RENN Fund, Inc. - Annual Report: 2007 (Form 10-K)
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D. C. 20549
Form
10-K
Mark
One
x |
ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF
1934
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for
the
Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2007 or
o |
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934.
|
Commission
File No. 33-75758
RENAISSANCE
CAPITAL GROWTH & INCOME FUND III, INC.
(Exact
name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Texas
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75-2533518
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||
(State
of incorporation or organization)
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(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
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Suite
210, LB 59, 8080 North Central Expressway, Dallas,
Texas
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75206
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(Address
of principal executive offices)
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(Zip
Code)
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Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code (214) 891-8294
Securities
Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Name
of each exchange
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||||
Title
of each class
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on
which registered
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Common
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American
Stock Exchange
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Securities
Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common
Stock ($1.00 par value)
(Title
of
Class)
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer as defined
in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Yes
o
No x
Indicate
by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
Yes
o
No x
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
x
No o
Indicate
by check mark if disclosure by delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of
Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best
of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any statement to
this
Form 10-K. o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. (Check one):
Large
Accelerated Filer o Accelerated
Filer o
Non-accelerated filer x
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Act. Yes
o
No x
The
aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by
non-affiliates, based on the closing price of such the Registrant’s Common Stock
as of June 29, 2007, was $36,082,059. As of March 24, 2008, there were 4,463,967
shares of Registrant’s Common Stock outstanding.
2
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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PART
I
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Item
1.
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Business
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4
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Item
1A.
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Risk
Factors
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23
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Item
2.
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Properties
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26
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Item
3.
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Legal
Proceedings
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26
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Item
4.
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Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
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26
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PART
II
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||||
Item
5.
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Market
for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer
Purchases of Equity Securities
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27
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Item
6.
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Selected
Financial Data
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29
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Item
7.
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Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
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30
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and
Results of Operations
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||||
Item
7A.
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Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk
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33
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Item
8.
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Financial
Statements and Supplementary Data
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34
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Item
9.
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Changes
in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial
Disclosure
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34
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Item
9A(T).
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Controls
and Procedures
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34
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Item
9B.
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Other
Information
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35
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PART
III
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Item
10.
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Directors
and Executive Officers of Registrant
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36
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Item
11.
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Executive
Compensation
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42
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Item
12.
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Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
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43
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Item
13.
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Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions
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44
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Item
14.
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Principal
Accountant Fees and Services
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44
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PART
IV
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Item
15.
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Exhibits,
Financial Statement Schedules
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45
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Signatures
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47
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Index
to Financial Statements
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F-1
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|||
Financial
Statements
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F-2
TO F-27
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3
Part
I
Certain
of the statements included below, including those regarding future financial
performance or results that are not historical facts, contain “forward-looking”
information as that term is defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as
amended. The words “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate,” and
similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The
Fund cautions readers that any such statements are not guarantees of future
performance or events and that such statements involve risks, uncertainties
and
assumptions, including but not limited to industry conditions, general economic
conditions, interest rates, competition, ability of the Fund to successfully
manage its growth, and other factors discussed or included by reference in
this
Annual Report on Form 10-K. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties
materialize or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, those actual
results and outcomes may differ materially from those indicated in the
forward-looking statements.
Item
1. Business.
GENERAL
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc., (the “Fund” or the “Registrant”) is
a non-diversified, closed-end fund that has elected to be treated as a business
development company (a “BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund, a Texas corporation, was organized and
commenced operations in 1994.
The
investment objective of the Fund is to provide its stockholders long-term
capital appreciation by investing primarily in privately placed convertible
securities and equity securities of emerging growth companies.
RENN
Capital Group, Inc. (“RENN Group” or the “Investment Adviser”), a Texas
corporation, serves as the Investment Adviser to the Fund. In this capacity,
RENN Group is primarily responsible for the selection, evaluation, structure,
valuation, and administration of the Fund’s investment portfolio, subject to the
supervision of the Board of Directors. RENN Group is a registered investment
adviser under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisors
Act”).
Our
Internet website address is www.rencapital.com.
You can
review the filings we have made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”), free of charge, by linking to the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis,
and Retrieval System of the SEC (“EDGAR”) at www.sec.gov.
From
EDGAR, you should be able to access our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those
reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934.
4
Generally,
investments are, and will continue to be, in companies that have their common
stock registered for public trading under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the “1934 Act”), or companies that in the opinion of the Investment
Adviser have the ability to effect a public offering within three to five years.
The Fund generally invests in privately placed convertible preferred stock,
common stock, and warrants and debentures of a company to be held in the Fund’s
portfolio (“Portfolio Company”). The convertible preferred stock, warrants and
debentures securities typically are convertible into, or exchangeable for,
the
common stock of the Portfolio Company. While such common stock of the Portfolio
Company may be publicly traded, the common stock acquired by the Fund is often
unregistered. Therefore, such securities are restricted from distribution or
sale to the public except in compliance with certain holding periods and
exemptions under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), or
after registration pursuant to the 1933 Act. Typically, the Fund receives
registration rights for shares to be registered within a certain period of
time.
The Fund also purchases shares of small and micro-cap issuers in the open
markets. These shares are freely tradable and have no restrictions on
resale.
From
inception through December 31, 2007, the Fund had made investments in
eighty-four (84) different Portfolio Companies having an aggregate cost of
$106,144,160. At December 31, 2007, the Fund had active investments in
thirty-seven (37) Portfolio Companies. The Fund does not focus on particular
industry segments. Instead, the Fund makes investment decisions using a
bottom-up analysis of the potential Portfolio Company, with no predetermined
industry bias.
Under
the
provisions of the 1940 Act, a Business Development Company generally is required
to invest at least 70% of its assets directly in “Eligible Portfolio Companies”
and temporary investments in “cash items” pending other investments. The term
“Eligible Portfolio Company”
generally includes any issuer that (1) is organized under the laws of, and
has
its principal place of business in, any U.S. state or states; (2) is not an
investment company and (3) does not have any class of securities listed on
a
national securities exchange. The
Fund
determines whether any prospective investment is an Eligible Portfolio Company
at the time the investment is made, and the calculation of the requisite
percentage is also made at that time and is based on the most recent valuation
of the Fund’s assets. Under the 1940 Act, a Business Development Company may
invest up to 30% of its funds in companies that do not qualify as Eligible
Portfolio Companies. In the event the Fund has less than 70% of its assets
in
the securities of Eligible Portfolio Companies, then the Fund will be prohibited
from making investments in companies that are not Eligible Portfolio Companies
until such time as the percentage of eligible investments again are at least
equal to the 70% threshold.
Pending
investment in securities of Eligible Portfolio Companies or other Portfolio
Companies, the Registrant’s funds are invested in short-term investments
consisting primarily of cash or U.S. Government and agency
obligations.
5
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund’s investment assets were classified by amount as
follows:
|
|
Percentage
|
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||||
Classification
|
|
Value
|
|
of
Net Assets
|
|||
Investments
in Eligible Portfolio
|
$
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23,553,371
|
62.38
|
%
|
|||
Companies
(including cash and
|
|||||||
cash
equivalents, net of liabilities)
|
|||||||
Other
Portfolio Investments
|
14,205,777
|
37.62
|
|||||
$
|
37,759,148
|
100.00
|
%
|
As
of
December 31, 2007, the Fund was in compliance with the sections of the 1940
Act
that address Eligible Portfolio Companies. However, the Fund will not be
permitted to make additional investments in companies that are not Eligible
Portfolio Companies until such time as the percentage of eligible investments
are at least equal to the 70% threshold. The Fund’s ability to make
additional investments in Eligible Portfolio Companies remains
unrestricted.
6
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
investment objective of the Fund is to provide its stockholders with long-term
capital appreciation by investing primarily in privately placed convertible
debt and equity securities of emerging growth public companies. The Fund seeks
to provide returns to stockholders through cash dividends of net investment
income and through distributions of realized gains.
GENERAL
INVESTMENT POLICIES
The
Fund
invests in the securities of emerging growth companies that are generally not
available to the public and which typically require substantial financial
commitment. An “emerging growth company” is generally considered to have the
following attributes: (1) either a publicly held company with a relatively
small
market capitalization or a privately held company; (2) an established operating
history but of a limited period so as to not have fully developed its market
potential for the products or services offered; and (3) a provider of a new
or
unique product or service that allows the company an opportunity for exceptional
growth. Emerging growth companies typically require non-conventional sources
of
financing because the extent and nature of the market for their products or
services is not fully known. Consequently, there is uncertainty as to the rate
and extent of growth and also uncertainty as to the capital and human resources
required to achieve the goals sought.
With
respect to investments in emerging growth companies, the Fund emphasizes
investing in convertible debentures or convertible preferred stock of publicly
held companies that the Fund anticipates will be converted into common stock
and
registered for public sale within three to five years after the private
placement. In addition, the Fund invests in privately placed common stock of
publicly traded issuers that are initially restricted from trading. To a lesser
extent, the Fund may participate in bridge financings in the form of loans
or
other preferred securities which are convertible into common stock of the issuer
or issued together with equity participation, or both, for companies which
the
Fund anticipates will complete a stock offering or other financing within a
year
from the date of the investment. The Fund may also make bridge loans, either
secured or unsecured, intended to carry the borrower to a private placement
or
an initial public offering, or to a merger, acquisition, or other strategic
transaction.
Generally,
the debt securities of Portfolio Companies have an initial fixed term of five
to
seven years, with no amortization of the principal amount for the initial two
to
three years. Further, privately-placed investments in Portfolio Companies will
be individually negotiated, non-registered for public trading, and will be
subject to legal and contractual investment restrictions. Accordingly, the
Fund’s securities of Portfolio Companies are generally considered
non-liquid.
The
Fund
has no fixed policy concerning the types of businesses or industry groups in
which it may invest or as to the amount of funds that it will invest in any
one
issuer. However, the Fund will generally seek to limit its investment in
securities of any single Portfolio Company to approximately 15% of the Portfolio
Company’s net assets at the time of the investment.
7
In
the
event the Fund elects to participate as a member of the Portfolio Company’s
Board of Directors, either through advisory or full membership, the Fund’s
nominee to the board will generally be selected from among the officers of
RENN
Group. When, at the discretion of RENN Group, a suitable nominee is not
available from among its officers, RENN Group will select, as alternate
nominees, outside consultants who have prior experience as an independent
outside director of a public company. At December 31, 2007, officers of the
Fund
served as directors of nine of the Fund’s portfolio companies. The Fund makes
available significant managerial assistance to its portfolio companies through
participating in discussions with management and review of various management
reports.
Although
the Fund has no intent to change its current investment objectives, they may
be
changed without a vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s common
stock.
It
is the
policy of the Fund not to structure off-balance-sheet arrangements.
REGULATION
UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
The
1940
Act was enacted to regulate investment companies. In 1980, the 1940 Act was
amended by the adoption of the Small Business Investment Incentive Act. The
purpose of the amendment was to remove regulatory burdens on professionally
managed investment companies engaged in providing capital to smaller companies.
The Small Business Investment Incentive Act established a new type of investment
company specifically identified as a Business Development Company as a way
to
encourage financial institutions and other major investors to provide a new
source of capital for small developing businesses.
BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT COMPANY
A
business development company (“BDC”) is a closed-end management investment
company that generally makes 70% or more of its investments in “Eligible
Portfolio Companies” and “cash items” pending other investment. Under the 1940
Act, only certain companies may qualify as “Eligible Portfolio Companies.” To be
an “Eligible Portfolio Company,” the company must satisfy the
following:
·
|
it
must be organized under the laws of, and have its principal place
of
business in, any state or states of the United States of
America;
|
·
|
it
is neither an investment company as defined in Section 3 of the 1940
Act
(other than a small business investment company which is licensed
by the
Small Business Administration to operate under the Small Business
Investment Act of 1958 and which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
the
business development company) nor a company which would be an investment
company under the 1940 Act except for the exclusion from the definition
of
investment company in Section 3(c) of the 1940 Act; and
|
8
·
|
it
satisfies one of the following:
|
1) |
it
does not have any class of securities listed on a national securities
exchange; or
|
2) |
it
has no class of securities on which a broker, dealer or national
exchange
member will extend credit; or
|
3) |
it
is controlled by a BDC (singly or in a group), in general terms,
by virtue
of the BDC’s ownership of 25% or more of the company’s voting securities
and having a representative of the BDC on the company’s board of
directors; or
|
4) |
it
has total assets of not more than $4 million and capital and surplus
of
not less than $2 million.
|
“Eligible
Portfolio Companies” are, generally, those companies that, while being publicly
held, might not have or do not have a broad-based market for their securities,
or the securities that they wish to offer are restricted from public trading
until registered. The Fund provides or offers to provide managerial assistance,
and in certain circumstances contracts for the right to have a designee of
the
Fund elected to the board of directors of the Portfolio Company, or be
designated as an advisory director. While these are the Fund’s general policies,
the application of these policies, of necessity, varies with each investment
situation.
1940
ACT
REQUIREMENTS
The
BDC
election exempts the Fund from some provisions of the 1940 Act. However, except
for those specific provisions, the Fund will continue to be subject to all
provisions of the 1940 Act not otherwise exempted, including the
following:
·
|
restrictions
on the Fund from changing the nature of the Fund’s business so as to cease
to be, or to withdraw its election as, a BDC without the majority
vote of
the shares outstanding;
|
·
|
restrictions
against certain transactions between the Fund and affiliated
persons;
|
·
|
restrictions
on issuance of senior securities;
|
·
|
compliance
with accounting rules and conditions as established by the SEC, including
annual audits by independent
accountants;
|
·
|
compliance
with fiduciary obligations imposed under the 1940 Act;
and
|
·
|
requirement
that the stockholders ratify the selection of the Fund’s independent
public accountants and the approval of the Fund’s Advisory Agreement with
the Investment Adviser or similar contracts and amendments
thereto.
|
9
CO-INVESTMENTS
WITH ADVISER-AFFILIATED FUNDS
In
accordance with the conditions of an exemptive order of the SEC permitting
co-investments (the “Co-investment Order”), many of the Fund’s acquisitions and
dispositions of investments are made in joint participation with funds that
are
also advised or managed by RENN Group (“Adviser-Affiliated Funds”).
The
Co-investment Order provides that the Investment Adviser will review private
placement investment opportunities on behalf of the Fund, including investments
being considered on behalf of its Adviser-Affiliated Funds. If the Investment
Adviser determines that any such investment is an eligible co-investment
opportunity, the Fund must be offered the opportunity to invest in such
investment in an amount recommended by the Adviser. Securities purchased by
the
Fund in a co-investment transaction with Adviser-Affiliated Funds will consist
of the same class of securities and will have the same rights, price, terms
and
conditions. Any such co-investment transaction must be approved by the Fund’s
Board of Directors, including a majority of its independent directors. The
Fund
will not make any direct investment in the securities of any issuers in which
the other Adviser-Affiliated Funds, already hold an interest, except for
follow-on investments in entities under a previous co-investment in which the
Fund also participated. To the extent that the amount of a follow-on investment
opportunity is not based on the amount of the Fund’s and the Adviser-Affiliated
Funds’ initial investments, the relative amount of investment by the
Adviser-Affiliated Funds and the Fund will be based on the ratio of the Fund’s
remaining funds available for investment to the aggregate of the Fund’s and the
Adviser-Affiliated Funds’ remaining funds available for investment.
The
Fund
will bear no more than its own transaction costs.
INVESTMENT
ADVISERS ACT OF 1940 AND THE ADVISORY AGREEMENT
RENN
Group is the Investment Adviser to the Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement
(the “Advisory Agreement”). RENN Group is registered as an Investment Adviser
under the Advisers Act and is subject to its filing and other requirements.
The
Advisers Act also provides restrictions on the activities of registered advisers
in order to protect clients from manipulative or deceptive practices.
The
Advisory Agreement is further subject to the 1940 Act, which requires that
the
Advisory Agreement, in addition to having to be initially ratified by the
holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund, must precisely
describe all compensation to be paid to RENN Group, must be approved annually
by
a majority vote of the Board of Directors of the Fund, may be terminated without
penalty on at least 60 days notice by a vote of the holders of a majority of
the
outstanding shares of the Fund or by the vote of the Funds’ directors or the
Adviser, and must automatically terminate in the event of assignment.
10
Pursuant
to the Advisory Agreement, RENN Group receives a management fee equal to a
quarterly rate of 0.4375% of the Fund’s net assets, as determined at the end of
such quarter with each such payment to be due on the last day of the calendar
quarter. In addition, under the Advisory Agreement, RENN Group receives an
incentive fee in an amount equal to 20% of the Fund’s realized capital gains in
excess of realized capital losses of the Fund after allowance for any unrealized
capital losses in the portfolio investments of the Fund. The incentive fee
is
calculated and paid on an annual basis.
11
FUND
PORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund had active investments in the following
companies:
Access
Plans USA, Inc. (Nasdaq:AUSA)
4929
West
Royal Lane, Irving, TX 75063
Access
Plans USA, Inc. develops and distributes various health insurance products
and
non-insurance health care discount programs to individuals, families, affinity
groups and employer groups in the United States.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned a total of 890,500 shares of the company’s
common stock, options to purchase 3,659 shares of common stock at $2.30 per
share and options to purchase 2,439 shares of common stock at $2.25 per share.
These securities have a cost basis of $2,139,777.
AdStar,
Inc. (Nasdaq:ADST)
4553
Glencoe Avenue, Suite 300, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
AdStar,
Inc. provides technology services to the classified advertising industry in
the
United States. It offers services using its proprietary software that
electronically connects advertisers with newspaper publishing systems, as well
as online advertising formats. The company enables professional advertising
agencies, businesses, and individuals to send ads to publishers
electronically.
During
the fourth quarter of 2007, the Fund sold 15,731 shares of common stock for
$7,014, recognizing a loss of $12,266.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 253,500 shares of common stock in the company,
having a cost basis of $330,718.
Advance
Nanotech, Inc. (OTCBB:AVNA)
600
Lexington Avenue, 29th
Floor,
New York, New York 10022
Advance
Nanotech, Inc. engages in the acquisition and commercialization of
nanotechnologies in the areas of homeland security and display.
In
the
second quarter of 2007, the Fund sold 165,000 shares of common stock for
$64,154, recognizing a loss of $254,647.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 5,796 shares of common stock and warrants
to
purchase 82,500 shares of common stock. These securities have a cost basis
of
$11,199.
12
Asian
Financial, Inc. (Duoyuan Digital Printing Technology)
(Private)
No.
3
Jinyuan Road, Daxing District Industrial Development Zone, Beijing, China,
102600
Duoyuan
Digital Printing Technology engages in the design, development, and manufacture
of offset printing equipment and solutions in the People’s Republic of China.
Duoyuan Digital Printing Technology is in the process of going through a reverse
merger with a public shell known as Asian Financial, Inc.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 130,209 shares of common stock in the company,
having a cost basis of $500,000.
Bovie
Medical Corporation (AMEX:BVX)
734
Walt
Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747
Bovie
Medical Corporation engages in the manufacture and marketing of medical products
and the development of related technologies. The company offers electrosurgery
products, which include desiccators, generators, electrodes, electrosurgery
pencils, and various ancillary disposable products used in surgery for the
cutting and coagulation of tissue, Bovie/Aaron 800 and 900 High Frequency
Desiccators, which are designed for dermatology and plastic surgery for removing
small skin lesions and growths, Bovie/Aaron 950 that is developed for outpatient
surgical procedures used in various specialties, including dermatology,
gynecology, and plastic surgery, Bovie/Aaron 1250, an electrosurgery generator,
and Bovie/Aaron 2250/IDS 300, which is a multipurpose digital electrosurgery
generator for the surgi-center market.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 500,000 shares of common stock in the company,
having a cost basis of $907,844.
BPO
Management Services, Inc. (AMEX:BVX)
1290
North Hancock Street, Suite 202, Anaheim, CA 92807
BPO
Management Services, Inc. provides business process outsourcing (BPO) services
in the United States and Canada. It offers a range of services, including human
resources, information technology, enterprise content management, and finance
and accounting to support the back-office functions of middle-market enterprises
on an outsourced basis.
In
the
quarter ended June 30, 2007, the Fund bought 104,167 shares of Series D
preferred stock for $1,000,000 ($9.60 per share). Such shares are convertible
into 1,666,667 common shares. The Fund also received warrants to purchase
833,334 shares and 1,666,667 shares of common stock at $0.90 per share and
$1.25
per share, respectively. Additionally, the Fund received a J warrant, which
gives the Fund the right to purchase 104,167 shares of Series D-2 preferred
stock at $14.40. Such shares are convertible into 1,666,667 common shares.
If
the J warrant is exercised, the Fund will receive warrants to purchase another
833,334 shares and 1,666,667 shares of common stock at $1.35 per share (C
warrants) and $1.87 (D warrants) per share, respectively.
13
During
the fourth quarter of 2007, the Fund agreed to exercise half of the J warrant
at
$0.60 per share rather than $0.90 per share. In addition, the strike price
on
half of the C warrants was reset to $0.01 and the strike price on half of the
D
warrants was reset to $1.10. This transaction required a cash outlay of
$500,000.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 104,167 shares of Series D preferred stock.
Such shares are convertible into 1,666,667 common shares. The Fund also held
warrants to purchase 833,334 shares and 1,666,667 shares of common stock at
$0.90 per share and $1.25 per share, respectively. In addition, the Fund owned
52,084 shares of Series D-2 preferred stock. The Fund held a J warrant to
purchase another 52,084 shares of Series D-2 preferred stock. If the J warrant
is exercised, the Fund will receive a C warrant to purchase 416,667 shares
of
common stock at $1.35 per share and 416,667 shares of common stock at $0.01.
Additionally, if the J warrant is exercised, the Fund will receive a D warrant
to purchase 833,334 shares of common stock at $1.87 per share and 833,334 shares
of common stock at $1.10 per share.
CaminoSoft
Corporation (OTC:CMSF)
600
North
Hampshire Road, Suite 105, West Lake Village, CA 91361
CaminoSoft
Corp. engages in the development and marketing of enterprise data management
software for small and medium-sized organizations. It offers software solutions
that store, manage, and safeguard data created in a business and application
settings.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund held a $250,000 promissory note. The Fund also
owned
3,539,414 shares of common stock in the company having a basis of $5,275,000.
Additionally, the Fund owned warrants to purchase 1,602,779 shares common at
exercise prices ranging from $0.53 per share to $1.11 per share, with varying
expiration dates, and options to purchase 94,200 shares common with strike
prices ranging from $0.41 per share to $0.61 per share.
Chardan
South China Acquisition Corporation (OTCBB:CSCA)
625
Broadway, Suite 1111, San Diego, CA 92101
Chardan
South China Acquisition Corporation is an engineering company, providing design,
construction, and installation services for distributed power generation and
micro power networks in China. Subsequent to December 31, 2007, the company
changed its name to A-Power Energy Generation Systems, Ltd.
(Nasdaq:APWR).
During
the third quarter of 2007, the Fund purchased 48,000 shares of common stock
for
$409,256.
At
December 31, 2007, there was no change in the Fund’s ownership in these
securities.
Comtech
Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:COGO)
Room
1001
Tower C Skyworth Building High-Tech Industrial Park Nanshan, Shenzhen, China
518057
Comtech
Group, Inc. provides customized module design solutions to electronic
manufacturers in China.
14
During
the second quarter of 2007, the Fund sold 100,000 shares of common stock for
$1,869,947, realizing a gain of $1,519,947.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund held 200,000 shares of the company’s common stock,
with a cost basis of $836,019.
eOriginal,
Inc. (Private)
351
West
Camden Street, Suite 800, Baltimore, MD 21201
eOriginal,
Inc. has a patented process for creating, executing, storing and retrieving
legal documents in an electronic format.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 10,680 shares of Series A Convertible
Preferred Stock; 25,646 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock; 51,249
shares of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock; 36,711 shares of Series D
Convertible Preferred Stock; warrants to purchase 2,258 shares of Series A
Convertible Preferred Stock at an exercise price of $16.12 per share and
warrants to purchase 14,861 shares of common stock at exercise prices ranging
from $16.12 to $20.97 per share. The aggregate cost basis is $6,872,270.
Gaming
& Entertainment Group, Inc. (OTCPK:GMEI)
16821
Escalon Drive, Encino, CA 91436
Gaming
& Entertainment Group, Inc. engages in the development, commercialization,
and licensing of software for amusement and gaming machines for the United
Kingdom and European gaming markets.
During
the fourth quarter of 2007, the Fund sold 500,000 shares of common stock for
$4,722, realizing a loss of $495,278.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 112,500 common shares having a cost of
$50,625.
Gasco
Energy, Inc. (AMEX:GSX)
14
Inverness Drive East, Suite H-236, Englewood, CO 80112
Gasco
Energy, Inc. operates as a natural gas and petroleum exploration, development
and production company in the western United States.
During
the fourth quarter of 2007, the Fund sold 766,080 shares of common stock for
$1,745,851, realizing a gain of $961,202.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 775,586 shares of common stock having a cost
of $465,352. The fund also held options to buy 18,750 shares of the company’s
common stock at exercise prices ranging from $1.00 to $2.15.
15
Global
Axcess Corporation (OTCBB:GAXC)
14
Inverness Drive East, Suite H-236, Englewood, CO 80112
Global
Axcess Corporation owns and operates automated teller machines (ATM) with
locations primarily in the eastern and southwestern United States.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 953,333 shares of common stock having a cost
basis of $1,261,667 and warrants to purchase 1,486,667 shares of common stock
at
prices ranging from $1.75 per share to $5.00 per share.
Hemcure,
Inc. (AuraSound) (OTCBB:HMCU)
11839
East Smith Avenue, Santa Fe Springs, CA 70670
Hemcure,
Inc. engages in the development, commercialization and sale of audio products,
sound systems and audio components using its patented and proprietary
electromagnetic technology. Its products include micro-audio speakers, speaker
component products, such as loudspeaker transducers and home and pro audio
products, including home audio systems, home theater systems and
subwoofers.
In
the
quarter ended June 30, 2007, the Fund bought 1,000,000 shares of common stock
for $1,000,000. The Fund also received warrants to purchase 1,000,000 shares
of
common stock at $1.50 per share. Additionally, the Fund received a J warrant,
which gives the Fund the right to purchase 370,370 shares of common stock at
$1.35. If the J warrant is exercised, the Fund will receive warrants to purchase
another 370,370 shares of common stock at $1.50 per share. AuraSound completed
a
reverse merger with Hemcure, Inc.
At
December 31, 2007, there was no change in the Fund’s ownership of these
securities.
Hemobiotech,
Inc. (OTCBB:HMBT)
5001
Spring Valley Road, Suite 1040 West, Dallas, TX 75244
Hemobiotech,
Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development
of
human blood substitute technology licensed from Texas Tech University Health
Science Center School of Medicine (TTUHSC) in Texas. It focuses primarily on
the
production of HemoTech, an oxygen-carrying solution that performs like red
blood
cells.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 1,200,000 shares of common stock. The stock
had a cost basis of $1,284,117.
HLS
Systems International, Inc. (OTCBB:HLSYF)
625
Broadway, Suite 1111, San Diego, CA 92101
HLS
Systems International, Inc. operates as a holding company for Beijing HollySys
Company Ltd. and Hangzhou HollySys Automation Co., Ltd. Those companies
manufacture and market industrial automation and control systems.
16
During
the third quarter of 2007, the Fund bought 58,500 shares of common stock for
$498,557.
At
December 31, 2007, there was no change in the Fund’s ownership of these
securities.
i2Telecom
International, Inc. (OTCBB:ITUI)
1200
Abernathy Road, Suite 1800, Atlanta, GA 30328
i2Telecom
International, Inc. provides telecommunications services employing voice over
Internet protocol (VoIP) technology.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 4,165,316 shares of common stock and warrants
to purchase 78,125 shares of common stock at $0.20 per share. These securities
had a cost basis of $711,200.
iLinc
Communications, Inc. (AMEX:ILC)
2999
North 44th Street, Suite 650, Phoenix, AZ 85018
iLinc
Communications, Inc. provides Web conferencing and audio conferencing software
and services.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned a total of 23,266 shares of common stock
having a cost basis of $13,908. In addition, the Fund owned a $500,000 12%
Convertible Subordinated Note convertible into ILC common at a rate of $1.00
per
share.
Integrated
Security Systems, Inc. (OTCBB:IZZI)
2009
Chenault Drive, Suite 114, Carrollton, TX 75006
Integrated
Security Systems, Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture,
distribution and servicing of security and traffic control products used in
the
commercial, industrial and government sectors.
In
the
second and fourth quarters of 2007, the Fund invested 750,000 in 8% convertible
promissory notes.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned $1,650,000 of promissory notes, $500,000
of 8%
convertible promissory notes, $400,000 of 6% convertible promissory notes,
7,500
shares of 9% preferred stock, convertible at $0.80 per share, with a cost basis
of $150,000, 32,909,091 shares of common stock with a cost basis of $6,061,792,
options to purchase 7,069 shares of common stock, warrants to purchase 514,706
shares of common stock at $0.34 per share and warrants to purchase 250,000
shares of common stock at exercise price of $0.40 per share.
Medical
Action Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq:MDCI)
800
Prime
Place, Hauppauge, NY 11788
Medical
Action Industries, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a
variety of disposable medical products.
17
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned a total of 30,150 shares of MDCI common stock
having a cost basis of $237,209.
Murdoch
Security & Investigations, Inc. (Private)
2777
Summer Street, Stamford, CT 06905
Murdoch
Security & Investigations, Inc. is a full service security company providing
uniformed guard services and other custom security solutions to private and
public sector clients throughout the northeastern United States.
During
the third and fourth quarters of 2007, the Fund bought 2,000,000 shares of
common stock and warrants to purchase 2,000,000 shares of common stock at $0.70
per share for a total of $1,000,000.
At
December 31, 2007, was no change in the Fund’s ownership of these
securities.
Narrowstep,
Inc. (OTCBB:NRWS)
202
Carnegie Center, Suite 101, Princeton, NJ 08540
Narrowstep,
Inc. operates in the field of Internet-based video content delivery. The company
develops, produces, transmits, and manages streaming video broadcasts via the
Internet and television (TV) channels in Europe, Asia and the United
States.
During
the third quarter of 2007, the Fund bought 4,000,000 shares of common stock
and
warrants to purchase 2,000,000 shares of common stock at $0.50 for $1,000,000.
At
December 31, 2007, was no change in the Fund’s ownership of these
securities.
Nutradyne
Group, Inc. (OTCBB:NTRG)
927
Canada Court, City of Industry, CA 91748
Nutradyne
Group, Inc. offers wholesale distribution of medicines in China. The company
also operates retail pharmacy stores. The company’s products include traditional
Chinese medicines, traditional Chinese medical teas, chemical pharmaceutics
preparation, natural health products, healthy food, cosmetics and medical
equipment. It owns and operates 14 retail medical stores in China. This company
was formerly known as Digital Learning Institute, Inc.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund held 13,917 shares of the company’s common stock,
with a cost basis of $12,500.
PetroHunter
Energy Corporation (OTCBB:PHUN)
1875
Lawrence Street, Suite 1400, Denver, CO 80202
PetroHunter
Energy Corporation engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas
properties. It owns interest in the Buckskin Mesa project comprising 20,000
net
acres in Rio Blanco County, the Piceance II project consisting of 27 producing
nonoperated wells and 16 nonproducing operated wells, the South Bronco project
and the Gibson Gulch project, Colorado. The company also holds various interests
in Australia, including the Beetaloo project comprising 7 million net contiguous
acres and the Northwest Shelf project, which consists of an exploration permit
with 20,000 acres in Western Australia.
18
During
the fourth quarter of 2007, the Fund bought a $1,000,000 8.5% convertible
debenture issued by PetroHunter. In connection with that purchase, the Fund
also
received warrants to purchase 6,666,667 shares of common stock at $0.255 per
share.
At
December 31, 2007, there was no change in the Fund’s ownership of these
securities.
Pipeline
Data, Inc. (OTCBB:PPDA)
1515
Hancock Street Suite 301, Quincy, MA 02169
Pipeline
Data, Inc. provides merchant payment processing services and related software
products in the United States. The Company delivers credit and debit card-based
payment processing solutions primarily to small to medium-sized merchants that
operate in physical ‘brick and mortar’ business environments, over the Internet,
or in mobile or wireless settings through cellular-based wireless
devices.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund held a $500,000 8% convertible debenture and
warrants to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock at $1.40 per
share.
Points
International Ltd. (OTCBB:PTSEF)
179
John
Street 8th Floor, Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 1X4
Points
International, Ltd. owns and operates Points.com, an online loyalty program
management portal that enables consumers to earn, buy, share, redeem, and swap
and redeem miles and points with various loyalty programs and retail
partners.
During
the first quarter of 2007, the Fund bought 100,000 shares of common stock for
$64,000.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned a total of 900,000 shares of common stock
having a cost basis of $492,000.
Shea
Development Corporation (Nasdaq:SDLP)
1351
Dividend Drive, Suite G, Marietta, GA 30067
Shea
Development Corporation provides business process management (BPM) software
solutions and service offerings in the United States and internationally. It
offers custom programming services to build configurable enterprise software
solutions for revenue and financial management systems, enterprise application
integration, user-interface frameworks, middle-tier frameworks, military and
commercial modeling and simulation, and military C3 Centers (Command, Control,
and Communications). After December 31, 2007, this company changed its name
to
Riptide Worldwide, Inc. (OTCBB:RTWW).
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 1,838,396 shares of the company’s common stock
having a cost basis of $1,093,332.
19
Silverleaf
Resorts, Inc. (Nasdaq:SVLF)
1221
River Bend Drive, Suite 120, Dallas, TX 75247
Silverleaf
Resorts, Inc. engages in the development, marketing and operation of timeshare
resorts in the United States. It operates resorts under the brands ‘getaway
resorts’ and ‘destination resorts’. The company markets and sells vacation
intervals in its resorts, which also offer amenities, such as fishing, boating,
horseback riding, swimming, tennis and golf.
During
the first quarter of 2007, the Fund bought 100,000 shares of common stock for
$430,000.
At
December 31, 2007, the was no change in the Fund’s ownership of these
securities.
Simtek
Corporation (Nasdaq:SMTK)
4250
Buckingham Drive Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Simtek
Corporation, a fabless semiconductor company, engages in the design and
marketing of re-programmable, nonvolatile semiconductor memory
products.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned $700,000 in 7.5% convertible debentures having
a conversion rate of $2.20 per share and 731,672 shares of common stock having
a
basis of $1,999,294. The Fund also owned warrants to purchase 59,242 shares,
8,588 of which are convertible at $3.30 per share, 12,500 at $12.50 per share,
12,500 at $15.00 per share, 6,667 at $5.00 per share and 18,987 at $5.40 per
share. Finally, the fund held options to purchase 7,078 shares at prices ranging
from $1.65 per share to $11.60 per share.
Symbollon
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SMTK)
37
Loring
Drive, Framingham, MA 01702
Symbollon
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is engaged in the development of iodine-based products
for
infection control and treatment in biomedical and bio-agricultural industries.
The company develops proprietary iodine technology that enhances the therapeutic
index of iodine that has applications in women’s healthcare and infection
control. The company also develops IodoZyme, a bovine teat sanitizer product
and
IoGen, an oral dosage for the prevention and treatment of certain female health
problems, including various types of premenopausal breast cancer, fibrocystic
breast disease and endometriosis.
In
the
third quarter of 2007, the Fund purchased 357,143 shares of common stock and
warrants to purchase 357,143 shares of the company’s common stock at $1.00 per
share for $250,000.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 607,143 shares of common stock having a basis
of $500,000. The Fund also owned warrants to purchase 607,143 shares at $1.00
per share.
20
US
Home Systems (Nasdaq:USHS)
750
State
Highway 121 Bypass, Suite 170, Lewisville, TX 75067
U.S.
Home
Systems, Inc. engages in the manufacture or procurement, design, sale and
installation of specialty home improvement products in the United States. Its
product lines include kitchen improvement products, such as cabinet doors,
drawers, drawer fronts, drawer boxes, matching valances, molding, add-on or
replacement cabinets, space organizers, lazy susans, and slide-out shelving
and
bathroom improvement products, including acrylic tub liners and wall surrounds,
vanity cabinetry refacing and replacement vanity cabinets, bowls, faucets,
commodes and shower doors.
During
the second quarter, the Fund sold 55,000 shares of common stock for $662,811,
realizing a gain of 403,599.
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund owned 55,000 shares of the company’s common stock
having a cost basis of $276,375.
Vertical
Branding, Inc. (OTCBB:VBDG)
16000
Ventura Boulevard, Suite 301, Encino, CA 91436
Vertical
Branding, Inc. is a consumer product branding, marketing and distributing
company in the United States. The company offers personal care, fitness, beauty
and household products. It sells its products through its retail distribution
business, catalogues, international distribution channels and other
non-electronic distribution outlets.
During
the fourth quarter of 2007, the Fund bought 1,666,667 shares of common stock
for
$1,000,000. In connection with that purchase, the Fund also received warrants
to
purchase 8333,333 shares of common stock at $1.00 and warrants to purchase
833,333 shares of common stock at $1.50 per share.
At
December 31, 2007, was no change in the Fund’s ownership of these
securities.
VALUATION
OF INVESTMENTS
On
a
weekly basis, RENN Group prepares a valuation to determine fair value of the
investments of the Fund. The Board of Directors of the Fund approves the
valuation on a quarterly basis. Interim board involvement may occur if material
issues arise before quarter end. The valuation principles are described
below.
· |
The
common stock of companies listed on an exchange, Nasdaq or in the
over-the-counter market is valued at the closing price on the date
of
valuation.
|
· |
The
unlisted preferred stock of companies with common stock listed on
an
exchange, Nasdaq or in the over-the-counter market is valued at the
closing price of the common stock into which the preferred stock
is
convertible on the date of valuation.
|
21
· |
Debt
securities are valued at fair value. We consider, among other things,
whether a debt issuer is in default or bankruptcy. We also consider
the
underlying collateral. Fair value is generally determined to be the
greater of the face value of the debt or the market value of the
underlying common stock into which the instrument may be converted.
|
· |
The
unlisted in-the-money options or warrants of companies with the underlying
common stock listed on an exchange, Nasdaq or in the over-the-counter
market are valued at fair value (the positive difference between
the
closing price of the underlying common stock and the strike price
of the
warrant or option). Fair value is generally determined to be the
intrinsic
value of the option or warrant. An out-of-the money warrant or option
has
no value; thus, we assign no value to it.
|
· |
Investments
in privately held entities are valued at fair value. If there is
no
independent and objective pricing authority (i.e. a public market)
for
such investments, fair value is based on the latest sale of equity
securities to independent third parties. If a private entity does
not have
an independent value established over an extended period of time,
then the
Investment Adviser will determine fair value on the basis of appraisal
procedures established in good faith and approved by the Board of
Directors.
|
PERSONNEL
The
Fund
has no employees, but instead has contracted RENN Group pursuant to the Advisory
Agreement to provide all management and operating activities. RENN Group
currently has eleven employees who are engaged in performing the duties and
functions required by the Fund. At the present time, a substantial portion
of
RENN Group’s staff time is devoted to activities of the Fund. However, because
of the diversity of skills required, the Fund cannot afford to employ all these
persons solely for its own needs, and therefore, these employees are not engaged
solely in activities of the Fund.
No
accurate data or estimate is available as to the percentage of time,
individually or as a group, that will be devoted to the affairs of the Fund.
The
officers and employees have and will devote such time as is required, in their
sole discretion, for the conduct of business, including the provision of
management services to Portfolio Companies.
RENN
Group currently serves as the Investment Manager to Renaissance US Growth
Investment Trust PLC (“RUSGIT”). RUSGIT is a public limited company registered
in the United Kingdom and listed on the London Stock Exchange. RUSGIT invests
in
privately placed convertible securities issued by companies similar to the
investments of the Fund. RUSGIT invests pari-passu with the Fund on all relevant
terms, except that amounts invested may differ.
RENN
Group also serves as the Investment Adviser to US Special Opportunities Trust
PLC (“USSOT”) and is specifically responsible for managing the Growth Portfolio
for USSOT Growth (“USSOT Growth”). USSOT is a public limited company registered
in the United Kingdom and listed on the London Stock Exchange. USSOT Growth
invests in publicly traded equities, fixed-income and convertible securities
of
publicly traded issuers, and also invests in privately placed convertible
instruments issued by companies similar to the investments of the Fund. For
privately placed investments, USSOT Growth invests on a pari-passu basis with
the Fund as to all relevant terms of the investment, except that amounts
invested may differ.
RENN
Group also serves as the Investment Adviser to Premier RENN US Emerging Growth
Fund Limited (“PRENN”). PRENN is an open-end investment company registered with
limited liability in Guernsey. PRENN invests primarily in privately placed
equity and convertible debt securities issued by companies similar to the
investments of the Fund. PRENN invests pari-passu with the Fund on all relevant
terms, except that amounts invested may differ.
22
CODE
OF
ETHICS
The
Fund
and RENN Group have adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under
the 1940 Act applicable to all of their respective officers and employees.
The
Code of Ethics is on public file with, and is available from, the Securities
and
Exchange Commission’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on
the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the
Commission at (202)-942-8090, and this Code of Ethics is available on the EDGAR
database as an exhibit to the Fund’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
June 30, 2002, which is found on the Commission internet site at
http://www.sec.gov. A copy of this Code of Ethics may be obtained, after paying
a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address:
publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the Commission’s Public Reference Section,
Washington, D.C. 20549-0102. We have made the Fund’s Code of Ethics available on
our website at www.renncapital.com.
Item
1A. Risk Factors.
You
should carefully consider the risks described below and all other information
contained in this annual report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated
financial statements and the related notes thereto before making a decision
to
purchase our common stock. The risks and uncertainties described below are
not
the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known
to us, or not presently deemed material by us, may also impair our operations
and performance. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business,
financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely
affected. If that happens, the trading price of our common stock could decline,
and you may lose all or part of your investment.
We
May be Unable to Participate in Certain Investment
Opportunities.
As a
Business Development Company, we are required to invest at least 70% of our
assets directly in “Eligible Portfolio Companies”. As a result, we will be
unable to make new investments in companies that are not considered Eligible
Portfolio Companies if at any time we have less than 70% of our portfolio
invested in companies that are Eligible Portfolio Companies.
Our
Growth is Dependent on Investing in Quality Transactions.
Sustaining growth depends on our ability to identify, evaluate, finance, and
invest in companies that meet our investment criteria. Accomplishing such
results on a cost-effective basis is a function of our marketing capabilities
and skillful management of the investment process. Failure to achieve future
growth could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, and results of operations.
23
Failure
to Invest Capital Effectively May Decrease Our Stock Price.
If we
fail to invest our capital effectively, our return on equity may be decreased,
which could reduce the price of the shares of our common stock.
Highly
Competitive Market for Investments.
The
Fund has significant competition for investment opportunities. Competitive
sources for growth capital for the industry include insurance companies, banks,
equipment leasing firms, investment bankers, venture capital and private equity
funds, money managers, hedge funds, and private investors. Many of these sources
have substantially greater financial resources than are available to the Fund.
Therefore, the Fund will have to compete for investment opportunities based
on
its ability to respond to the needs of the prospective portfolio company and
its
willingness to provide management assistance. In some instances, the Fund’s
requirements that the Fund provide management assistance will cause the Fund
to
be non-competitive.
Lack
of Publicly Available Information on Certain Portfolio
Companies.
Some of
the securities in our portfolio are issued by privately held companies. There
is
generally little or no publicly available information about such companies,
and
we must rely on the diligence of our management to obtain the information
necessary for our decision to invest. There can be no assurance that such
diligence efforts will uncover all material information necessary to make fully
informed investment decisions.
Dependence
on Key Management.
Selecting, structuring and closing our investments depends upon the diligence
and skill of our management, which is responsible for identifying, evaluating,
negotiating, monitoring and disposing of our investments. Our management's
capabilities will significantly impact our results of operations. If we lose
any
member of our management team and he or she cannot be promptly replaced with
an
equally capable team member, our results of operations could be significantly
impacted.
Failure
to Deploy Capital May Lower Returns.
Our
failure to successfully deploy sufficient capital may reduce our return on
equity.
Results
May Fluctuate.
Our
operating results may fluctuate materially due to a number of factors including,
among others, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and
unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in
our
portfolio companies’ markets, the ability to find and close suitable
investments, 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.
Uncertain
Value of Certain Restricted Securities.
Our net
asset value is based on the values assigned to the various investments in our
portfolio, determined in good faith by our board of directors. Because of the
inherent uncertainty of the valuation of portfolio securities which do not
have
readily ascertainable market values, our fair value determinations may differ
materially from the values which would be applicable to unrestricted securities
having a public market.
24
Illiquid
Securities May Adversely Affect Our Business.
Our
portfolio contains securities which are subject to restrictions on sale because
they were acquired from issuers in "private placement" transactions or because
we are deemed to be an affiliate of the issuer. Unless an exemption from the
registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 is available, we will
not be able to sell these securities publicly without the expense and time
required to register the securities under applicable federal and state
securities laws. In addition, contractual or practical limitations may restrict
our ability to liquidate our securities in portfolio companies, because we
may
own a relatively large percentage of the issuer's outstanding securities. Sales
may also be limited by unfavorable market conditions. The illiquidity of our
investments may preclude or delay the disposition of such securities, which
may
make it difficult for us to obtain cash equal to the value at which we record
our investments.
Regulated
Industry.
Publicly
traded investment funds are highly regulated. Changes in securities laws or
regulations governing our operations or our failure to comply with those laws
or
regulations may adversely affect our business.
Failure
to Qualify for Favorable Tax Treatment.
We may
not qualify for pass-through tax treatment as a regulated investment company
("RIC") if we are unable to comply with the requirements of Subchapter M of
the
Internal Revenue Code. Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company
would subject the Fund to federal income tax as if it were an ordinary
corporation, which would result in a substantial reduction in both the Fund’s
net assets and the amount of income available for distribution to stockholders.
The loss of this pass-through tax treatment could have a material adverse effect
on the total return, if any, obtainable from an investment in our common
stock.
Highly
Leveraged Portfolio Companies.
Some of
our portfolio companies could incur substantial indebtedness in relation to
their overall capital base. Such indebtedness often requires the balance of
the
loan to be refinanced when it matures. If portfolio companies cannot generate
adequate cash flow to meet the principal and interest payments on their
indebtedness, the value of our investments could be reduced or eliminated
through foreclosure on the portfolio company's assets or by the portfolio
company's reorganization or bankruptcy.
Our
Common Stock Often Trades at a Discount.
The
Fund’s stock frequently trades at a discount from net asset value. Stockholders
desiring liquidity usually sell their shares at current market value, and
therefore may not realize the full net asset value of their shares. This is
a
risk separate and distinct from the risk that a fund's performance may cause
its
net asset value to decrease.
Nature
of Investment in Our Common Stock.
Our
stock is intended for investors seeking long-term capital appreciation. Our
investments in portfolio securities generally require some time to reach
maturity, and such investments generally are illiquid. An investment in our
shares should not be considered a complete investment program. Each prospective
purchaser should take into account his or her investment objectives as well
as
his or her other investments when considering the purchase of our
shares.
25
Our
Stock Price May Fluctuate Significantly.
The
market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly. The market price
and marketability of shares of our common stock may from time to time be
significantly affected by numerous factors, including our investment results,
market conditions, and other influences and events over which we have no control
and that may not be directly related to us.
Failure
to Meet Listing Standards.
We
are
current in our SEC filings, and we believe we have met all our listing
requirements on the American Stock Exchange. However, there can be no assurance
that we will continue to meet the American Stock Exchange listing standards
or
any other listing standards and the stock could be delisted.
Item
2. Properties
The
Fund’s business activities are conducted from the offices of RENN Group, which
offices are currently leased until November 30, 2010 in a multi-story general
office building in Dallas, Texas. The use of such office facilities, including
office furniture, phone services, computer equipment, and files are provided
by
RENN Group at its expense pursuant to the Advisory Agreement.
Item
3. Legal Proceedings
None
Item
4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
None.
26
Part
II
Item
5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder
Matters
TRADING
The
Fund’s common stock is traded on the American Stock Exchange under the ticker
RCG. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and
low
closing sale prices for the Common Stock as: (i) reported on Bloomberg and
(ii)
adjusted for dividends. The prices listed as “adjusted for dividends” were
derived by (i) using the average price per share during the period, and (ii)
adding to the share price all dividends paid on the shares since the inception
of the Fund in 1994.
As
Stated
|
|
Adjusted
For Dividends
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
Low
|
|
High
|
|
Low
|
|
High
|
|||||
First
quarter 2007
|
$
|
9.00
|
$
|
10.15
|
$
|
24.62
|
$
|
25.77
|
|||||
Second
quarter 2007
|
$
|
8.85
|
$
|
9.50
|
$
|
24.47
|
$
|
25.12
|
|||||
Third
quarter 2007
|
$
|
7.75
|
$
|
9.05
|
$
|
23.37
|
$
|
24.67
|
|||||
Fourth
quarter 2007
|
$
|
5.90
|
$
|
7.98
|
$
|
21.62
|
$
|
23.60
|
|||||
First
quarter 2006
|
$
|
9.90
|
$
|
13.00
|
$
|
23.81
|
$
|
26.81
|
|||||
Second
quarter 2006
|
$
|
9.80
|
$
|
11.08
|
$
|
23.81
|
$
|
25.09
|
|||||
Third
quarter 2006
|
$
|
10.40
|
$
|
11.61
|
$
|
24.41
|
$
|
25.72
|
|||||
Fourth
quarter 2006
|
$
|
10.50
|
$
|
11.61
|
$
|
24.66
|
$
|
26.12
|
The
following section contains more information regarding the dividends the Fund
has
paid since inception.
DIVIDENDS
In
the
past, the Fund has provided returns to stockholders through cash dividends
and
deemed dividends of its net investment income and realized gains. At December
31, 2007, the Fund has declared a total of $13.91 per share in cash dividends
to
its stockholders since inception in 1994. Since inception the fund has declared
deemed dividends of $4.98 per share and paid taxes of $1.74 per share on behalf
of stockholders on these dividends for a net deemed dividend of $3.24 per share
deemed paid to stockholders.
The
Fund
has no fixed dividend policy. The Fund’s Board of Directors will periodically
consider the declaration of either a cash dividend or a deemed dividend. “Deemed
dividends” are declared dividends of realized capital gains that are retained in
the Fund for investment and are deemed by the IRS to be distributed to the
Fund’s stockholders if the Fund transmits 35% of the deemed dividends to the IRS
as tax deposits on behalf of the stockholders and advises the stockholders
how
to apply the tax deposit to their personal taxes for that year. Under the
Internal Revenue Code the Fund must withhold taxes at the maximum corporate
rate
of 35% and the remainder of the dividend is retained by the Fund for investment.
The stockholders are allowed to increase their basis in their holdings by their
share of the amount retained for investment, and to claim as a tax payment
the
portion of the withholdings remitted by the Fund to the IRS on their
behalf.
27
During
the year ended December 31, 2007, the Fund realized taxable net long-term
capital gains of $4,689,640 or $1.05 per share. From these net capital gains,
cash dividends of $0.10 per share were distributed. In addition to the cash
dividend, the Fund elected to retain $4,243,244 of net capital gains and
designated this amount as a deemed dividend paid to stockholders of record
on
December 31, 2007. The Fund paid federal income taxes on behalf of stockholders
of 35% of the deemed dividend amount, equal to $1,485,135 or $0.33 per share.
DIVIDEND
REINVESTMENT PLAN
Pursuant
to the Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the “Reinvestment Plan”) any stockholders
whose shares are registered in their own names will be deemed to have elected
to
have all dividends and distributions automatically reinvested in Fund shares
pursuant to the Reinvestment Plan unless and except for each such stockholder
who individually elects to receive such on a current basis in lieu of
reinvestment. In the case of stockholders such as banks, brokers or nominees
that hold shares for others who are beneficial owners (“Nominee Stockholders”),
the Plan Agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Co. (the “Plan Agent”) will
administer the Reinvestment Plan on the basis of the number of shares certified
by such Nominee Stockholders as registered for stockholders that have not
elected to receive dividends and distributions in cash.
Investors
that own shares registered in the name of a Nominee Stockholder should consult
with such nominee as to participation or withdrawal from such plan.
All
communications regarding the Reinvestment Plan should be directed to the Plan
Agent.
NUMBER
OF
HOLDERS
As
of
December 31, 2007, there were approximately 646 record holders of the Fund’s
common stock. This total does not include stockholders with shares held under
beneficial ownership in nominee name or within clearinghouse positions of
brokerage firms or banks.
28
Item
6. Selected Financial Data.
The
following selected financial data for the period January 1, 2003 through
December 31, 2007 is derived from the Fund’s audited Financial Statements and
should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s Financial Statements and Notes
thereto and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations” included in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Selected
Financial Data
|
||||||||||||||||
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
2004
|
|
2003
|
||||||||
Gross
income (loss), including net realized gain (loss)
|
$
|
4,215,319
|
$
|
14,444,683
|
$
|
6,569,365
|
$
|
14,514,741
|
$
|
11,670,287
|
||||||
Net
unrealized appreciation
(depreciation)
on investments
|
(12,797,981
|
)
|
(13,339,923
|
)
|
(19,537,884
|
)
|
9,397,996
|
20,137,393
|
||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
(10,161,897
|
)
|
(4,035,913
|
)
|
(16,023,666
|
)
|
18,971,481
|
28,741,964
|
||||||||
Net
income (loss) per share
|
(2.28
|
)
|
(0.90
|
)
|
(3.60
|
)
|
4.36
|
6.60
|
||||||||
Total
assets
|
40,123,140
|
58,649,555
|
62,548,375
|
117,387,109
|
101,866,011
|
|||||||||||
Net
assets
|
37,759,148
|
48,367,442
|
54,188,943
|
74,582,499
|
69,405,964
|
|||||||||||
Net
assets per share
|
8.46
|
10.84
|
12.14
|
17.14
|
15.95
|
|||||||||||
Selected
Per Share
Data
|
||||||||||||||||
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
2004
|
|
2003
|
||||||||
Investment
income
|
0.19
|
0.21
|
0.14
|
0.15
|
0.46
|
|||||||||||
Operating
expenses
|
(0.36
|
)
|
(1.14
|
)
|
(0.66
|
)
|
(1.12
|
)
|
(0.70
|
)
|
||||||
Interest
expense
|
0.00
|
(0.01
|
)
|
(0.02
|
)
|
(0.02
|
)
|
(0.01
|
)
|
|||||||
Net
investment loss
|
(0.17
|
)
|
(0.94
|
)
|
(0.54
|
)
|
(0.98
|
)
|
(0.25
|
)
|
||||||
Cash
distributions from net capital gains
|
(0.10
|
)
|
(0.40
|
)
|
(1.33
|
)
|
(3.17
|
)
|
(1.25
|
)
|
||||||
Net
realized gain (loss) on investments
|
1.09
|
4.43
|
1.33
|
3.18
|
2.22
|
|||||||||||
Taxes
paid on behalf of stockholders
|
(0.33
|
)
|
(1.41
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Net
increase (decrease) in unrealized appreciation of
investments
|
(2.87
|
)
|
(2.99
|
)
|
(4.38
|
)
|
2.16
|
4.64
|
||||||||
Increase
(decrease) in net asset value
|
(2.38
|
)
|
(1.30
|
)
|
(5.00
|
)
|
1.19
|
5.36
|
||||||||
Capital
stock transactions
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.35
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
|||||||||||
Effect
of share change
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
(0.43
|
)
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
||||||||||
Net
Asset Value:
|
||||||||||||||||
Beginning
of year
|
10.84
|
12.14
|
17.14
|
15.95
|
10.59
|
|||||||||||
End
of year
|
8.46
|
10.84
|
12.14
|
17.14
|
15.95
|
29
Item
7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
GENERAL
The
primary purpose of the Fund is to provide capital to emerging growth public
companies whose ability to service the securities is sufficient to provide
income to the Fund and whose growth potential is sufficient to provide
opportunity for long-term capital appreciation.
AMENDMENT
TO ADVISORY AGREEMENT
On
March
1, 2007, the Fund and RENN Group entered into an amendment to the Advisory
Agreement. The amendment clarified that the Fund will pay RENN Group an
incentive fee in an amount equal to 20% of all net realized capital gains,
if
any, computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital
depreciation of the Fund. The calculation of the incentive fee does not
incorporate any offset of unrealized capital depreciation by unrealized capital
appreciation. The effect of the use of this method to calculate the incentive
fee is that each year, the cumulative performance of the Fund since its
inception will provide the basis for the calculation of the incentive fee.
The
Agreement also clarified that the base management fee paid to RENN Group will
be
assessed following the assessment of the incentive fee. Thus, the base
management fee will be calculated net of any incentive fee payable.
SOURCES
OF OPERATING INCOME
The
operating income for the Fund is investment income, either in the form of
interest on debentures, dividends on stock, or interest on securities held
pending investment in portfolio companies. The Fund primarily generates income
through capital gains. Furthermore, the Fund in some cases receives due
diligence, commitment, and closing fees, as well as other similar types of
revenue. Director’s compensation received by RENN Group (or its personnel) for
services to a Portfolio Company on behalf of the Fund is paid to the Fund.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
During
the year ended December 31, 2007, the Fund invested $6,837,813 in nine (9)
new
portfolio investments and invested an additional $2,488,233 in follow-on
investments in eight (8) portfolio companies. Cash dividends declared to
stockholders in 2007 amounted to $446,397 or $0.10 per share. In addition to
the
cash dividends, the Fund elected to retain $4,243,244 of capital gains and
has
designated them as a deemed dividend paid to stockholders of record on December
31, 2007. The Fund paid federal income taxes on behalf of the stockholders
on
the undistributed realized gains at a rate of 35%, equivalent to $1,485,135
or
$0.33 per share. During 2007, gains were realized from the sale of securities
of
China Security & Surveillance Technology, Inc., Comtech Group, Gasco Energy,
Inc., Inyx, Inc., and US Home Systems, offset by realized losses from the sale
of securities of AdStar, Inc., Advance Nanotech, Inc., Gaming &
Entertainment Group, Inc., PracticeXpert, Inc., and Vaso Active Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. Net operating loss for 2007 was $10,161,897 and net cash used in operating
activities was $11,155,551. The Fund did not issue any new shares pursuant
to
the Dividend Reinvestment Plan during the year ended December 31, 2007. However,
those stockholders who participated in the dividend reinvestment plan purchased
25,200 shares in the open market from cash dividends paid in 2007.
30
At
December 31, 2007, the Fund had $3,679,949 in cash and cash equivalents, and
$2,363,992 in liabilities. RENN Group believes that current cash and
securities levels are sufficient to pay expenses as they come due and to make
investments.
The
majority of the Fund’s investments in Portfolio Companies are individually
negotiated, are initially not registered for public trading, and are subject
to
legal and contractual investment restrictions. Accordingly, many of the
Portfolio Investments are considered non-liquid. This lack of liquidity
primarily affects the ability to make new investments.
From
time
to time, funds or securities are deposited in margin accounts and invested
in
government securities. Government securities used as cash equivalents typically
consist of U. S. Treasury securities or other U. S. Government and Agency
obligations having slightly higher yields and maturity dates of three months
or
less when purchased. These investments qualify for investment as permitted
in
Section 55(a)(1) through (5) of the 1940 Act. These securities are generally
valued at market price as market prices are generally available for these
securities.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
2007
Compared to 2006
During
the year ended December 31, 2007, the Fund made additional portfolio investments
aggregating $9,326,046 compared to $4,116,806 in 2006. The Fund realized
proceeds
from the sale of investments in the amount of $8,792,947 compared to $20,932,760
in 2006. The Fund’s 2007 net loss of $10,161,897 is due to a combination of a
net investment loss of $752,646, net decrease in unrealized appreciation on
investments of $12,797,981, and net realized gain on investments (net of income
tax paid on behalf of the stockholders of $1,485,135) of
$3,388,730.
Interest
income increased from $340,145 during 2006 to $345,510 during 2007. Dividend
income during 2007 was $432,478 compared to $584,139 for 2006. The decrease
was
primarily due to fewer dividends being earned on the lower cash equivalent
balances. Commitment and other fee income increased to $48,601 in 2007 from
$27,684 in 2006.
Legal
and
professional fees decreased 45.7%, from $651,701 in 2006 to $354,127 for 2007,
primarily due to a reduction in audit and consulting services during 2007 (the
Fund’s 2003 through 2005 audits were completed during 2006). There is no
incentive fee due to the Adviser for 2007 compared to $3,157,367 in 2006,
primarily due to aggregate net realized gains being offset by capital unrealized
depreciation in 2007. Management fees decreased to $792,545 in 2007 from
$935,776 in 2006, a decrease
of 15.3% due to the reduction in net asset values in 2007 as a result of capital
gains dividends and lower portfolio values in 2007.
31
A
net
loss of $4,035,913 in 2006 increased to a net loss of $10,161,897 in 2007.
The
Fund had a net realized gain on investments (net of income tax paid on behalf
of
the stockholders of $1,485,135) of $3,388,730 in 2007, compared to $13,492,715
in 2006. In 2006 the Fund’s net change in unrealized depreciation on investments
was $13,339,923, compared to $12,797,981 in 2007. The variance is due to lower
portfolio market values on investments held at year end.
2006
Compared to 2005
During
the year ended December 31, 2006, the Fund made additional portfolio investments
aggregating $4,116,806 compared to $5,038,466 in 2005. The Fund realized
proceeds from the sale of investments in the amount of $20,932,760 compared
to
$13,632,705 in 2005. The Fund’s 2006 net loss of $4,035,913 is due to a
combination of a net investment loss of $4,188,705, net decrease in unrealized
appreciation on investments of $13,339,923, and net realized gain on investments
(net of income tax paid on behalf of the stockholders of $6,302,806) of
$13,492,715.
Interest
income increased 79.5%, from $189,496 in 2005 to $340,145 in 2006. During 2006
the Fund made new debt investments, and in 2005 the Fund realized a loss on
interest receivable for Digital Learning Management Corporation and
Advanced Refractive Technologies, Inc. (formerly VisiJet). Dividend income
during 2006 was $584,139 compared to $193,402 for 2005. The increase was
primarily due to dividends earned on higher cash equivalent balances from
proceeds from the sale of Laserscope common stock. Commitment and other fee
income decreased to $27,684 in 2006 from $255,146 in 2005.
On
December 6, 2005, RENN Group entered into a settlement agreement with the SEC
with respect to the calculation of the advisory fees paid by the Fund under
the
Advisory Agreement (the “SEC Settlement”). Fee income for 2005 was greater than
for 2006 primarily due to a penalty payment of $100,000 to the Fund by Renn
Group under the SEC Settlement, a late filing fee paid to the Fund by Gaming
& Entertainment Group, Inc., and a refund of advisory fees previously paid
to RENN Group for prior periods.
Legal
and
professional fees increased 120.7%, from $295,305 in 2005 to $651,701 for 2006,
primarily due to an increase in accounting and consulting fees resulting from
the completion of the audits for the Fund’s fiscal years 2003 through 2005 (all
of which were completed in 2006), offset by a decrease in legal fees and
insurance expense. Incentive fees increased 159.6%, to $3,157,367 in 2006
compared to $1,216,467 in 2005 primarily due to greater net realized capital
gains achieved on investments during 2006, primarily from the sale of
Laserscope. Management fees decreased to $935,776 in 2006 from $1,112,927 in
2005, a decrease
of 15.9% due to lower portfolio market values.
Net
loss
of $16,023,666 in 2005 decreased to a net loss of $4,035,913 in 2006. The Fund
had a net realized gain on investments (net of income tax paid on behalf of
the
stockholders of $6,302,806) of $13,492,715 in 2006, compared to $5,931,321
in
2005. The Fund experienced a decrease in net decrease in unrealized appreciation
on investments of $19,537,884 in 2005, compared to a net decrease in unrealized
appreciation on investments in 2006 of $13,339,923. The variance is due to
lower
portfolio market values on investments held at year end.
32
CONTRACTUAL
OBLIGATIONS
The
Fund
has a contract for the purchase of services under which it will have future
commitments: the Advisory Agreement, pursuant to which RENN Group has agreed
to
serve as the Fund’s Investment Adviser. Such agreement has contractual
obligations with fees which are based on values of the portfolio investments
which the Fund owns. For further information regarding the Fund’s obligations
under the Investment Advisory Agreement, see Note 4 of the Financial
Statements.
Because
the Fund does not enter into other long-term debt obligations, capital lease
obligations, operating lease obligations, or purchase obligations that would
otherwise be reflected on the Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities, a
table of contractual obligations has not been presented.
Item
7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.
The
Fund
is subject to financial market risks, including changes in market interest
rates
as well as changes in marketable equity security prices. The Fund does not
use
derivative financial instruments to mitigate any of these risks. The return
on
the Fund’s investments is generally not affected by foreign currency
fluctuations.
A
majority of the Fund’s net assets consists of common stocks and warrants and
options to purchase common stock in publicly traded companies. These investments
are directly exposed to equity price risk, in that a percentage change in these
equity prices would result in a similar percentage change in the fair value
of
these securities.
A
lesser
percentage of the Fund’s net assets consist of fixed-rate convertible debentures
and other debt instruments as well as convertible preferred securities. Since
these instruments are generally priced at a fixed rate, changes in market
interest rates do not directly impact interest income, although they could
impact the Fund’s yield on future investments in debt instruments. In addition,
changes in market interest rates are not typically a significant factor in
the
Fund’s determination of fair value of its debt instruments, as it is generally
assumed they will be held to maturity, and their fair values are determined
on
the basis of the terms of the particular instrument and the financial condition
of the issuer.
A
small
percentage of the Fund’s net assets consist of equity investments in private
companies. The Fund would anticipate no impact on these investments from modest
changes in public market equity prices. However, should significant changes
in
market prices occur, there could be a longer-term effect on valuations of
private companies which could affect the carrying value and the amount and
timing of proceeds realized on these investments.
33
Item
8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The
financial statements filed as part of this report are listed in “Index to
Financial Statements” on page F-1 hereof.
Item
9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial
Disclosure.
None.
Item
9A(T). Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under
the
supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief
Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the
effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules
13a-15(e) and 15d-15(3) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the “Exchange Act”) required by Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(e)), as
of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation,
our
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our
disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of that date to provide
reasonable assurance that the information we are required to disclose in reports
that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized
and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and
include controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required
to
be disclosed by us in such reports is accumulated and communicated to our
management, including the principal executive officer and principal financial
officer, as appropriate to allow timely decision regarding required
disclosure.
Management’s
Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our
management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal
control over financial reporting. Under the supervision and with the
participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and
Chief
Financial Officer, we assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over
financial reporting as of the end of the period covered by this report based
on
the framework in “Internal Control—Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee
of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on that
assessment, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded
that our internal control over financial reporting was effective to provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and
the preparation of our financial statement for external purposes in accordance
with United States generally accepted accounting principles.
Our
independent registered public accounting firm, KBA Group LLP, has not issued
an
attestation report on our internal control over financial reporting.
34
Evaluation
of Changes in Internal Control Over Financial
Reporting
During
the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, there were no changes in our internal control
over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely
to materially affect, our internal control over financial
reporting.
Item
9B. Other Information.
None.
35
Part
III
Item
10. Directors and Executive Officers of Registrant.
Directors
Pursuant
to the Fund’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, the Board of Directors
consists of five directors and is divided into three classes, with each class
to
serve for a three-year term or until a successor is elected. The term of office
of the Class One directors will expire at the 2007 annual meeting of
stockholders, the term of office of the Class Two directors will expire at
the
2008 annual meeting of stockholders, and the term of office of the Class Three
directors will expire at the 2009 annual meeting of stockholders.
Because
the Board of Directors is divided into classes, only those directors in a single
class may be changed in any one year. Consequently, changing a majority of
the
Board of Directors would require two years (although under Texas law, procedures
exist to remove directors, even if they are not then standing for reelection
and, under SEC regulations, procedures exist for including appropriate
stockholder proposals in the annual proxy statement). Having a classified Board
of Directors, which may be regarded as an “anti-takeover” provision, may make it
more difficult for stockholders of the Fund to change the majority of directors,
thus having the effect of maintaining the continuity of management.
Class
One Directors - Term expires at the 2007 Annual
Meeting
Peter
Collins,
age 63,
has been a financial and management consultant to closely-held businesses for
the past ten years in the USA, the UK, and Europe, in areas of finance,
start-ups, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions. He has advised
companies in every segment of industry (including manufacturing, distribution,
service, agriculture, construction, and multimedia) and in all stages of
development (from start-up to bankruptcy). Mr. Collins was educated in England,
where he received a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Liverpool University and
a
M.Sc. in Business Administration from The City University, London. He has served
as a Class One Director since 1994.
J.
Philip McCormick,
age 65,
has been an independent investor and corporate advisor since 1999; He served
as
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Highway Master
Communication, Inc. from 1997 to 1998; Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of Enserch Exploration, Inc. from 1995 to 1997; Senior Vice President
-
Transmission of Lone Star Gas Company, a division of Enserch Corporation, from
1993 to 1995; Senior Vice President — Finance of Lone Star Gas Company from 1991
to 1993; and Audit Partner, member of senior management and member of the Board
of Directors of KPMG and KMG Main Hurdman from 1973 to 1991. He has served
as a
Class One Director since 2006.
Class
Two Director - Term expires at the 2008 Annual Meeting
Charles
C. Pierce, Jr.,
age 73,
is the retired Vice-Chairman of Dain Rauscher, Inc., and he worked in the
securities industries for 42 years. Mr. Pierce was a former president on the
Texas Stock & Bond Dealers Association, an organization that advised the
Texas Legislature on certain industry matters. He was also chairman of the
South
Central District of the Security Industry Association covering Texas, Oklahoma,
New Mexico, Kansas and Colorado. He is a private investor. He has served as
a
Class Two Director since 2002.
36
Class
Three Directors - Term Expires at the 2009 Annual
Meeting
Russell
Cleveland,
age 69,
is the Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director
of the Fund since 1994. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst with more than
35
years experience as a specialist in investments in smaller capitalization
companies. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business, Mr. Cleveland has
served as President of the Dallas Association of Investment Analysts. Mr.
Cleveland is also the President, Chief Executive Officer, sole Director, and
the
majority stockholder of RENN Group, the Investment Adviser to the Fund. RENN
Group is also the Investment Manager of Renaissance US Growth Investment Trust
PLC (“RUSGIT”) and the Investment Adviser to US Special Opportunities Trust PLC,
investment trusts listed on the London Stock Exchange, and Premier RENN US
Emerging Growth Fund Limited, an open-ended investment company registered with
limited liability in Guernsey. Mr. Cleveland also serves on the Boards of
Directors of RUSGIT, CaminoSoft Corp., Cover-All Technologies, Inc., Integrated
Security Systems, Inc., Access Plans USA, Inc.. He has served as a Class Three
Director since 1994.
Ernest
C. Hill,
age 67,
has a broad background in convertible securities analysis with major NYSE
brokerage firms and institutional investors. He specializes in computer-aided
investment analysis and administrative procedures. Mr. Hill was awarded a Ford
Fellowship to the Stanford School of Business, where he received an MBA, with
honors, in Investment and Finance. Mr. Hill’s prior experience includes service
as Assistant Professor of Finance, Southern Methodist University and Associate
Director of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. He has served as a
Class Three Director since 1994.
The
Board
of Directors has determined that all of the Fund’s directors, other than Russell
Cleveland, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fund, are
independent directors. Certain information concerning the Fund’s directors is
set forth below:
37
Name,
Address(1)
and
Age
|
|
Positions
Held
with
Fund
|
|
Director’s
Term
of
Office
and
Length
of
Time
Served
|
|
Principal
Occupation(s)
During
Past
5
Years
|
|
Number
of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by
Director
|
|
Other
Director-
ships
Held by Director
|
Peter
Collins
Age
63
|
Director
|
Class
One Director since 1994. Term expires at 2007 Annual
Meeting.
|
Consultant
|
1
|
None
|
|||||
J.
Philip McCormick
Age
65
|
Director
|
Class
One Director since 2006. Term expires at 2007 Annual
Meeting.
|
Consultant
|
1
|
None
|
|||||
Charles
C. Pierce, Jr.
Age
73
|
Director
|
Class
Two Director since 2002. Term expires at 2008 Annual
Meeting.
|
Retired
Vice-Chairman of Dain Rauscher and private investor
|
1
|
None
|
|||||
Ernest
C. Hill
Age
67
|
Director
|
Class
Three Director since 1994. Term expires at 2009 Annual
Meeting.
|
Consultant
|
1
|
None
|
|||||
38
Name,
Address(1)
and
Age
|
Positions
Held
with
Fund
|
Director’s
Term
of
Office
and
Length
of
Time
Served
|
Principal
Occupation(s)
During
Past
5
Years
|
Number
of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by
Director
|
Other
Director-
ships
Held by Director
|
||||||
Interested
Director:
|
|||||||||||
Russell
Cleveland(2)
Age
69
|
Chairman
of the Board, President, Chief
Executive
Officer,
and
Director
|
Class
Three Director since 1994. Term expires at 2009 Annual
Meeting
|
President
& Chief Executive Officer of RENN Group
|
4
|
RUSGIT,
BPO Management Services, Inc., CaminoSoft Corp., Cover-All Technologies,
Inc., Integrated Security Systems, Inc., Access Plans USA,
Inc.
|
(1) |
The
address of all such persons is c/o RENN Capital Group, Inc., 8080
North
Central Expressway, Suite 210, LB-59, Dallas, Texas
75206.
|
(2) |
Mr.
Cleveland is also President and CEO of RENN Capital Group, Inc. See
“Information About the Fund’s Officers and the Investment
Adviser.”
|
Name
of Director
|
|
Dollar
Range* of Equity Securitiesin the Fund
|
|
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities inFunds in Fund
Complex*
|
|
||
Peter
Collins
|
|
|
$10,001
to $50,000
|
|
|
$10,001
to $50,000
|
|
J.
Philip McCormick
|
|
|
$10,001
to $50,000
|
|
|
$10,001
to $50,000
|
|
Charles
C. Pierce, Jr.
|
|
|
$10,001
to $50,000
|
|
|
$10,001
to $50,000
|
|
Ernest C. Hill |
$0
|
$0
|
|||||
Russell
Cleveland
|
|
|
0ver
$100,000
|
|
|
0ver
$100,000
|
|
*As
of
December 31, 2007
39
Committees
and Meetings
The
Board
of Directors held eighteen (18) meetings or executed consent actions in lieu
of
meetings during 2007, and each director attended or executed at least
seventy-five per cent (75%) of these meetings and consent actions.
The
Audit Committee
During
2007, the Audit Committee consisted of Ernest C. Hill Chairman, Peter Collins,
Charles C. Pierce, Jr. and J. Philip McCormick. The Audit Committee held nine
(9) meetings in 2007. The Audit Committee is comprised entirely of independent
directors, and is appointed by the Board of Directors to assist the Board in
fulfilling its oversight responsibilities. The Audit Committee’s primary duties
and responsibilities are to:
·
|
appoint
and approve the compensation of the Fund’s independent auditors, including
those to be retained for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit
report or performing other audit review or attestation services for
the
Fund;
|
·
|
review
the scope of the audit services of the Fund’s independent auditors, and
the annual results of their audits;
|
·
|
monitor
the independence and performance of the Fund’s independent
auditors;
|
·
|
generally
oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Fund
and
the audits of its financial statements;
|
·
|
review
the reports and recommendations of the Fund’s independent auditors;
|
·
|
provide
an avenue of communication among the independent auditors, management
and
the Board of Directors; and
|
·
|
address
any matters between the Fund and its independent auditors regarding
financial reporting.
|
The
Fund’s independent auditors must report directly to the Audit
Committee.
The
Board
of Directors has determined that J. Philip McCormick satisfies the standard
for
“audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of the rules of the SEC.
The SEC rules provide that audit committee financial experts do not have any
additional duties, obligations or liabilities and are not considered experts
under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933.
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee was created in January 2004 and
is
responsible for nominating individuals to serve as directors. The Nominating
and
Corporate Governance Committee is composed entirely of independent Fund
directors.
Its
members are Chairman Charles C. Pierce, Jr., Ernest C. Hill, and Peter
Collins.
40
The
Committee considers and recommends nominees for election as directors of the
Fund. Stockholders wishing to recommend qualified candidates for consideration
by the Fund may do so by writing to the Secretary of the Fund at the address
shown in the Notice providing the candidate’s name, biographical data and
qualifications. In its assessment of each potential candidate, the Committee
reviews the nominee’s judgment, experience, independence, financial literacy,
knowledge of emerging growth companies, understanding of the Fund and its
investment objectives and such other factors as the Committee may determine.
The
Committee also takes into account the ability of a director to devote the time
and effort necessary to fulfill his or her responsibilities. At the direction
of
the Board of Directors, the Committee also considers various corporate
governance policies and procedures.
Officers
Russell
Cleveland,
age 69,
has served as Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer, and
a
Class Three director of the Fund since 1994. He has also served as the
President, Chief Executive Officer, sole Director, and the majority stockholder
of RENN Group since 1994. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst with more than
35
years experience as a specialist in investments for smaller capitalization
companies. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business, Mr. Cleveland has
served as President of the Dallas Association of Investment Analysts. Mr.
Cleveland also serves on the Boards of Directors of Renaissance US Growth
Investment Trust PLC, BPO Management Services, Inc., CaminoSoft Corp., Tutogen
Medical, Inc., Cover-All Technologies, Inc., Integrated Security Systems, Inc.,
and Access Plans USA, Inc.
Barbe
Butschek,
age 53,
has served as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Fund since 1994. She currently
serves as Senior Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of RENN Group and
has
served with RENN Group in various capacities since 1977.
Robert
C. Pearson,
age 72,
has served as Vice President of the Fund since April 1997. He joined RENN Group
in April 1997 and is Senior Vice-President - Investments. Mr. Pearson brought
more than thirty years of experience to RENN Group’s corporate finance function.
From May 1994 to May 1997, Mr. Pearson was an independent financial management
consultant. From May 1990 to May 1994, he served as Chief Financial Officer
and
Executive Vice-President of Thomas Group, Inc., a management consulting firm,
where he was instrumental in moving a small privately held company from a
start-up to a public company with more than $40 million in revenues. Prior
to
1990, Mr. Pearson was responsible for all administrative activities for the
Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory. In addition, from 1960 to 1985,
Mr.
Pearson served in a variety of positions at Texas Instruments in financial
planning and analysis, holding such positions as Vice-President - Controller
and
Vice-President - Finance. Mr. Pearson holds a BS in Business from the University
of Maryland and was a W.A. Paton Scholar with an MBA from the University of
Michigan. He is a director of eOriginal,
Inc., CaminoSoft Corp., Information Intellect, Simtek Corporation and Vertical
Branding.
41
Scott
E. Douglass,
age
49,
has served as a Vice President of the Fund since November 2004. He has worked
for three sell-side firms in the roles of institutional sales and investment
banking. Prior to that he was a commercial loan officer for the First National
Bank of Boston and Fleet Financial Group which are now part of Bank of America.
He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the Olin Graduate
School of Business at Babson College.
Z.
Eric Stephens,
age 39,
has served as a Vice President of RENN Group since January 2006 and a Vice
President of the Fund since August 2006. His responsibilities with RENN Group
include due diligence, portfolio monitoring and portfolio selection. Previously,
Mr. Stephens was a director with CBIZ Valuation Group, a national valuation
consulting firm. While with CBIZ, he valued public and private companies,
performed purchase price allocations and goodwill impairment tests, wrote
fairness opinions and solvency opinions and acted as an expert witness. Prior
to
working for CBIZ, Mr. Stephens was a staff accountant with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission. While with the SEC, he conducted on-site examinations
of investment companies and investment advisers. Mr. Stephens has a BA in
economics and finance from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and an MBA
from Texas A&M University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
SECTION
16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires the Fund's
officers and directors and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class
of the Fund's equity securities to file reports of ownership and changes in
ownership with the SEC. Officers, directors, and greater than 10% beneficial
owners are required by SEC regulations to furnish the Fund with copies of all
Section 16(a) forms they file. The Fund believes that during the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2007, all other Section 16(a) filings relating to the Fund's
Common Stock applicable to its officers, directors, and greater than 10%
beneficial owners were timely filed.
Item
11. Executive Compensation.
The
Fund
has no employees, and therefore does not compensate any employees. Officers
of
the Fund receive no compensation from the Fund. The Fund has never issued
options or warrants to officers or directors of the Fund. The Fund does not
have
any stock option plan or similar plan, retirement or pension plan, or any other
form of compensatory plan for employees. Instead, the Fund has contracted with
RENN Group pursuant to the Advisory Agreement to provide all management and
operating activities.
42
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION
Directors
who are not employees of either the Fund or RENN Group receive a monthly fee
of
$2,000 ($3,000 per month for the Chairman of the Audit Committee), plus $750
and
out-of-pocket expenses for each quarterly valuation meeting attended. The Fund
does not pay any fees to, or reimburse expenses of, its directors who are
considered “interested persons” of the Fund. The aggregate compensation for the
period from January 1 to December 31, 2007, that the Fund paid each director,
and the aggregate compensation paid to each director for the most recently
completed fiscal year by other funds to which RENN Group provided investment
advisory services is set forth below:
Name
|
Fees
Earned or Paid in Cash
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Compensation
|
|
|
Change
in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
Earnings
|
|
|
All
Other Compensation
|
|
|
Total
|
|||
Russell
Cleveland (1)
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
||||||||
Peter
Collins
|
$
|
26,000
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
26,000
|
||||||||
Ernest
C. Hill
|
$
|
36,000
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
36,000
|
||||||||
Charles
C. Pierce, Jr.
|
$
|
26,000
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
26,000
|
||||||||
J.
Philip McCormick
|
$
|
26,000
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
26,000
|
(1)
Mr.
Cleveland is President and Chief Executive Officer of RENN Group and a 5%
beneficial owner of the Fund.
Item
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and
Management.
The
Fund
has no equity compensation plans. The following table sets forth certain
information known to the Fund with respect to beneficial ownership of the Fund’s
Common Stock as of December 31, 2007 (i) for all persons who are beneficial
owners of 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund’s Common Stock (ii)
each director and nominee for director of the Fund; and (iii) all executive
officers and directors of the Fund as a group:
Name
of Beneficial Owner
|
Number
of Shares
Beneficially
Owned
Directly
or Indirectly
|
|
Percent
of
Class
|
||||
Russell
Cleveland, Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer, and
Director(1)
|
412,770
|
(2)
|
9.3
|
%
|
|||
Peter
Collins, Director
|
2,341
|
(3)
|
0.1
|
%
|
|||
Charles
C. Pierce, Jr., Director
|
2,250
|
0.1
|
%
|
||||
Ernest
C. Hill, Director
|
0
|
0.0
|
%
|
||||
J.
Philip McCormick, Director
|
3,500
|
0.1
|
%
|
43
Name
of Beneficial Owner
|
Number
of Shares
Beneficially
Owned
Directly
or Indirectly
|
|
Percent
of
Class
|
All
directors and officers of the
Fund as a group (9 persons)
|
432,452
|
9.6
|
%
|
(1) |
“Interested
person” as defined by the 1940 Act.
|
(2)
|
Consists
of 33,502 shares owned by the Cleveland Family Limited Partnership
and
335,468 shares owned by RENN Investment Limited Partnership and 43,800
shares owned by RENN Capital Group, Inc.
|
(3)
|
Includes
130 shares owned by Hilary Collins, Mr. Collins’
spouse.
|
Item
13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.
RENN
Group provides investment advisory services to the Fund pursuant to the Advisory
Agreement between the Fund and RENN Group. The Advisory Agreement is reviewed
and approved annually by the Fund’s Board of Directors, including its
independent directors. Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, RENN Group receives
a
management fee equal to a quarterly rate of 0.4375% of the Fund’s net assets, as
determined at the end of such quarter with each such payment to be due on the
last day of the calendar quarter. In addition, under the Advisory Agreement,
RENN Group receives an incentive fee in an amount equal to 20% of the Fund’s
realized capital gains in excess of realized capital losses, after allowance
for
any unrealized capital depreciation of the portfolio investments of the Fund.
The incentive fee is calculated and paid, if due, on an annual basis.
In
2007,
the Fund incurred a management fee to RENN Group of $792,545 of which $428,251
was paid in 2007. There was no incentive fee incurred for 2007. The Fund also
received director’s fees from portfolio companies with respect to Mr.
Cleveland’s and Mr. Pearson’s services as a director. Russell Cleveland and
Barbe Butschek own 80% and 20%, respectively, of the Common Stock of RENN Group.
The sole director of RENN Group is Russell Cleveland.
Item
14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The
following table presents fees paid by the Fund for professional services
rendered by KBA Group LLP and accounting consultants for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2007 and 2006.
Fee
Category
|
Fiscal
2007 Fees
Fiscal
2005 Fees
|
|
Fiscal
2006 Fees
|
||||
Audit
Fee
|
$
|
148,575
|
$
|
334,950
|
|||
Other
Fees
|
0
|
0
|
|||||
Total
Fees
|
$
|
148,575
|
$
|
334,950
|
Audit
Fees
were for
professional services rendered for the audit of the Fund’s annual financial
statements and review of the Fund’s quarterly financial statements. No non-audit
fees were paid to the independent audit firm of KBA Group LLP.
44
No
Other Fees
were
paid by the Fund to KBA Group LLP for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2007
or 2006.
Part
IV
Item
15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
DOCUMENTS
FILED AS PART OF THIS FORM 10K
Financial
Statements:
The
financial statements filed as part of this report are listed in “Index to
Financial Statements” on page F-1 hereof.
Financial
Schedules:
There
are
no schedules presented since none are applicable.
EXHIBITS
3.1 |
Restated
Articles of Incorporation1
|
3.2 |
Bylaws2
|
10.1 |
Dividend
Reinvestment Plan3
|
10.2 |
Amendment
No. 1 to Dividend Reinvestment Plan4
|
10.3 |
Amended
Investment Advisory Agreement5
|
10.5 |
Custodial
Agreement with The Frost National Bank6
|
14 |
Code
of Ethics7
|
31.1 |
Certification
of the principal executive officer pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
31.2 |
Certification
of the principal financial officer pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
32.1 |
Certification
of
the principal executive officer pursuant to Section 906 of
the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
32.2 |
Certification
principal financial officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002
|
45
1 |
Incorporated
by reference from Form N-2 as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission February 25, 1994 (Registration No.
33-75758).
|
2 |
Incorporated
by reference from Form N-2 as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission February 25, 1994 (Registration No.
33-75758).
|
3 |
Incorporated
by reference from Form N-2 as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission February 25, 1994 (Registration No.
33-75758).
|
4 |
Incorporated
by reference from Form N-2 as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission February 25, 1994 (Registration No.
33-75758).
|
5 |
Incorporated
by reference from Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006
as filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (File No.
033-75758).
|
6 |
Incorporated
by reference from Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000
as filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (File No.
001-11701).
|
7 |
Incorporated
by reference from Form 8-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (File No. 001-11701).
|
46
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.
Date:
March 26,
2008
Renaissance Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
|
||
|
|
(Registrant) |
By: | /s/ Russell Cleveland | |
|
||
Russell Cleveland, Chairman and President |
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 Fund in the capacities and on the date indicated Signatures.
Signature |
Capacity
in Which Signed
|
Date
|
||
/s/ Russell Cleveland
Russell Cleveland |
Chairman,
President and Director
|
March
26,
2008
|
||
/s/ Barbe Butschek
Barbe Butschek |
Secretary
and Treasurer
|
March
26,
2008
|
||
/s/ Ernest C. Hill
Ernest C. Hill |
Director
|
March
26,
2008
|
||
/s/ Peter Collins
Peter Collins |
Director
|
March
26,
2008
|
||
/s/ J. Philip McCormick
J. Philip McCormick |
Director
|
March
26,
2008
|
||
/s/ Charles C. Pierce, Jr.
Charles C. Pierce, Jr. |
Director
|
March
26,
2008
|
||
47
INDEX
TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
|
Page
|
|||
Report
of Independent
|
||||
Registered
Public Accounting Firm
|
F-2
|
|||
Statements
of Assets and Liabilities
|
|
|||
December
31, 2007 and 2006
|
F-3
|
|||
Schedules
of Investments
|
||||
December
31, 2007 and 2006
|
F-4
through F-13
|
|||
Statements
of Operations
|
||||
Years
ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005
|
F-14
|
|||
Statements
of Changes in Net Assets
|
||||
Years
ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005
|
F-15
|
|||
Statements
of Cash Flows
|
||||
Years
ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005
|
F-16
through F-17
|
|||
Notes
to Financial Statements
|
F-18
through F-27
|
F-1
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Stockholders
and Board of Directors
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
We
have
audited the accompanying statements of assets and liabilities of Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc. (the "Fund") including the schedules
of investments as of December 31, 2007 and 2006 and the related statements
of
operations, changes in net assets and cash flows for the years ended December
31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 and financial highlights for the years ended December
31, 2007 and 2006. These financial statements and financial highlights are
the
responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these financial statements and financial highlights based on our
audits.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we
plan
and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the
financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement.
The Fund is not required to have nor were we engaged to perform, audits
of their
internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration
of
internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit
procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose
of
expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over
financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An
audit
also
includes
examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures
in
the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
In
our
opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights referred to above
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc. as of December 31, 2007 and 2006 and
the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years ended December
31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 and the financial highlights for the years ended
December 31, 2007 and 2006 in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America.
/s/ KBA GROUP LLP | |||
KBA
Group LLP
Dallas,
TX
|
March
26,
2008
F-2
Statements
of Assets and Liabilities
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2007
|
|
2006
|
|||||
ASSETS
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
3,679,949
|
$
|
14,835,500
|
|||
Investments
at fair value, cost of $43,820,011
|
|||||||
and
$38,413,046 at December 31, 2007 and
|
|||||||
2006,
respectively
|
36,251,126
|
43,642,143
|
|||||
Interest
and dividends receivable
|
141,402
|
146,146
|
|||||
Prepaid
and other assets
|
50,663
|
25,766
|
|||||
$
|
40,123,140
|
$
|
58,649,555
|
||||
LIABILITIES
AND NET ASSETS
|
|||||||
Liabilities:
|
|||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$
|
57,726
|
$
|
168,845
|
|||
Dividends
payable
|
446,397
|
--
|
|||||
Accounts
payable - affiliate
|
374,734
|
3,810,462
|
|||||
Taxes
payable on behalf of stockholders
|
1,485,135
|
6,302,806
|
|||||
2,363,992
|
10,282,113
|
||||||
Commitments
and contingencies
|
|||||||
Net
assets:
|
|||||||
Common
stock, $1 par value; authorized
|
|||||||
20,000,000
shares; 4,673,867 issued;
|
|||||||
4,463,967
shares outstanding
|
4,673,867
|
4,673,867
|
|||||
Additional
paid-in-capital
|
27,925,813
|
28,494,233
|
|||||
Treasury
stock at cost, 209,900 shares
|
(1,734,967
|
)
|
(1,734,967
|
)
|
|||
Net
realized gain on investments retained
|
14,463,320
|
11,705,212
|
|||||
Net
unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of
|
|||||||
investments
|
(7,568,885
|
)
|
5,229,097
|
||||
Net
assets, equivalent to $8.46 and $10.84
|
|||||||
per
share at December 31, 2007 and
|
|||||||
2006,
respectively
|
37,759,148
|
48,367,442
|
|||||
$
|
40,123,140
|
$
|
58,649,555
|
See
accompanying notes
F-3
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2007
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
%
of
|
|
|||||
|
|
Interest
|
|
Maturity
|
|
|
|
Fair
|
|
Investment
|
|
|||||
|
|
Rate
|
|
Date
|
|
Cost
|
|
Value
|
|
Assets
|
||||||
Eligible
Portfolio Investments -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
Debentures and
|
||||||||||||||||
Promissory
Notes
|
||||||||||||||||
CaminoSoft
Corp. -
|
||||||||||||||||
Promissory
note (2)
|
7.00
|
%
|
01/19/08
|
$
|
250,000
|
$
|
250,000
|
0.69
|
%
|
|||||||
Integrated
Security Systems, Inc. -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
Promissory note (2)
|
6.00
|
09/30/08
|
400,000
|
400,000
|
1.10
|
|||||||||||
Promissory
note (2)
|
8.00
|
09/30/08
|
525,000
|
525,000
|
1.45
|
|||||||||||
Promissory
note (2)
|
7.00
|
09/30/08
|
200,000
|
200,000
|
0.55
|
|||||||||||
Promissory
note (2)
|
8.00
|
09/30/08
|
175,000
|
175,000
|
0.48
|
|||||||||||
Promissory
note (2)
|
8.00
|
09/30/08
|
450,000
|
450,000
|
1.24
|
|||||||||||
Convertible
promissory note (2)
|
8.00
|
12/14/08
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
1.38
|
|||||||||||
Promissory
note (2)
|
8.00
|
12/12/08
|
300,000
|
300,000
|
0.83
|
|||||||||||
iLinc
Communications, Inc. -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
debenture
|
12.00
|
03/29/12
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
1.38
|
|||||||||||
PetroHunter
Energy Corp -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
debenture (1)
|
8.50
|
11/05/12
|
1,000,000
|
1,466,667
|
4.05
|
|||||||||||
Pipeline
Data, Inc. -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
debenture
|
8.00
|
06/29/10
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
1.38
|
|||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Simtek
Corporation -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
debenture (2)
|
7.50
|
06/28/09
|
700,000
|
738,182
|
2.04
|
|||||||||||
$
|
5,500,000
|
$
|
6,004,849
|
16.57
|
%
|
|||||||||||
See
accompanying notes
F-4
Renaissance Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments (continued)
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2007
|
|||||||||||||
%
of
|
|||||||||||||
Fair
|
Investment
|
||||||||||||
Shares
|
Cost
|
Value
|
Assets
|
||||||||||
Eligible
Portfolio Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
Stock, Preferred Stock,
|
|||||||||||||
and
Miscellaneous Securities
|
|||||||||||||
Advance
Nanotech, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
5,796
|
$
|
11,199
|
$
|
1,652
|
0.00
|
%
|
||||||
AuraSound,
Inc.
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
1,000,000
|
1,000,000
|
1,100,000
|
3.03
|
|||||||||
BPO
Management Services, Inc.
|
|||||||||||||
Series
D, preferred (2)
|
104,167
|
1,000,000
|
716,667
|
1.98
|
|||||||||
Series
D2, preferred (2)
|
52,084
|
500,000
|
358,333
|
0.99
|
|||||||||
CaminoSoft
Corp. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (2)
|
3,539,414
|
5,275,000
|
283,153
|
0.78
|
|||||||||
eOriginal,
Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Series
A, preferred stock (2)
|
10,680
|
4,692,207
|
145,462
|
0.40
|
|||||||||
Series
B, preferred stock (2)
|
25,646
|
620,329
|
349,299
|
0.96
|
|||||||||
Series
C, preferred stock (2)
|
51,249
|
1,059,734
|
698,011
|
1.93
|
|||||||||
Series
D, preferred stock (2)
|
36,711
|
500,000
|
500,004
|
1.38
|
|||||||||
Gaming
& Entertainment Group, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
112,500
|
50,625
|
788
|
0.00
|
|||||||||
Gasco
Energy, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
775,586
|
465,352
|
1,543,416
|
4.26
|
|||||||||
Global
Axcess Corporation -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
953,333
|
1,261,667
|
324,133
|
0.89
|
|||||||||
i2
Telecom -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
237,510
|
36,200
|
17,814
|
0.05
|
|||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
3,927,806
|
675,000
|
294,585
|
0.81
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Integrated
Security Systems, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (2)
|
30,733,532
|
5,661,058
|
2,766,018
|
7.63
|
|||||||||
Common
stock (1)(2)
|
2,175,559
|
400,734
|
195,800
|
0.54
|
|||||||||
Series
D, preferred stock (2)
|
7,500
|
150,000
|
16,875
|
0.05
|
See
accompanying notes
F-5
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments (continued)
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2007
|
|||||||||||||
%
of
|
|||||||||||||
|
Fair
|
Investment
|
|||||||||||
Shares
|
Cost
|
Value
|
Assets
|
||||||||||
Eligible
Portfolio Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
Stock, Preferred Stock,
|
|||||||||||||
and
Miscellaneous Securities, continued
|
|||||||||||||
Hemobiotech,
Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
1,200,000
|
1,284,117
|
1,680,000
|
4.63
|
|||||||||
Murdoch
Security & Investigations, Inc.-
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
2,000,000
|
1,000,000
|
1,000,000
|
2.76
|
|||||||||
Narrowstep,
Inc -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
4,000,000
|
1,000,000
|
440,000
|
1.21
|
|||||||||
Nutradyne
Group, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
13,917
|
12,500
|
21,571
|
0.06
|
|||||||||
Shea
Development Corp. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (1)(2)
|
1,838,396
|
1,093,332
|
643,439
|
1.78
|
|||||||||
Simtek
Corp. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (2)
|
640,763
|
1,799,294
|
1,486,570
|
4.10
|
|||||||||
Common
stock (1)(2)
|
90,909
|
200,000
|
210,909
|
0.58
|
|||||||||
Symbollon
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
607,143
|
500,000
|
391,607
|
1.08
|
|||||||||
Vertical
Branding, Inc.-
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (1)(2)
|
1,666,667
|
1,000,000
|
666,667
|
1.84
|
|||||||||
Miscellaneous
Securities (3)
|
-
|
187,727
|
0.52
|
||||||||||
$
|
31,248,348
|
$
|
16,040,500
|
44.24
|
%
|
See
accompanying notes
F-6
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments (continued)
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2007
|
|||||||||||||
%
of
|
|||||||||||||
Fair
|
Investment
|
||||||||||||
Shares
|
Cost
|
Value
|
Assets
|
||||||||||
Other
Portfolio Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
Stock, Preferred Stock,
|
|||||||||||||
and
Miscellaneous Securities
|
|||||||||||||
Access
Plans (Precis) -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (2)
|
890,500
|
$
|
2,139,777
|
$
|
952,835
|
2.63
|
%
|
||||||
|
|||||||||||||
AdStar,
Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
253,500
|
330,718
|
96,330
|
0.27
|
|||||||||
Asian
Financial, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock(1)
|
130,209
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
1.38
|
|||||||||
Bovie
Medical Corporation -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
500,000
|
907,844
|
3,185,000
|
8.79
|
|||||||||
Chardan
South China Acquisition Corp-
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
48,000
|
409,256
|
640,800
|
1.77
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Comtech
Group, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
200,000
|
836,019
|
3,222,000
|
8.89
|
|||||||||
HLS
Systems International, Ltd. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
58,500
|
498,557
|
521,820
|
1.44
|
|||||||||
iLinc
Communications, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
23,266
|
13,908
|
12,564
|
0.03
|
|||||||||
Medical
Action Industries, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
30,150
|
237,209
|
628,628
|
1.73
|
See
accompanying notes
F-7
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments (continued)
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2007
|
|||||||||||||
%
of
|
|||||||||||||
Fair
|
Investment
|
||||||||||||
Shares
|
Cost
|
Value
|
Assets
|
||||||||||
Other
Portfolio Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
Stock, Preferred Stock,
|
|||||||||||||
and
Miscellaneous Securities, continued
|
|||||||||||||
Points
International, Ltd. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
900,000
|
|
492,000
|
|
3,735,000
|
10.30
|
|
||||||
Silverleaf
Resorts, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
100,000
|
430,000
|
416,000
|
1.15
|
|||||||||
US
Home Systems, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
55,000
|
276,375
|
294,800
|
0.81
|
|||||||||
Miscellaneous
Securities
|
-
|
-
|
0.00
|
|
|||||||||
7,071,663
|
14,205,777
|
39.19
|
%
|
||||||||||
$
|
43,820,011
|
$
|
36,251,126
|
100.00
|
%
|
||||||||
Allocation
of Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Restricted
Shares, Unrestricted Shares, and
Other Securities
|
|||||||||||||
Restricted
Securities (1)(2)
|
$
|
33,766,465
|
$
|
17,229,476
|
47.54
|
%
|
|||||||
Unrestricted
Securities
|
$
|
10,053,546
|
$
|
18,833,923
|
51.94
|
%
|
|||||||
Other
Securities (3)
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
187,727
|
0.52
|
%
|
(1) |
Restricted
securities from a non-public company, or not fully registered,
or held
less than 1
years.
|
(2) |
Restricted
securities due to the Fund having a director on issuer’s board and must
comply with Rule 144 as an
affiliate.
|
(3) |
Includes
Miscellaneous Securities, such as warrants and
options.
|
See
accompanying notes
F-8
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments (continued)
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2006
|
||||||||||||||||
%
of
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
|
Maturity
|
Fair
|
Investment
|
|||||||||||||
Rate
|
Date
|
Cost
|
Value
|
Assets
|
||||||||||||
Eligible
Portfolio Investments -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
Debentures and
|
||||||||||||||||
Promissory
Notes
|
||||||||||||||||
CaminoSoft
Corp. -
|
||||||||||||||||
Promissory
note (3)
|
7.00
|
%
|
07/19/08
$
|
250,000
|
$
|
250,000
|
0.57
|
%
|
||||||||
iLinc
Communications, Inc. -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
promissory note
|
12.00
|
03/29/12
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
1.15
|
|||||||||||
Integrated
Security Systems, Inc. -
|
||||||||||||||||
Promissory
note (3)
|
8.00
|
09/30/07
|
525,000
|
525,000
|
1.20
|
|||||||||||
Promissory
note (3)
|
7.00
|
09/30/07
|
200,000
|
200,000
|
0.46
|
|||||||||||
Promissory
note (3)
|
8.00
|
09/30/07
|
175,000
|
175,000
|
0.40
|
|||||||||||
Convertible
promissory note (1)
|
8.00
|
12/14/08
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
1.15
|
|||||||||||
Convertible
debenture (3)
|
6.00
|
06/16/09
|
400,000
|
400,000
|
0.91
|
|||||||||||
Pipeline
Data, Inc. -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
debenture (1)
|
8.00
|
06/29/10
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
1.15
|
|||||||||||
Simtek
Corporation -
|
||||||||||||||||
Convertible
debenture
|
7.50
|
06/28/09
|
900,000
|
1,902,273
|
4.36
|
|||||||||||
$ |
3,950,000
|
$
|
4,952,273
|
11.35
|
%
|
See
accompanying notes
F-9
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments (continued)
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2006
|
|||||||||||||
%
of
|
|||||||||||||
Fair
|
Investment
|
||||||||||||
|
Shares
|
|
Cost
|
|
Value
|
|
Assets
|
||||||
Eligible
Portfolio Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
Stock, Preferred Stock,
|
|||||||||||||
and
Miscellaneous Securities
|
|||||||||||||
Advance
Nanotech, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
170,796
|
$
|
330,000
|
$
|
121,265
|
0.28
|
%
|
||||||
CaminoSoft
Corp. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
3,539,414
|
5,275,000
|
|
1,592,736
|
3.65
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Digital
Learning Management Corporation -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
166,666
|
12,500
|
13,333
|
0.03
|
|||||||||
eOriginal,
Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Series
A, preferred stock (2)
|
10,680
|
4,692,207
|
332,575
|
0.76
|
|||||||||
Series
B, preferred stock (2)
|
25,646
|
620,329
|
798,616
|
1.83
|
|||||||||
Series
C, preferred stock (2)
|
51,249
|
1,059,734
|
1,595,894
|
3.66
|
|||||||||
Series
D, preferred stock (2)
|
16,057
|
500,000
|
500,015
|
1.15
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Gaming
& Entertainment Group -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
12,500
|
0.03
|
|||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
112,500
|
50,625
|
2,813
|
0.01
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Gasco
Energy, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
1,541,666
|
1,250,000
|
3,777,082
|
8.65
|
|||||||||
Global
Axcess Corporation -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
953,333
|
1,261,667
|
352,733
|
0.81
|
|||||||||
Hemobiotech,
Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
1,137,405
|
1,143,882
|
2,331,680
|
5.34
|
|||||||||
I2
Telecom -
|
|||||||||||||
Convertible
Preferred (1)
|
625
|
618,750
|
85,938
|
0.20
|
|||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
237,510
|
36,200
|
26,126
|
0.06
|
See
accompanying notes
F-10
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments (continued)
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2006
|
|||||||||||||
%
of
|
|||||||||||||
Fair
|
Investment
|
||||||||||||
Shares
|
Cost
|
Value
|
Assets
|
||||||||||
Eligible
Portfolio Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
Stock, Preferred Stock,
|
|||||||||||||
and
Miscellaneous Securities, continued
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Information
Intellect -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (2)
|
666,666
|
$
|
999,999
|
$
|
999,999
|
2.29
|
%
|
||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Integrated
Security Systems, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
27,074,179
|
5,568,054
|
3,790,385
|
8.70
|
|||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
4,264,854
|
356,225
|
597,080
|
1.36
|
|||||||||
Series
D, preferred stock (1)
|
187,500
|
150,000
|
26,250
|
0.06
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Inyx,
Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
300,000
|
300,000
|
699,000
|
1.60
|
|||||||||
PracticeXpert,
Inc -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
4,166,667
|
500,000
|
12,500
|
0.03
|
|||||||||
Simtek
Corp. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
639,603
|
1,795,000
|
2,974,153
|
6.81
|
|||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
1,160
|
4,294
|
5,392
|
0.01
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Symbollon
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
stock (1)
|
250,000
|
250,000
|
225,000
|
0.51
|
|||||||||
Miscellaneous
Securities
|
-
|
407,822
|
0.93
|
||||||||||
$
|
27,274,466
|
$
|
21,280,887
|
48.76
|
%
|
See
accompanying notes
F-11
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2006
|
|||||||||||||
Shares
|
Cost
|
Fair
Value
|
%
of
Investment
Assets
|
||||||||||
Other
Portfolio Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
Stock, Preferred Stock,
|
|||||||||||||
and
Miscellaneous Securities
|
|||||||||||||
AdStar,
Inc. -
Common
stock
|
269,231
|
$
|
350,000
|
$
|
619,231
|
1.42
|
%
|
||||||
Asian
Financial, Inc -
Common
stock (2)
|
130,208
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
1.15
|
|||||||||
Bovie
Medical Corporation -
Common
stock
|
500,000
|
907,845
|
4,535,000
|
10.39
|
|||||||||
China
Security & Surveillance Technology, Inc. -
Common
stock (1)
|
142,857
|
500,000
|
1,728,570
|
3.96
|
|||||||||
Comtech
Group, Inc. -
Common
stock (1)
|
300,000
|
1,186,019
|
5,457,000
|
12.51
|
|||||||||
Hemobiotech,
Inc. -
Common
stock
|
62,595
|
140,235
|
128,320
|
0.29
|
|||||||||
iLinc
Communications, Inc. -
Common
stock
|
23,266
|
13,908
|
13,727
|
0.03
|
|||||||||
Medical
Action Industries, Inc. -
Common
stock
|
20,100
|
237,209
|
648,024
|
1.49
|
|||||||||
Points
International, Ltd. -
Common
stock
|
800,000
|
428,000
|
512,000
|
1.17
|
|||||||||
Precis,
Inc. -
Common
stock
|
890,500
|
2,139,777
|
1,786,343
|
4.09
|
See
accompanying notes
F-12
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Schedules
of Investments
December
31, 2007 and 2006
2006
|
|||||||||||||
Shares
|
Cost
|
Fair
Value
|
%
of
Investment
Assets
|
||||||||||
Other
Portfolio Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Common
Stock, Preferred Stock,
|
|||||||||||||
and
Miscellaneous Securities, continued
|
|||||||||||||
US
Home Systems, Inc. -
Common
stock
|
110,000
|
535,587
|
1,245,200
|
2.85
|
|||||||||
Vaso
Active Pharmaceuticals, Inc. -
Common
stock
|
150,000
|
250,000
|
27,000
|
0.06
|
|||||||||
Miscellaneous
Securities
|
-
|
208,568
|
0.48
|
||||||||||
7,188,580
|
17,408,983
|
39.89
|
%
|
||||||||||
$
|
38,413,046
|
$
|
43,642,143
|
100.00
|
%
|
||||||||
Allocation
of Investments -
|
|||||||||||||
Restricted
Shares, Unrestricted Shares,
and
Other Securities
|
|||||||||||||
Restricted
Securities (1)
|
$
|
3,308,594
|
$
|
3,831,767
|
8.78
|
%
|
|||||||
Unrestricted
Securities
|
$
|
25,182,183
|
$
|
32,916,887
|
75.42
|
%
|
|||||||
Other
Securities (4)
|
$
|
9,922,269
|
$
|
6,893,489
|
15.80
|
%
|
(1)
|
Restricted
securities - securities that are not fully registered and freely
tradable
(there is not a valid registration statement on file or an available
exemption from registration.).
|
(2) |
Securities
in a privately owned company and by nature are restricted securities
(not
freely tradable).
|
(3) |
Securities
that have no provision allowing conversion into a security for which
there
is a public market.
|
(4) |
Includes
Miscellaneous Securities, securities of privately owned companies,
securities with no conversion feature, and securities for which
there is
no market.
|
See
accompanying notes
F-13
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Statements
of Operations
Years
Ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||
Investment
income:
|
||||||||||
Interest
income
|
$
|
345,510
|
$
|
340,145
|
$
|
189,496
|
||||
Dividend
income
|
432,478
|
584,139
|
193,402
|
|||||||
Other
income
|
48,601
|
27,684
|
255,146
|
|||||||
826,589
|
951,968
|
638,044
|
||||||||
Expenses:
|
||||||||||
General
and administrative
|
432,563
|
335,641
|
336,601
|
|||||||
Incentive
fee to affiliate
|
-
|
3,157,367
|
1,216,467
|
|||||||
Interest
expense
|
-
|
60,188
|
93,847
|
|||||||
Legal
and professional fees
|
354,127
|
651,701
|
295,305
|
|||||||
Management
fee to affiliate
|
792,545
|
935,776
|
1,112,927
|
|||||||
1,579,235
|
5,140,673
|
3,055,147
|
||||||||
Net
investment loss
|
(752,646
|
)
|
(4,188,705
|
)
|
(2,417,103
|
)
|
||||
Realized
and unrealized gain (loss) on investments:
|
||||||||||
Net
unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of
investments
|
(12,797,981
|
)
|
(13,339,923
|
)
|
(19,537,884
|
)
|
||||
Net
realized gain on investments
|
4,873,865
|
19,795,521
|
5,931,321
|
|||||||
Income
tax expense paid on behalf
of stockholders
|
(1,485,135
|
)
|
(6,302,806
|
)
|
—
|
|||||
Net
gain (loss) on investments
|
(9,409,251
|
)
|
152,792
|
(13,606,563
|
)
|
|||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(10,161,897
|
)
|
$
|
(4,035,913
|
)
|
$
|
(16,023,666
|
)
|
|
Net
loss per share
|
$
|
(2.28
|
)
|
$
|
(0.90
|
)
|
$
|
(3.60
|
)
|
|
Weighted
average shares outstanding
|
4,463,967
|
4,463,967
|
4,454,613
|
See
accompanying notes
F-14
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Statements
of Net Assets
Years
Ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||
From
operations:
|
||||||||||
Net
investment loss
|
$
|
(752,646
|
)
|
$
|
(4,188,705
|
)
|
$
|
(2,417,103
|
)
|
|
Net
realized gain on investments
|
4,873,865
|
19,795,521
|
5,931,321
|
|||||||
Income
tax expense paid on behalf of stockholders
|
(1,485,135
|
)
|
(6,302,806
|
)
|
—
|
|||||
Net
unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of
investments
|
(12,797,981
|
)
|
(13,339,923
|
)
|
(19,537,884
|
)
|
||||
Net
loss
|
(10,161,897
|
)
|
(4,035,913
|
)
|
(16,023,666
|
)
|
||||
From
distributions to stockholders:
|
||||||||||
Cash
dividends declared from realized gains
|
(446,397
|
)
|
(1,785,588
|
)
|
(5,931,273
|
)
|
||||
From
capital transactions:
|
||||||||||
Sale
of common stock
|
—
|
—
|
1,561,383
|
|||||||
Total
decrease in net assets
|
(10,608,294
|
)
|
(5,821,501
|
)
|
(20,393,556
|
)
|
||||
Net
assets:
|
||||||||||
Beginning
of period
|
48,367,442
|
54,188,943
|
74,582,499
|
|||||||
End
of period
|
$
|
37,759,148
|
$
|
48,367,442
|
$
|
54,188,943
|
See
accompanying notes
F-15
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Statements
of Cash Flows
Years
Ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(10,161,897
|
)
|
$
|
(4,035,913
|
)
|
$
|
(16,023,666
|
)
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss
|
||||||||||
to
net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
|
||||||||||
Net
decrease in unrealized depreciation of investments
|
12,797,981
|
13,339,923
|
19,537,884
|
|||||||
Net
realized gain on investments
|
(4,873,865
|
)
|
(19,795,521
|
)
|
(5,931,321
|
)
|
||||
(Increase)
decrease in interest and dividend receivables
|
4,744
|
(97,920
|
)
|
47,463
|
||||||
Decrease
in receivable - settlement
|
—
|
—
|
3,775,872
|
|||||||
(Increase)
decrease in prepaid and other assets
|
(24,897
|
)
|
75,832
|
(68,223
|
)
|
|||||
Increase
(decrease) in accounts payable
|
(111,119
|
)
|
82,063
|
35,306
|
||||||
Increase
in due to broker
|
—
|
(2,075,975
|
)
|
(24,925,439
|
)
|
|||||
(Decrease)
increase in accounts payable-affiliate
|
(3,435,728
|
)
|
1,759,473
|
(1,646,472
|
)
|
|||||
Increase
(decrease) in taxes payable on behalf of
stockholders
|
(4,817,671
|
)
|
6,302,806
|
—
|
||||||
Purchase
of investments
|
(9,326,046
|
)
|
(4,116,806
|
)
|
(5,038,466
|
)
|
||||
Proceeds
from sale of investments
|
8,792,947
|
20,932,760
|
13,632,705
|
|||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities
|
(11,155,551
|
)
|
12,370,722
|
(16,604,357
|
)
|
|||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||||
Sale
of common stock
|
—
|
—
|
1,561,383
|
|||||||
Cash
dividends
|
—
|
(5,931,274
|
)
|
(13,839,845
|
)
|
|||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
—
|
(5,931,274
|
)
|
(12,278,462
|
)
|
|||||
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents
|
(11,155,551
|
)
|
6,439,448
|
(28,882,819
|
)
|
|||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of the
period
|
14,835,500
|
8,396,052
|
37,278,871
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$
|
3,679,949
|
$
|
14,835,500
|
$
|
8,396,052
|
See
accompanying notes
F-16
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Statements
of Cash Flows
Years
Ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: | ||||||||||
Cash
paid during the period for Interest
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
60,188
|
$
|
93,847
|
||||
|
||||||||||
Taxes
paid on behalf of stockholders/excise taxes
|
$
|
6,302,806
|
$
|
12,378
|
$
|
6,824
|
||||
Supplemental
disclosure of non-cash financing transaction:
|
||||||||||
Cash
dividends declared from realized gains but not yet paid
|
$
|
446,397
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
—
|
See
accompanying notes
F-17
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
Note
1
- Organization
and Business Purpose
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc., (the “Fund” or the “Registrant”) is
a non-diversified, closed-end fund that has elected to be treated as a business
development company (a “BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund, a Texas corporation, was organized and
commenced operations in 1994.
The
investment objective of the Fund is to provide its stockholders long-term
capital appreciation by investing primarily in privately placed convertible
securities and equity securities of emerging growth companies.
RENN
Capital Group, Inc. (“RENN Group” or the “Investment Advisor”), a Texas
corporation, serves as the Investment Advisor to the Fund. In this capacity,
RENN Group is primarily responsible for the selection, evaluation, structure,
valuation, and administration of the Fund’s investment portfolio, subject to the
supervision of the Board of Directors. RENN Group is a registered investment
advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers
Act”).
Note
2
- Summary
of Significant Accounting Policies
Valuation
of Investments
Portfolio
investments are stated at quoted market or fair value as determined by
the
Investment Adviser (Note 6). The securities held by the Fund are primarily
unregistered and their value does not necessarily represent the amounts
that may
be realized from their immediate sale or disposition.
Other
The
Fund
follows industry practice and records security transactions on the trade
date.
Dividend income is recorded on the record date. Interest income is recorded
as
earned on the accrual basis.
Cash
and Cash Equivalents
The
Fund
considers all highly liquid debt instruments with original maturities of three
months or less to be cash equivalents.
As of
December 31, 2007 and 2006, cash
and
cash equivalents are at risk to the extent that they exceed Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation insured amounts. To minimize this risk, the Fund places
its cash and cash equivalents with major U.S. financial
institutions.
F-18
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
Income
Taxes
The
Fund
has elected the special income tax treatment available to “regulated investment
companies” (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) which
allows the Fund to be relieved of federal income tax on that part of its net
investment income and realized capital gains that it pays out to its
stockholders. Such requirements include, but are not limited to certain
qualifying income tests, asset diversification tests and distribution of
substantially all of the Fund’s taxable investment income to its stockholders.
It is the intent of management to comply with all IRC requirements as they
pertain to a RIC and to distribute all of the Fund’s taxable investment income
and realized long-term capital gains within the defined period under the IRC
to
qualify as a RIC. Failure to qualify as a RIC would subject the Fund to federal
income tax as if the Fund were an ordinary corporation, which could result
in a
substantial reduction in the Fund’s net assets as well as the amount of cash
available for distribution to stockholders. Continued qualification as a RIC
requires management to satisfy certain investment diversification requirements
in future years. There can be no assurance that the Fund will qualify as a
RIC
in subsequent years.
Federal
income taxes payable on behalf of stockholders on realized gains that the
Fund
elects to retain are accrued and reflected as tax expense paid on behalf
of
stockholders on the last day of the tax year in which such gains are
realized.
In
January 2007 the Fund adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board
Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting
for Uncertainty in Income Taxes
- An
Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109” (“FIN
48”).
FIN 48
clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in
a
company’s financial statements and requires companies to determine whether it is
“more likely than not” that a tax position will be sustained upon examination by
the appropriate taxing authorities before any part of the benefit can be
recorded in the financial statements. It also provides guidance on the
recognition, measurement and classification of income tax
uncertainties,
along
with any related interest and penalties. The Fund did not recognize any
adjustments to the Fund’s financial statements as a result of the implementation
of FIN 48.
Net
Loss
Per
Share
Net loss
per
share is based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding of
4,463,967
during 2007 and 2006, and 4,454,613 during 2005.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America requires management
to make
estimates and assumptions
that
affect the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Actual
results
could differ from these estimates.
F-19
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
The
Financial Accounting Standards Board issued No. 157 Fair
Value Measurements,
(“FAS
157”). FAS 157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring
fair
value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This statement
is
applicable whenever another accounting pronouncement requires or permits
assets
and liabilities to be measured at fair value. FAS 157 does not expand
or require
any new fair value measures, however, the application of this statement
may
change current practice. The requirements of FAS 157 are first effective
for our
fiscal year beginning January 1, 2008. We do not believe the initial
adoption of
FAS 157 will have a material effect on our financial condition or results
of
operations. However, we are still in the process of evaluating this standard
and
therefore have not yet determined the impact that it will have on
our financial
statements upon full adoption.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued statement No. 159, The
Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial
Liabilities (“FAS
159”).
FAS 159
provides companies with an option to measure, at specified election dates,
many
financial instruments and certain other items at fair value that are
not
currently measured affair value. An entity that adopts FAS 159 will report
unrealized gains and losses on items for which the fair value option
has been
elected in earnings at each subsequent reporting date. FAS 159 also establishes
presentation and disclosure requirements designed to facilitate comparisons
between entities that choose different measurement attributes for similar
types
of assets and liabilities. We will be required to adopt FAS 159 for our
fiscal
year beginning January 1, 2008. We do not believe the adoption of FAS
159 will
have a material impact on our financial
statements.
Note
3
- Due
to/from Broker
The
Fund
conducts business with various brokers for its investment activities. The
clearing and depository operations for the investment activities are performed
pursuant to agreements
with these
brokers. “Due to broker” represents unsettled purchase transactions and “due
from broker” represents unsettled sales transactions. The Fund is subject
to credit risk to the extent the brokers are unable to deliver cash balances
or
securities, or clear security transactions on the Fund’s behalf. The
Investment Adviser actively monitors the Fund’s exposure to these brokers and
believes the likelihood of loss under those circumstances is remote. At December
31, 2007 and 2006, there were no “due to broker” or “due from broker”
balances.
Note
4
- Management
Fees and Incentive Fees and Reimbursement
The
Investment Adviser for the Fund is registered as an investment adviser
under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement
(the “Agreement”), the
Investment Adviser performs certain services, including certain management,
investment advisory and administrative
services necessary for the operation of the Fund. In addition, under the
Agreement, the Investment Adviser is reimbursed by the Fund for certain
directly
allocable administrative expenses. A summary of fees and reimbursements
paid by
the Fund under either the Agreement or the prospectus is as
follows:
The
Investment Adviser receives a management fee equal to a quarterly rate of
0.4375% of the Fund’s net assets, as determined at the end of such quarter, each
payment to be due as of the last day of the calendar quarter. The Fund
incurred
$792,545, $935,776, and $1,112,927 for in
2007,
2006, and 2005,
respectively,
for such
management fees.
F-20
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
The
Investment Adviser receives an incentive fee in an amount equal to 20% of the
Fund’s cumulative realized capital gains in excess of cumulative realized
capital losses of the Fund after allowance for any unrealized capital
depreciation on the portfolio investments of the Fund at the end of the period
being calculated, less cumulative incentive fees previously accrued. Unrealized
capital depreciation equals net unrealized capital losses on each class of
security without netting net unrealized capital gains on other classes of
securities. The incentive fee is calculated, accrued, and paid on an annual
basis as of year end. The Fund incurred, $0, $3,157,367, and $1,216,467 during
the years ended 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively, for such incentive
fees.
The
Investment Adviser was reimbursed by the Fund for directly allocable
administrative expenses paid by the Investment Adviser on behalf of the Fund.
Such reimbursements were $230,797, $386,809, and $176,856 in 2007, 2006, and
2005 respectively.
As
of
December 31, 2007, and 2006, the Fund had an accounts payable of $374,734,
and $3,810,462,
respectively, for the amount due for the fees and expense reimbursements
disclosed above.
Note
5
- Eligible
Portfolio Companies and Investments
Eligible
Portfolio Companies
The
Fund
invests primarily in convertible securities and equity investments of companies
that qualify as Eligible Portfolio Companies as defined in Section 2(a)(46)
of
the 1940 Act or in securities that otherwise qualify for investment as
permitted
in Section 55(a)(1) through (5) of the 1940 Act. Under the provisions of
the
1940 Act at least 70% of the Fund’s assets, as defined under Section 55 of the
1940 Act, must be invested in Eligible Portfolio Companies, as defined
under
Section 2(a)(46) of the 1940 Act. In the event the Fund has less than 70%
of its
assets invested in Eligible Portfolio Investments, then the Fund will be
prohibited from making non-eligible investments until such time as the
percentage of Eligible Portfolio Investments again exceeds the 70% threshold.
The Fund was in compliance with these provisions at December 31, 2007 and
2006.
Investments
Investments
are carried in the statements of assets and liabilities as of December 31,
2007
and
2006,
at
fair value, as determined in good faith by the Investment Adviser, subject
to
the approval
of the Fund’s Board of Directors. The convertible debt securities held by the
Fund generally have maturities between five and seven years and are convertible
(at the discretion of the Fund) into the common stock of the issuer at a set
conversion price. The common stock underlying these securities is generally
unregistered and thinly to moderately traded. Generally, the Fund negotiates
registration rights at the time of purchase and the portfolio companies are
required to register the shares within a designated period and the cost of
registration is borne by the portfolio company. Interest on the convertible
securities is generally payable monthly. The convertible debt securities
generally contain embedded call options giving the issuer the right to call
the
underlying issue. In these instances,
the Fund
has the right of redemption or conversion. The embedded call option will
generally not vest until certain conditions are achieved by the issuer. Such
conditions may require that minimum thresholds be met relating to underlying
market prices, liquidity, and other factors.
F-21
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
Note
6
- Valuation
of Investments
On
a
weekly basis, RENN Group prepares a valuation to determine fair value of
the
investments of the Fund. The Board of Directors of the Fund approves the
valuation on a quarterly basis. Interim board involvement may occur if material
issues arise before quarter end. The valuation principles are described
below.
The
common stock of companies listed on an exchange, Nasdaq or in the
over-the-counter market is valued at the closing price on the date of valuation.
The
unlisted preferred stock of companies with common stock listed on an exchange,
Nasdaq or in the over-the-counter market is valued at the closing price of
the
common stock into which the preferred stock is convertible on the date of
valuation.
Debt
securities are valued at fair value. The Fund considers, among other things,
whether a debt issuer is in default or bankruptcy. It also considers the
underlying collateral. Fair value is generally determined to be the greater
of
the face value of the debt or the market value of the underlying common stock
into which the instrument may be converted.
The
unlisted in-the-money options or warrants of companies with the underlying
common stock listed on an exchange, Nasdaq or in the over-the-counter market
are
valued at fair value (the positive difference between the closing price of
the
underlying common stock and the strike price of the warrant or option). Fair
value is generally determined to be the intrinsic value of the option or
warrant. An out-of-the money warrant or option has no value; thus, we assign
no
value to it.
Investments
in privately held entities are valued at fair value. If there is no independent
and objective pricing authority (i.e. a public market) for such investments,
fair value is based on the latest sale of equity securities to independent
third
parties. If a private entity does not have an independent value established
over
an extended period of time, then the Investment Adviser will determine
fair value on the basis of appraisal procedures established in good faith
and
approved by the Board of Directors.
F-22
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
As
of December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006, the net unrealized
appreciation (depreciation) associated with investments held by
the Fund
was $(7,568,885) and $5,229,097, respectively. As of December 31,
2007 and
December 31, 2006, the Fund had gross unrealized gains of $10,846,388
and
$18,216,541, respectively, and gross unrealized losses of $18,415,273
and
$12,987,444, respectively.
|
Note
7
- Restricted
Securities
As
indicated on the schedules of investments as of December 31, 2007, and
December
31, 2006, the
Fund
holds investments in shares of common stock, the sale of which is restricted
to
selling under Rule 144. These securities have been valued by the Investment
Adviser (subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of the Fund)
after
considering certain pertinent factors relevant to the individual securities.
Note
8
- Income
Taxes
Through
December 31, 2005, management followed a policy of distributing all of the
Fund’s taxable investment income and realized capital gains within the defined
period under the IRC to assure that any Federal income tax on such income,
if
any, is paid by the Fund’s stockholders. For this reason, no income tax expense
was reported by the Fund through December 31, 2005.
During
December, 2006, the Board of Directors, in accordance with rules under
subchapter M of the IRC, declared a designated undistributed capital gain
dividend (“Deemed Distribution”) for 2006 on net taxable long-term capital gains
of $18,008,018. The Fund recorded a liability of $6,302,806 (which was paid
during the first month of 2007) on its statements of assets and liabilities
for
taxes payable on behalf of its stockholders as of December 31, 2006. This
amount
was also recorded as income tax expense paid on behalf of stockholders in
the
statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2006. Stockholders
of
record at December 31, 2006 received a tax credit of $1.41 per share. The
balance of $11,705,212 was retained by the Fund.
During
December, 2007, the Board of Directors declared a cash dividend
of $0.10
per share ($446,397) which was designated as a distribution of
realized
capital gains in accordance with the IRC to assure that any Federal
income
tax on such realized capital gains, if any, is paid by the Fund’s
stockholders. This dividend was paid to the stockholders during
January,
2008.
|
During
December, 2007, the Board of Directors, in accordance with rules
under
Subchapter M of the IRC, declared a deemed dividend for 2007 on
net
taxable long-term capital gains of $4,243,244 that remained after
the cash
dividend. The Fund recorded a liability of $1,485,135 (which was
paid
during the first month of 2008) on its statements of assets and
liabilities for taxes payable on behalf of its stockholders as
of December
31, 2007. This amount was also recorded as an income tax expense
paid on
behalf of stockholders in the statement of operations for the year
ended
December 31, 2007. Stockholders of record at December 31, 2007
received a
tax credit of $0.33 per share. The balance of $2,758,108 was retained
by
the Fund during 2007.
|
F-23
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
Note
9
- Commitments
and Contingencies
As
disclosed in Note 4, the Fund is obligated to pay to the Investment
Adviser an incentive fee equal to 20% of the Fund’s cumulative realized
capital gains in excess of cumulative capital losses of the Fund
after
allowance for any capital depreciation on the portfolio investments
of the
Fund. As incentive fees on capital gains are not due to the Investment
Adviser until the capital gains are realized, any obligations for
incentive fees based on unrealized capital gains are not reflected
in the
accompanying financial statements, as there is no assurance that
the
unrealized gains as of the end of any period will ultimately become
realized. Had an incentive fee been accrued as a liability based
on all
unrealized capital gains, net assets of the Fund would have been
reduced
by $2,058,485 and $3,643,308 as of December 31, 2007 and December
31,
2006, respectively.
|
F-24
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
Note
10
- Financial
Highlights -
unaudited
Selected
per share data and ratios for each share of common stock outstanding throughout
the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 are as follows:
2007
|
|
2006
|
|||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$
|
10.84
|
$
|
12.14
|
|||
Net
investment loss
|
(0.17
|
)
|
(0.93
|
)
|
|||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
|||||||
on
investment
|
(2.11
|
)
|
0.03
|
||||
Total
return from investment operations
|
(2.28
|
)
|
(0.90
|
)
|
|||
Distributions:
|
(0.10
|
)
|
(0.40
|
)
|
|||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$
|
8.46
|
$
|
10.84
|
|||
Per
share market value, end of period
|
$
|
6.15
|
$
|
10.50
|
|||
Portfolio
turnover rate
|
21.11
|
%
|
8.95
|
%
|
|||
Annual
return (a)
|
(41.43
|
)%
|
(4.55
|
)%
|
|||
Ratio
to average net assets (b):
|
|||||||
Net
investment loss
|
(1.65
|
)%
|
(7.84
|
)%
|
|||
Expenses,
including incentive fees
|
3.46
|
%
|
3.71
|
%
|
|||
Expenses,
excluding incentive fee
|
3.46
|
%
|
9.62
|
%
|
(a)
|
Annual
return was calculated by comparing the common stock price on the
first day
of the period to the common stock price on the last day of the
period, in
accordance with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
guidelines.
|
(b) |
Average
net assets have been computed based on quarterly valuations.
|
F-25
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
Note
11
- Selected
Quarterly Data
2007
|
|||||||||||||
1st
Quarter
|
2nd
Quarter
|
3rd
Quarter
|
4th
Quarter
|
||||||||||
Net
investment loss
|
$
|
(115,003
|
)
|
$
|
(322,584
|
)
|
$ |
(161,653
|
)
|
$
|
(153,406
|
)
|
|
Net
unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments
|
472,619
|
(1,703,609
|
)
|
(6,259,982
|
)
|
(5,307,009
|
)
|
||||||
Net
realized gain (loss) on investments
|
-
|
2,033,769
|
2,386,440
|
453,656
|
|||||||||
Income
tax expense paid on behalf of stockholders
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(1,485,135
|
)
|
||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
357,616
|
$
|
7,576
|
$
|
(4,035,195
|
)
|
$
|
(6,491,894
|
)
|
|||
Net
income (loss) per share
|
$
|
0
.08
|
$
|
0.00
|
$
|
(0.90
|
)
|
$
|
(1.46
|
)
|
|||
Weighted
average shares outstanding
|
4,463,967
|
4,463,967
|
4,463,967
|
4,463,967
|
F-26
Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund III, Inc.
Notes
to
Financial Statements
December
31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 (continued)
Note
11 -
Selected
Quarterly Data (continued)
2006
|
|||||||||||||
1st
|
|
2nd
|
|
3rd
|
|
4th
|
|
||||||
|
|
Quarter
|
|
Quarter
|
|
Quarter
|
|
Quarter
|
|||||
Net
investment loss
|
$
|
(373,174
|
)
|
$
|
(434,530
|
)
|
$
|
(83,166
|
)
|
$
|
(3,297,835
|
)
|
|
Net
unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments
|
(225,650
|
)
|
(14,928,440
|
)
|
(2,379,862
|
)
|
4,194,029
|
||||||
Net
realized gain (loss) on investments
|
1,188,192
|
17,623,044
|
874,823
|
109,462
|
|||||||||
Income
tax expense paid on behalf of stockholders
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(6,302.806
|
)
|
||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
589,368
|
$
|
2,260,074
|
$
|
(1,588,205
|
)
|
$
|
(5,297,150
|
)
|
|||
Net
income (loss) per share
|
$
|
0.13
|
$
|
0.51
|
$
|
(0.36
|
)
|
$
|
(1.18
|
)
|
|||
Weighted
average shares outstanding
|
4,463,967
|
4,463,967
|
4,463,967
|
4,463,967
|
F-27