reporting obligations and information requirements under the Exchange Act and applicable state law. It is anticipated that the Advisor and its affiliates will obtain certain types of material information from or relating to the Company’s investments that will not be disclosed to stockholders because such disclosure is prohibited, including as a result of contractual, legal or similar obligations outside of BlackRock’s control. Such limitations on the disclosure of such information may have adverse consequences for stockholders in a variety of circumstances and may make it difficult for a stockholder to monitor the Advisor and its performance.

Advisor Decisions May Benefit BlackRock Entities and BlackRock Accounts. BlackRock Entities may derive ancillary benefits from certain decisions made on behalf of the Company. While the Advisor will make decisions for the Company in accordance with its obligations to manage the Company appropriately, the fees, allocations, compensation and other benefits to the BlackRock Entities (including benefits relating to business relationships of the BlackRock Entities) may be greater as a result of certain portfolio, investment, service provider or other decisions made by the Advisor for the Company than they would have been had other decisions been made which also might have been appropriate for the Company. In addition, BlackRock Entities may invest in Client Accounts and therefore may indirectly derive ancillary benefits from certain decisions made by the Advisor. The Advisor may also make decisions and exercise discretion with respect to the Company that could benefit BlackRock Entities that have invested in the Company.

Temporary Investments in Cash Management Products. Subject to applicable law, the Company may invest, on a temporary basis, in short-term, high-grade assets or other cash management products, including SEC-registered investment funds (open-end or closed-end) or unregistered funds, including any such funds that are sponsored, managed or serviced by advisory BlackRock Entities. In connection with any of these investments, the Company will bear all fees pertaining to the investment, including advisory, administrative or 12b-1 fees, and no portion of any fees otherwise payable by the Company will be offset against fees payable in accordance with any of these investments (i.e., there could be “double fees” involved in making any of these investments which would not arise in connection with a stockholder’s direct investment in such money market or liquidity funds, because a BlackRock Entity could receive fees with respect to both the management of the Company, on one hand, and such cash management products, on the other). In these circumstances, as well as in other circumstances in which any BlackRock Entities receive any fees or other compensation in any form relating to the provision of services, subject to the Company’s Governing Documents, no accounting, repayment to the Company or offset of the Advisory Fee will be required.

Management Responsibilities. The employees and directors of the Advisor or its affiliates are not under any obligation to devote all of their professional time to the affairs of the Company, but will devote such time and attention to the affairs of the Company as BlackRock determines in its discretion is necessary to carry out the operations of the Company effectively. Employees and directors of the Advisor engage in other activities unrelated to the affairs of the Company, including managing or advising other Client Accounts, which presents potential conflicts in allocating management time, services and functions among the Company and other Client Accounts. These potential conflicts will be exacerbated in situations where employees may be entitled to greater incentive compensation or other remuneration from certain Client Accounts than from other Client Accounts (including the Company).

The Advisor may, subject to applicable law, utilize the personnel or services of its affiliates in a variety of ways to make available to the Company BlackRock’s global capabilities. Although the Advisor believes this practice generally is in the best interests of its clients, it is possible that conflicts with respect to allocation of investment opportunities, portfolio execution, client servicing or other matters may arise due to differences in regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions, time differences or other reasons. The Advisor will seek to ameliorate any conflicts that arise and may determine not to utilize the personnel or services of a particular affiliate in circumstances where it believes the potential conflict outweighs the potential benefits.

Investments by Directors, Officers and Employees of BlackRock Entities. The directors, officers and employees of BlackRock Entities are permitted to buy and sell public or private securities, commingled vehicles or other investments held by the Company for their own accounts, or accounts of their family members and in which such BlackRock Entity personnel may have a pecuniary interest, including through accounts (or investments in funds) managed by BlackRock Entities, in accordance with BlackRock’s personal trading policies. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints, positions taken by BlackRock Entity directors, officers, and employees may be the same as or different from, or made contemporaneously or at different times than, positions taken for the Company.

Such persons and/or investment vehicles they manage also may invest in companies in the same industries as companies in which the Company expects to invest, and may compete with the Company for investment opportunities, and their investments may compete with the Company’s investments.

In addition, BlackRock personnel may serve on the boards of directors of companies in the same industries as companies in which the Company expects to invest, which can give rise to conflicting obligations and interests.

As these situations may involve potential conflicts of interest, BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures relating to personal securities transactions, insider trading and other ethical considerations. These policies and procedures are intended to identify and reduce actual conflicts of interest with clients and to resolve such conflicts appropriately if they do occur.

Issues Relating to the Valuation of Assets. While securities and other property held by the Company generally will be valued by reference to an independent third-party source, in certain circumstances holdings may be valued at fair value based upon the principles and methods of valuation set forth in policies adopted by the Board of Directors. Moreover, a significant portion of the assets in which the Company may directly or indirectly invest may not have a readily ascertainable market value and, subject to applicable law, may be valued at fair value based upon the principles and methods of valuation set forth in policies adopted by the Board of Directors.

Potential Restrictions on the Advisor’s Activities on Behalf of the Company. From time to time, the Advisor expects to be restricted from purchasing or selling securities or taking other actions on behalf of the Company because of regulatory and legal requirements applicable to BlackRock Entities, other Client Accounts and/or the Advisor’s internal policies designed to comply with or limit the applicability of, or which otherwise relate to, such requirements. An investment fund not advised by BlackRock Entities may not be subject to the same considerations. There may be periods when the Advisor (on behalf of the Company) may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, may limit or delay purchases, may sell or redeem existing investments, forego transactions or other investment opportunities, restrict or limit the exercise of rights (including voting rights), or may otherwise restrict or limit their advice with respect to securities or instruments issued by or related to issuers for which BlackRock Entities are performing advisory or other services. Such policies may restrict the Company’s activities more than required by applicable law. For example, when BlackRock Entities are engaged to provide advisory or risk management services for an issuer, the Company may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling interests of that issuer, particularly in cases where BlackRock Entities have or may obtain material non-public information about the issuer. Similar prohibitions or limitations could also arise if: (i) BlackRock Entity personnel serve as directors or officers of issuers, the securities or other interests of which the Company wishes to purchase or sell, (ii) the Advisor on behalf of the Company participates in a transaction (including a controlled acquisition of a U.S. public company) that results in the requirement to restrict all purchases, sales and voting of equity securities of such target issuer, or (iii) regulations, including portfolio affiliation rules or stock exchange rules, prohibit participation in offerings by an issuer when other Client Accounts have prior holdings of such issuer’s securities or desire to participate in such a public offering, or where other Client Accounts have or may have short positions in such issuer’s securities. However, where permitted by applicable law, and where consistent with the BlackRock Entities’ policies and procedures, the BlackRock Entities may, but are not obligated to, seek to avoid such prohibitions or limitations (such as through the implementation of appropriate information barriers), and in such cases, the Advisor on behalf of the Company may purchase or sell securities or instruments that are issued by such issuers. In addition, certain activities and actions may also be considered to result in reputational risk or disadvantage for the management of the Company and/or for the Advisor and its affiliates, and the Advisor may decline or limit an investment opportunity or dispose of an existing investment as a result.

In addition, in regulated industries and in certain markets, and in certain futures and derivative transactions, there are limits on the aggregate amount of investment by affiliated investors that may not be exceeded without a regulatory filing, the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent. For example, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the U.S. commodities exchanges and certain non-U.S. exchanges have established limits referred to as “speculative position limits” or “position limits” on the maximum long or short (or, for some commodities, the gross) positions which any person or group of persons may own, hold or control in certain futures or options on futures contracts, and such rules generally require aggregation of the positions owned, held or controlled by related entities. Any such limits may prevent the Company from acquiring positions that might otherwise have been desirable or profitable. Under certain circumstances, the Advisor may restrict a purchase or sale of securities, derivative instruments or other assets on behalf of Client Accounts in anticipation of a future conflict that may arise if such purchase or sale would be made. Any such determination will take into consideration the interests of the relevant Client Accounts, the circumstances that would give rise to the future conflict and applicable law. Such determination will be made on a case by case basis.

Other Services and Activities of the BlackRock Entities. The BlackRock Entities (including the Advisor) will, from time to time, provide financial, consulting and other services to, and receive compensation from, an entity which is the issuer of a security or other investment held by the Company, counterparties to transactions with the Company or third parties that also provide services to the Company. In addition, the BlackRock Entities (including the Advisor) may purchase property (including securities) from, sell property (including securities) or lend funds to, or otherwise deal with, any entity which is the issuer of a security held by the Company, counterparties to transactions with the Company or third parties that also provide services to the Company. It is also likely that the Company will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from entities for which BlackRock Entities perform or seek to perform certain financial services. Conflicts are expected to arise in connection with the foregoing.

The BlackRock Entities may derive ancillary benefits from providing investment advisory, administrative and other services to the Company, and providing such services to the Company may enhance the BlackRock Entities’ relationships with various parties, facilitate additional business development, and enable the BlackRock Entities to obtain additional business and generate additional revenue.

Potential Restrictions and Issues Relating to Information Held by BlackRock. The Advisor may not have access to information and personnel of all BlackRock Entities, including as a result of informational barriers constructed between different investment teams and groups within BlackRock focusing on alternative investments and otherwise. Therefore, the Advisor may not be able to manage the Company with the benefit of information held by one or more other investment teams and groups within the BlackRock Entities. However, although it is under no obligation to do so, if it is permitted to do so, the Advisor may consult with personnel on other investment teams and in other groups within BlackRock, or with persons unaffiliated with BlackRock, or may form investment policy committees composed of such personnel, and in

certain circumstances, personnel of affiliates of the Advisor may have input into, or make determinations regarding, portfolio management transactions for the Company, and may receive information regarding the Advisor’s proposed investment activities for the Company that generally is not available to the public. There will be no obligation on the part of such persons to make available for use by the Company any information or strategies known to them or developed in connection with their own client, proprietary or other activities. In addition, BlackRock will be under no obligation to make available any research or analysis prior to its public dissemination.

The Advisor makes decisions for the Company based on the Company’s investment program. The Advisor from time to time may have access to certain fundamental analysis, research and proprietary technical models developed by BlackRock Entities and their personnel. There will be no obligation on the part of the BlackRock Entities to make available for use by the Company, or to effect transactions on behalf of the Company on the basis of, any such information, strategies, analyses or models known to them or developed in connection with their own proprietary or other activities. In certain cases, such personnel will be prohibited from disclosing or using such information for their own benefit or for the benefit of any other person, including the Company and other Client Accounts. In other cases, fundamental analyses, research and proprietary models developed internally may be used by various BlackRock Entities and their personnel on behalf of different Client Accounts, which could result in purchase or sale transactions in the same security at different times (and could potentially result in certain transactions being made by one portfolio manager on behalf of certain Client Accounts before similar transactions are made by a different portfolio manager on behalf of other Client Accounts), or could also result in different purchase and sale transactions being made with respect to the same security. The Advisor may also effect transactions for the Company that differ from fundamental analysis, research or proprietary models issued by the BlackRock Entities or by the Advisor itself in various contexts. The foregoing transactions may negatively impact the Company and its direct and indirect investments through market movements or by decreasing the pool of available securities or liquidity, which effects can be more pronounced in thinly traded securities and less liquid markets.

The BlackRock Entities and different investment teams and groups within the Advisor have no obligation to seek information or to make available to or share with the Company any third-party manager with which the Company invests any information, research, investment strategies, opportunities or ideas known to BlackRock Entity personnel or developed or used in connection with other clients or activities. The BlackRock Entities and different investment teams and groups within the Advisor may compete with the Company or any third-party manager with which the Company invests for appropriate investment opportunities on behalf of their other Client Accounts. The results of the investment activities of the Company may differ materially from the results achieved by BlackRock Entities for other Client Accounts. BlackRock Entities may give advice and take action with respect to other Client Accounts that may compete or conflict with the advice the Advisor may give to the Company, including with respect to their view of the operations or activities of an investment, the return of an investment, the timing or nature of action relating to an investment or the method of exiting an investment.

BlackRock Entities may restrict transactions for themselves, but not for the Company, or vice versa. BlackRock Entities and certain of their personnel, including the Advisor’s personnel or other BlackRock Entity personnel advising or otherwise providing services to the Company, may be in possession of information not available to all BlackRock Entity personnel, and such personnel may act on the basis of such information in ways that have adverse effects on the Company. The Company could sustain losses during periods in which BlackRock Entities and other Client Accounts achieve significant profits.

Material, Non-Public Information. The Advisor and its personnel may not trade for the Company or other Client Accounts or for their own benefit or recommend trading in financial instruments of a company while they are in possession of material, non-public or price sensitive information (“Inside Information”) concerning such company, or disclose such Inside Information to any person not entitled to receive it. The BlackRock Entities (including the Advisor) may have access to Inside Information. The Advisor has instituted an internal information barrier policy designed to prevent securities laws violations based on access to Inside Information. Accordingly, there may be certain cases where the Advisor may be restricted from effecting purchases and/or sales of interests in securities or other financial instruments, or entering into certain transactions or exercising certain rights under such transactions on behalf of the Company and/or the other Client Accounts. There can be no assurance that the Advisor will not receive Inside Information and that such restrictions will not occur. At times, the Advisor, in an effort to avoid restriction for the Company or the other Client Accounts, may elect not to receive Inside Information, which may be relevant to the Company’s portfolio, that other market participants are eligible to receive or have received and could affect decisions that would have otherwise been made.

Any partner, officer or employee of the BlackRock Entities may serve as an officer, director, advisor or in comparable management functions for the investments of other Client Accounts, and any such person may obtain Inside Information in connection therewith, or in connection with such partner’s, officer’s or employee’s other activities in the financial markets. In an effort to manage possible risks arising from the internal sharing of material non-public information, BlackRock maintains a list of restricted securities with respect to which it has access to material non-public information and in which Client Accounts are restricted from trading. If partners, officers or employees of BlackRock obtain such material non-public information about a portfolio company which is an investment of a Client Account, the Company may be prohibited by law, policy or contract, for a period of time, from (i) unwinding a position in such company, (ii) establishing an initial position or taking any greater position in such company and/or (iii) pursuing other investment opportunities, which could impact the returns to the Company. In addition, in certain circumstances, particularly during the liquidation of a Client Account, the Company may be prohibited from trading a position that it holds, directly or indirectly, in the Client Account because BlackRock determines that one or more partners, officers or employees of BlackRock holds material non-public information with respect to one or more remaining positions held by the Client Account.

Transactions with Certain Stockholders. The Company is permitted to enter into transactions with certain stockholders, subject to applicable law. For example, the Advisor may be presented with opportunities to receive financing and/or other services in connection with the

Company’s operations and/or the Company’s investments from certain stockholders or their affiliates that are engaged in lending or related business, which subjects the Advisor to conflicts of interest.

The Company’s Use of Investment Consultants and BlackRock’s Relationship with Investment Consultants. Stockholders may work with pension or other institutional investment consultants (collectively, “Investment Consultants”). Investment Consultants provide a wide array of services to pension plans and other institutions, including assisting in the selection and monitoring of investment advisers such as the Advisor. From time to time, Investment Consultants who recommend the Advisor to, and provide oversight of the Advisor for, stockholders may also provide services to or purchase services from the BlackRock Entities. For example, the BlackRock Entities purchase certain index and performance-related databases and human resources-related information from Investment Consultants and their affiliates. The BlackRock Entities also utilize brokerage execution services of Investment Consultants or their affiliates, and BlackRock Entities personnel may attend conferences sponsored by Investment Consultants. Conversely, from time to time, the BlackRock Entities may be hired by Investment Consultants and their affiliates to provide investment management and/or risk management services, creating possible conflicts of interest.

Other Relationships with BlackRock Entities, Clients and Market Participants. The BlackRock Entities have developed, and will in the future develop, relationships with (or may invest in) a significant number of clients and other market participants (e.g., financial institutions, service providers, managers of investment funds, banks, brokers, advisors, joint venturers, consultants, finders (including executive finders), executives, attorneys, accountants, institutional investors, family offices, lenders, current and former employees, and current and former portfolio investment executives, as well as certain family members or close contacts of these persons), including those that may hold or may have held investments similar to the investments intended to be made by the Company, that may themselves represent appropriate investment opportunities for the Company, or that may compete with the Company for investment opportunities. Furthermore, the Advisor generally exercises its discretion to recommend to the Company or to an investment thereof that it contracts for services with such clients and market participants, and/or with other BlackRock Entities. It is difficult to predict the circumstances under which these relationships could become material conflicts for the Company, but it is possible that as a result of such relationships (or agreements with other Client Accounts) the Advisor may refrain from making all or a portion of any investment or a disposition on behalf of the Company, which may materially adversely affect the performance of the Company. Certain of these persons or entities will invest (or will be affiliated with an investor) in, engage in transactions with and/or provide services (including services at reduced rates) to, the BlackRock Entities and/or Client Accounts and/or their affiliates. BlackRock expects to be subject to a potential conflict of interest with the Company in recommending the retention or continuation of a third-party service provider to such Company or a portfolio investment if such recommendation, for example, is motivated by a belief that the service provider or its affiliate(s) will continue to invest in the Company or one or more Client Accounts, will provide the BlackRock Entities information about markets and industries in which the BlackRock Entities operate (or are contemplating operations) or will provide other services that are beneficial to the BlackRock Entities, the Company or one or more Client Accounts. The Advisor expects to be subject to a potential conflict of interest in making such recommendations, in that Advisor has an incentive to maintain goodwill between it and clients and other market participants, while the products or services recommended may not necessarily be the best available or most cost effective to the Company or its investments.

Legal Representation. The Company, as well as the Advisor and/or other BlackRock Entities, have engaged several counsel to represent them. In connection with such representation, counsel has relied upon certain information furnished to them by the Advisor and the BlackRock Entities, and has not investigated or verified the accuracy or completeness of such information. Such counsel’s engagement is limited to the specific matters as to which they are consulted and, therefore, there may exist facts or circumstances that could have a bearing on the Company’s or BlackRock’s financial condition or operations with respect to which counsel has not been consulted and for which they expressly disclaim any responsibility. Counsel has not represented and will not be representing stockholders. No independent counsel has been retained (or is expected to be retained) to represent stockholders. No attorney-client relationship exists between any counsel and any stockholder solely by such stockholder making an investment in the Company. As a result, stockholders are urged to retain their own counsel.

Resolution of Conflicts. Any conflicts of interest that arise between the Company or particular stockholders, on the one hand, and other Client Accounts or BlackRock Entities or affiliates thereof, on the other hand, will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis by business, legal and compliance officers of the Advisor and its affiliates, as applicable. Any such discussions will take into consideration the interests of the relevant parties and the circumstances giving rise to the conflicts. Stockholders should be aware that conflicts will not necessarily be resolved in favor of the interests of the Company or any affected stockholder. There can be no assurance that any actual or potential conflicts of interest will not result in the Company receiving less favorable investment or other terms with respect to investments, transactions or services than if such conflicts of interest did not exist.

Potential Impact on the Company. It is difficult to predict the circumstances under which one or more of the foregoing conflicts could become material, but it is possible that such relationships could require the Company to refrain from making all or a portion of any investment or a disposition in order for BlackRock to comply with its fiduciary duties, the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act or other applicable law. The Advisor may, under certain circumstances, seek to have conflicts or transactions involving conflicts approved in accordance with the governing agreements of the Company. Copies of Part 2A of the Advisor’s Form ADV, which includes additional detail regarding conflicts of interest that are relevant to BlackRock’s investment management business, are available at www.sec.gov and will be provided to current and prospective stockholders upon request.

The foregoing list of potential and actual conflicts of interest does not purport to be a complete enumeration of the conflicts attendant to an investment in the Company. Additional conflicts may exist that are not presently known to the Advisor, BlackRock or their respective affiliates or are deemed immaterial. Prospective investors should consult with their independent advisors before deciding whether to invest in

the Company. In addition, as the investment program of the Company develops and changes over time, an investment in the Company may be subject to additional and different actual and potential conflicts of interest.

Our Management Fee may induce our Advisor to cause us to incur additional leverage.

Our Management Fee is calculated on the basis of total assets (excluding cash) including assets acquired with the proceeds of leverage. This may encourage the Advisor to use leverage to increase the aggregate amount of and the return on our investments, even when it may not be appropriate to do so, and to refrain from de-levering when it would otherwise be appropriate to do so. Under certain circumstances, the use of increased leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which would impair the value of our common stock. Given the subjective nature of the investment decisions made by our Adviser on our behalf, we will not be able to monitor this conflict of interest.

Our Incentive Fee structure and the formula for calculating the Incentive Fee may incentivize our Advisor to pursue speculative investments.

The Incentive Fee payable by us to the Advisor may create an incentive for the Advisor to pursue investments on our behalf that are riskier or more speculative than would otherwise be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The Incentive Fee payable to the Advisor is based on two calculations (i) quarterly on income other than capital gains, if quarterly net investment income is above the specified hurdle rate and (ii) annually on capital gains, if net realized capital gains exceeds gross unrealized capital depreciation during the annual period defined in the Current Management Agreement (see Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements). The Incentive Fee payable by us to the Advisor also may induce the Advisor to invest on our behalf in instruments that have a deferred interest feature, even if such deferred payments would not provide cash necessary to enable us to pay current distributions to our stockholders. Under these investments, we would accrue interest over the life of the investment but would not receive the cash income from the investment until the end of the term, if at all. Our net investment income used to calculate the income portion of our Incentive Fee, however, will include accrued interest. Thus, a portion of this Incentive Fee would be based on income that we have not yet received in cash and may never receive in cash if the portfolio company is unable to satisfy such interest payment obligation to us. The foregoing risks could be increased because the Advisor is not obligated to reimburse us for any Incentive Fee received even if we subsequently incur losses or never receive in cash income that was previously accrued.

We are dependent upon senior management personnel of the Advisor for our future success, and if the Advisor is unable to retain qualified personnel or if the Advisor loses any member of its senior management team, our ability to achieve our investment objective could be significantly harmed.

The success of the Company is highly dependent on the financial and managerial expertise of the Advisor. The loss of one or more of the voting members of the Investment Committee could have a material adverse effect on the performance of the Company. Although the Advisor and the voting members of the Investment Committee devote a significant amount of their respective efforts to the Company, they actively manage investments for other clients and are not required to (and will not) devote all of their time to the Company's affairs.

The Advisor can resign on 60 days’ notice, and 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.

The Advisor has the right, under our investment management agreement, to resign at any time upon not more than 60 days’ written notice, whether we have found a replacement or not. If the Advisor resigns, we may not be able to find a new investment advisor 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 market price of our common stock may decline. In addition, the coordination of our internal management and investment activities is likely to suffer if we are unable to identify and reach an agreement with a single institution or group of executives having the expertise possessed by the Advisor and its affiliates. Even if we are able to retain comparable management, whether internal or external, the integration of such management and their lack of familiarity with our investment objective may result in additional costs and time delays that may adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations.

We may in the future determine to fund a portion of our investments by issuing preferred stock, which would magnify the potential gains or losses and the risks of investing in us in the same manner as our borrowings.

Preferred stock, which is another form of leverage, has the same risks to our common stockholders as borrowings because the dividends on any preferred stock we issue must be cumulative. Payment of such dividends and repayment of the liquidation preference of such preferred stock must take preference over any dividends or other payments to our common stockholders and preferred stockholders 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.

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 market price for 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 dividends 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 1940 Act, preferred stock constitutes a “senior security” for purposes of the asset coverage test.

We may experience fluctuations in our periodic operating results.

We could experience fluctuations in our periodic operating results due to a number of factors, including the interest rates payable on the debt securities we acquire, the default rate on such securities, the level of our expenses (including the interest rates payable on our borrowings), the dividend rates payable on preferred stock we issue, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

If we fail to maintain our status as a BDC, our business and operating flexibility could be significantly reduced.

We qualify as a BDC under the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act imposes numerous constraints on the operations of business development companies. For example, BDCs are prohibited from making any unqualifying investments unless at least 70% of their total assets are invested in qualifying investments which are primarily securities of private or thinly-traded U.S. companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. Failure to comply with the requirements imposed on business development companies by the 1940 Act could cause the SEC to bring an enforcement action against us and/or expose us to claims of private litigants. In addition, any such failure could cause an event of default under the Leverage Program, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial conditions or results of operations.

Because we intend to distribute substantially all of our income to our stockholders to maintain our status as a RIC under the Code we will continue to need additional capital to finance growth. If additional funds are unavailable or not available on favorable terms, our ability to grow will be impaired.

In order for the Company to qualify for the tax benefits available to RICs and to minimize payment of excise taxes, we intend to distribute to our stockholders substantially all of our annual taxable income and treat such amounts as deemed distributions to our stockholders. If we elect to treat any amounts as deemed distributions, we must pay income taxes at the corporate rate on such deemed distributions on behalf of our stockholders and our stockholders will receive a tax credit for such amounts and an increase in basis. A stockholder that is not subject to U.S. federal income tax or otherwise is not required to file a U.S. federal income tax return would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return on the appropriate form in order to claim a refund for the taxes we paid. As a result of these requirements, we will likely need to raise capital from other sources to grow our business. Unfavorable economic or capital market conditions may increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or could result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. An inability to successfully 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.

As a BDC, we are not able to incur senior securities unless after giving effect thereto we meet a coverage ratio of total assets, less liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, to total senior securities, which includes all of our borrowings, of at least 150%. This means that for every $100 of net assets, we may raise $200 from senior securities, such as borrowings or issuing preferred stock. These requirements limit the amount that we may borrow.

Because we will continue to need capital to grow our investment portfolio, these limitations may prevent us from incurring debt and require us to raise additional equity at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. While we expect we will be able to borrow and to issue additional debt securities and expect that we will be able to issue additional equity securities, we cannot assure you that debt and equity financing will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. In addition, as a BDC, we generally will not be permitted to issue equity securities priced below net asset value without stockholder approval. If additional funds are not available to us, we could be forced to curtail or cease new investment activities and our net asset value or common stock price could decline.

The highly competitive market in which we operate may limit our investment opportunities.

A number of entities compete with us to make the types of investments that we make. We compete with other BDCs, public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial financing companies, and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity funds. Additionally, because competition for investment opportunities generally has increased among alternative investment vehicles, such as hedge funds, those entities now invest in areas in which they have not traditionally invested, including making investments in middle-market private companies. As a result of these new entrants, competition for investment opportunities intensified over the past several years and may intensify further in the future. Some of our existing and potential competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and 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. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions and valuation requirements that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC and that the Code imposes on us as a RIC. We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, as a result of this existing and potentially increasing competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, and we can offer no assurance that we will be able to identify and make investments that are consistent with our investment objective.

We do not seek to compete primarily based on the interest rates we offer, and we believe that some of our competitors make loans with interest rates that are comparable to or lower than the rates we offer.

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 better terms to our portfolio companies than what we may have originally anticipated, which may impact our return on these investments.

Our Board of Directors may change our investment objective, operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval, the effect of which may be adverse.

Our Board of Directors has the authority to modify or waive certain of our investment objective, operating policies and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval (except as required by the 1940 Act). 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 or value of our common stock. Nevertheless, the effects could adversely affect our business and impact our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Our investments are risky and highly speculative, and we could lose all or part of our investment.

We invest primarily in middle-market companies primarily through leveraged loans.

Risks Associated with middle-market companies. Investing in private middle-market companies involves a number of significant risks, including:

Limited public information exists about private middle-market companies, and we expect to rely on the Advisor's investment professionals to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies. These companies and their financial information are not subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other rules that govern disclosures and financial controls of public companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investment.

Lower Credit Quality Obligations. Most of our debt investments are likely to be in lower grade obligations. The lower grade investments in which we invest may be rated below investment grade by one or more nationally-recognized statistical rating agencies at the time of investment or may be unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. Debt securities rated below investment grade are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” and are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The debt that we invest in typically is not rated prior to our investment by any rating agency, but we believe that if such investments were rated, they would be below investment grade (rated lower than “Baa3” by Moody’s Investors Service, lower than “BBB-” by Fitch Ratings or lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor’s). We may invest without limit in debt of any rating, as well as debt that has not been rated by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization.

Investment in lower grade investments involves a substantial risk of loss. Lower grade securities or comparable unrated securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to pay interest and principal and are susceptible to default or decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments. The market values for lower grade debt tend to be very volatile and are less liquid than investment grade securities. For these reasons, your investment in our company is subject to the following specific risks:

Adverse changes in economic conditions are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of a lower grade issuer to make principal payments and interest payments than an investment grade issuer. The principal amount of lower grade securities outstanding has proliferated in the past decade as an increasing number of issuers have used lower grade securities for corporate financing. An economic downturn could severely affect the ability of highly leveraged issuers to service their debt obligations or to repay their obligations upon maturity. Similarly, downturns in profitability in specific industries could adversely affect the ability of lower grade issuers in that industry to meet their obligations. The market values of lower grade debt tend to reflect individual developments of the issuer to a greater extent than do higher quality investments, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Factors having an adverse impact on the market value of lower grade debt may have an adverse effect on our net asset value and the market value of our common stock. In addition, we may incur additional expenses to the extent we are required to seek recovery upon a default in payment of principal of or interest on our portfolio holdings. In certain circumstances, we may be required to foreclose on an issuer’s assets and take possession of its property or operations. In such circumstances, we would incur additional costs in disposing of such assets and potential liabilities from operating any business acquired.

The secondary market for lower grade debt is unlikely to be as liquid as the secondary market for more highly rated debt, a factor which may have an adverse effect on our ability to dispose of a particular instrument. There are fewer dealers in the market for lower grade securities than investment grade obligations. The prices quoted by different dealers may vary significantly and the spread between the bid and asked price is generally larger than for higher quality instruments. Under adverse market or economic conditions, the secondary market for lower grade debt could contract further, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer, and these instruments may become highly illiquid. As a result, we could find it more difficult to sell these instruments or may be able to sell the securities only at prices lower than if such instruments were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating our net asset value.

Since investors generally perceive that there are greater risks associated with lower grade debt of the type in which we may invest a portion of our assets, the yields and prices of such debt may tend to fluctuate more than those for higher rated instruments. In the lower quality segments of the fixed income markets, changes in perceptions of issuers’ creditworthiness tend to occur more frequently and in a more pronounced manner than do changes in higher quality segments of the income securities market, resulting in greater yield and price volatility.

Distressed Debt Securities Risk. At times, distressed debt obligations may not produce income and may require us to bear certain extraordinary expenses (including legal, accounting, valuation and transaction expenses) in order to protect and recover our investment. Therefore, to the extent we invest in distressed debt, our ability to achieve current income for our stockholders may be diminished. We also will be subject to significant uncertainty as to when and in what manner and for what value the distressed debt we invest in will eventually be satisfied (e.g., through a liquidation of the obligor’s assets, an exchange offer or plan of reorganization involving the distressed debt securities or a payment of some amount in satisfaction of the obligation). In addition, even if an exchange offer is made or plan of reorganization is adopted with respect to distressed debt we hold, there can be no assurance that the securities or other assets received by us in connection with such exchange offer or plan of reorganization will not have a lower value or income potential than may have been anticipated when the investment was made. Moreover, any securities received by us upon completion of an exchange offer or plan of reorganization may be restricted as to resale. As a result of our participation in negotiations with respect to any exchange offer or plan of reorganization with respect to an issuer of distressed debt, we may be restricted from disposing of such securities.

Payment-in-kind Interest Risk. Our loans may contain a payment-in-kind, or PIK, interest provision. PIK investments carry additional risk as holders of these types of securities receive no cash until the cash payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold. If the issuer defaults the Company may obtain no return on its investment. The PIK interest, computed at the contractual rate specified in each loan agreement, is added to the principal balance of the loan and recorded as interest income. To avoid the imposition of corporate-level tax on us, this non-cash source of income needs to be paid out to stockholders in cash distributions or, in the event that we determine to do so and in certain cases, in shares of our common stock, even though we have not yet collected and may never collect the cash relating to the PIK interest. As a result, we may have to distribute a taxable stock dividend to account for PIK interest even though we have not yet collected the cash.

Preferred Stock Risk. To the extent we invest in preferred securities, there are special risks, including:

Deferral. 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 although we have not yet received such income.

Subordination. Preferred securities are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than more senior debt instruments.

Liquidity. Preferred securities may be substantially less liquid than many other securities, such as common stocks or U.S. Government securities.

Limited Voting Rights. Generally, preferred security holders have no voting rights with respect to the issuing company unless preferred dividends have been in arrears for a specified number of periods, at which time the preferred security holders may elect a number of directors to the issuer’s board. Generally, once all the arrearages have been paid, the preferred security holders no longer have voting rights.

Equity Security Risk. We may have exposure to equity securities. Although equity securities have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, equity securities also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns. The equity securities that we acquire may fail to appreciate and may decline in value or become worthless.

A trading market or market value of our debt securities may fluctuate.

In the event we issue debt securities, they may or may not have an established trading market. We cannot assure you that a trading market for debt securities will ever develop or be maintained if developed. In addition to our creditworthiness, many factors may materially adversely affect the trading market for, and market value of, debt securities we may issue. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

You should also be aware that there may be a limited number of buyers if and when you decide to sell your debt securities. This too may materially adversely affect the market value of the debt securities or the trading market for the debt securities.

We may expose ourselves to risks if we engage in hedging transactions.

We may enter into hedging transactions, which could expose us to risks associated with such transactions. We may utilize instruments such as forward contracts and interest rate swaps, caps, collars and floors to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the relative values of our portfolio positions and amounts due under our debt arrangements from changes in market interest rates. Use of these hedging instruments may include counterparty credit risk. Utilizing such hedging instruments does not eliminate the possibility of fluctuations in the values of such positions and amounts due under our debt arrangements 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 interest rate fluctuation that is so generally anticipated that we are not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price. The Dodd-Frank Act has made broad changes to the OTC derivatives market, granted significant new authority to the CFTC and the SEC to regulate OTC derivatives (swaps and security-based swaps) and participants in these markets. The Dodd-Frank Act is intended to regulate the OTC derivatives market by requiring many derivative transactions to be cleared and traded on an exchange, expanding entity registration requirements, imposing business conduct requirements on dealers and requiring banks to move some derivatives trading units to a non-guaranteed affiliate separate from the deposit-taking bank or divest them altogether. The CFTC has implemented mandatory clearing and exchange-trading of certain OTC derivatives contracts including many standardized interest rate swaps and credit default index swaps. The CFTC continues to approve contracts for central clearing. Exchange-trading and central clearing are expected to reduce counterparty credit risk by substituting the clearinghouse as the counterparty to a swap and increase liquidity, but exchange-trading and central clearing do not make swap transactions risk-free. Uncleared swaps, such as non-deliverable foreign currency forwards, are subject to certain margin requirements that mandate the posting and collection of minimum margin amounts. This requirement may result in the portfolio and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for uncleared swaps than would otherwise be the case. Certain rules require centralized reporting of detailed information about many types of cleared and uncleared swaps. Reporting of swap data may result in greater market transparency, but may subject a portfolio to additional administrative burdens, and the safeguards established to protect trader anonymity may not function as expected. Future CFTC or SEC rulemakings to implement the Dodd-Frank Act requirements could potentially limit or completely restrict our ability to use these instruments as a part of our investment strategy, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which we engage in derivative transactions could also prevent us from using these instruments or affect the pricing or other factors relating to these instruments, or may change availability of certain investments. In addition, on October 28, 2020, the SEC adopted new regulations governing the use of derivatives by closed-end funds (“Rule 18f-4”), which the Company was required to comply with as of August 19, 2022. As a result, the Company is required to implement and comply with the Rule 18f-4 limits on the amount of derivatives the Company can enter into, eliminate the asset segregation framework previously used to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, treat derivatives as senior securities so that a failure to comply with the limits would result in a statutory violation and require the Company, if the Company’s use of derivatives is more than a limited specified exposure amount (10% of net assets), to establish and maintain a comprehensive derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager.

The success of our hedging transactions will depend on our ability to correctly predict movements and interest rates. Therefore, while we may enter into such transactions to seek to reduce interest rate risks, unanticipated changes in 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 establish a perfect correlation between such hedging instruments and the portfolio holdings or debt arrangements being hedged. Any such imperfect correlation may prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and expose us to risk of loss.

We are subject to credit risk related to investments in our portfolio companies and with our financial institutions and counterparties.

The Company has investments in lower rated and comparable quality unrated senior and junior secured, unsecured and subordinated debt securities and loans, which are subject to a greater degree of credit risk than more highly rated investments. The risk of loss due to default by the issuer is significantly greater for holders of such securities and loans, particularly in cases where the investment is unsecured or subordinated to other creditors of the issuer.

The Company may be exposed to counterparty credit risk, or the risk that an entity with which the Company has unsettled or open transactions may fail to or be unable to perform on its commitments. The Company manages counterparty risk by entering into transactions only with counterparties that they believe have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of those counterparties. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Company to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks, consist principally of investments in portfolio companies. The extent of the Company’s exposure to market, issuer and counterparty credit risks with respect to these financial assets is generally approximated by their fair value recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities. The Company is also exposed to credit risk related to maintaining all of its cash at a major financial institution.

Because our investments are generally not in publicly traded securities, there will be uncertainty regarding the value of our investments, which could adversely affect the determination of our net asset value.

Our portfolio investments will generally not be in publicly traded securities. As a result, although we expect that some of our equity investments may trade on private secondary marketplaces, the fair value of our direct investments in portfolio companies will often not be readily determinable. Under the 1940 Act, investments for which there are no readily available market quotations, including securities that while listed on a private securities exchange have not actively traded, will be valued at fair value as determined using a consistently applied valuation process in accordance with our documented valuation policy that has been reviewed and approved by our board of directors. The Valuation Designee determines the value of our investments in accordance with such valuation policy. In connection with such determination, the Valuation Designee utilizes the services of an independent valuation firm, which prepares valuation reports on a quarterly basis for most of our portfolio investments that are not publicly traded or for which we do not have readily available market quotations, including securities that while listed on a private securities exchange, have not actively traded. However, the Valuation Designee retains ultimate authority as to the appropriate valuation of each such investment. The types of factors that the Valuation Designee takes into account in approving fair value with respect to such non-traded investments includes, as relevant and, to the extent available, the portfolio company’s earnings, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to valuations of publicly traded companies, comparisons to recent sales of comparable companies, the discounted value of the cash flows of the portfolio company and other relevant factors. This information may not be available because it is difficult to obtain financial and other information with respect to private companies, and even where we are able to obtain such information, there can be no assurance that it is complete or accurate. Because such valuations are inherently uncertain and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would be assessed if a readily available market for these securities existed. Due to this uncertainty, our fair value determinations with respect to any non-traded investments we hold may cause our net asset value on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that we may ultimately realize on one or more of our investments. As a result, investors purchasing our securities based on an overstated net asset value may pay a higher price than the value of our investments might warrant. Conversely, investors selling securities based on a net asset value that understates the value of our investments may receive a lower price for their securities than the value of our investments might warrant.

We and the Advisor may be a party to legal proceedings in connection with our investments in our portfolio companies.

From time to time, we and the Advisor may be a party to certain legal proceedings incidental to the normal course of our business, including the enforcement of our rights under contracts with our portfolio companies. While we cannot predict the outcome of these legal proceedings with certainty, we do not expect that these proceedings will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

We do not generally intend to take controlling equity positions in our portfolio companies. 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.

Our portfolio companies may incur debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies.

The portfolio companies we invest in usually have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt securities in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments may provide that the holders are entitled to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments in respect of the debt securities in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying such senior creditors, such portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with debt securities in which we invest, we would have to share any distributions on an equal and ratable basis with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy 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 of such companies. 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. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from the sale or sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the loan obligations secured by the second priority liens after payment in full of all obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral. If such proceeds are not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the 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 the loans we make to our portfolio companies with senior debt outstanding may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more intercreditor agreements, including agreements governing “first out” and “last out” structures, that we enter into with the holders of senior debt. Under such an intercreditor agreement, at any time that obligations that have the benefit of the first priority liens are outstanding, any of the following actions that may be taken in respect of the collateral will be in good faith under the direction of the holders of the obligations secured by the first priority liens: the ability to cause the commencement of enforcement proceedings against the collateral; the ability to control the conduct of such proceedings; the approval of amendments to collateral documents; releases of liens on the collateral; and waivers of past defaults under collateral documents. We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if our rights are adversely affected.

When we are a debt or minority equity investor in a portfolio company, we are often not in a position to exert influence on the entity, and other equity holders and management of the company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our portfolio holdings.

When we make debt or minority equity investments, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree and the other equity holders and management of such company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests. As a result, a portfolio company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our investment.

We may also make unsecured loans to portfolio companies, meaning that such loans will not benefit from any interest in collateral of such companies. Liens on such portfolio companies’ collateral, if any, will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under its outstanding secured debt and may secure certain future debt that is permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under its secured 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. There can be 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 our unsecured claims would rank equally with the unpaid portion of such secured creditors’ claims against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.

There may be circumstances in which our debt investments could be subordinated to claims of other creditors or we could be subject to lender liability claims.

If one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, even though we may have structured our interest as senior debt, depending on the facts and circumstances, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize our debt holding as an equity investment and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors. In addition, lenders can be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by them where they become too involved in the borrower’s business or exercise control over the borrower. For example, we could become subject to a lender’s liability claim, if, among other things, we actually render significant managerial assistance. Additionally, these companies may not be able to get a full tax deduction for such borrowings.

Our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged.

Some of our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged, which may have adverse consequences to these companies and to us as an investor. These companies may be subject to restrictive financial and operating covenants and the leverage may impair these companies’ ability to finance their future operations and capital needs. As a result, these 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 portfolio companies may prepay loans, which prepayment may reduce stated yields in the future if capital returned cannot be invested in transactions with equal or greater expected yields.

Certain of the loans we make are prepayable at any time, some of them 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 company to replace existing financing with less expensive capital. 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 the Company 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.

Concentration of our assets in an issuer, industry or sector may present more risks than if we were more broadly diversified over numerous issuers, industries and sectors of the economy.

We are classified as a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, which means that we are not limited by the 1940 Act with respect to the proportion of our assets that we may invest in securities of a single issuer. To the extent that we assume large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers, our net asset value 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, we may, from time to time, invest a substantial portion of our assets in the securities of issuers in any single industry or sector of the economy or in only a few issuers. We cannot predict the industries or sectors in which our investment strategy may cause us to concentrate and cannot predict the level of our diversification among issuers to ensure that we satisfy diversification requirements for qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A downturn in an industry or sector in which we are concentrated would have a larger impact on us than on a company that does not concentrate in that particular industry or sector. Furthermore, the Advisor has not made and does not intend to make any determination as to the allocation of assets among different classes of securities. At any point in time we may be highly concentrated in a single type of asset, such as junior unsecured loans or distressed debt. Consequently, events which affect a particular asset class disproportionately could have an equally disproportionate effect on us.

Our failure 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: (1) increase or maintain in whole or in part our equity ownership percentage; (2) exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing; or (3) attempt to preserve or enhance the value of our initial investment.

We may elect not to make follow-on investments or otherwise lack sufficient funds to make those investments. Our failure 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 such follow-on investment because we may not want to increase our concentration of risk, because we prefer other opportunities, because we are inhibited by compliance with BDC requirements or because we desire to maintain our tax status.

Our investments in the Software, Internet & Catalog Retail, and IT Services sectors are subject to various risks, including intellectual property infringement issues and rapid technological changes, which may adversely affect our performance. Each industry contains certain industry related credit risks.

General risks of companies in the Software, Internet & Catalog Retail, and IT Services sectors include intellectual property infringement liability issues, the inability to protect Internet software and other propriety technology, extensive competition and limited barriers to entry. Generally, the market for Internet software and services is categorized by rapid technological change, evolving industry standards, changes in customer requirements and frequent new product introduction and enhancements. If a portfolio company in the Internet software and services sector cannot develop new products and enhance its current products in response to technological changes and competing products, its business and operating results will be negatively affected. In addition, there has been a substantial amount of litigation in the Internet software and services relating to intellectual property rights. Regardless of whether claims that a company is infringing patents or other intellectual property have any merit, these claims are time-consuming and costly. Moreover, an Internet software and services company must monitor the unauthorized use of its intellectual property, which may be difficult and costly. A company’s failure to protect its intellectual property could

put it at a disadvantage to its competitors and harm its business, results of operations and financial condition. If an internet software and services company in which we invest is unable to navigate these risks, our performance may be adversely affected.

Our investments in the financial services sector are subject to various risks including volatility and extensive government regulation.

These risks include the effects of changes in interest rates on the profitability of financial services companies, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, price competition, governmental limitations on a company’s loans, other financial commitments, product lines and other operations and recent ongoing changes in the financial services industry (including consolidations, development of new products and changes to the industry’s regulatory framework). Insurance companies have additional risks, such as heavy price competition, claims activity and marketing competition, and can be particularly sensitive to specific events such as man-made and natural disasters (including weather catastrophes), terrorism, mortality risks and morbidity rates.

Our investments in foreign securities may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.

Our investment strategy contemplates that a portion of our investments may be in securities of foreign companies in order to provide diversification or to complement our U.S. investments, although we are required generally to invest at least 70% of our assets in companies organized and having their principal place of business within the U.S. and its possessions. Accordingly, we may invest on an opportunistic basis in certain non-U.S. companies, including those located in emerging markets, that otherwise meet our investment criteria. In regards to the regulatory requirements for business development companies, some of these investments may not qualify as investments in “eligible portfolio companies,” and thus may not be considered “qualifying assets.” “Eligible portfolio companies” generally include U.S. companies that are not investment companies and that do not have securities listed on a national exchange. If at any time less than 70% of our gross assets are comprised of qualifying assets, including as a result of an increase in the value of any non-qualifying assets or decrease in the value of any qualifying assets, we would generally not be permitted to acquire any additional non-qualifying assets until such time as 70% of our then current gross assets were comprised of qualifying assets. We would not be required, however, to dispose of any non-qualifying assets in such circumstances. In addition, investing in foreign companies, and particularly those in emerging markets, 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 foreign taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than is generally the case in the U.S., 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 may be more pronounced for portfolio companies located or operating primarily in emerging markets, whose economies, markets and legal systems may be less developed. Further, we may have difficulty enforcing our rights as equity holders in foreign jurisdictions. In addition, to the extent we invest in non-U.S. companies, we may face greater exposure to foreign economic developments.

Although it is anticipated that most of our investments will be denominated in U.S. dollars, our investments that are denominated in a foreign currency will be subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency may change in relation to the U.S. dollar. 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 can offer no assurance that we will, in fact, hedge currency risk or, that if we do, such strategies will be effective. As a result, a change in currency exchange rates may adversely affect our profitability.

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 some of 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 some of our portfolio companies’ financial condition, through decreased revenues. Extreme weather conditions in general require more system backup, adding to costs, and can contribute to increased system stresses, including service interruptions.

We may invest in “covenant-lite” loans, which could have limited investor protections.

We may invest in, or obtain exposure to, obligations that may be “covenant-lite,” which means such obligations lack, or possess fewer, financial covenants that protect lenders. Covenant-lite agreements feature incurrence covenants, as opposed to more restrictive maintenance covenants. Under a maintenance covenant, the borrower would need to meet regular, specific financial tests, while under an incurrence covenant, the borrower only would be required to comply with the financial tests at the time it takes certain actions (e.g., issuing additional debt, paying a dividend, making an acquisition). A covenant-lite obligation contains fewer maintenance covenants than other obligations, or no maintenance covenants, and may not include terms that allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. Furthermore, in the event of default, covenant-lite loans may exhibit diminished recovery values as the lender may not have the opportunity to negotiate with the borrower prior to default.

While our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted under the 1940 Act, we have received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting certain affiliated investments subject to certain conditions. As a result, the Advisor may face conflicts of interests and investments made pursuant to the exemptive order conditions could in certain circumstances adversely affect the price paid or received by us or the availability or size of the position purchased or sold by us.

Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities or is managed by the Advisor will generally be our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act and we are generally prohibited from participating in certain transactions such as co-investing with, or buying or selling any security from or to, such affiliate, absent the prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. However, the Advisor and the funds managed by the Advisor have received an exemption from certain SEC regulations prohibiting transactions with affiliates. The exemptive order requires that certain procedures be followed prior to making an investment subject to the order and such procedures could in certain circumstances adversely affect the price paid or received by us or the availability or size of the position purchased or sold by us. The Advisor may also face conflicts of interest in making investments pursuant to the exemptive order.

The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. We are prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any person who owns more than 25% of our voting securities and from or to certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons, absent the prior approval of the SEC (other than certain limited situations pursuant to current regulatory guidance). The analysis of whether a particular transaction constitutes a joint transaction requires a review of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the particular transaction. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates.

Regulations governing our operation as a BDC may limit our ability to, and the way in which we raise additional capital, which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations and may hinder the Advisor’s ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and to achieve our investment objective.

Our business requires a substantial amount of capital. We may acquire additional capital from the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or from the additional issuance of senior securities (including debt and preferred stock). However, we may not be able to raise additional capital in the future on favorable terms or at all. We may issue debt securities or preferred securities, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” and we may borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act, permits us to issue senior securities or incur indebtedness only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 150% after such issuance or incurrence. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that happens, we may be required to liquidate a portion of our investments and repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that happens, we may be required to liquidate a portion of our investments and repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous.

Changes in the laws or regulations governing our business or the business of our portfolio companies, or changes in the interpretations thereof or newly enacted legislation and regulations, and any failure by us or our portfolio companies to comply with these laws or regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition of us or our portfolio companies.

We are subject to changing rules and regulations of federal and state governments, as well as the stock exchange in which our common stock is listed. These entities, including the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the SEC and The Nasdaq Global Select Market, have issued a significant number of new and increasingly complex requirements and regulations over the course of the last several years and continue to develop additional regulations. Changes in the laws or regulations or the interpretations of the laws and regulations that govern

BDCs, RICs or non-depository commercial lenders could significantly affect our operations and our cost of doing business. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations and are subject to judicial and administrative decisions that affect our operations, including our loan originations, maximum interest rates, fees and other charges, disclosures to portfolio companies, the terms of secured transactions, collection and foreclosure procedures and other trade practices. If these laws, regulations or decisions change, or if we expand our business into jurisdictions that have adopted more stringent requirements than those in which we currently conduct business, we may have to incur significant expenses in order to comply, or we might have to restrict our operations. In addition, if we do not comply with applicable laws, regulations and decisions, we may lose licenses needed for the conduct of our business and may be subject to civil fines and criminal penalties, any of which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, results of operations or financial condition.

If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could be precluded from investing in certain assets or could be required to dispose of certain assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As a BDC, we are prohibited from acquiring any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets. As of December 31, 2022, approximately $87.9 million, or approximately 15.0%, of our adjusted total assets were not "qualifying assets." If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we will be prohibited from investing in additional non-qualifying assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies (which could result in the dilution of our position) or could require us to dispose of investments at inopportune times in order to come into compliance with the 1940 Act. If we need to dispose of these investments quickly, it may be difficult to dispose of such investments on favorable terms. For example, we may have difficulty in finding a buyer and, even if a buyer is found, we may have to sell the investments at a substantial loss.

We will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on all of our income if we are unable to qualify as a RIC under the Code, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.

Although we are currently qualified as a RIC, no assurance can be given that we will be able to maintain RIC status. To maintain RIC status and be relieved of U.S. federal income taxes on income and gains distributed to its stockholders, we generally must meet the annual distribution, source-of-income and asset diversification requirements described below.

To qualify as a RIC under the Code, we generally must meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. The annual distribution requirement for a RIC will generally be satisfied if we distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and net short-term capital gain in excess of net long-term capital loss, if any, to our stockholders. Since we use debt financing, we are subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements and other financial covenants under the terms of the our Credit Facility, and we are, in some circumstances, also subject to similar requirements under the 1940 Act. The requirements could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to qualify as a RIC. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify as a RIC and, thus, may be subject to corporate-level income tax. To qualify as a RIC, we generally must also meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each calendar quarter. Failure to meet these tests may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC status. Because we anticipate that most of our investments will be in private companies, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and may result in substantial losses.

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

There is a risk that you may not receive distributions or that our distributions may not grow over time and a portion of our distributions may be a return of capital.

We intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. We cannot assure you that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by the impact of one or more of the risk factors described in this filing. Due to the asset coverage test applicable to us under the 1940 Act as a BDC, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions. Additionally, a portion of such distributions may include a return of stockholder capital. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits are considered nontaxable distributions and serve to reduce the basis of our shares in the hands of the common stockholders rather than being currently taxable. As a result of the reduction of the basis of our shares, common stockholders may incur additional capital gains taxes or may have lower capital losses.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, stockholders could lose confidence in our financial and other public reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our common stock.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition, any testing by us conducted in

connection with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our consolidated financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors and lenders to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.

We may experience cyber-security incidents and are subject to cyber-security risks.

Our business operations rely upon secure information technology systems for data processing, storage and reporting. Despite careful security and controls design, implementation and updating, our information technology systems could become subject to cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber-attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Network, system, application and data breaches could result in operational disruptions or information misappropriation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Cyber-security failures or breaches by the Advisor, any sub-adviser(s) and other service providers (including, but not limited to, accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), and the issuers of securities in which we invest, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with our ability to calculate our net asset value, impediments to trading, the inability of our stockholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While we have established a business continuity plan in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyberattacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, we cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by our service providers and issuers in which we invest. We and our stockholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

The failure in cyber-security systems, as well as the occurrence of events unanticipated in our disaster recovery systems and management continuity planning could impair our ability to conduct business effectively.

The occurrence of a disaster such as a cyber-attack, a natural catastrophe, an industrial accident, a terrorist attack or war, events unanticipated in our disaster recovery systems, or a support failure from external providers, could have an adverse effect on our ability to conduct business and on our results of operations and financial condition, particularly if those events affect our computer-based data processing, transmission, storage, and retrieval systems or destroy data. If a significant number of our managers were unavailable in the event of a disaster, our ability to effectively conduct our business could be severely compromised.

We depend heavily upon computer systems to perform necessary business functions. Despite our implementation of a variety of security measures, our computer systems could be subject to cyber-attacks and unauthorized access, such as physical and electronic break-ins or unauthorized tampering. Like other companies, we may experience threats to our data and systems, including malware and computer virus attacks, unauthorized access, system failures and disruptions. If one or more of these events occurs, it could potentially jeopardize the confidential, proprietary and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations, which could result in damage to our reputation, financial losses, litigation, increased costs, regulatory penalties and/or customer dissatisfaction or loss.

We are dependent on information systems and systems failures could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to pay dividends.

Our business is dependent on our and third parties’ communications and information systems. Further, in the ordinary course of our business we or the Advisor may engage certain third party service providers to provide us with services necessary for our business. Any failure or interruption of those systems or services, including as a result of the termination or suspension of an agreement with any third-party service providers, could cause delays or other problems in our business 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:

These events, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and negatively affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.

Our shares of common stock have traded at a discount from net asset value and may do so again in the future, which could limit our ability to raise additional equity capital.

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, may trade at a market discount from net asset value. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies and BDCs is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. In the past, the stocks of BDCs as an industry, including shares of our common stock, have traded below net asset value and at historic lows as a result of concerns over liquidity, leverage restrictions and distribution requirements. When our common stock is trading below its net asset value per share, we will generally not be able to issue additional shares of our common stock at its market price without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. At our special meeting of stockholders held on May 3, 2022, our stockholders did not approve our ability to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below its then current net asset value per share for a 12-month period expiring on the anniversary of the date of stockholder approval. We intend to seek the same stockholder approval at a special meeting on May 3, 2023 for the 12-month period commencing on May 3, 2023, but there can be no assurance we will receive such approval.

Investing in our common stock may involve 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 a higher risk of volatility or loss of principal. Our investments in portfolio companies involve higher levels of risk, and therefore, an investment in our common stock may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

The market price and liquidity of the market for our common stock may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include:

Stockholders will likely incur dilution if we sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock or securities to subscribe for or convertible into shares of our common stock at prices below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock.

We generally seek approval from our stockholders so that we have the flexibility to issue up to 25% of our then outstanding shares of our common stock immediately prior to any such sale at a price below net asset value. Our ability to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below net asset value, subject to certain limitations and determinations by our board of directors expired on May 3, 2022 and was not renewed.

In addition, we may also issue shares of common stock in certain limited circumstances under our dividend reinvestment plan and under interpretive advice issued by the Internal Revenue Service. Any sale or other issuance of shares of our common stock at a price below net asset value per share would result in an immediate dilution to the net asset value per share. This dilution would occur as a result of a proportionately greater decrease in a stockholder’s interest in our earnings and assets and voting interest in us than the increase in our assets resulting from such issuance. Because the number of shares of common stock that could be so issued and the timing of any issuance is not currently known,

the actual dilutive effect cannot be predicted. Such effects may be material, and we undertake to describe material risks and dilutive effects of any offering that we make at a price below our then current net asset value in the future in a prospectus supplement issued in connection with any such offering. We cannot predict whether shares of our common stock will trade above, at or below our net asset value. If we were to sell our common stock at prices below net asset value for a sustained period of time, such sales may result in an increased risk of our common stock trading at a discount to its net asset value.

Our capital-raising activities may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

When we issue securities or incur debt, we generally obtain cash or cash equivalents. Any increase in our holdings of cash or cash equivalents could adversely affect the prevailing market prices for our common stock, especially if we are unable to timely deploy the capital in suitable investments. The adverse impact on the prevailing market prices for our common stock could be greater if we issue debt securities or other securities requiring the payment of interest and are unable to timely deploy the capital in suitable investments.

We may choose to pay dividends in our own stock, in which case you may be required to pay tax in excess of the cash you receive.

We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable to our stockholders in part through the issuance of shares of our common stock. Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations and a revenue procedure issued by the Internal Revenue Service, a RIC may treat a distribution of its own stock as fulfilling its RIC distribution requirements if each stockholder may elect to receive his or her entire distribution in either cash or stock of the RIC, subject to a limitation that the aggregate amount of cash to be distributed to all stockholders must be at least 20% of the aggregate declared distribution. If too many stockholders elect to receive their distributions in cash, we must allocate the cash available for distribution among the stockholders electing to receive cash (with the balance of the distribution paid in shares of our common stock). If we decide to make any distributions consistent with this revenue procedure that are payable in part in our stock, U.S. taxable stockholders receiving such dividends generally will be required to include the full amount of the dividend (whether received in cash, our stock, or a combination thereof) as ordinary income (or as long-term capital gain to the extent such distribution is properly reported as a capital gain dividend) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. stockholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale.

Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in stock. If a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our stock. In addition, to the extent our stock is trading below our net asset value per share, our net asset value per share will be diluted.

If we issue preferred stock, the net asset value and market value of our common stock may become more volatile.

We cannot assure you that the issuance of preferred stock would result in a higher yield or return to the holders of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock would likely cause the net asset value and market value of our common stock to become more volatile. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock were to approach the net rate of return on our investment portfolio, the benefit of leverage to the holders of our common stock would be reduced. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock were to exceed the net rate of return on our portfolio, the leverage would result in a lower rate of return to the holders of our common stock than if we had not issued preferred stock. Any decline in the net asset value of our investment would be borne entirely by the holders of our common stock. Therefore, if the market value of our portfolio were to decline, the leverage would result in a greater decrease in net asset value to the holders of our common stock than if we were not leveraged through the issuance of preferred stock. This greater net asset value decrease would also tend to cause a greater decline in the market price of our common stock. We might be in danger of failing to maintain the required asset coverage of the preferred stock or of losing our ratings on the preferred stock or, in an extreme case, our current investment income might not be sufficient to meet the dividend requirements on the preferred stock. In order to counteract such an event, we might need to liquidate investments in order to fund a redemption of some or all of the preferred stock. In addition, we would pay (and the holders of our common stock would bear) all costs and expenses relating to the issuance and ongoing maintenance of the preferred stock, including higher Incentive Fees if our total return exceeds the dividend rate on the preferred stock. Holders of preferred stock may have different interests than holders of common stock and may at times have disproportionate influence over our affairs.

We may in the future determine to issue preferred stock, which could adversely affect the market 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 market price for 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 dividends 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 1940 Act, preferred stock constitutes a “senior security” for purposes of the asset coverage test.

Holders of any preferred stock we might issue would have the right to elect members of our Board of Directors and class voting rights on certain matters.

Holders of any preferred stock we might issue, voting separately as a single class, would have the right to elect two members of our Board of Directors at all times and in the event dividends become two full years in arrears would have the right to elect a majority of the directors until such arrearage is completely eliminated. In addition, preferred stockholders have class voting rights on certain matters, including changes in fundamental investment restrictions and conversion to open-end status, and accordingly can veto any changes. Restrictions imposed on the declarations and payment of dividends or other distributions to the holders of our common stock and preferred stock, both by the 1940 Act and by requirements imposed by rating agencies, might impair our ability to maintain our qualification as a RIC for federal income tax purposes. While we would intend to redeem our preferred stock to the extent necessary to enable us to distribute our income as required to maintain our qualification as a RIC, there can be no assurance that such actions could be affected in time to meet the tax requirements.

Certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

The Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging a third party from making an acquisition proposal for us. These anti-takeover provisions may inhibit a change in control in circumstances that could give the holders of our common stock the opportunity to realize a premium over the market price of our common stock. We have also adopted measures that may make it difficult for a third party to obtain control of us, including provisions of our amended certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws dividing our Board of Directors in three classes serving staggered three-year terms, requiring the affirmative vote of the holders of 75% of the then outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote to remove a director for cause, and, subject to the rights of any holders of preferred stock, filling any vacancy on our Board of Directors only by a vote of a majority of the directors then in office. The classification of our Board of Directors and the limitations on removal of directors and filling of vacancies could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, or of discouraging a third party from acquiring us. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws also provide that special meetings of the stockholders may only be called by our Board of Directors, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer or Secretary. These provisions, as well as other provisions of our amended certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws, may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.

Your interest in us may be diluted if you do not fully exercise your subscription rights in any rights offering we may conduct. In addition, if the subscription price is less than our net asset value per share, then you will experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate net asset value of your shares.

In the event we issue subscription rights, stockholders who do not fully exercise their subscription rights should expect that they will, at the completion of a rights offering, own a smaller proportional interest in us than would otherwise be the case if they fully exercised their rights. We cannot state precisely the amount of any such dilution in share ownership because we do not know at this time what proportion of the shares will be purchased as a result of such rights offering.

In addition, if the subscription price is less than the net asset value per share of our common stock, then our stockholders would experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate net asset value of their shares as a result of the offering. The amount of any decrease in net asset value is not predictable because it is not known at this time what the subscription price and net asset value per share will be on the expiration date of a rights offering or what proportion of the shares will be purchased as a result of such rights offering. Such dilution could be substantial.

Terms relating to redemption may materially adversely affect your return on any debt securities that we may issue.

If your debt securities are redeemable at our option, we may choose to redeem your debt securities at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on your debt securities. In addition, if your debt securities are subject to mandatory redemption, we may be required to redeem your debt securities also at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on your debt securities. In this circumstance, you may not be able to reinvest the redemption proceeds in a comparable security at an effective interest rate as high as your debt securities being redeemed.

Our credit ratings are subject to change and may not reflect all risks of an investment in our debt securities.

Our credit ratings are an assessment by third parties of our ability to pay our obligations and are subject to change. For example, our credit ratings were changed several times during the most recent fiscal year and are subject to further change. Such fluctuations in our credit ratings may adversely affect the market value of our debt securities. In addition, our credit ratings may not reflect the potential impact of risks related to market conditions generally or other factors on the market value of or trading market for the publicly issued debt securities.