Great Elm Group, Inc. - Annual Report: 2023 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO

Commission File Number 001-39832

GREAT ELM GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (617) 375-3006

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes  No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes  No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based on the closing price of the shares of common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on December 30, 2022, was $36,204,379. This number does not include shares of common stock held by our investors Imperial Capital Asset Management, LLC and Northern Right Capital Management, L.P. and persons who are directors or executive officers.

The number of shares of the Registrant’s common stock outstanding as of September 12, 2023 was 30,642,963.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Unless the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” “Great Elm,” “GEG” and terms of similar import refer to Great Elm Group, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This report and certain information incorporated herein by reference contain forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements often include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “plan,” “target,” “project,” “forecast,” “envision” and other similar phrases. Although we believe the assumptions and expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these assumptions and expectations may not prove to be correct, and we may not achieve the financial results or benefits anticipated. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of actual results. Our actual results may differ materially from those suggested in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control, including, without limitation:

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the time of filing of this report and we do not undertake to update or revise them as more information becomes available. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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PART I

Item 1. Business.

Overview

We are a publicly-traded alternative asset management company focused on growing a scalable and diversified portfolio of long-duration and permanent capital vehicles across credit, real estate, specialty finance, and other alternative strategies.

We decided to invest in the asset management business because of our assessment of its ability to generate recurring free cash flows, its growth prospects and our Board of Directors’ (our Board) and employees’ industry expertise. GECM, our wholly-owned registered investment adviser subsidiary, is an investment adviser providing investment management services to GECC and Monomoy UpREIT, our largest investment vehicles, as well as other private funds. The combined assets under management of these entities at June 30, 2023 was approximately $639.8 million.

GECC was established in 2016 and it elected to be treated as a business development company (BDC) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act). We own approximately 20.2% of GECC’s shares that we may hold to generate dividends or sell to redeploy our capital in higher yielding opportunities.

Monomoy UpREIT is the operating partnership of Monomoy Properties REIT, LLC. Monomoy Properties REIT, LLC was formed in 2014 with the purpose of building an industry leading single-tenant industrial portfolio specializing in net leased assets, specifically Class B & C warehouse, distribution & light manufacturing assets. The Company acquired the investment management agreement of Monomoy UpREIT in May 2022. The Company owns approximately 7.3% of Monomoy UpREIT.

GECM, our wholly-owned subsidiary, earns revenue through investment management agreements with each investment vehicle that provide for management fees, property management fees, incentive fees and/or administration fees. These fees are generally based on assets under management, rent collected, investment performance and allocable expenses incurred in the administration of these investment vehicles.

In January 2023, Monomoy BTS Corporation (MBTS), our wholly-owned subsidiary, completed purchases of certain land parcels. Contemporaneously with the land purchases, MBTS entered into commercial lease agreements, as a lessor, in respect to the land parcels and build-to-suit improvements to be constructed thereon. The leases will commence upon substantial completion of the build-to-suit development, which is expected not later than the first calendar quarter of 2024. We intend to sell the land and improvements with the attached leases at or close to the respective lease commencement date.

As of June 30, 2023, we had $16.2 million of net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes.

Discontinued Operations

We launched our Durable Medical Equipment (DME) business in September 2018 by acquiring two businesses that specialized in the distribution of respiratory care equipment, including positive air pressure equipment and supplies, ventilators and oxygen equipment, and provided sleep study services. Since then, the business was grown organically through investments in scalability as well as inorganically through tuck-in acquisitions. On January 3, 2023, we sold our DME business.

For additional information see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Sale of Forest

On December 30, 2022, we and our wholly-owned subsidiary, Great Elm FM Acquisition, Inc. (FM Acquisition), entered into a stock purchase agreement (the Stock Purchase Agreement) with J.P. Morgan Broker-Dealer Holdings Inc. (JPM) to sell 61 shares of the common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of Forest Investments, Inc. (Forest) owned by us and FM Acquisition, which constituted 61% of the issued and outstanding shares of Forest’s common stock, to JPM for approximately $18.4 million in cash (the Sale of Controlling Interest in Forest). In connection with the Stock Purchase Agreement, we, JPM and Forest entered into an amended and restated stockholders’ agreement (the Stockholders Agreement). Pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, from January 17, 2023 until February 17, 2023, we had the right (the Put Option) to sell our remaining 19% interest in Forest (Investment in Forest) for its then fair market value. On January 17, 2023, we exercised the Put Option and sold the Investment in Forest for approximately $26.5 million in cash.

For additional information see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

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Acquisition Program

We continue to explore other investment management opportunities, as well as opportunities in other areas that we believe provide attractive risk-adjusted returns on invested capital. As of the date of this report, we had $2.3 million of unfunded binding commitments to make additional investments.

Competition

We face competition from larger, well financed organizations (both domestic and foreign), including global asset managers, investment banks, commercial banks, private equity funds, sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises. Government regulation is a key competitive factor for certain industries.

Employees

We had 24 employees as of June 30, 2023.

Information about Great Elm on the Internet

The following documents and reports are available on or through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such materials with, or furnish to, the SEC:

The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. Our stockholders may also obtain a printed copy of any of the above documents or reports by sending a request to Great Elm Group, Inc., 800 South Street, Suite 230, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453; Attention: Investor Relations, or by calling (617) 375-3006. We charge $0.50 per page to cover expenses of copying and mailing.

Our corporate headquarters is located at 800 South Street, Suite 230, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453. Our corporate website address is www.greatelmgroup.com.

The contents of the websites referred to above are not incorporated by reference into this filing.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Our business is subject to a number of risks. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this report, before you decide whether to invest in our securities. The following risks are not the only risks we face. If any of the following risks occurs or continues to occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common shares could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Although the risks are organized by headings, and each risk is discussed separately, many are interrelated.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our growth strategy may not be successful. The process to identify potential investment opportunities and strategic transaction partners, to investigate and evaluate the future returns therefrom and business prospects thereof and negotiate definitive agreements with respect to such transactions on mutually acceptable terms can be time consuming and costly. We are likely to encounter intense competition from other companies with similar business objectives to ours, including private equity and venture capital funds, sovereign wealth funds, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), investment firms with significantly greater financial and other resources and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these companies are well established, well financed and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations.

We continually evaluate our assets and investments relative to other market opportunities in order to seek to maximize shareholder value. As a result, we may purchase new assets or businesses or sell existing assets or businesses at any time. If such a purchase or sale is not successfully completed, integrated or managed effectively, or does not result in the benefits or cost savings we expect, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected.

Because we will consider investments in different industries, you have no basis at this time to ascertain the merits or risks of any business that we may ultimately invest in or seek to acquire. We are not limited to acquisitions and/or investments in any particular industry or type of business. Accordingly, there is no current basis for you to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the particular industry in which we may ultimately invest or the target businesses in which we may ultimately invest or seek to acquire. We may not properly assess all of the significant risks present in that opportunity. Even if we properly assess those risks, some of them may be outside of our control or ability to affect. For example, as part of our investment management business we will direct investments in a wide variety of industries and vehicles, including SPACs, which may decline in value. Except as required under the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq) rules and applicable law, we will not seek stockholder approval of any investment or acquisition that we may pursue, so you will most likely not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of such a transaction before we become committed to the transaction. Our business, financial condition and results of operations are dependent upon our investments. Any material adverse change in one of our investments or in a particular industry in which we invest may cause material adverse changes to our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, concentration of capital we devote to a particular investment or industry may increase the risk that such investment could significantly impact our financial condition and results of operations, possibly in a material adverse way.

Subsequent to an investment, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business that we invest in, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business or outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate covenants under our debt agreements. Accordingly, you could suffer a significant reduction in the value of your shares.

We may not correctly assess the management teams of the businesses we invest in. The value of the businesses we invest in is driven by the quality of the leaders of those businesses. When evaluating the desirability of a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’ management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we expected. Should the target’s management not possess the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities, the operations and profitability of that business will be negatively impacted. In addition, we may acquire private, non-public companies, with unsophisticated accounting or compliance operations and personnel.

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Our ability to successfully grow our business will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. Our ability to successfully effect our growth strategy is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The loss of our key personnel could severely negatively impact the operations and profitability of our business.

Increased competition may adversely affect our revenues, profitability and staffing. All aspects of our business are intensely competitive. We will compete directly with a number of BDCs, private equity and venture capital funds, financial investment firms and SPACs. There has been increasing competition from others offering financial services, including services based on technological innovations. Increased competition or an adverse change in our competitive position could lead to a reduction of business and therefore a reduction of revenues and profits.

Competition also extends to the hiring and retention of highly skilled management and employees. A competitor may be successful in hiring away employees, which may result in us losing business formerly serviced by such employees. Competition can also increase our costs of recruiting, hiring and retaining the employees we need to effectively operate our business.

Changing conditions in financial markets and the economy could impact us through decreased revenues, losses or other adverse consequences. Global or regional changes in the financial markets or economic conditions could adversely affect our business in many ways, including the following:

Additionally, disruptions in the financial markets have increased the spread between the yields realized on risk-free and higher risk securities, resulting in illiquidity in parts of the financial markets. These and future market disruptions and/or illiquidity would be expected to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Unfavorable economic conditions also would be expected to increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events have limited and could continue to limit our investment originations, limit our ability to grow and have a material negative impact on our operating results and the fair values of our debt and equity investments. As a result, we may experience additional losses on our investments. Decreases in the market values of investments held within the underlying portfolios of managed funds could also lead to decreases in asset-based fee revenues.

If our tax filing positions were to be challenged by federal, state and local or foreign tax jurisdictions, we may not be wholly successful in defending our tax filing positions. We record reserves for unrecognized tax benefits based on our assessment of the probability of successfully sustaining tax filing positions. Management exercises significant judgment when assessing the probability of successfully sustaining tax filing positions, and in determining whether a contingent tax liability should be recorded and, if so, estimating the amount. If our tax filing positions are successfully challenged, payments could be required that are in excess of reserved amounts or we may be required to reduce the carrying amount of our net deferred tax asset, either of which result could be significant to our financial position, cash balances and results of operations.

We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us. We may choose to incur substantial debt to finance our growth plans. For example, in June 2022, we raised $26.9 million through the issuance of 7.25% Notes due 2027. The incurrence of additional debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

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The financial services industry is subject to extensive regulation, including recent legislation and new or pending regulation, which may significantly affect our business. The financial services industry is subject to extensive laws, rules and regulations. In recent years in particular, there has been significant legislation and increased regulation affecting the financial services industry. These legislative and regulatory initiatives affect us, our competitors, our managed investment products and our customers. These changes could have an effect on our revenue and profitability, limit our ability to pursue business opportunities, impact the value of assets that we hold, require us to change certain business practices, impose additional costs on us, and otherwise adversely affect our business. Accordingly, we cannot provide assurance that legislation and regulation will not eventually have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Firms that engage in securities and derivatives trading and wealth and asset management must comply with the laws, rules and regulations imposed by national and state governments and regulatory and self-regulatory bodies with jurisdiction over such activities. Such laws, rules and regulations cover all aspects of the financial services business, including, but not limited to, sales and trading methods, trade practices, use and safekeeping of customers’ funds and securities, capital structure, anti-money laundering and anti-bribery and corruption efforts, record-keeping and the conduct of directors, officers and employees. Regulators will supervise our business activities to monitor compliance with laws, rules and regulations of the relevant jurisdiction. In addition, if there are instances in which our regulators question our compliance with laws, rules, and regulations, they may investigate the facts and circumstances to determine whether we have complied.

Operational risks may disrupt our business, result in regulatory action against us or limit our growth. Our businesses are highly dependent on our ability to process, on a daily basis, transactions across numerous and diverse markets and the transactions we process have become increasingly complex. If any of our financial, accounting or other data processing systems do not operate properly or are disabled or if there are other shortcomings or failures in our internal processes, people or systems, we could suffer an impairment to our liquidity, a financial loss, a disruption of our businesses, liability to clients, regulatory intervention or reputational damage. These systems may fail to operate properly or become disabled as a result of events that are wholly or partially beyond our control, including a disruption of electrical or communications services or our inability to occupy one or more of our buildings. The inability of our systems to accommodate an increasing volume of transactions could also constrain our ability to expand our businesses.

Our financial and other data processing systems will rely on access to and the functionality of operating systems maintained by third parties. If the accounting, trading or other data processing systems on which we are dependent are unable to meet increasingly demanding standards for processing and security or if they fail or have other significant shortcomings, we could be adversely affected. Such consequences may include our inability to effect transactions and manage our exposure to risk.

We may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures, and we may be subject to litigation and financial losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered through any insurance maintained by us. The increased use of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices as well as cloud computing may also heighten these and other operational risks. We and our third-party providers are the subject of attempted unauthorized access, computer viruses and malware, and cyberattacks designed to disrupt or degrade service or cause other damage and denial of service. Cyberattacks and other cyber incidents are occurring more frequently, are constantly evolving in nature, are becoming more sophisticated and are being carried out by groups and individuals (including criminal hackers, hacktivists, state-sponsored actors, criminal and terrorist organizations, individuals or groups participating in organized crime and insiders) with a wide range of expertise and motives (including monetization of corporate, payment or other internal or personal data, theft of computing resources, financial fraud, operational disruption, theft of trade secrets and intellectual property for competitive advantage and leverage for political, social, economic and environmental reasons). Such cyberattacks and cyber incidents can take many forms including cyber extortion, denial of service, social engineering, such as impersonation attempts to fraudulently induce employees or others to disclose information or unwittingly provide access to systems or data, introduction of viruses or malware, such as ransomware through phishing emails, website defacement or theft of passwords and other credentials, unauthorized use of computing resources for digital currency mining and business email compromises. There can be no assurance that such unauthorized access or cyber incidents will not occur in the future, and they could occur more frequently and on a larger scale. Legal liability arising from such risks may harm our business. Many aspects of our business involve substantial risks of liability.

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Our financial and operational controls may not be adequate. As we expand our business, there can be no assurance that financial controls, the level and knowledge of personnel, operational abilities, legal and compliance controls and other corporate support systems will be adequate to manage our business and growth. The ineffectiveness of any of these controls or systems could adversely affect our business and prospects. In addition, if we acquire new businesses and introduce new products, we face numerous risks and uncertainties integrating their controls and systems, including financial controls, accounting and data processing systems, management controls and other operations. A failure to integrate these systems and controls, and even an inefficient integration of these systems and controls, could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Losses not covered by insurance may be large, which could adversely impact our financial performance. We carry various insurance policies on our assets. These policies contain policy specifications, limits and deductibles that may mean that such policies do not provide coverage or sufficient coverage against all potential material losses. There are certain types of risk (generally of a catastrophic nature such as war or environmental contamination) which are either uninsurable or not economically insurable. Further, there are certain types of risk for which insurance coverage is not equal to the full replacement cost of the insured assets. Should any uninsured or underinsured loss occur, we could lose our investment in, and anticipated profits and cash flows from, one or more of our assets or operations.

We also carry directors and officers liability insurance (D&O insurance) for losses or advancement of defense costs in the event a legal action is brought against the company’s directors, officers or employees for alleged wrongful acts in their capacity as directors, officers or employees. Our D&O insurance contains certain customary exclusions that may make it unavailable for the company in the event it is needed; and in any case our D&O insurance may not be adequate to fully protect the company against liability for the conduct of its directors, officers or employees.

Our investment management agreements may be terminated. The investment management agreements (IMAs) we have through GECM with various pooled investment vehicles, such as GECC and Monomoy UpREIT, may be cancelled at the applicable counterparty’s discretion upon certain notice or upon the occurrence of certain events. We do not control the boards of directors of such pooled investment vehicles, and they may cancel our respective IMAs at their discretion without making any termination payment to us. GECM’s investment performance is a key element of retaining this business. We have recorded an intangible asset attributable to the IMAs that is being amortized over a 15-year economic life even though the IMAs are cancellable by the respective counterparties.

Difficult or changing market conditions can adversely affect our business in many ways, by reducing the value or performance of our funds (including our invested funds and funds invested by third parties) or by reducing the ability of our funds to raise or deploy capital, each of which could negatively impact our income and cash flow and adversely affect our financial condition. The build-out of our business is affected by conditions in the financial markets and economic conditions and events throughout the world, such as interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws and regulations, market perceptions and other factors.

Adverse changes could lead to a reduction in investment income, losses on our own capital invested and lower revenues from investment management fees. Such adverse changes may also lead to a decrease in new capital raised and may cause investors to withdraw their investments and commitments. Even in the absence of a market downturn, below-market investment performance by our funds and portfolio managers could reduce investment management revenues and assets under management and result in reputational damage that may make it more difficult to attract new investors or retain existing investors.

The replacement of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) may affect the funds we manage and our results of operations and financial results. As a result of the discontinuation of certain unsecured benchmark interest rates, including LIBOR, regulators and market participants in various jurisdictions have been working to identify alternative reference rates that are compliant with the International Organization of Securities Commission’s standards for transaction-based benchmarks. In the U.S., the Alternative Committee, a group of market and official sector participants, identified SOFR as its recommended alternative benchmark rate. Other alternative reference rates have been recommended in other jurisdictions.

The funds that we manage may hold a number of LIBOR-referenced contracts. Transition from LIBOR to SOFR or to another reference rate may result in an increase or a decrease of the overall borrowing cost for the funds we manage and their portfolio companies. Even if the overall borrowing cost decreases, any savings that the funds we manage realize from such decrease could be offset partially or entirely by lower overall interest income received from certain assets. In addition, the transition from LIBOR to another reference rate could result in financial market disruption and significant increases or volatility in risk-free benchmark rates. Should such disruption occur, it may adversely affect, among other things, the trading market for LIBOR-based securities and the market for derivative instruments. As a result, the transition from LIBOR could have a direct or indirect adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to execute our growth plans. If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we will be subject to additional regulatory requirements and our activities may be restricted, including:

Each of these may make it difficult for us to run our business. In addition, the law may impose upon us burdensome requirements, including:

In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Though we do not believe that our principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act, if we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense and attention from management for which we have not accounted.

Our officers and directors may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us, subject to their fiduciary duties under applicable law.

We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with our executive officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest. In light of the involvement of our executive officers and directors with other entities in the investment management business and otherwise, we may decide to acquire or do business with one or more businesses affiliated with our executive officers, directors or existing shareholders. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. Such entities may compete with us and potential conflicts of interest may exist. Nonetheless, we could pursue an affiliate transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors and our audit committee.

Risks Relating to Our Common Stock

Our common stock is subject to transfer restrictions. We have NOL carryforwards and other tax attributes, the amount and availability of which are subject to certain qualifications, limitations and uncertainties. In order to reduce the possibility that certain changes in ownership could result in limitations on the use of the tax attributes, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that generally restrict the ability of a person or entity from acquiring ownership (including through attribution under the tax law) of 4.99% or more of our common stock and the ability of persons or entities now owning 5% or more of our common shares from acquiring additional common shares. The restriction will remain until the earliest of (1) the repeal of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended or any successor statute if our Board determines that the restriction on transfer is no longer necessary or desirable for the preservation of tax benefits, (2) the close of business on the first day of a taxable year as to which our Board determines that no tax benefits may be carried forward, (3) such date as our Board may fix for expiration of transfer restrictions and (4) January 29, 2028. The restriction may be waived by our Board on a case-by-case basis. You are advised to carefully monitor your ownership of our common shares and consult your own legal advisors to determine whether your ownership of our common shares approaches the proscribed level.

We also have a Tax Rights Plan that would be triggered if any person acquires 4.99% or more of our common stock without prior approval by our Board. Holders of more than 4.99% of our common stock on the day the rights plan was adopted were exempted from this limitation as to the number shares they held at the time of adoption of the rights plan.

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We may issue additional shares of common stock or shares of our preferred stock to obtain additional financial resources, as acquisition currency or under employee incentive plans. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks. Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our Board to issue shares of our common stock or preferred stock from time to time in their business judgment up to the amount of our then authorized capitalization. We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of our common stock and may issue shares of our preferred stock. These issuances:

Anti-takeover provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could impair a takeover attempt. Our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and Delaware law contain provisions that could have the effect of rendering more difficult or discouraging an acquisition deemed undesirable by our Board. Our corporate governance documents include provisions:

These provisions, alone or together, could delay hostile takeovers and changes in control of our company or changes in our management.

As a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to provisions of Delaware law, including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prevents some stockholders holding more than 15% of our outstanding common stock from engaging in certain business combinations without approval of the holders of substantially all of our outstanding common stock. Any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

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Our common stockholders may experience significant dilution upon the issuance of common stock upon conversion of our 5.0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2030 (the Convertible Notes). The issuance of common stock upon conversion of some or all of the Convertible Notes will dilute the ownership interests of existing holders of shares of our common stock, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline. Furthermore, the number of shares of common stock to be issued upon conversion of the Convertible Notes may be substantially greater if the conversion rate is adjusted in accordance with the terms of the Convertible Notes. Holders of the Convertible Notes have the right to convert all or any portion of such notes at any time prior to February 22, 2030 into shares of our common stock at a conversion price of $3.4722 per share. Upon conversion of any note, we will pay or deliver, as the case may be, to the noteholder, in respect of each $1,000 principal amount of notes being converted, shares of common stock equal to the conversion rate in effect on the conversion date, together with cash, if applicable, in lieu of delivering any fractional share of common stock. We cannot predict or accurately forecast the total amount of shares of common stock that ultimately may be issued under the Convertible Notes. Further, the perception of these sales or issuances, or the conversion of the Convertible Notes, could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of our equity securities.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

Not applicable.

Item 2. Properties.

We currently lease office space for our principal executive office in Waltham, Massachusetts. Our lease is non-cancellable through September 2024. We lease additional office space in Charleston, South Carolina, which has a lease expiration date in September 2025.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

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PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the trading symbol “GEG”.

Record Holders

As of September 12, 2023, there were 59 record holders of our common stock.

Dividends

We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our common stock. The payment of dividends in the future is subject to the discretion of our Board and will depend upon general business conditions, legal and contractual restrictions on the payment of dividends and other factors that our Board may deem to be relevant.

Restrictions on Ownership

We have NOL carryforwards and other tax attributes, the amount and availability of which are subject to qualifications, limitations and uncertainties. In order to reduce the possibility that certain changes in ownership could result in limitations on the use of our tax attributes, our certificate of incorporation contains provisions which generally restrict the ability of a person or entity from acquiring ownership (including through attribution under the tax law) of 5% or more of the outstanding shares of common stock and the ability of persons or entities now owning 5% or more of the outstanding shares of common stock from acquiring additional common shares. We also have a tax benefits preservation rights plan that restricts ownership of 4.99% or more of our outstanding shares of common stock. Persons that owned more than 4.99% of our common stock when the rights plan was adopted were grandfathered as to their then-current holdings of our common stock. Our Board has granted limited waivers to certain investors to own more than 4.9% of our common stock, including funds managed by Northern Right Capital Management, L.P. (Northern Right) and Imperial Capital Asset Management, LLC (ICAM). As of September 12, 2023, Northern Right and its affiliates and ICAM and its affiliates own approximately 19.2% and 19.7%, respectively, of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Ownership information is based on information in publicly available filings.

Stock Purchases

None.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

The information required by Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K will be contained in our Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated by reference thereto.

Item 6. [Reserved]

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified entirely by, our consolidated financial statements (including Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements) and the other consolidated financial information appearing elsewhere in this report. Some of the information in this discussion and analysis includes forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties. Actual results and timing of events could differ from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

Overview

GEG is a publicly-traded alternative asset management company focused on growing a scalable and diversified portfolio of long-duration and permanent capital vehicles across credit, real estate, specialty finance, and other alternative strategies. GEG and its subsidiaries currently manage GECC, a publicly-traded BDC, and Monomoy UpREIT, an industrial-focused real estate investment trust, in addition to other investments. The combined assets under management of these entities at June 30, 2023 was approximately $639.8 million.

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GEG continues to explore other investment management opportunities, as well as opportunities in other areas that it believes provide attractive risk-adjusted returns on invested capital. As of the date of this report, GEG had $2.3 million of unfunded binding commitments to make additional investments.

On December 30, 2022, GEG and its wholly-owned subsidiary, FM Acquisition, entered into the Stock Purchase Agreement with JPM to sell 61 shares of the common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of Forest owned by FM Acquisition and GEG, which constituted 61% of the issued and outstanding shares of Forest’s common stock, to JPM for approximately $18.4 million in cash. In connection with the Stock Purchase Agreement, GEG, JPM and Forest entered into the Stockholders Agreement. Pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, from January 17, 2023 until February 17, 2023, GEG had the the Put Option to sell its remaining 19% interest in Forest for its then fair market value. On January 17, 2023, GEG exercised the Put Option and sold the Investment in Forest for approximately $26.5 million in cash.

On January 3, 2023, GEG’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Great Elm DME Holdings, Inc., along with the minority owners of Great Elm Healthcare, LLC (HC LLC), entered into a purchase agreement with QHM Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Quipt Home Medical Corp (Quipt), to sell 100% of the outstanding membership interests in HC LLC to Quipt (the Sale of HC LLC) for $80.0 million, consisting of approximately $72.8 million in cash, $5.2 million of indebtedness assumed by Quipt and $2.0 million in shares of Quipt common stock based on the 20-day volume-weighted average price of Quipt’s common stock for the period ending on and including the second business day prior to the closing of the transaction. After transaction costs of $2.5 million, distributions to non-controlling interests of $5.9 million, and indemnity escrow payment of $0.4 million, cash proceeds to GEG and its subsidiaries were $64.1 million, pending finalization of working capital adjustments. The disposal group satisfied the criteria for presentation as held for sale and discontinued operations through the date of sale, and as such GEG's historical segment information was recast to reflect its ongoing business as a single reportable segment and to remove the activity of discontinued operations.

In January 2023, MBTS, GEG's wholly-owned subsidiary, completed purchases of certain land parcels. Contemporaneously with the land purchases, MBTS entered into commercial lease agreements, as a lessor, in respect to the land parcels and build-to-suit improvements to be constructed thereon. The leases will commence upon substantial completion of the build-to-suit development, which is expected not later than the first calendar quarter of 2024. GEG intends to sell the land and improvements with the attached leases at or close to the respective lease commencement date. During the year ended June 30, 2023, GEG capitalized costs of $1.7 million attributed to the cost of land and development and construction costs directly identifiable with the two real estate projects.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented. On an on-going basis, the Company evaluates all of these estimates and assumptions. Actual results could be different from these estimates.

Previously reported assets and liabilities related to our DME business, primarily consisting of HC LLC and its subsidiaries, have been reclassified as assets and liabilities held for sale on the Company's consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2022. In addition, the historical results of the DME business and related activity have been presented in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 as discontinued operations. See Note 4 - Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations in the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Following presentation of our DME business as discontinued operations, the Company views its operations and manages its business as one operating segment focused on growing a scalable and diversified portfolio of long-duration and permanent capital vehicles across credit, real estate, specialty finance, and other alternative strategies.

Asset Acquisitions

Asset acquisitions are accounted for using the cost accumulation method while business combinations are accounted for at fair value. Determining whether the acquired set represents an asset acquisition or a business combination requires quantitative and qualitative assessments subject to judgment. The fair values assigned to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on management’s estimates and assumptions, as well as other information compiled by management, including projected financial information, effective income tax rates, present value discount factors, and long-term growth expectations. The Company utilizes third-party specialists to assist management with the identification and valuation of intangible assets using customary valuation procedures and techniques.

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Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue at amounts that reflect the consideration to which it expects to be entitled in exchange for providing services to its customers under agreements with each investment product, which may be terminated at any time by either party subject to the specific terms of each respective agreement. Our revenues primarily consist of fees based on a percentage of assets under management, fees based on rents collected, fees based on the performance of managed assets, and administration and service fees.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amount of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis and operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established when necessary, in order to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts more likely than not to be recovered.

The Company has established a valuation allowance for its deferred tax assets that are not recoverable from taxable temporary differences because the Company is unable to conclude that future utilization of a portion of its net operating loss carryforwards and other deferred tax assets is more likely than not.

The calculation of the Company’s tax positions involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations for federal and several different state tax jurisdictions. The Company is periodically reviewed by tax authorities regarding the amount of taxes due. These reviews include inquiries regarding the timing and amount of deductions and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. GAAP provides guidance on the accounting for and disclosure of uncertainty in tax positions and requires the evaluation of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Company's tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are "more likely than not" of being sustained by the applicable taxing authority. The Company recognizes in its consolidated financial statements the impact of a tax position if that position is more likely than not of being sustained upon examination, based on the technical merits of the position. In making these assessments, the Company determines the accounting recognition based on the technical merits of the position and consults with external tax experts as appropriate. The Company does not recognize income tax benefits for positions that it takes on its income tax returns that do not meet the more likely than not standard on its technical merits.

New Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Results of Operations

Continuing Operations

The following table provides the consolidated results of our continuing operations:

*NM - not meaningful

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Revenues

Revenues for the year ended June 30, 2023 increased $4.1 million, as compared to the prior year. The increase of $2.7 million is attributed to the Monomoy UpREIT investment management agreement acquired in May 2022, and the increase of $1.0 million is attributed to the incentive fees due from GECC.

Operating Costs and Expenses

Operating costs and expenses for the year ended June 30, 2023 increased $6.6 million, as compared to the prior year. Investment management expenses increased $4.2 million, which was mainly attributable to costs associated with servicing the recently acquired Monomoy UpREIT investment management agreement. Other selling, general and administrative expenses increased $1.5 million, which was mainly attributed to legal, consulting and other professional fees. Depreciation and amortization increased $0.6 million, primarily due to amortization expense recorded in respect to the intangible assets identified upon acquisition of the Monomoy UpREIT investment management agreement.

Other Expenses and Income

Interest expense for the year ended June 30, 2023 increased by $0.5 million, compared to the prior year, primarily due to interest on the 7.25% notes due in 2027 issued in June 2022 (the GEGGL Notes) and on the $6.3 million promissory note issued to Imperial Capital Asset Management, LLC (ICAM) in May 2022 (the Seller Note) (fully repaid in February 2023), which was partially offset by decrease in interest expense attributed to the 35,010 shares of preferred stock issued by Forest to JPM on December 29, 2020 (the Forest Preferred Stock) following the Sale of Controlling Interest in Forest on December 30, 2022.

During the year ended June 30, 2023, the Company recognized $32.0 million of other income (net), comprised of gain on Sale of Controlling Interest in Forest of $10.5 million, gain on the Investment in Forest of $24.4 million, and dividends and interest income of $6.2 million, partially offset by net realized and unrealized loss on investments (excluding the Investment in Forest) of $9.2 million. During the year ended June 30, 2022, the Company recognized $4.9 million of other expense (net), mainly attributed to net realized and unrealized loss on investments of $7.6 million and net realized and unrealized loss on investments of our consolidated fund, Great Elm SPAC Opportunity Fund, LLC (GESOF), of $0.5 million, partially offset by dividends and interest income of $3.2 million.

Income Taxes

The Company recognized an income tax expense from continuing operations of $0.2 million and $0.1 million for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. This expense consisted solely of state and local taxes. No federal income taxes were incurred for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022. As of June 30, 2022, the Company had NOL carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of approximately $821 million. Following the Sale of Controlling Interest in Forest, Forest ceased being part of our consolidated tax group and NOL carryforwards attributed to the entity became unavailable for the Company's use going forward. As of June 30, 2023, we had $16.2 million of net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes, of which approximately $8.2 million will expire in fiscal years 2024 through 2025 and $8.0 million can be carried forward indefinitely.

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Discontinued Operations

The following table provides the consolidated results of our discontinued operations:

During the year ended June 30, 2023, the results of the discontinued DME business only included operations through the date of its sale (January 3, 2023). Upon sale of the DME business, we initially recognized a gain on sale of $13.6 million. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, we recorded a loss of $0.3 million following finalization of working capital adjustments to the initial sales price for HC LLC, with the respective payment made to Quipt in September 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The following table presents selected financial information:

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As of June 30, 2022, our current assets, current liabilities and long-term liabilities contained $8.5 million, $15.0 million and $2.6 million of current assets held for sale, current liabilities held for sale and non-current liabilities held for sale, respectively, attributed to the DME business.

As of June 30, 2023, we had an unrestricted cash balance of $60.2 million, short-term investments in marketable securities of $24.6 million and investments with a fair value of $32.6 million, including 1,532,519 shares of GECC common stock with an estimated fair value of $11.9 million.

We intend to make acquisitions that will likely result in our investment of all of our liquid financial resources, the issuance of equity securities and the incurrence of indebtedness. If we are unsuccessful at raising additional capital resources, through either debt or equity, it is unlikely we will be able execute our strategic growth plan. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

Cash flows used in operating activities of our continuing operations for the year ended June 30, 2023 were $3.1 million. The adjustments to reconcile our net income from continuing operations of $14.5 million to net cash used in operating activities included add-backs for various non-cash charges, such as $2.6 million of stock-based compensation expense, $2.3 million of non-cash interest and amortization of capitalized issuance costs, $1.2 million of depreciation and amortization, and $0.8 million of change in fair value of contingent consideration payable to ICAM, which was partially offset by deduction of $10.9 million of unrealized gain on our investments, $4.3 million of realized gain on our investments, $10.5 million of gain on Sale of Controlling Interest in Forest in December 2022, and the net negative change in our operating assets and liabilities of $0.7 million. During the year ended June 30, 2023 we also received $1.6 million attributed to sales of investments by GESOF. Cash flows provided by operating activities of our discontinued operations for the year ended June 30, 2023 were $0.8 million.

Cash flows provided by operating activities of our continuing operations for the year ended June 30, 2022 were $17.1 million. The net cash inflow was primarily the result of net sales of investments by GESOF of approximately $23.2 million, and non-cash adjustments of $8.2 million in realized loss on investments, $2.8 million in stock-based compensation, $2.0 million in non-cash interest and amortization of capitalized issuance costs, $0.5 million in depreciation and amortization, and $0.5 million in net realized and unrealized loss on investments of GESOF, partially offset by our net loss from continuing operations of $19.3 million and $0.4 million of stock dividends. The cash flows provided by operating activities of our discontinued operations for the same period were $12.2 million.

Cash flows provided by investing activities of our continuing operations for the year ended June 30, 2023 were $16.7 million which is attributed to the combined proceeds from sale of Forest, net of cash sold, of $44.3 million, partially offset by purchases of investments of $3.1 million and purchases of investments in marketable securities of $24.4 million. Cash flows provided by investing activities of our discontinued operations for the year ended June 30, 2023 of $67.2 million were primarily attributed to the cash proceeds from the Sale of HC LLC, net of cash sold and before transaction costs and distributions to non-controlling interests, of $71.3 million, partially offset by other investing activities of our DME business.

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Cash flows used in investing activities of our continuing operations for the year ended June 30, 2022 were $33.3 million, primarily consisting of $15.0 million in net purchases of interests in Monomoy UpREIT and $17.5 million for participation in the GECC rights offering. Cash flows used in investing activities of our discontinued operations for the year ended June 30, 2022 were $6.8 million, mainly attributed to capital expenditures related to purchases of equipment held for rental.

Cash flows used in financing activities of our continuing operations for the year ended June 30, 2023 were $42.4 million, which consisted of principal payments of $38.1 million on the promissory note issued to Forest on December 29, 2022 and fully repaid by January 3, 2023, and principal payments of $3.7 million on the Seller Note, as well as distributions to non-controlling interests in GESOF of $0.6 million. Cash flows used in financing activities of our discontinued operations for the year ended June 30, 2023 of $5.2 million were primarily attributed to distributions to non-controlling interests upon Sale of HC LLC of $5.9 million.

Cash flows provided by financing activities of our continuing operations for the year ended June 30, 2022 were $10.2 million, primarily attributed to $26.9 million in proceeds from the issuance of the GEGGL Notes, partially offset by payments to the broker of GESOF of $11.4 million and distributions to non-controlling interests in GESOF of $3.9 million, while cash flows used in financing activities of our discontinued operations for the same period were $0.2 million.

We believe we have sufficient liquidity available to meet our short-term and long-term obligations for at least the next 12 months.

Borrowings

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had $26.9 million in outstanding aggregate principal of the GEGGL Notes. The GEGGL Notes are due on June 30, 2027, and interest is paid quarterly. The GEGGL Notes include covenants that limit additional indebtedness or the payment of dividends in the event that our net consolidated debt to equity ratio is, or would be on a pro forma basis, greater than 2 to 1. In addition, if our net consolidated debt to equity ratio is greater than 2 to 1 at the end of any calendar quarter, we must retain no less than 10% of our excess cash flow as cash and cash equivalents until such time as our net consolidated debt to equity ratio is less than 2 to 1 at the end of a calendar quarter.

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had $37.9 million principal balance in outstanding convertible notes (including cumulative interest paid in-kind) held by a consortium of investors, including related parties, that accrue interest at 5.0% per annum, payable semiannually in arrears on June 30 and December 31, in cash or in-kind at the option of the Company (the Convertible Notes). The Convertible Notes are due on February 26, 2030, but are convertible at the option of the holders, subject to the terms therein, prior to maturity into shares of our common stock. Upon conversion of any note, the Company will pay or deliver, as the case may be, to the noteholder, in respect of each $1,000 principal amount of notes being converted, shares of common stock equal to the conversion rate in effect on the conversion date, together with cash, if applicable, in lieu of delivering any fractional share of common stock. To date, all interest on these instruments has been paid in-kind.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The information required by this Item appears beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is incorporated in this Item 8 by reference.

Under Rule 3-09 of Regulation S-X, the audited financial statements of GECC for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, included in GECC’s annual report on Form 10-K (File No. 814-01211), filed with the SEC on March 2, 2023 are incorporated herein by reference. We include the financial statements of GECC because our investment in GECC met the test of significance under Rule 3-09 in Regulation S-X. The management of GECC is responsible for the form and content of GECC’s financial statements. Certain officers and directors of GECC are also officers and directors of GEG. Matthew A. Drapkin is a director of our Board and also the Chairman of GECC's Board of Directors, Adam M. Kleinman is our President as well as the Chief Compliance Officer of GECC, and Keri A. Davis is our Chief Financial Officer as well as the Chief Financial Officer of GECC.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

Not applicable.

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Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company’s management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June 30, 2023.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements in accordance with US GAAP.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rule 13(a)-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Our internal control over financial reporting is supported by written policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2023 as required by the Exchange Act. In making this assessment, we used the criteria set forth in the framework in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on management’s evaluation under the framework, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of June 30, 2023.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. Other Information.

None.

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.

Not applicable.

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PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

The information required by this item will be contained in our definitive proxy statement (Proxy Statement) and is hereby incorporated by reference thereto.

Item 11. Executive Compensation.

The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated by reference thereto.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated by reference thereto.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.

The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated by reference thereto.

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated by reference thereto.

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

Financial Statements

The information required by this Item appears beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is incorporated in this Item 15 by reference.

Financial Statement Schedules

Schedules are omitted because they are not required or are not applicable or the required information is shown in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.

Exhibits

The exhibit index attached hereto is incorporated by reference.

EXHIBIT INDEX

Unless otherwise indicated, all references are to filings by Great Elm Group, Inc. (the Registrant) with the Securities and Exchange Commission under File No. 001-39832

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* Schedules and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. GEG hereby undertakes to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted schedule or exhibit upon request by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

+ Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.

We have elected not to provide a Form 10-K summary.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized as of September 20, 2023.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities indicated as of September 20, 2023.

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INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

F-1

Report of Independent Registered PUBLIC Accounting Firm

Board of Directors and Shareholders

Great Elm Group, Inc.

Opinion on the financial statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Great Elm Group, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of June 30, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and contingently redeemable non-controlling interest, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended June 30, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of June 30, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended June 30, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical audit matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Taxable Gain on Certain Divestitures

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company recognizes in its financial statements the impact of a tax position if that position is more likely than not of being sustained upon examination based on the technical merits of the position. Certain divestitures involve complex tax matters in determining the taxable gain that require the evaluation of the recognition and measurement of the tax position taken. The accounting for the recognition and measurement of such tax position requires management to make significant judgments and interpretations to determine whether available information supports the assertion that the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is met. As a result, we have determined that the evaluation of the more-likely-than-not threshold for the tax position related to the determination of the taxable gain on certain divestitures is a critical audit matter.

F-2

The principal consideration for our determination that this is a critical audit matter is management’s significant judgments about and complex considerations of the Internal Revenue Code (Code), related Treasury regulations, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rulings. The complexity and subjective nature of management’s conclusions required a high degree of auditor judgment.

Our audit procedures related to the Company’s evaluation of the tax positions related to the determination of the taxable gain on certain divestitures included the following, among others:

/s/ Grant Thornton LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2019.

Boston, Massachusetts

September 20, 2023

F-3

GREAT ELM GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share amounts

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-4

GREAT ELM GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Amounts in thousands, except per share data

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-5

GREAT ELM GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND CONTINGENTLY REDEEMABLE NON-CONTROLLING INTEREST