N-2 1 es032_n2.htm FORM N-2

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 12, 2022

Securities Act File No. 333-

Investment Company Act File No. 811-23802

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM N-2

 

 

 

    REGISTRATION STATEMENT        
    UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933   ¨    
    Pre-Effective Amendment No.   ¨    
    Post-Effective Amendment No.   ¨    
    And        
    REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
  ¨    
    Post-Effective Amendment No.   ¨    

 

 

 

Destiny Tech100 Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

 

1401 Lavaca Street, #144

Austin, TX 78701

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(415) 639-9966
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

 

Sohail Prasad

c/o Destiny Tech100 Inc.

1401 Lavaca Street, #144

Austin, TX 78701

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

 

WITH COPIES TO:

Steven B. Boehm, Esq.

Owen J. Pinkerton, Esq.

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

700 Sixth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001

Tel: (202) 383-0100

Fax: (202) 637-3593

 

 

 

Approximate date of proposed public offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

Check box if the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans.  ¨

Check box if any securities being registered on this Form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), other than securities offered in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans.  ¨

  

   

 

 

Check box if this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction A.2 or a post-effective amendment thereto.  ¨

Check box if this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction B or a post-effective amendment thereto that will become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act.  ¨

Check box if this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction B to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act.  ¨

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

 

¨when declared effective pursuant to section 8(c) of the Securities Act.

 

Check each box that appropriately characterizes the Registrant:

þRegistered Closed-End Fund (closed-end company that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”)).
¨Business Development Company (closed-end company that intends or has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act).
¨Interval Fund (Registered Closed-End Fund or a Business Development Company that makes periodic repurchase offers under Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act).
¨A.2 Qualified (qualified to register securities pursuant to General Instruction A.2 of this Form).
¨Well-Known Seasoned Issuer (as defined by Rule 405 under the Securities Act).
¨Emerging Growth Company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934).
¨If an Emerging Growth Company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.
þNew Registrant (registered or regulated under the Investment Company Act for less than 12 calendar months preceding this filing).

  

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

   

 

  

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED MAY 12, 2022

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

Destiny Tech100 Inc.

 

      Shares of Common Stock

 

This prospectus relates to the registration of the resale of up to                shares of our common stock by our stockholders identified in this prospectus (the “Selling Stockholders”). Unlike an initial public offering, the resale by the Selling Stockholders is not being underwritten by any investment bank. The Selling Stockholders may, or may not, elect to sell their shares of common stock covered by this prospectus, as and to the extent they may determine. Such sales, if any, will be made through brokerage transactions on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) at prevailing market prices. See “Plan of Distribution.” If the Selling Stockholders choose to sell their shares of common stock, we will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock by the Selling Stockholders.

 

No established public trading market for our common stock currently exists and shares of our common stock have no history of trading in private transactions.

 

We intend to invest in a portfolio of what we believe to be 100 of the top venture-backed private technology companies. Our investment objective is to maximize our portfolio’s total return, principally by seeking capital gains on our equity and equity-related investments. Under normal market conditions, we will invest at least 80% of our total assets in equity and equity-linked securities of companies principally engaged in the technology sector. We will invest principally in the equity and equity-linked securities of what we believe to be rapidly growing venture-capital-backed emerging companies, located primarily in the United States. We may also invest on an opportunistic basis in select U.S. publicly traded equity securities or certain non-U.S. companies that otherwise meet our investment criteria.

 

We will seek to deploy capital primarily in the form of non-controlling equity and equity-related investments, including common stock, warrants, preferred stock and similar forms of senior equity, which may or may not be convertible into a portfolio company’s common equity, and convertible debt securities with a significant equity component. In addition, we may purchase units or shares of private funds, including venture funds and private equity funds (each, a “Private Fund”), to gain economic exposure to private companies in the technology sector. We will limit our investments in such Private Funds to no more than 15% of our net assets.

 

To maximize our portfolio’s total return, we will take a structure-agnostic approach to investing and also will deploy capital into equity-related and equity-linked investments such as forward contracts for future delivery of stock, swaps or other synthetic equity agreements, and purchases of units or other ownership of limited liability companies, limited partnerships, or other special purpose vehicles that serve to provide us with financial exposure to the equity of a single issuer or portfolio company.

 

We are a recently-formed Maryland corporation that is registered as a closed-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). We intend to elect to be treated, and to qualify annually, as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a registered investment company and a RIC, we will be required to comply with certain regulatory requirements.

 

We intend to apply to have our common stock listed on the NYSE under the symbol “DXYZ.”

 

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative. In addition, shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to their net asset values. If shares of our common stock trade at a discount to our net asset value, purchasers in this offering will face increased risk of loss. Before buying any shares of our common stock, you should read the discussion of the material risks of investing in our common stock in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 14 of this prospectus.

 

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This prospectus contains important information you should know before investing in our common stock. Please read this prospectus before investing and keep it for future reference. We will also file periodic and current reports, proxy statements and other information about us with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This information is available free of charge by contacting us at 1401 Lavaca Street, #144, Austin, TX 78701, calling us at (415) 639-9966 or visiting our corporate website located at [l]. Information on our website is not incorporated into or a part of this prospectus. The SEC also maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains this information.

 

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

The date of this prospectus is         , 2022.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

    Page
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY   1
FEES AND EXPENSES   9
THE COMPANY   10
USE OF PROCEEDS   13
RISK FACTORS   14
CAPITALIZATION   34
DISTRIBUTIONS   35
THE COMPANY’S INVESTMENTS   36
MANAGEMENT   43
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE   49
DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN   52
CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS   53
SELLING STOCKHOLDERS   61
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION   63
DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK   66
CUSTODIAN, TRANSFER AND DIVIDEND PAYING AGENT AND REGISTRAR   73
LEGAL MATTERS   73
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM   73
AVAILABLE INFORMATION   74
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS   F-1

 

We have not, and the selling stockholders have not, authorized anyone to give you any information other than in this prospectus, and we take no responsibility for any other information that others may give you. We are not, and the selling stockholders are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date. We will update these documents to reflect material changes only as required by law.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

The Company   Destiny Tech100 Inc. is a newly-formed, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with limited operating history. Throughout this prospectus, we refer to Destiny Tech100 Inc. simply as the “Company” or as “we,” “us” or “our.”
     
Investment Adviser   Destiny Advisors LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the Company’s investment adviser pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement. The Adviser is controlled by Destiny XYZ Inc., which is an entity majority-owned by our President and Chief Executive Officer, Sohail Prasad, and a member of our Investment Committee, Samvit Ramadurgam. Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, upon the listing of our shares of common stock on a national securities exchange, we will pay the Adviser a Management Fee, payable quarterly, in an amount equal to 2.50% of our average gross assets, at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters.  For purposes of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the term “gross assets” includes assets purchased with borrowed amounts. Prior to the listing of our shares of common stock on the NYSE, the Adviser is entitled to a Management Fee equal to 2.00% per annum, payable monthly, calculated based on the value of the invested capital.  
     
Adviser’s Investment Committee   The Adviser’s investment committee (the “Investment Committee”) is currently comprised of Sohail Prasad, Samvit Ramadurgam, Ethan Silver and Christine Healey and is supported by members of the Adviser’s senior executive team. The Investment Committee is responsible for selecting and evaluating all investment opportunities on behalf of the Company.  The Investment Committee’s members may change from time to time as designated by the Adviser.  
     
Market Opportunity   We believe that the world is in the midst of a revolution driven by technology. Technology’s impact today has extended into every sector, market, and geography. Thus, the opportunity for high-growth venture-backed technology companies extends across a broad spectrum. These broad markets have the potential to produce disruptive technologies, reach a large addressable market, and provide significant commercial opportunities. Thus, the Adviser will actively seek out promising investments across a diverse selection of new technology subsectors.
     
Investment Objective   We intend to invest in a portfolio of what we believe to be 100 of the top  venture-backed private technology companies. Our investment objective is to maximize our portfolio’s total return, principally by seeking capital gains on our equity and equity-related investments. Under normal market conditions, we will invest at least 80% of our total assets in equity and equity-linked securities of companies principally engaged in the technology sector.  We will invest principally in the equity and equity-linked securities of what we believe to be rapidly growing venture-capital-backed emerging companies, located primarily in the United States. We may also invest on an opportunistic basis in select U.S. publicly traded equity securities or certain non-U.S. companies that otherwise meet our investment criteria. There can be no assurance that our investment objectives will be achieved or that our investment program will be successful. Our investment objective may be changed by our Board of Directors without prior shareholder approval.

 

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Investment Strategy  

To achieve our investment objective, we will leverage the Adviser’s extensive network of relationships with other sophisticated institutions to source and evaluate investments.

 

We will seek to deploy capital primarily in the form of non-controlling equity and equity-related investments, including common stock, warrants, preferred stock and similar forms of senior equity, which may or may not be convertible into a portfolio company’s common equity, and convertible debt securities with a significant equity component. In addition, we may purchase units or shares of private funds, including venture funds and private equity funds (each, a “Private Fund”), to gain economic exposure to private companies in the technology sector. We will limit our investments in such private Funds to no more than 15% of our net assets.

 

To maximize our portfolio’s total return, we will take a structure-agnostic approach to investing and also will deploy capital into equity-related and equity-linked investments such as forward contracts for future delivery of stock, swaps or other synthetic equity agreements, and purchases of units or other ownership of limited liability companies, limited partnerships, or other special purpose vehicles that serve to provide us with financial exposure to the equity of a single issuer or portfolio company.

 

We intend to achieve our investment objective by adopting the following investment strategies:

 

·     Identify high quality growth companies.   Based on our experience in analyzing technology trends and markets, we have identified growth-stage and mid-stage venture-backed companies as opportunities where we believe companies are capable of producing substantial growth.

 

We will further rely on our collective industry knowledge as well as an understanding of where leading venture capitalists and other institutional investors are investing. We will leverage a combination of our relationships throughout Silicon Valley and our independent research to identify companies that we believe are differentiated and best positioned for sustained growth. We will continue to expand our sourcing network in order to evaluate a wide range of investment opportunities in companies that demonstrate strong operating fundamentals. We will be targeting businesses that have been shown to provide scaled valuation growth before a potential IPO or strategic exit.

 

·     Acquire positions in targeted investments.   We will seek to selectively add to our portfolio by sourcing investments at an acceptable price through our disciplined investing strategy. To this end, we will utilize multiple methods to acquire equity stakes in private companies that are not available to most individual investors.

 

·     Create access to a varied investment portfolio.   We will seek to hold a varied portfolio of non-controlling equity investments, which we believe will minimize the impact on our portfolio of a negative downturn at any one specific company or industry. We believe that our relatively varied portfolio will provide a convenient means for accredited and non-accredited individual investors to obtain access to an asset class that has generally been limited to venture capital, private equity and similar large institutional investors.

 

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Investment Types  

Direct equity investments.   We will seek direct investments in private companies. There is a large market among emerging private companies for equity capital investments. Many of these companies, particularly within the technology sector, lack the necessary cash flows to sustain substantial amounts of debt, and therefore have viewed equity capital as a more attractive long-term financing tool. We will seek to be a source of such equity capital as a means of investing in these companies and look for opportunities to invest alongside other venture capital and private equity investors with whom we have established relationships.

 

Private secondary marketplaces and direct share purchases.   We also will utilize private secondary marketplaces, such as Forge, SharesPost and CartaX, as a means to acquire equity and equity-related interests in privately held companies that meet our investment criteria. We believe that such markets offer new channels for access to equity investments in private companies and provide a potential source of liquidity should we decide to exit an investment. In addition, we also will purchase shares directly from stockholders, including current or former employees, of privately-held companies that meet our investment criteria. As certain companies grow and experience significant increased value while remaining private, employees and other stockholders may seek liquidity by selling shares directly to a third party or to a third party via a secondary marketplace. Sales of shares in private companies are typically restricted by contractual transfer restrictions and may be further restricted by provisions in company charter documents, investor rights of first refusal and co-sale and company employment and trading policies, which may impose strict limits on transfer. We believe that the reputation of our investment professionals within the industry and established history of investing affords us a favorable position when seeking approval for a purchase of shares subject to such limitations.

     
Investment Process  

Investment Targeting and Screening

 

We will identify prospective portfolio companies by ranking venture-backed private technology companies worth approximately $750 million or more (“unicorns”) by market capitalization, then filtering and weighting by a set of growth and health metrics.

 

We will look at the following key growth and health metrics for prospective portfolio companies:

 

·     company must have recently raised over $50 million in capital from what we believe to be reputable U.S. institutional investors;

·     any outstanding preferred stock liquidation preference must be strong relative to market capitalization;

·     company’s financial structure must not be overly complex (e.g. ratchets with significant penalties, heavy debt loads) that would create undue risk of impending financial distress;

 

 

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·     company’s corporate structure and governance must be transparent and comparable with standard corporate structures; and

·     company’s executive team must not have had relatively high turnover over the past 18 months.

 

We will further identify prospective portfolio companies through an extensive network of relationships developed by the Adviser. Investment opportunities that meet our key health criteria will be validated against the observed behavior of leading venture capitalists and institutional investors, as well as through our own internal and external research.

 

Based on our key growth and health criteria, we will identify a select set of companies that we evaluate in greater depth.

 

Research and Due Diligence Process

 

Once we identify those companies that we believe warrant more in-depth analysis, we will focus on evaluating potential portfolio companies across a spectrum of metrics that assess key indicators of each company’s health and growth among several other factors, which collectively characterize our proprietary investment process.

 

Indicators that will be used include the company’s total addressable market, market growth rate, recent financing rounds, company growth rate, competitive positioning, asset-light software and platform business models, network effects and economies of scale, any regulatory and legal concerns, as well as other indicators that may be strongly correlated with higher or lower valuations.

 

We also will look at indicators of company culture, including healthy diversity metrics, strong cultural health and employee reviews, and positive environmental, social, corporate governance impact.

 

As part of the due diligence process, we will also look at the transparency of financial disclosures, structure of contemplated transactions (including class of stock being purchased), recent and historical secondary market transaction pricing, and other investment-specific due diligence.

 

Each prospective portfolio company that will pass our initial due diligence review is given a qualitative ranking to allow us to evaluate it against others in our pipeline, and we will review and update these companies on a regular basis.

 

Our due diligence process will vary depending on whether we are investing through a private secondary transaction on a marketplace or with a selling stockholder or by a direct equity investment. We will access information on our potential investments through a variety of sources, including information made available on secondary marketplaces, publications by private company research firms, industry publications, commissioned analysis by third-party research firms, and, to a limited extent, directly from the company or financial sponsor. We will utilize a combination of each of these sources to help us set a target price and valuation for the companies we ultimately select for investment. 

 

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Portfolio Construction and Sourcing

 

Upon completion of our research and due diligence process, we will select investments for inclusion in our portfolio based on their value proposition, addressable market, fundamentals and valuation. We will seek to create a relatively varied portfolio that we expect will include investments in companies representing a broad range of investment themes. We generally will choose to pursue specific investments based on the availability of shares and valuation expectations. We will utilize a combination of secondary marketplaces, direct purchases from stockholders and direct equity investments in order to make investments in our portfolio companies. Once we have established an initial position in a portfolio company, we may choose to increase our stake through subsequent purchases. Maintaining a balanced portfolio is a key to our success, and as a result we constantly will evaluate the composition of our investments and our pipeline to ensure we are exposed to a diverse set of companies within our target segments.

 

Transaction Execution

 

We will enter into purchase agreements for substantially all of our private company portfolio investments. Private company securities are typically subject to contractual transfer limitations, which may, among other things, give the issuer, its assignees and/or its stockholders a particular period of time, often 30 days or more, in which to exercise a veto right, or a right of first refusal over, the sale of such securities. Accordingly, the purchase agreements that we enter into for secondary transactions typically will require the lapse or satisfaction of these rights as a condition to closing. Under these circumstances, we may be required to deposit the purchase price into escrow upon signing, with the funds released to the seller at closing or returned to us if the closing conditions are not met.

 

Risk Management and Monitoring

 

We will monitor the financial trends of each portfolio company to assess our exposure to individual companies as well as to evaluate overall portfolio quality. We will establish valuation targets at the portfolio level and for gross and net exposures with respect to specific companies and industries within our overall portfolio. In cases where we make a direct investment in a portfolio company, we may also obtain board positions, board observation rights and/or information rights from that portfolio company in connection with our equity investment.

     
Proposed Symbol on the NYSE   “DXYZ”
     
Distributions   The timing and amount of our dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board. Any dividends to our shareholders will be declared out of assets legally available for distribution. As we focus on making primarily capital gains-based investments in equity securities, we do not anticipate that we will pay dividends on a quarterly basis or become a predictable distributor of dividends, and we expect that our dividends, if any, will be less consistent than the dividends of other registered investment companies that primarily make debt investments. The specific tax characteristics of our distributions will be reported to shareholders after the end of the calendar year. Future dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board. See “Distributions.” To maintain our tax treatment as a RIC, we must make certain distributions. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company.

 

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Taxation  

We intend to elect to be treated as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and we intend to operate in a manner so as to continue to qualify for the tax treatment applicable to RICs. Our tax treatment as a RIC will enable us to deduct qualifying distributions to our shareholders, so that we will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxation only in respect of earnings that we retain and do not distribute.

 

To maintain our status as a RIC and to avoid being subject to corporate-level U. S. federal income taxation on our earnings, we must, among other things:

 

•   derive in each taxable year at least 90% of our gross income from dividends, interest, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities and other specified categories of investment income; and

 

•   maintain diversified holdings.

     
   

In addition, to receive tax treatment as a RIC, we must timely distribute (or be treated as distributing) in each taxable year dividends for tax purposes equal to at least 90% of our investment company taxable income and net tax-exempt income for that taxable year.

 

As a RIC, we generally will not be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on our investment company taxable income and net capital gains that we timely distribute to shareholders. If we fail to distribute our investment company taxable income or net capital gains on a timely basis, we will be subject to a nondeductible 4% U.S. federal excise tax. We may choose to carry forward investment company taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next tax year and pay the 4% U.S. federal excise tax on such income. Any carryover of investment company taxable income or net capital gains must be timely declared and distributed as a dividend in the taxable year following the taxable year in which the income or gains were earned. See “Distributions” and “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

     
Leverage   We may use leverage to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. We are permitted to obtain leverage using any form of financial leverage instruments, including funds borrowed from banks or other financial institutions, margin facilities, notes or preferred stock and leverage attributable to reverse repurchase agreements or similar transactions. We may further increase our leverage through entry into a credit facility or other leveraging instruments. Instruments that create leverage are generally considered to be senior securities under the 1940 Act. With respect to senior securities that are stocks (i.e., shares of preferred stock), we are required to have an asset coverage of at least 200%, as measured at the time of the issuance of any such shares of preferred stock and calculated as the ratio of our total assets (less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities) over the aggregate amount of our outstanding senior securities representing indebtedness plus the aggregate liquidation preference of any outstanding shares of preferred stock. With respect to senior securities representing indebtedness (i.e., borrowing or deemed borrowing), other than temporary borrowings as defined under the 1940 Act, we are required to have an asset coverage of at least 300%, as measured at the time of borrowing and calculated as the ratio of our total assets (less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities) over the aggregate amount of our outstanding senior securities representing indebtedness.

 

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Dividend Reinvestment Plan  

We have adopted an “opt out” dividend reinvestment plan for our shareholders. As a result, if we declare a cash dividend or other distribution, each shareholder that has not “opted out” of our dividend reinvestment plan will have their dividends or distributions automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock rather than receiving cash distributions. There will be no up-front selling commissions or dealer manager fees to you if you elect to participate in the dividend reinvestment plan. We will pay the plan administrator fees under the plan.

 

Shareholders who receive dividends and other distributions in the form of shares of common stock generally are subject to the same U.S. federal tax consequences as shareholders who elect to receive their distributions in cash; however, since their cash dividends will be reinvested, those shareholders will not receive cash with which to pay any applicable taxes on reinvested dividends. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.

     

Administrator

 

  U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC doing business as U.S. Bancorp Global Fund Services, LLC (the Administrator”) serves as our administrator pursuant to a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement and a Fund Accounting Services Agreement subject to the supervision of the Board. The Administrator is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and transfer agent services to retail and institutional open-end and closed-end funds.
     
Offering of Simple Agreement for Future Equity (“SAFEs”)  

From our inception in January 2021 through January 2022, we raised aggregate proceeds of $___ million through a private offering of SAFEs to ___ investors. In connection with the sale of the SAFEs, we granted to investors warrants (the “Warrants”) to purchase up to [________] additional shares of our common stock (the “Warrant Shares”) at a purchase price of $11.50 per Warrant Share, subject to certain adjustments set forth in the SAFE Agreement entered into between us and the purchasers of SAFEs (the “SAFE Agreement”).

 

SAFE Conversion

 

On April 27, 2022, we obtained approval from a majority of the SAFE holders to amend the SAFE Agreement to provide for a mandatory conversion of the SAFEs to shares of our common stock at a conversion price of $10.00 per share (the “SAFE Conversion”). On or about May 5, 2022, each SAFE holder will automatically receive from the Company a number of shares of common stock equal to the Purchase Amount divided by $10.00. Upon the SAFE Conversion, we will have [_____] shares of common stock issued and outstanding.

 

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Terms of the Warrants

 

Exercise of the Warrants

 

The Warrants may only be exercised in full at any time until 5:00 P.M., Eastern Time, on January 1, 2026 (the “Expiration Date”) by the holders of Warrants by surrendering the Warrants and providing an exercise notice with the information set forth in the Warrant Purchase Agreement (the “Warrant Agreement”). As a result of the listing of our shares of common stock on the NYSE, we may amend the Expiration Date at our sole discretion, provided that such amended Expiration Date will not be effective for at least ten (10) days after written notice is provided to the holders of Warrants and that any such amendment will be identical among all outstanding Warrants.

 

No Stockholder Rights; No Transfer of Warrants

 

A holder of Warrants is not entitled to any voting rights or other rights as a stockholder of the Company. In addition, the Warrants and the rights thereunder are not transferable without our written consent.

 

Adjustment to Shares and Exercise Price

 

If the exercise price of the Warrants is below the opening trading price when trading commences on the NYSE, the exercise price of the Warrants will be increased to an amount equal to the opening trading price when trading commences on the NYSE.

 

If at any time after the listing of our shares, the then-outstanding shares of common stock are subdivided (by stock split, reclassification or otherwise) or converted or exchanged for a certain number of shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Company (other than common stock) or for other securities or property, then the exercise price of the Warrants will be adjusted pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agreement.

     
Custodian, Transfer and Dividend Paying Agent and Registrar   U.S. Bank, N.A. serves as our custodian, and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC serves as our transfer and dividend paying agent and registrar. See “Custodian, Transfer and Dividend Paying Agent and Registrar.”
     
Summary Risk Factors  

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk and may be considered speculative. You should carefully consider the information found in “Risk Factors” before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock. Risks involved in an investment in us include:

 

- no prior operating history as a closed-end investment company;

- No assurance of investment return;

- Reliance on the Adviser and portfolio company management;

- High competition for investment opportunities;

- Our investments are concentrated in the technology sector;

 

We invest in rapidly growing venture-backed emerging companies;

 

- The securities of our portfolio companies are illiquid;

- Securities we invest in are trade on private secondary marketplaces.

 

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FEES AND EXPENSES

 

The following table is intended to assist you in understanding the costs and expenses that you will bear directly or indirectly. We caution you that some of the percentages indicated in the table below are estimates and may vary. The expenses shown in the table under “Annual expenses” are based on estimated amounts for our current fiscal year. The following table should not be considered a representation of our future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than shown. Except where the context suggests otherwise, whenever this prospectus contains a reference to fees or expenses paid by “us” or “the Company” or that “we” will pay fees or expenses, you will indirectly bear these fees or expenses as an investor in the Company.

 

Annual expenses :   Percentage
of net
assets
attributable
to common
stock
 
Management Fee payable under the Investment Advisory Agreement     (1)
Interest payments on borrowed funds     (2)
Other expenses     (3)
Total annual expenses     (3)

 

 

(1)Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, upon the listing of our shares of common stock on the NYSE, we will pay the Adviser a Management Fee, payable quarterly, in an amount equal to an annualized rate of 2.50% of our average gross assets, at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. For purposes of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the term “gross assets” includes assets purchased with borrowed amounts, if any. Prior to the listing of our shares on the NYSE, we will pay a Management Fee, payable monthly, in an amount equal to 2.00% of the value of the invested capital. See “Management — Investment Advisory Agreement.

 

The Management Fee reflected in the table is calculated by determining the ratio that the Management Fee bears to our net assets attributable to common stock (rather than our gross assets). The estimate of our Management Fee referenced in the table is based on our average gross assets (including assets purchased with borrowed money) and net assets as of [________].

(2)We currently do not intend to borrow money or issue debt securities or preferred shares.
(3)Includes accounting, legal and auditing fees of the Company, organizational and offering costs, as well as fees paid to the Administrator, the transfer agent, the custodian and the Independent Directors. We based these expenses on estimated amounts for the first full year of operations.

 

Example

 

The following example demonstrates the projected dollar amount of total cumulative expenses over various periods with respect to a hypothetical investment in our common stock. In calculating the following expense amounts, we have assumed we would have no additional leverage and that our annual operating expenses would remain at the levels set forth in the table above. Transaction expenses are included in the following example.

 

    1 year   3 years   5 years   10 years
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5% annual return   $     $     $     $  

 

The foregoing table is to assist you in understanding the various costs and expenses that an investor in our common stock will bear directly or indirectly. While the example assumes, as required by the SEC, a 5% annual return, our performance will vary and may result in a return greater or less than 5%. In addition, while the example assumes reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value, if our Board authorizes and we declare a cash dividend, participants in our dividend reinvestment plan who have not otherwise elected to receive cash will receive a number of shares of our common stock, determined by dividing the total dollar amount of the dividend payable to a participant by the market price per share of our common stock at the close of trading on the valuation date for the dividend. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan” for additional information regarding our dividend reinvestment plan.

 

This example and the expenses in the table above should not be considered a representation of our future expenses, and actual expenses (including the cost of debt, if any, and other expenses) may be greater or less than those shown.

 

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THE COMPANY

 

We are a recently-formed, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act. We were formed on November 11, 2020 as a corporation under the laws of the State of Maryland. Our principal office is located at 1401 Lavaca Street, #144, Austin, Texas 78701, and our telephone number is (415) 639-9966 .

 

The following table sets forth certain information as of April 30, 2022, for each portfolio company in which we have invested. Other than these investments, our only formal relationships with our portfolio companies are any board observation or participation rights we may receive.

 

Portfolio Company  Nature of
Principal Business
  Underlying
Security Type
  Cost of
Investment
   Fair Value of
Investment
 
Epic Games, Inc.  Gaming/Entertainment  Common Stock(1)  $6,998,590    
Revolut Ltd.  Financial Technology  Common Stock  $5,275,185     
Chime Financial Inc.  Financial Technology  Preferred Stock  $5,150,748     
Brex Inc.  Financial Technology  Common Stock(1)  $4,130,294     
Maplebear, Inc.  Mobile Commerce  Common Stock  $3,556,000     
Stripe, Inc.  Financial Technology  Common Stock(2)  $3,478,813     
Axiom Space, Inc.  Aviation/Aerospace  Convertible Note  $3,090,000     
ClassDojo, Inc.  Education Services  Common Stock  $3,000,018     
Superhuman Labs, Inc.  Enterprise Software  Common Stock  $2,999,996     
CElegans Labs, Inc.  Financial Technology  Common Stock  $2,999,977     
Maplebear, Inc.  Mobile Commerce  Preferred Stock  $2,920,050     
Automation Anywhere, Inc.  Enterprise Software  Common Stock  $2,609,219     
Impossible Foods, Inc.  Food Products  Preferred Stock(1)  $2,060,000     
Bolt Financial, Inc.  Financial Technology  Preferred Stock(1)  $2,000,020     
Boom Technology, Inc.  Aviation/Aerospace  Convertible Note  $2,000,000     
Relativity Space, Inc.  Aviation/Aerospace  Common Stock(1)  $1,659,996     
Plaid, Inc.  Financial Technology  Common Stock(2)  $1,110,340     
Public Holdings, Inc.  Financial Technology  Common Stock  $999,990     
Discord, Inc.  Social Media  Preferred Stock  $889,055     
Discord, Inc.  Social Media  Common Stock  $724,942     
Flexport, Inc.  Supply Chain/Logistics  Common Stock  $520,000     
Total        $58,173,233     

 

(1)  Investment held through a single-asset SPV.

(2) Investment held through contract for future delivery of shares in a single-asset SPV. 

 

Set forth below is a brief description of each of our portfolio companies:

 

Epic Games, Inc.

 

Epic Games, Inc. is a North Carolina-based gaming and entertainment company developing open ecosystems that serve to unleash the creative potential of gamers, developers, and entertainers. Through its game store, the company offers titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League alongside non-Epic titles that leverage its social graph to offer in-game player interaction. Many of these games are powered by the company’s 3D Engine – Unreal Engine – which is today also used in film, engineering, and architecture. These businesses, together with others such as publishing and online services, have positioned the company as a leader in the global move to the metaverse, offering best-in-class identification and entertainment across immersive worlds.

 

Maplebear, Inc.

 

Maplebear, Inc., doing business as Instacart, operates North America’s largest two-sided marketplace for groceries, connecting individuals to local supermarkets and grocery stores through its online and mobile platform. The company’s full-service offering includes an extensive network of in-store shoppers and drivers, enabling same-day and – in select locations – one-hour delivery of essential goods. In addition to its grocery business, the company offers convenience product delivery for consumers and consumer insights and digital advertising for brands.

 

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Revolut Ltd.

 

Revolut Ltd. is a UK-based operator of a full-service financial platform for European consumers and businesses. Since its launch in 2015 as a foreign exchange and remittances app facilitating zero-fee international transfers and multi-currency accounts, the company has leveraged its best-in-class payments product to build and scale digital financial ecosystems for both individuals and enterprises, now offering services such as payroll, corporate cards, stock trading, and teen / junior banking. The company is currently expanding its services to Southeast Asia and the United States.

 

Chime Financial Inc.

 

Chime Financial Inc., doing business as Chime, is a California-based operator of a financial services platform focused on broadening access to banking services to those who are underserved by legacy institutions. The company’s mobile application and website are built to minimize cost – eliminating overdraft fees, monthly service fees, ATM fees, and more – and maximize convenience – through products such as salary advances and round-ups –in managing one’s finances.

 

Brex Inc.

 

Brex Inc. is a California-based financial technology company building a next-generation B2B financial stack, starting with corporate card issuance and spend management. Initially a card offering focused on startups – with 20x higher limits and a suite of automations – the company is now executing on a broader vision, supporting venture-backed and middle-market companies by providing a full suite of financial services products that includes accounting, cash management, borrowing, and payment automation and reconciliation.

 

Stripe, Inc.

 

Stripe, Inc. is a California-based payments processing company creating the financial infrastructure for the internet economy. Millions of companies use Stripe’s API and comprehensive suite of ecommerce services as an operating system for accepting, reconciling, and sending payments. As it reduces the complexity of business creation and streamlines payment processes for established businesses, the company has established itself as a foundational part of the payments infrastructure powering online commerce.

 

Axiom Space, Inc.

 

Axiom Space, Inc. is a Texas-based space exploration service provider and future operator of Axiom Station, the natural successor to the International Space Station (ISS). Led by former NASA ISS Program Manager Michael Suffredini and serial entrepreneur Kam Ghaffarian, the company intends to become the leading provider of destinations in space, unlocking demand in areas such as microgravity research, LEO astronaut training, deep space exploration, and national security.

 

CElegan Labs Inc.

 

CElegans Labs, Inc., doing business as AtoB, is a California-based operator of a financial technology platform servicing the fleet management industry. Operating in an industry in which market share is concentrated in legacy service providers with low customer satisfaction scores, the company intends to use its transparent, fee-free fleet card and follow-on offerings for trucking companies, fuel merchants, and drivers to become the leading payments infrastructure provider for transportation.

 

ClassDojo, Inc.

 

ClassDojo, Inc. is a California-based operator of a social application that connects primary school teachers, students, and families through its messaging and learning platform. Using the application, teachers can leave feedback on students' progress, parents can check in, and students can learn in fun and unique ways. In building out this product offering, the company has also built one of the largest and most engaged K-8 social networks in the United States.

 

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Superhuman Labs, Inc.

 

Superhuman Labs, Inc., doing business as Superhuman, is a California-based company offering an email client that optimizes daily online communication. The company’s application uses features such as keyboard shortcuts for standard functions, augmented insights, and AI-powered triage to enable speed and simplicity in the inbox and ensure that important emails go answered.

 

Automation Anywhere, Inc.

 

Automation Anywhere, Inc. is a California-based enterprise software solutions provider focused on robotic process automation (RPA). Using the company’s Automation 360 platform and focused products such as IQ Bot, Bot Store, Bot Insight, and FortressIQ, enterprises in industries such as financial services, healthcare, and insurance can build and deploy intelligent digital workforces that automate business processes from end-to-end.

 

Impossible Foods, Inc.

 

Impossible Foods, Inc. is a California-based consumer goods producer, operating an extensive research and development platform that creates food products from scalable, sustainable plant ingredients. As global agricultural resource use continues to expand at the expense of biodiversity, the company has built out the technological infrastructure – buffeted by a world-class team of scientists and experts – necessary to counter this dynamic and produce mainstream meat alternatives that consumers prefer to animal-derived meat.

 

Boom Technology, Inc.

 

Boom Technology, Inc., doing business as Boom Supersonic, is a Colorado-based aviation manufacturing business building the Overture: the first supersonic airliner ready for large-scale adoption. Leveraging technological advances that enable efficient, sustainable speed without sacrificing comfort, the company intends to disrupt the market for premium international travel by offering leading airlines better margins, compelling time savings, and brand differentiation as means of early adoption.

 

Bolt Financial, Inc.

 

Bolt Financial, Inc. is a California-based embedded financial technology solution for checkout, offering a microservices architecture for products across the ecommerce stack. Initially a checkout optimization tool for SMBs, the solution’s malleability and uplift have opened the door to partners who are pivoting away from walled garden approaches to payments in order to retain merchants and large portfolio groups that are looking to remediate models in which enterprise resource planning, tax, payments, and other solutions lack a coherent framework across brands.

 

Discord, Inc.

 

Discord, Inc. is a California-based operator of a social chat and audio and video platform. The company’s application, conceived to help gamers communicate lag-free in real time, consists of channels for messaging and chat that are nested within interest-based servers. This organizational hierarchy has helped Discord grow beyond its initial community and become the leading infrastructure and engagement mechanism for anyone looking to create new communities for any particular interest.

 

Relativity Space, Inc.

 

Relativity Space, Inc., doing business as Relativity, is a California-based aerospace manufacturing company building the Terran 1: the world’s first 3D printed commercial space launch vehicle. Currently the most pre-sold rocket in history before launch, the Terran 1 and its sister vehicle – the fully-reusable Terran R – are intended to validate the company’s ability to use software-driven 3D printing factories to accelerate production timelines, reduce materials usage, and modularize space mobility manufacturing.

 

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Plaid, Inc.

 

Plaid, Inc. is a California-based financial technology platform that serves as the identity layer for consumer banking, payments, and other financial services. The company’s technology helps individuals easily share high-fidelity, standardized financial and personal account data with partner sites, authorizing accounts and authenticating bank data such as balances in real-time. These solutions serve to expedite processes for developers and the end user without sacrificing security.

 

Public Holdings, Inc.

 

Public Holdings, Inc., doing business as Public, is a New York-based operator of a social investment application. By combining the ease-of-use of a retail-oriented stock trading platform – incorporating features such as fractional shares and zero-commission trading – and the education and engagement of a social media platform, Public intends to help the everyday investor invest with context. In addition to these services, the company offers exclusive educational content from a curated set of investors and influencers and an option to tip on transactions.

 

Flexport, Inc.

 

Flexport, Inc. is a California-based operator of a digital freight forwarding and customs brokerage platform that intends to serve as a supply chain and logistics source of truth. Using the company’s cloud-native, web-based solution for shippers and vendors, clients can experience unprecedented visibility and interactivity across their supply chain and logistics value chains.

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We will not receive any proceeds from the sales of shares of our common stock by the Selling Stockholders. However, we may receive proceeds of $[___] if the Selling Stockholders exercise all of their warrants.

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

Investing in our common stock involves a number of significant risks. Before you invest in our common stock, you should be aware of various risks associated with the investment, including those described below. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, before you decide whether to make an investment in our common stock. The risks set out below are not the only risks we face. 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 events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, you may lose all or part of your investment.

 

General Risks

 

No prior operating history as a closed-end investment company

 

We are a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with no prior operating history. As a result, we do not have financial information on which you can evaluate an investment in us or our prior performance. We are subject to all of the business risks and uncertainties associated with any new business, including the risk that we will not achieve our investment objective and that the value of your investment could decline substantially or become worthless.

 

No assurance of investment return

 

The types of investments that we anticipate making involve a high degree of risk. In general, financial and operating risks confronting our portfolio companies can be significant. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to choose, make or realize investments in any particular company or portfolio of companies. Moreover, while the type of investments that we intend to make offers the possibility of substantial returns, such investments also involve a high degree of financial risk and can result in substantial or total capital losses.

 

In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to generate returns for our investors or that the returns will be commensurate with the risks of investing in the type of companies and transactions described in this prospectus. The performance and appreciation of the investments that comprise our portfolio will depend on the successful operation of the companies or projects in which we invest, prevailing interest rates, and other market conditions over which we and the Adviser will have no control. Returns generated from our investments may not adequately compensate investors for the business and financial risks assumed, and an investor may lose all or a part of its investment in our shares.

 

Reliance on the Adviser

 

The Adviser has no prior experience managing a registered closed-end investment company. The Adviser will provide us with management and advisory services and make investment decisions on our behalf. Investors will have no role in making decisions with respect to the management, disposition or other realization of any investment, or decisions regarding our business and affairs. Consequently, our success will depend, in large part, upon the skill and expertise of the Adviser and its investment professionals. Furthermore, the investment professionals will not focus exclusively on our operations and may have responsibility for other managed investment funds.

 

Additionally, the Adviser’s team of investment professionals will evaluate, negotiate, structure, close and monitor our investments in accordance with the terms of this prospectus. The Adviser’s team of investment professionals is currently composed of the founders, Sohail Prasad and Samvit Ramadurgam, as well as Ethan Silver and Christine Healey, all of whom serve on the Investment Committee. There can be no assurance that the investment and other professionals upon which the Adviser relies will continue to be associated with the Adviser while the Adviser serves as our investment adviser. Our future success will depend to a significant extent on the continued service and coordination of the Adviser’s team of investment professionals. If the Adviser’s team of investment professionals does not maintain their existing relationships with sources of investment opportunities and does not develop new relationships with other sources of investment opportunities available to us, we may not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom the Adviser’s team of investment professionals has relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities. Therefore, the Adviser can offer no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us. Furthermore, the Adviser cannot assure investors that the Adviser will remain our investment adviser or that we will continue to have access to its investment professionals or its information and deal flow.

 

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Investment due diligence and investment research may not reveal all relevant facts regarding investment opportunities

 

When conducting due diligence and investment research, we may be required to evaluate important and complex business, financial, tax, accounting, environmental, social, governance and legal metrics. Outside consultants, legal advisors, accountants and investment banks may be involved in the due diligence and investment research process in varying degrees depending on the type of investment. When conducting due diligence and investment research and making an assessment regarding an investment, the Adviser may rely on information provided by such persons, or by the management of the target of the investment or their advisors. The due diligence investigation and investment research that the Adviser carries out with respect to any investment opportunity may not reveal or highlight all relevant facts that may be necessary or helpful in evaluating such investment opportunity, may lead to inaccurate or incomplete conclusions, or may be manipulated by fraud. Moreover, such an investigation will not necessarily result in the investment being successful.

 

Competition for investment opportunities; difficulty of locating suitable investments and meeting investment objective

 

A large number of entities compete with us to make the types of direct equity investments that we target as part of our business strategy. We compete for such investments with a large number of private equity and venture capital funds, other equity and non-equity based investment funds, investment banks and other sources of financing, including traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and specialty finance companies. Many of our competitors are substantially larger than us and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. We may be at a competitive disadvantage with our competitors in a particular sector or investment, as some of them have greater capital, lower targeted returns, a greater willingness to take on risk, more personnel or greater sector or investment strategy specific expertise. We may be unable to find a sufficient number of attractive opportunities to meet our investment objective and there is no assurance as to the timing of investments. The Adviser expects us to benefit from its relationships and experience making investments; however, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to maintain or draw upon such relationships, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to find suitable investments and otherwise achieve our investment objective. Furthermore, the Adviser will emphasize or de-emphasize different aspects of its investment strategy from time to time, and refine or add to our investment strategy, to respond to changes in market conditions, and there can be no assurance that the Adviser will follow the investment strategy and process described herein for every investment.

 

Our investment portfolio will be recorded at fair value as determined in good faith in accordance with procedures established by our Board and, as a result, there is and will be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

 

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or, if there is no readily available market value, at fair value as determined in accordance with procedures established by our Board. There may not be a public market or active secondary market for certain of the types of investments that we hold and intend to make. Our investments may not be publicly traded or actively traded on a secondary market but, instead, may be traded on a privately negotiated over-the-counter secondary market for institutional investors, if at all. As a result, we will value these investments quarterly at fair value as determined in good faith in accordance with valuation policy and procedures approved by our Board.

 

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The determination of fair value, and thus the amount of unrealized appreciation or depreciation we may recognize in any reporting period, is to a degree subjective, and our Adviser has a conflict of interest in making recommendations of fair value. We will value our investments quarterly at fair value as determined in good faith by our Board, based on, among other things, input of the Adviser, our Audit Committee and independent third-party valuation firm(s) engaged at the direction of the Board. The types of factors that may be considered in determining the fair values of our investments include the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to publicly traded companies, discounted cash flow, current market interest rates and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, the valuations may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time due to changes in current market conditions. The determinations of fair value in accordance with procedures established by our Board may differ materially from the values that would have been used if an active market and market quotations existed for such investments. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if the determinations regarding the fair value of the investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the disposal of such investments.

 

Any unrealized losses we experience on our portfolio may be an indication of future realized losses, which could reduce our income available for distribution or to make payments on our other obligations.

 

As a registered closed-end management investment company, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at the fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments are recorded as unrealized depreciation. Any unrealized losses in our portfolio could be an indication of an issuer’s inability to meet its repayment obligations to us with respect to the affected investments. This could result in realized losses in the future and ultimately in reductions of our income available for distribution or to make payments on our other obligations in future periods.

 

If our distributions exceed our taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to our common stockholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable to our stockholders. However, a return of capital distribution will reduce a stockholder’s cost basis in shares of our common stock on which the distribution was received, thereby potentially resulting in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares of our common stock are sold or otherwise disposed of.

 

Risks Associated with Our Investment Strategy

 

Investment methodology

 

We may employ certain strategies that depend upon the reliability and accuracy of the Adviser’s analytical investment processes. To the extent such investment processes (or the assumptions underlying them) do not prove to be correct, we may not perform as anticipated, which could result in substantial losses.

 

Identification of appropriate investments

 

Our success as a whole depends on the identification and availability of suitable investment opportunities and terms. The availability and terms of investment opportunities will be subject to market conditions, prevailing regulatory conditions in regions where we may invest, and other factors outside our control. In addition, we may find ourselves in competition with other funds that have entered or may enter its markets or with private equity funds and financial institutions that may be willing to extend financing on terms that are more favorable to the portfolio company than the Adviser believes are appropriate in light of the risk of the investment. Therefore, there can be no assurance that appropriate investments will be available to, or identified or selected by, us.

 

Concentration of investments

 

Many of our investments will be in U.S. private companies in the technology sector, and therefore will be particularly exposed to the risks attendant to investments in that sector. Except as otherwise described herein, investors generally have no assurance as to the degree of diversification of our investments, either by geographic region, asset type or sector. Accordingly, a significant portion of our investments may be made in relatively few geographic regions, asset types, security types or industry sectors. Any such concentration of risk may increase losses suffered by us, which could have a material adverse effect on our overall financial condition. Even when the Adviser attempts to control risks and diversify the portfolio, risks associated with different assets may be correlated in unexpected ways, with the result that we face concentrated exposure to certain risks. Conversely, the Adviser may encounter unexpected changes in the correlation of assets or markets, which confound their attempts to hedge or limit risk and result in investment losses. Many risk management techniques are based on observed historical market behavior, but future market behavior may be entirely different. Although the Adviser attempts to identify, monitor and manage significant risks, these efforts may not necessarily take all risks into account and there can be no assurance that these efforts will be effective. Any inadequacy or failure in the Adviser’s risk management efforts could result in material losses for us.

 

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Inability to make follow-on investments

 

Following our initial investment in portfolio companies or assets, we may be called upon to provide additional investments in that portfolio company as follow-on investments, in order to: (1) increase or maintain in whole or in part our equity ownership percentage; (2) exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing; or (3) attempt to preserve or enhance the value of our investment.

 

We may elect not to make follow-on investments, or may otherwise lack sufficient funds to make those investments or lack access to desired follow-on investment opportunities. We have the discretion to make any follow-on investments, subject to the availability of capital resources and of the investment opportunity. The failure to make follow-on investments may, in some circumstances, jeopardize the continued viability of a portfolio company and our initial investment, or may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation. Even if we have sufficient capital to make a desired follow-on investment, we may elect not to make a follow-on investment because we may not want to increase our concentration of risk, because we prefer other opportunities, or we lack access to the desired follow-on investment opportunity.

 

In addition, we may be unable to complete follow-on investments in our portfolio companies that have conducted an IPO as a result of regulatory or financial restrictions.

 

Litigation and regulatory investigations

 

The Adviser anticipates that, from time to time, the Adviser and its affiliates may be named as defendants in civil proceedings. Litigation or threats of litigation consume time and resources and jeopardize the successful closing of transactions. Moreover, the outcome of such proceedings may materially adversely affect the value of portfolio positions, may be impossible to predict, and may continue unresolved for long periods of time. The expense of prosecuting claims, for which there is no guarantee of success, and/or the expense of defending against claims by third parties and paying any amounts pursuant to settlements or judgments would generally be borne by us and would reduce net assets.

 

As an investment adviser, the Adviser expects to have interactions with and inquiries from regulators from time to time, including but not limited to matters related to us, the Adviser and its affiliates.

 

Risks Associated with Our Investments

 

Risks associated with investments in rapidly growing venture-capital-backed emerging companies

 

Investments in the rapidly growing venture-capital-backed emerging companies that we target involves a number of significant risks, including the following:

 

these portfolio companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their existing debt, which may lead to equity financings, possibly at discounted valuations, in which we could be substantially diluted if we do not or cannot participate, bankruptcy or liquidation and the reduction or loss of our equity investment;

 

they typically have limited operating histories, narrower, less established product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions, market conditions and consumer sentiment in respect of their products or services, as well as general economic downturns;

 

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

 

because they are privately owned, there is generally little publicly available information about these businesses; therefore, although we will perform due diligence investigations on these portfolio companies, their operations and their prospects, we may not learn all of the material information we need to know regarding these businesses and, in the case of investments we acquire on private secondary transactions, we may be unable to obtain financial or other information regarding the companies with respect to which we invest. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that the information that we do obtain with respect to any investment is reliable;

 

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

 

such private companies frequently have much more complex capital structures than traditional publicly traded companies, and may have multiple classes of equity securities with differing rights, including with respect to voting and distributions. In addition, it is often difficult to obtain financial and other information with respect to private companies, and even where we are able to obtain such information, there can be no assurance that it is complete or accurate. In certain cases, such private companies may also have senior or pari passu preferred stock or senior debt outstanding, which may heighten the risk of investing in the underlying equity of such private companies, particularly in circumstances when we have limited information with respect to such capital structures. Although we believe that our investment professionals have extensive experience evaluating and investing in private companies with such complex capital structures, there can be no assurance that we will be able to adequately evaluate the relative risks and benefits of investing in a particular class of a portfolio company’s equity securities. Any failure on our part to properly evaluate the relative rights and value of a class of securities in which we invest could cause us to lose part or all of our investment, which in turn could have a material and adverse effect on our net asset value and results of operations.

 

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by its lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our equity investment in such portfolio company. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery of our equity investment or to negotiate new terms with a financially distressed portfolio company.

 

The securities of our portfolio companies are illiquid

 

The securities of our portfolio companies are illiquid, and the inability of these portfolio companies to complete an IPO or consummate another liquidity event within our targeted time frame for that investment will extend the holding period of our investments, may adversely affect the value of these investments, and will delay the distribution of gains, if any. The IPO market is, by its very nature, unpredictable. A lack of IPO opportunities for venture capital-backed companies could lead to companies staying longer in our portfolio as private entities still requiring funding. This situation may adversely affect the amount of available venture capital funding to late-stage companies that cannot complete an IPO. Such stagnation could dampen returns or could lead to unrealized depreciation and realized losses as some companies run short of cash and have to accept lower valuations in private fundings or are not able to access additional capital at all. A lack of IPO opportunities for venture capital-backed companies may also cause some venture capital firms to change their strategies, leading some of them to reduce funding of their portfolio companies and making it more difficult for such companies to access capital. This might result in unrealized depreciation and realized losses in such companies by other investment funds, like us, who are co-investors in such companies. There can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve our targeted return on our portfolio company investments if, as and when they go public.

 

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The equity securities we acquire in a portfolio company are generally subject to contractual transfer limitations imposed on the portfolio company’s stockholders as well as other contractual obligations, such as rights of first refusal and co-sale rights. These obligations generally expire only upon an IPO by the portfolio company or the occurrence of another liquidity/exit event. As a result, prior to an IPO or other liquidity/exit event, our ability to liquidate our private portfolio company positions may be constrained. Transfer restrictions could limit our ability to liquidate our positions in these securities if we are unable to find buyers acceptable to our portfolio companies, or where applicable, their stockholders. Such buyers may not be willing to purchase our investments at adequate prices or in volumes sufficient to liquidate our position, and even where they are willing, other stockholders could exercise their co-sale rights to participate in the sale, thereby reducing the number of shares available to sell by us. Furthermore, prospective buyers may be deterred from entering into purchase transactions with us due to the delay and uncertainty that these transfer and other limitations create.

 

If the portfolio companies in which we invest do not perform as planned, they may be unable to successfully complete an IPO or consummate another liquidity event within our targeted time frame, or they may decide to abandon their plans for an IPO. In such cases, we will likely exceed our targeted holding period and the value of these investments may decline substantially if an IPO or other exit is no longer viable. We may also be forced to take other steps to exit these investments.

 

The illiquidity of our portfolio company investments, including those that are traded on the trading platforms of private secondary marketplaces, may make it difficult for us to sell such investments should the need arise. Also, if we were required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments. We will have no limitation on the portion of our portfolio that may be invested in illiquid securities, and we anticipate that all or a substantial portion of our portfolio may be invested in such illiquid securities at all times.

 

In addition, even if a portfolio company completes an IPO, we will typically not be able to sell our position until any applicable post-IPO lockup restriction expires. As a result of lockup restrictions, the market price of securities that we hold may decline substantially before we are able to sell them following an IPO. There is also no assurance that a meaningful trading market will develop for our publicly traded portfolio companies following an IPO to allow us to liquidate our position when we desire.

 

Risks related to investing in securities traded on private secondary marketplaces.

 

We will utilize private secondary marketplaces, such as Forge, SharesPost and CartaX, to acquire investments for our portfolio. When we purchase secondary shares, we may have little or no direct access to financial or other information from these portfolio companies. As a result, we will be dependent upon the relationships of our investment professionals to obtain the information necessary to perform research and due diligence, and to monitor our investments after they are made. There can be no assurance that our management team and investment professionals will be able to acquire adequate information on which to make its investment decision with respect to any private secondary marketplace purchases, or that the information it is able to obtain is accurate or complete. Any failure to obtain full and complete information regarding the portfolio companies with respect to which we invest through private secondary marketplaces could cause us to lose part or all of our investment in such companies, which would have a material and adverse effect on our net asset value and results of operations.

 

In addition, while we believe the ability to trade on private secondary marketplaces provides valuable opportunities for liquidity, there can be no assurance that the portfolio companies with respect to which we invest through private secondary marketplaces will have or maintain active trading markets, and the prices of those securities may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may result in an inability for us to realize full value on our investment. In addition, wide swings in market prices, which are typical of irregularly traded securities, could cause significant and unexpected declines in the value of our portfolio investments. Further, prices in private secondary marketplaces, where limited information is available, may not accurately reflect the true value of a portfolio company, and may overstate a portfolio company’s actual value, which may cause us to realize future capital losses on our investment in that portfolio company. If any of the foregoing were to occur, it would likely have a material and adverse effect on our net asset value and results of operations.

 

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Investments in private companies, including through private secondary marketplaces, also entail additional legal and regulatory risks, which expose participants to the risk of liability due to the imbalance of information among participants and participant qualification and other transactional requirements applicable to private securities transactions, the non-compliance with which could result in rescission rights and monetary and other sanctions. The application of these laws within the context of private secondary marketplaces and related market practices are still evolving, and, despite our efforts to comply with applicable laws, we could be exposed to liability. The regulation of private secondary marketplaces is also evolving. Additional state or federal regulation of these markets could result in limits on the operation of or activity on those markets. Conversely, deregulation of these markets could make it easier for investors to invest directly in private companies and affect the attractiveness of the Company as an access vehicle for investment in private shares. Private companies may also increasingly seek to limit secondary trading in their stock, such as through contractual transfer restrictions, and provisions in company charter documents, investor rights of first refusal and co-sale and/or employment and trading policies further restricting trading. To the extent that these or other developments result in reduced trading activity and/or availability of private company shares, our ability to find investment opportunities and to liquidate our investments could be adversely affected.

 

We may not realize gains from our equity investments

 

We invest principally in the equity and equity-related securities of what we believe to be rapidly growing venture-capital-backed emerging companies. However, the equity interests we acquire may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value.

 

In addition, the private company securities we acquire may be subject to drag-along rights, which could permit other stockholders, under certain circumstances, to force us to liquidate our position in a subject company at a specified price, which could be, in our opinion, inadequate or undesirable or even below our cost basis. In this event, we could realize a loss or fail to realize gain in an amount that we deem appropriate on our investment. Further, capital market volatility and the overall market environment may preclude our portfolio companies from realizing liquidity events and impede our exit from these investments. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience. We will generally have little, if any, control over the timing of any gains we may realize from our equity investments unless and until the portfolio companies in which we invest become publicly traded. In addition, the portfolio companies in which we invest may have substantial debt loads. In such cases, we would typically be last in line behind any creditors in a bankruptcy or liquidation and would likely experience a complete loss on our investment.

 

The lack of liquidity in, and potentially extended holding period of, our many investments may adversely affect our business and will delay any distributions of gains, if any.

 

Our investments will generally not be in publicly traded securities. Although we expect that some of our equity investments will trade on private secondary marketplaces, certain of the securities we hold will be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. In addition, while some portfolio companies may trade on private secondary marketplaces, we can provide no assurance that such a trading market will continue or remain active, or that we will be able to sell our position in any portfolio company at the time we desire to do so and at the price we anticipate. The illiquidity of our investments, including those that are traded on private secondary marketplaces, will make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need arises. Also, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments. We have no limitation on the portion of our portfolio that may be invested in illiquid securities, and a substantial portion or all of our portfolio may be invested in such illiquid securities from time to time.

 

In addition, because we generally invest in equity and equity-related securities, with respect to the majority of our portfolio companies, we do not expect regular realization events, if any, to occur in the near term. We expect that our holdings of equity securities may require several years to appreciate in value, and we can offer no assurance that such appreciation will occur.

 

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Technology-related industries in which we invest are subject to risks

 

Technology-related industries in which we invest are subject to risks, including volatility, intense competition, decreasing life cycles, product obsolescence, changing consumer preferences, periodic downturns, regulatory concerns and litigation risks. The revenue, income (or losses) and valuations of technology-related companies can and often do fluctuate suddenly and dramatically. In addition, because of rapid technological change, the average selling prices of products and some services provided by companies in technology-related sectors have historically decreased over their productive lives.

 

In addition, we expect our portfolio companies will face intense competition since their businesses are rapidly evolving, intensely competitive and subject to changing technology, shifting user needs and frequent introductions of new products and services. Potential competitors to our portfolio companies in the technology industry range from large and established companies to emerging start-ups. Further, such portfolio companies are, in many cases, subject to laws that were adopted prior to the advent of the Internet and related technologies and, as a result, may not contemplate or address the unique issues of the Internet and related technologies. The laws that do reference the Internet are being interpreted by the courts, but their applicability and scope remain uncertain. Claims have been threatened and filed under both U.S. and foreign laws for defamation, invasion of privacy and other tort claims, unlawful activity, copyright and trademark infringement, or other theories based on the nature and content of the materials searched and the ads posted by a company’s users, a company’s products and services, or content generated by a company’s users. Further, the growth of technology-related companies into a variety of new fields implicate a variety of new regulatory issues and may subject such companies to increased regulatory scrutiny, particularly in the United States and Europe. Any of these factors could materially and adversely affect the business and operations of a portfolio company in the technology industry and, in turn, adversely affect the value of these portfolio companies and the value of any securities that we may hold.

 

We will generally not hold controlling equity interests in our portfolio companies

 

Generally, we will not take controlling equity positions in our portfolio companies. As a result, we will be subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and the stockholders and management of a portfolio company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that are adverse to our interests. In addition, other stockholders, such as venture capital and private equity sponsors, that have substantial investments in our portfolio companies may have interests that differ from that of the portfolio company or its minority stockholders, which may lead them to take actions that could materially and adversely affect the value of our investment in the portfolio company. Due to the lack of liquidity for the equity and equity-related investments that we will typically hold in our portfolio companies, we may not be able to dispose of our investments in the event we disagree with the actions of a portfolio company or its substantial stockholders, and may therefore suffer a decrease in the value of our investments.

 

Reliance on portfolio company management

 

The day-to-day operations of the portfolio companies in which we will invest will be the responsibility of such portfolio company’s management team. We do not intend to seek representation on the board of directors of portfolio companies or otherwise provide management or strategic planning assistance, and will not have an active role in the day-to-day management of the companies in which we invest. Although the Adviser will be responsible for monitoring the performance of each investment, there can be no assurance that the existing management team, or any successor, will be able to operate the company successfully, or in a way that is consistent with our investment objective. To the extent that the senior management of a portfolio company performs poorly, or if a key manager of a portfolio company terminates employment, our investment in such company could be adversely affected. There are many challenges faced by leaders of venture-funded private companies, including resignations or dismissals of senior executive officers and other top managers, disputes among investors and board members, regulatory hurdles, bad press, allegedly unethical or illegal business practices, competition from larger companies with better resources and experience, and management complicity in discrimination and hostile workplace environments on account of race or gender. Our returns will depend in large part on the performance of these unrelated individuals and could be substantially adversely affected by the unfavorable performance of a small number of such individuals.

 

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In addition, we will generally participate in the capital structure of the portfolio companies on the basis of financial projections for such portfolio companies. Projected operating results will normally be based in part on the judgment of the management of the portfolio company. In all cases, projections are only estimates of future results that are based upon assumptions made at the time that the projections are developed. There can be no assurance that the projected results will be obtained, and actual results may vary significantly from the projections. In circumstances in which the Adviser relies on information from corporate management, the Company may be subject to the risk of dysfunctional or fraudulent management and/or accounting irregularities.

 

Limited information

 

Only limited information may be made available to us regarding our investments in potential portfolio companies. There generally will be little or no publicly available information regarding the status and prospects of the portfolio company. Investment decisions may depend on the ability to obtain relevant information from non-public sources, and we may be required to make decisions without complete information or in reliance upon information provided by third parties that is impossible or impracticable to verify. Neither us nor the Adviser is able to verify the veracity of any information about the securities of the portfolio company that is publicly available, and neither we nor the Adviser makes any representation or warranty that such data or information is complete, correct or accurately reflective of a portfolio company. There is a risk that: (i) there are facts or circumstances pertaining to a portfolio company that the public (including us) are not aware of; and (ii) publicly available information concerning the a portfolio company upon which we rely may prove to be inaccurate, and, as a result of (i) or (ii), the investor may suffer a partial or complete loss on its investment.

 

No guarantee of future access to information

 

Each portfolio company is under no obligation to furnish, or may generally resist providing, information to us with respect to any securities of the portfolio company, and we may waive or have contractual limitations with respect to such securities. Exercise and use of any information rights with respect to the portfolio company shall be at our sole discretion.

 

Environmental Liability

 

We may be exposed to substantial risk of loss from environmental claims arising from investments made in companies with undisclosed or unknown environmental problems or with inadequate reserves, as well as from occupational safety issues and concerns. Under various laws, ordinances and regulations, an owner of assets may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances on or in such property. Such laws often impose such liability without regard to whether the owner knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. The cost of any required remediation and the owner’s liability, therefore, as to any property are generally not limited under such laws and could exceed the value of the property and/or the aggregate assets of the owner. The presence of such substances, or the failure to properly remediate contamination from such substances, may adversely affect the owner’s ability to sell the assets or to borrow funds using such assets as collateral, which could have an adverse effect on our return from such investments. Environmental claims with respect to a specific investment may exceed the value of such investment, and under certain circumstances, subject our other assets to such liabilities.

 

Contingent Liabilities

 

Our investments will be in private securities. In connection with the disposition of an investment in private securities, we may be required to make representations about the business and financial affairs of the portfolio company typical of those made in connection with the sale of a business. We may also be required to indemnify the purchasers of such investment to the extent that any such representations turn out to be inaccurate or with respect to potential liabilities. These arrangements may result in contingent liabilities that ultimately result in funding obligations that we must satisfy through our return of distributions previously made to us.

 

Risks Associated with the Transaction Structures in which we Invest

 

We may use a variety of structures to gain exposure to the economic benefits of stock ownership in underlying portfolio companies. The following sets out some of the risk factors associated with the structures of our investments.

 

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Risks associated with forward security transactions

 

Forward shareholder performance

 

We may invest in “forward contracts” that involve shareholders (each a “counterparty”) of securities of a potential portfolio company promise future delivery of such securities upon transferability or other removal of restrictions.

 

These may involve counterparty promises of future performances, including among other things transferring shares to us in the future, paying costs and fees associated with maintaining and transferring the shares, not transferring or encumbering their shares, and participating in further acts required of shareholders by the counterparty and their agreement with us. Should counterparties breach their agreement inadvertently, by operation of law, intentionally, or fraudulently, it could affect our performance. Our ability and right to enforce transfer and payment obligations, and other obligations, against counterparties could be limited by acts of fraud or breach on the part of counterparties, operation of law, or actions of third parties. Measures we take to mitigate these risks, including powers of attorney, specific performance and damages provisions, any insurance policy, and legal enforcement steps, may prove ineffective, unenforceable, or economically impractical to enact.

 

No direct relationship

 

In cases where we purchase a forward contract through a secondary marketplace, we may have no direct relationship with, or right to contact, enforce rights against, or obtain personal information or contact information concerning counterparty. In such cases, we will not be direct beneficiaries of the portfolio company’s securities or related instruments. Instead, we would rely on a third party to collect, settle, and enforce its rights with respect to the portfolio company’s securities. There is no guarantee that said party will be successful or effective in doing so.

 

Portfolio company may not be a party

 

In cases where we purchase a forward contract, because each underlying portfolio company may not have necessarily approved or endorsed the transaction, it offers no warranties or other promises as to the validity or value of thereof, and no promise that it will agree with, approve, or facilitate transfer of shares to us.

 

Complications may arise with respect to a corporate event

 

In cases where we purchase a forward contract, in the event of a public offering, sale, or other corporate event affecting a portfolio company, it could be complicated, uncertain, and require further legal review, negotiation, and other acts for us to work with brokers, transfer agents, and representatives of the portfolio company, its potential acquirer, and other parties.

 

Portfolio company may object

 

The portfolio company may not be a party to and may not have approved or been informed of the counterparty’s transactions with us, unless otherwise disclosed. The portfolio company may, upon learning of the counterparty’s transactions, take steps to invalidate or frustrate them, demand that we stop purchasing portfolio company’s securities, or seek redress or retaliation against counterparties, us, or others. Should the portfolio company object to the existence of the forward contract, it may take any number of steps to discourage or obstruct the transactions, including claiming that the counterparty transactions violate the portfolio company’s agreements, claiming causes of action against counterparties or us, defensive measures intended to discourage counterparties from selling the portfolio company’s securities to us, refusing to accept or process securities transfers, or claiming rights to rescind our transactions or trigger rights of refusal to purchase the portfolio company’s securities involved in our transactions. Should a portfolio company wish to prospectively discourage secondary transactions by us, it may adopt policies or securities-related documents that makes such transactions impractical. A portfolio company may also object to use of its name, intellectual property, or public or non-public information about it. A portfolio company may be under no obligation to approve or recognize transactions involving the portfolio company’s securities that occur as a result of forward transactions. Conversely, a portfolio company that does wish to endorse, approve, or participate the transactions may face complex and costly regulatory requirements and exposure to risk for doing so, which could discourage it from approving or participating.

 

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Forward shareholder death, bankruptcy, or incapacity

 

Should a counterparty to a forward transaction die, become bankrupt, disabled, or no longer have legal capacity, it may not honor its contractual obligations with respect to its shares, and in some cases, may be relieved of such obligations.

 

Operation of law

 

Due to divorce, bankruptcy, or for other reasons, counterparties may be subject to court orders or other legal requirements affecting their shares that are inconsistent with their obligations to us.

 

Insurance

 

To mitigate some of the risks inherent in purchasing forward contracts, we may purchase insurance (at additional cost to us). To the extent we purchase insurance for a given forward transaction, such insurance may be inadequate, and coverage may be limited or denied due to (among other things) liability limits, exclusions, the scope and limitations of coverage, the good faith and compliance of the insurer in honoring claims, the performance of the pool in making claims, among other things. If transacting through a secondary market intermediary, we may not be direct beneficiaries of such insurance policy, and in those cases will have no direct right to make claims or enforce policy provisions. Instead, the third party itself would be the insured, and will pass along a share of any insurance proceeds to us. In the event any insurance policy expires, is terminated, or reaches its policy limits, we or the third party may or may not be able to secure a new underwriter on a commercially reasonable basis, even if we or the third party attempts to do so.

 

Risks associated with investments in Private Funds

 

We may purchase units or shares of Private Funds to gain economic exposure to private companies in the technology sector. Investing through such structure carries additional risk, as detailed below.

 

General Private Fund risks

 

Our investments in Private Funds will require us to bear a pro rata share of the vehicles’ expenses, including management and performance fees. The fees we pay to invest in a Private Fund may be higher than if the manager of the Private Fund managed our assets directly. The incentive fees charged by certain Private Funds may create an incentive for its manager to make investments that are riskier and/or more speculative than those it might have made in the absence of an incentive fee. Private Funds are not publicly traded and therefore may not be as liquid as other types of investments. Furthermore, Private Funds are subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the vehicle and also may employ leverage such that their returns are more than one times that of their benchmark which will amplify losses suffered by us when compared to unleveraged investments. For example, Private Funds need not have independent boards, do not require shareholder approval of advisory contracts, may utilize leverage and may engage in joint transactions with affiliates. These characteristics present additional risks for stockholders.

 

Risk inherent in investing through a Delaware Series LLC

 

Under Delaware law, an LLC may be composed of individual series of membership interests. This type of entity is referred to as a Series LLC. Each series effectively is treated as a separate entity, meaning the debts; liabilities, obligations and expenses of one series cannot be enforced against another series of the LLC or against the LLC as a whole. Each series can hold its own assets, have its own members, conduct its own operations and pursue different business objectives, but remain insulated from claims of members, creditors or litigants pursuing the assets of or asserting claims against another series. There is a certain degree of uncertainty surrounding the Series LLC form. For example, although Delaware law clearly provides for legal separation of series, it is unclear whether courts in other states and/or jurisdictions would recognize a legal separation of assets and liabilities within what is technically a single entity. Federal courts, and those of different states, may not have significant experience or legal precedent in resolving the associated legal issues. Therefore, even if a Delaware Series LLC were properly operated with distinct records relating to the assets and liabilities of each series, a court in another jurisdiction could determine not to recognize the legal separation afforded under Delaware law. As a further concern, in July 2017 the Uniform Law Commission approved the Uniform Limited Liability Company Protected Series Act that, if adopted by the various states, would establish new, uniform state laws concerning Series LLCs.

 

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No audited financials

 

A Private Fund may not provide audited financials to us. In the absence of audited financials, we will not have an independent third party verifying financial reports.

 

Limited liquidity of Fund interests

 

No market for the interests in a Private Fund exists or is expected to develop, and it may be difficult or impossible to transfer the interests in such Private Fund, even in an emergency. In addition, we will not have the right to withdraw or transfer any amount of our investment in a Private Fund without the prior consent of its manager, which consent may be withheld for any or no reason. As a result, we may need to hold the Private Fund interest indefinitely.

 

Management of a Private Fund

 

We will have no right or power to take part in the management of a Private Fund. Accordingly, we will have no opportunity to control the day-to-day operations, including investment and disposition decisions, of the underlying Private Fund. We will not receive the detailed financial information issued by the portfolio company that may be available to the manager of the Private Fund. Accordingly, in purchasing a Private Fund interest, we entrust all aspects of the management of the Private Fund to its manager.

 

Risk inherent in reliance on a third party manager

 

The manager of a Private Fund may make decisions, which result in a loss for the Private Fund. There can be no assurance that a Private Fund’s manager will make decisions that improve the Private Fund’s performance or lead to a profitable outcome for us.

 

Litigation risks

 

Each Private Fund will be subject to a variety of litigation risks. In the event of a dispute arising from any activities relating to the operation of the Private Fund it is possible that the Private Fund, its manager, the Private Fund’s members, and persons associated or affiliated with such parties may be named as defendants. Under most circumstances, the Private Fund will indemnify its manager and their personnel against any costs they incur in connection with such disputes. Beyond direct costs, such disputes may adversely affect a Private Fund in a variety of ways, including by distracting the manager and harming relationships between the Private Fund and its portfolio company or other investors in the portfolio company.

 

Recourse to the Private Fund’s assets

 

A Private Fund’s assets, including any investments made by the Private Fund and the portfolio companies held by the Private Fund, are available to satisfy all liabilities and other obligations of the Private Fund. If the Private Fund becomes subject to a liability, parties seeking to have the liability satisfied may have recourse to the Private Fund’s assets generally and will not be limited to any particular assets, such as the asset representing the investment giving rise to the liability. Accordingly, we could find our interest in the Private Fund’s assets adversely affected by a liability arising out of an investment of the Private Fund.

 

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General Market and Regulatory Risks

 

Political and economic risks

 

Changes in political, social and economic conditions could have substantial impact on our investments. Such potential changes include, but are not limited to, (a) changes in import/export regulations and application of tariffs, (b) risks associated with different (and lower quality) information available, (c) higher rates of inflation, (d) greater governmental involvement in the economy, (e) stricter or more expansive governmental regulations, (f) contraction of economies, in particular, loss of consumer confidence and an economic slowdown in the markets in which the portfolio companies operate, (g) changes in tax rates, or (h) pandemics (such as the coronavirus (“COVID-19”)), terrorist acts, acts of war, or natural disasters.

 

Global and local market and economic disruptions may adversely affect U.S. capital markets, which could adversely affect us and our portfolio companies. The U.S. capital markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruption following the global outbreak of COVID-19 that began in December 2019. Some economists and major investment banks have expressed concern that the continued spread of the COVID-19 globally could lead to a world-wide economic downturn. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the U.S. economy, as well as most other major economies, may continue to experience a recession, and we anticipate our businesses would be materially and adversely affected by a prolonged recession in the United States and other major markets. Disruptions in the capital markets have increased the spread between the yields realized on risk-free and higher risk securities, resulting in illiquidity in parts of the capital markets.  Such market disruptions may materially and adversely affect the broader financial and credit markets and may reduce the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and to financial firms, in particular.

 

At various times, economic disruptions resulted in, and may in the future result in, a lack of liquidity in parts of the capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector and the repricing of credit risk. These conditions may reoccur for a prolonged period of time again or materially worsen in the future, including as a result of further downgrades to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or the perceived credit worthiness of the United States or other large global economies. Unfavorable economic conditions, including future recessions, also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. We may in the future have difficulty accessing debt and equity capital on attractive terms, or at all.

 

Many of the portfolio companies in which we expect to make investments are likely to be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead to financial losses in our portfolio and a decrease in revenues, net income and assets. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events could prevent us from increasing our investments and harm our operating results.

 

Legal and regulatory risks

 

Government counterparties may have the discretion to change or increase regulation of a portfolio company’s operations, or implement laws or regulations affecting the portfolio company’s operations, separate from any contractual rights it may have. A portfolio company also could be materially and adversely affected as a result of statutory or regulatory changes or judicial or administrative interpretations of existing laws and regulations that impose more comprehensive or stringent requirements on such company. Governments have considerable discretion in implementing regulations that could impact a portfolio company’s business, and because its business may provide basic, everyday services, and face limited competition, governments may be influenced by political considerations and may make decisions that adversely affect a portfolio company’s business. There can be no assurance that the relevant governmental entities will not legislate, impose regulations or change applicable laws or act contrary to the law in a way that would materially and adversely affect the business of our investments.

 

We may seek to acquire a significant stake in certain securities or instruments and may invest in certain sectors that are subject to special regulatory oversight. In such event, we may be required to file a notification with a governmental agency, seek regulatory approval or comply with other regulatory requirements. These requirements may result in a delay in, or prohibit, the acquisition of an investment. Compliance with regulatory requirements may result in additional costs to us. Such restrictions may also restrict or delay our ability to liquidate an investment.

 

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Investment and trading risks

 

All investments risk the loss of capital. No guarantee or representation is made that our investment program will be successful. There is no assurance that we will be able to generate positive returns for our investors or that the returns will be commensurate with the risks of investing in companies, securities and instruments and strategies described herein. There can be no assurance that our returns will not be correlated with a traditional portfolio of stocks or bonds. Our investment program may utilize such investment techniques as leverage, margin transactions, swaps, limited diversification, futures, forward contracts, credit derivatives and options contracts, which practices can, in certain circumstances, magnify the adverse impact of market moves to which we may be subject or cause our net assets to appreciate or depreciate at a greater rate. We may invest in highly volatile securities or markets, which could impair our profitability or result in losses.

 

Risks Related to Investing in the Company

 

Difficulty of asset valuations or appraisals

 

We expect to hold investments that are not listed on any stock exchange and/or which may be illiquid without a readily independent market valuation. We are required to fair value such investments and expect to conduct our own fair valuations consistent with valuation policies and procedures adopted by the Board. The Adviser may also alternative valuation methods, such as engaging third-party valuation providers or pricing services, as it determines is necessary in order to fair value such investments. All valuation methods necessarily involve a level of subjectivity for which objective support is unavailable. If a third party is used for asset valuations, we will ultimately be responsible for the valuation of such assets notwithstanding the assistance from an independent third party provider.

 

Indemnification

 

We have indemnification obligations. Such liabilities may be material and have an adverse effect on the returns to investors. Our indemnification obligations would be payable from our assets, and such indemnification obligations will survive the winding-up and dissolution of the Company.

 

Potential conflicts of interest

 

Instances may arise where the interests of the Adviser and its affiliates may potentially or actually conflict with our interests and the interests of our shareholders. The following discussion enumerates certain potential conflicts of interest that should be carefully evaluated before making an investment in our shares. The discussion below does not seek to exhaustively describe all potential conflicts of interest.

 

The Adviser’s team of investment professionals will have substantial responsibilities in connection with the management of other investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles. Certain members of the Adviser’s investment team serve, or may serve, as officers, directors, members, or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment funds, accounts, or investment vehicles managed by the Adviser. Similarly, the principals of Destiny XYZ Inc., our sponsor, and their respective affiliates may have other funds with similar, different or competing investment objectives, and such funds may not all be affiliated. For example, the principals of the Adviser founded S2 Capital, which has invested in early stage technology companies and, subject to the Adviser’s conflicts of interest procedures, we may seek to invest in the same companies. In serving in these multiple capacities, they may have obligations to other investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in the best interests of us or our shareholders. These activities also may distract them from sourcing or servicing new investment opportunities for us or slow our rate of investment. Any failure to manage our business and our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

The principals of the Adviser, employees of Destiny XYZ Inc., and other funds sponsored by Destiny XYZ Inc. may receive investment opportunities that we may not have access to.

 

In addition, each of the principals of the Adviser are shareholders of Forge and SharesPost, preeminent private securities marketplaces, which we may utilize as a means to acquire equity and equity-related interests, subject to our best execution policy.

 

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Possession of Material Non-Public Information

 

The investment team of the Adviser may have access to material nonpublic information of portfolio companies in which we invest. In the event that we become subject to trading restrictions under the internal trading policies of those companies or as a result of applicable law or regulations, we could be prohibited for a period of time from purchasing or selling the securities of such companies, and this prohibition may have an adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective.

 

Exemptive Relief

 

We may be prohibited under the 1940 Act from conducting certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of our Directors who are not interested persons and, in some cases, the prior approval of the SEC. We may co-invest with our Adviser or our officers and directors in a manner consistent with guidance promulgated under the no-action position of the SEC set forth in Mass Mutual Life Ins. Co. (SEC No-Action Letter, June 7, 2000), on which similarly situated funds like us rely in order to co-invest in a single class of privately placed securities so long as certain conditions are met, including that our investment adviser or an affiliate, acting on our behalf and on behalf of other clients, negotiates no term other than price. We, the Adviser and certain of its affiliates may also submit an exemptive application to the SEC to permit us to co-invest with other funds managed by the Adviser or its affiliates to the extent we are unable to rely on the MassMutual No Action Letter. There can be no assurance that this exemptive order will be granted. If such relief is granted, then we will be permitted to co-invest with our affiliates if a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our independent directors make certain conclusions in connection with a co-investment transaction, including that (1) the terms of the transaction, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable and fair to us and our shareholders and do not involve overreaching of us or our shareholders on the part of any person concerned and (2) the transaction is consistent with the interests of our shareholders and is consistent with our investment objective and strategies. The Adviser’s allocation policy will seek to ensure equitable allocation of investment opportunities between us and/or other funds managed by the Adviser or its affiliates over time.

 

Risks Related to the Listing of Our Shares

 

Our listing differs significantly from an underwritten initial public offering.

 

Prior to the opening of trading on the NYSE, there will be no book building process and no price at which underwriters initially sell shares to the public to help inform efficient and sufficient price discovery with respect to the opening trades on the NYSE. This listing of our shares of common stock on the NYSE differs from an underwritten initial public offering in several significant ways, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

There are no underwriters. Therefore, buy and sell orders submitted prior to and at the opening of trading of our common stock on the NYSE will not have the benefit of being informed by a published price range or a price at which the underwriters initially sell shares to the public, as would be the case in an underwritten initial public offering. Moreover, there will be no underwriters assuming risk in connection with the initial resale of shares of our common stock. Unlike in a traditional underwritten offering, this registration statement does not include the registration of additional shares that may be used at the option of the underwriters in connection with overallotment activity. Moreover, we will not engage in, and have not and will not, directly or indirectly, request the financial advisors to engage in, any special selling efforts or stabilization or price support activities in connection with any sales made pursuant to this registration statement. In an underwritten initial public offering, the underwriters may engage in “covered” short sales in an amount of shares representing the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. To close a covered short position, the underwriters purchase shares in the open market or exercise the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. In determining the source of shares to close the covered short position, the underwriters typically consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. Purchases in the open market to cover short positions, as well as other purchases underwriters may undertake for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing a decline in the trading price of shares of our common stock. Given that there will be no underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares and no underwriters engaging in stabilizing transactions with respect to the trading of our common stock on the NYSE, there could be greater volatility in the trading price of our common stock during the period immediately following the listing. See also “—Our stock price may be volatile, and could decline significantly and rapidly.”

 

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There is not a fixed or determined number of shares of common stock available for sale in connection with the registration and the listing of our shares of common stock. Therefore, there can be no assurance that any Selling Stockholders will sell any of their shares of common stock, and there may initially be a lack of supply of, or demand for, shares of our common stock on the NYSE. Alternatively, we may have a large number of Selling Stockholders who choose to sell their shares of common stock in the near term, resulting in potential oversupply of our common stock, which could adversely impact the trading price of our common stock once listed on the NYSE and thereafter.

 

We will not conduct a traditional “roadshow” with underwriters prior to the opening of trading of our common stock on the NYSE. Instead, we will host an investor day and expect to engage in certain other investor education meetings. We will prepare an electronic presentation for this investor day, which will include content similar to a traditional roadshow presentation. We will make a version of the presentation publicly available, without restrictions, on our website. There can be no guarantee that the investor day and other investor education meetings will be as effective a method of investor education as a traditional “roadshow” conducted in connection with an underwritten initial public offering. As a result, there may not be efficient or sufficient price discovery with respect to our common stock or sufficient demand among potential investors immediately after our listing, which could result in a more volatile trading price of our common stock.

 

Such differences from an underwritten initial public offering could result in a volatile trading price for our common stock and uncertain trading volume, which may adversely affect your ability to sell any shares of common stock that you may purchase.

 

Our stock price may be volatile, and could decline significantly and rapidly.

 

The listing of our common stock and the registration of the Selling Stockholders’ shares of common stock is a novel process that is not an underwritten initial public offering.

 

Prior to the opening trade, there will not be a price at which underwriters initially sell shares of common stock to the public as there would be in an underwritten initial public offering. The absence of a predetermined initial public offering price could impact the range of buy and sell orders collected by the NYSE from various broker-dealers. Consequently, upon listing on the NYSE, the trading price of our common stock may be more volatile than in an underwritten initial public offering and could decline significantly and rapidly.

 

Further, if the trading price of our common stock is above the level that investors determine is reasonable for our common stock, some investors may attempt to short our common stock after trading begins, which would create additional downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock, and there will be more ability for such investors to short our common stock in early trading than is typical for an underwritten public offering given the lack of contractual lock-up agreements or other restrictions on transfer.

 

The trading price of our common stock following the listing also could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors in addition to the ones described in the preceding risk factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

 

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition, results of operations, or operating metrics and those of our competitors;

 

the number of shares of our common stock made available for trading;

 

failure of securities analysts to initiate or maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our company, or variance in our financial performance from expectations of securities analysts;

 

changes in our projected operating and financial results;

 

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future sales of our common stock by us or our stockholders;

 

changes in our board of directors, senior management, or key personnel;

 

the trading volume of our common stock;

 

general economic and market conditions; and

 

other events or factors, including those resulting from war, incidents of terrorism, pandemics (including the COVID-19 pandemic), elections, or responses to these events.

 

An active, liquid, and orderly market for our common stock may not develop or be sustained. You may be unable to sell your shares of common stock at or above the price at which you purchased them.

 

We currently expect our common stock to be listed and traded on the NYSE. Prior to listing on the NYSE, there has been no public market for our common stock. Moreover, consistent with Regulation M and other federal securities laws applicable to our listing, we have not consulted with Selling Stockholders regarding their desire or plans to sell shares in the public market following the listing or discussed with potential investors their intentions to buy our common stock in the open market. While our common stock may be sold after our listing on the NYSE by the Selling Stockholders pursuant to this prospectus or by our other existing stockholders in accordance with Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), unlike an underwritten initial public offering, there can be no assurance that any Selling Stockholders or other existing stockholders will sell any of their shares of common stock, and there may initially be a lack of supply of, or demand for, common stock on the NYSE. Conversely, there can be no assurance that the Selling Stockholders and other existing stockholders will not sell all of their shares of common stock, resulting in an oversupply of our common stock on the NYSE. In the case of a lack of supply of our common stock, the trading price of our common stock may rise to an unsustainable level. Further, institutional investors may be discouraged from purchasing our common stock if they are unable to purchase a block of our common stock in the open market in a sufficient size for their investment objectives due to a potential unwillingness of our existing stockholders to sell a sufficient amount of common stock at the price offered by such institutional investors and the greater influence individual investors have in setting the trading price. If institutional investors are unable to purchase our common stock in a sufficient amount for their investment objectives, the market for our common stock may be more volatile without the influence of long-term institutional investors holding significant amounts of our common stock. In the case of a lack of demand for our common stock, the trading price of our common stock could decline significantly and rapidly after our listing. Therefore, an active, liquid, and orderly trading market for our common stock may not initially develop or be sustained, which could significantly depress the trading price of our common stock and/or result in significant volatility, which could affect your ability to sell your shares of common stock.

 

Risks Related to Our Securities and This Offering

 

You will experience substantial and immediate dilution because the price that you pay will likely be greater than the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of the common stock that you acquire.

 

Investors in this offering may experience substantial and immediate dilution in the value of their shares. Dilution is due in large part to the fact that our earlier investors paid substantially less than the opening trading price of our shares following the listing of our shares on the NYSE when they purchased SAFEs, which automatically converted to shares of our common stock prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement.

 

Common stock of closed-end management investment companies have in the past frequently traded at discounts to their NAVs, and we cannot assure you that the market price of our Shares will not decline below our NAV per share.

 

Common stock of closed-end management investment companies have in the past frequently traded at discounts to their respective NAVs and our common stock may also be discounted in the market. This characteristic of closed-end management investment companies is separate and distinct from the risk that our NAV per share may decline. We cannot predict whether shares of our common stock will trade above, at or below our NAV per share. The risk of loss associated with this characteristic of closed-end management investment companies may be greater for investors expecting to sell common stock purchased in an offering soon after such offering. In addition, if our common stock trades below our NAV per share, we will generally not be able to sell additional common stock to the public at market price except (1) in connection with a rights offering to our existing stockholders, (2) with the consent of the majority of our common stockholders, (3) upon the conversion of a convertible security in accordance with its terms or (4) under such circumstances as the SEC may permit.

 

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If we issue preferred stock, the NAV and market value of our Shares will likely become more volatile.

 

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

 

Risks Related to Leverage

 

We may borrow money, which may magnify the potential for gain or loss and may increase the risk of investing in us.

 

As part of our business strategy, we may borrow from and issue senior debt securities to banks, insurance companies and other lenders or investors. Holders of these senior securities will have fixed-dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our shareholders. If the value of our assets decreases, leverage would cause our net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have if we did not employ leverage. Similarly, any decrease in our income would cause net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make common stock dividend payments.

 

Our ability to service any borrowings that we incur will depend largely on our financial performance and will be subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures. Moreover, the Management Fee will be payable based on our average gross assets including assets purchased with borrowed amounts, if any, which may give our Adviser an incentive to use leverage to make additional investments. The amount of leverage that we employ will depend on our Adviser’s and our Board’s assessment of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain credit at all or on terms acceptable to us, which could affect our return on capital.

 

In addition to having fixed-dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common shareholders, obligations to lenders may be secured by a first priority security interest in our portfolio of investments and cash.

 

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Regulations governing our operation as a registered closed-end management investment company affect our ability to raise additional capital and the way in which we do so. The raising of debt capital may expose us to risks, including the typical risks associated with leverage.

 

We may in the future issue debt securities or additional preferred stock and/or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the provisions of the 1940 Act, we are permitted, as a registered closed-end management investment company, to issue senior securities provided we meet certain asset coverage ratios (i.e., 300% for senior securities representing indebtedness and 200% in the case of the issuance of preferred stock under current law). If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that happens, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature of our leverage, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous. Also, any amounts that we use to service our indebtedness would not be available for distributions to our stockholders. Furthermore, if we issue senior securities, we will be exposed to typical risks associated with leverage, including an increased risk of loss. If we issue preferred stock, such stock would rank “senior” to our Shares, preferred stockholders would have separate voting rights on certain matters and have other rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our stockholders, and we could be required to delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for holders of our Shares or otherwise be in your best interest.

 

We are not generally able to issue and sell Shares at a price below the then current NAV per share (exclusive of any distributing commission or discount). We may, however, sell Shares at a price below the then current NAV per Share if the Board determines that such sale is in our best interests and a majority of our stockholders approves such sale. In addition, we may generally issue new Shares at a price below NAV in rights offerings to existing stockholders, in payment of dividends and in certain other limited circumstances. If we raise additional funds by issuing more Shares, then the percentage ownership of our stockholders at that time will decrease, and you may experience dilution.

 

Risks Related to U.S. Federal Income Tax

 

We will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax if we are unable to qualify and maintain our tax treatment as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code

 

To maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code, we must meet the following minimum annual distribution, income source and asset diversification requirements. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

 

The Annual Distribution Requirement for a RIC will be satisfied if we timely distribute to our shareholders on an annual basis at least 90% of our “investment company taxable income,” which is generally our net ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of realized net short term capital gains over realized net long term capital losses. In addition, a RIC may, in certain cases, satisfy the 90% distribution requirement by distributing dividends relating to a taxable year after the close of such taxable year under the “spillback dividend” provisions of Subchapter M. We would be taxed, at regular corporate rates, on retained income and/or gains, including any short term capital gains or long term capital gains. Because we may use debt financing, we are subject to (i) an asset coverage ratio requirement under the 1940 Act and may, in the future, be subject to (ii) certain financial covenants under loan and credit agreements that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, or choose or are required to retain a portion of our taxable income or gains, we could (1) be required to pay excise taxes and (2) fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment, and thus become subject to corporate level income tax on our taxable income (including gains).

 

The income source requirement will be satisfied if we obtain at least 90% of our annual income from dividends, interest, gains from the sale of stock or securities, or other income derived from the business of investing in stock or securities.

 

The asset diversification requirement will be satisfied if we meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each quarter of our taxable year. Specifically, at least 50% of the value of our assets must consist of cash, cash equivalents (including receivables), U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other acceptable securities if such securities or any one issuer do not represent more than 5% of the value of our assets or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer; and no more than 25% of the value of our assets can be invested in the securities, other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs, of one issuer, of two or more issuers that are controlled, as determined under applicable Code rules, by us and that are engaged in the same or similar or related trades or businesses or of certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships.” Failure to meet these requirements may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC status. If we are unable to dispose of investments quickly enough to meet the asset diversification requirement at the end of a quarter or obtain cash from other sources in order to meet the annual distribution requirement, we may fail to qualify for special tax treatment accorded to RICs and, thus, be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax.

 

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If we fail to qualify for or maintain RIC tax treatment for any reason and are subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution, and the amount of our distributions.

 

We may invest in certain debt and equity investments through taxable subsidiaries and the net taxable income of these taxable subsidiaries will be subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. We may invest in certain foreign debt and equity investments that could be subject to foreign taxes (such as income tax, withholding, and value added taxes).

 

A portion of our income and fees may not be qualifying income for purposes of the income source requirement

 

Some of the income and fees that we may recognize will not satisfy the qualifying income requirement applicable to RICs. In order to ensure that such income and fees do not disqualify us as a RIC for a failure to satisfy such requirement, we may be required to recognize such income and fees indirectly through one or more entities classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such corporations will be required to pay U.S. corporate income tax on their earnings, which ultimately will reduce our return on such income and fees.

 

We cannot predict how tax reform legislation will affect us or our stockholders

 

Legislative or other actions relating to taxes could have a negative effect on us. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. In December of 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed tax reform legislation, which the President signed into law. Such legislation will make many changes to the Internal Revenue Code, including significant changes to the taxation of business entities, the deductibility of interest expense, and the tax treatment of capital investment. We cannot predict with certainty how any changes in the tax laws might affect us or our stockholders. New legislation and any U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions interpreting such legislation could significantly and negatively affect us and our stockholders. Stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisor regarding tax legislative, regulatory, or administrative developments and proposals.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table shows our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of _____, 2022:

 

on an actual basis;

 

on a pro forma basis to give effect to the conversion of the SAFEs into [l] shares of our common stock, which occurred on [________], 2022.

 

The pro forma below is illustrative only, and our cash and cash equivalents and total capitalization following the conversion of the SAFEs will be adjusted based on the actual initial public listing price.

 

You should read the following table together with the financial statements and related notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

Assets     _______, 2022     Pro Forma  
               
Current Assets              
Cash and cash equivalents   $  [l]   $ [l  
               
Total assets   $  [l]   $ [l  
               
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT              
               
Current Liabilities              
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities   $  [l]   $  [l]  
               
Total Liabilities   $ [l]   $ [l]  
               
Stockholders’ Deficit              
  Common stock; $0.00001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized, [l] shares issued and outstanding (actual); 500,000,000 shares authorized, [l] shares issued and outstanding (pro forma)       [l]       [l]  
Additional paid in capital       [l]       [l]  
Accumulated deficit       [l]       [l]  
  Total Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)       [l]       [l]  
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)   $ [l]   $ [l   

 

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DISTRIBUTIONS

 

The timing and amount of our dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board. Any dividends to our shareholders will be declared out of assets legally available for distribution. We intend to focus on making capital gains-based investments from which we will derive primarily capital gains. As a consequence, we do not anticipate that we will pay distributions on a quarterly basis or become a predictable distributor of distributions, and we expect that our distributions, if any, will be much less consistent than the distributions of other registered investment companies that primarily make debt investments. The specific tax characteristics of our distributions will be reported to shareholders after the end of the calendar year. Future dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board.

 

To maintain our tax treatment as a RIC, we must timely distribute (or be treated as distributing) in each taxable year dividends of an amount equal to at least 90% of our investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest, the excess of any net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses, as well as other taxable income, excluding any net capital gains reduced by deductible expenses) and 90% of our net tax-exempt income for that taxable year. As a RIC, we generally will not be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on our investment company taxable income and net capital gains that we distribute to shareholders. In addition, to avoid the imposition of a nondeductible 4% U.S. federal excise tax, we must distribute (or be treated as distributing) in each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of:

 

98% of our net ordinary income, excluding certain ordinary gains and losses, recognized during a calendar year;

 

98.2% of our capital gain net income, adjusted for certain ordinary gains and losses, recognized for the twelve-month period ending on October 31 of such calendar year; and

 

100% of any ordinary income and capital gain net income that we recognized in preceding years, but were not distributed in such years, and on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax.

 

We may incur in the future such excise tax on a portion of our income and gains. While we intend to distribute income and capital gains to minimize exposure to the 4% U.S. federal excise tax, we may not be able to, or may not choose to, distribute amounts sufficient to avoid the imposition of the tax entirely. In that event, we will be liable for the tax only on the amount by which we do not meet the foregoing distribution requirement.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

 

We have adopted an “opt out” dividend reinvestment plan for our shareholders. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.

 

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THE COMPANY’S INVESTMENTS

 

Investment Objective and Investment Strategy

 

We intend to invest in a portfolio of what we believe to be 100 of the top venture-backed private technology companies. Our investment objective is to maximize our portfolio’s total return, principally by seeking capital gains on our equity and equity-related investments. Under normal market conditions, we will invest at least 80% of our total assets in equity and equity-linked securities of companies principally engaged in the technology sector. We will invest principally in the equity and equity-linked securities of what we believe to be rapidly growing venture-capital-backed emerging companies, located primarily in the United States. We may also invest on an opportunistic basis in select U.S. publicly traded equity securities or certain non-U.S. companies that otherwise meet our investment criteria. There can be no assurance that our investment objectives will be achieved or that our investment program will be successful. Our investment objective may be changed by our Board of Directors without prior shareholder approval.

 

To achieve our investment objective, we will leverage the Adviser’s extensive network of relationships with other sophisticated institutions to source and evaluate investments.

 

We will seek to deploy capital primarily in the form of non-controlling equity and equity-related investments, including common stock, warrants, preferred stock and similar forms of senior equity, which may or may not be convertible into a portfolio company’s common equity, and convertible debt securities with a significant equity component. In addition, we may purchase units or shares of Private Funds to gain economic exposure to private companies in the technology sector. We will limit our investments in such Private Funds to no more than 15% of our net assets.

 

To maximize our portfolio’s total return, we will take a structure-agnostic approach to investing and also will deploy capital into equity-related and equity-linked investments such as forward contracts for future delivery of stock, swaps or other synthetic equity agreements, and purchases of units or other ownership of limited liability companies, limited partnerships, or other special purpose vehicles that serve to provide us with financial exposure to the equity of a single issuer or portfolio company.

 

We intend to achieve our investment objective by adopting the following investment strategies:

 

·Identify high quality growth companies.   Based on our experience in analyzing technology trends and markets, we have identified growth-stage and mid-stage venture-backed companies as opportunities where we believe companies are capable of producing substantial growth.

 

We will further rely on our collective industry knowledge as well as an understanding of where leading venture capitalists and other institutional investors are investing. We will leverage a combination of our relationships throughout Silicon Valley and our independent research to identify companies that we believe are differentiated and best positioned for sustained growth. We will continue to expand our sourcing network in order to evaluate a wide range of investment opportunities in companies that demonstrate strong operating fundamentals. We will be targeting businesses that have been shown to provide scaled valuation growth before a potential IPO or strategic exit.

 

·Acquire positions in targeted investments.   We will seek to selectively add to our portfolio by sourcing investments at an acceptable price through our disciplined investing strategy. To this end, we will utilize multiple methods to acquire equity stakes in private companies that are not available to most individual investors.

 

·Create access to a varied investment portfolio.   We will seek to hold a varied portfolio of non-controlling equity investments, which we believe will minimize the impact on our portfolio of a negative downturn at any one specific company or industry. We believe that our relatively varied portfolio will provide a convenient means for accredited and non-accredited individual investors to obtain access to an asset class that has generally been limited to venture capital, private equity and similar large institutional investors.

 

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Direct equity investments.   We will seek direct investments in private companies. There is a large market among emerging private companies for equity capital investments. Many of these companies, particularly within the technology sector, lack the necessary cash flows to sustain substantial amounts of debt, and therefore have viewed equity capital as a more attractive long-term financing tool. We will seek to be a source of such equity capital as a means of investing in these companies and look for opportunities to invest alongside other venture capital and private equity investors with whom we have established relationships.

 

Private secondary marketplaces and direct share purchases.   We also will utilize private secondary marketplaces, such as Forge, SharesPost and CartaX, as a means to acquire equity and equity-related interests in privately held companies that meet our investment criteria. We believe that such markets offer new channels for access to equity investments in private companies and provide a potential source of liquidity should we decide to exit an investment. In addition, we also will purchase shares directly from stockholders, including current or former employees, of privately-held companies that meet our investment criteria. As certain companies grow and experience significant increased value while remaining private, employees and other stockholders may seek liquidity by selling shares directly to a third party or to a third party via a secondary marketplace. Sales of shares in private companies are typically restricted by contractual transfer restrictions and may be further restricted by provisions in company charter documents, investor rights of first refusal and co-sale and company employment and trading policies, which may impose strict limits on transfer. We believe that the reputation of our investment professionals within the industry and established history of investing affords us a favorable position when seeking approval for a purchase of shares subject to such limitations.

 

Investment Process

 

Concentrated Technology-related Focus

 

We believe that the world is in the midst of a revolution driven by technology. Technology’s impact today has extended into every sector, market, and geography. Thus, the opportunity for high-growth venture-backed technology companies extends across a broad spectrum. These broad markets have the potential to produce disruptive technologies, reach a large addressable market, and provide significant commercial opportunities. Thus, the Adviser will actively seek out promising investments across a diverse selection of new technology subsectors.

 

Investment Targeting and Screening

 

We will identify prospective portfolio companies by ranking venture-backed private technology companies worth approximately $750 million or more (“unicorns”) by market capitalization, then filtering and weighting by a set of growth and health metrics.

 

We will look at the following key growth and health metrics for prospective portfolio companies:

 

·company must have recently raised over $50 million in capital from what we believe to be reputable U.S. institutional investors;
·any outstanding preferred stock liquidation preference must be strong relative to market capitalization;
·company’s financial structure must not overly complex (e.g. ratchets with significant penalties, heavy debt loads) that would create undue risk of impending financial distress;
·company’s corporate structure and governance must be transparent and comparable with standard corporate structures; and
·company’s executive team must not have had relatively high turnover over the past 18 months.

 

We will further identify prospective portfolio companies through an extensive network of relationships developed by the Adviser. Investment opportunities that meet our key health criteria will be validated against the observed behavior of leading venture capitalists and institutional investors, as well as through our own internal and external research.

 

Based on our key growth and health criteria, we will identify a select set of companies that we evaluate in greater depth.

 

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Research and Due Diligence Process

 

Once we identify those companies that we believe warrant more in-depth analysis, we will focus on evaluating potential portfolio companies across a spectrum of metrics that assess key indicators of each company’s health and growth among several other factors, which collectively characterize our proprietary investment process.

 

Indicators that will be used include the company’s total addressable market, market growth rate, recent financing rounds, company growth rate, competitive positioning, asset-light software and platform business models, network effects and economies of scale, any regulatory and legal concerns, as well as other indicators that may be strongly correlated with higher or lower valuations.

 

We also will look at indicators of company culture, including healthy diversity metrics, strong cultural health and employee reviews, and positive environmental, social, corporate governance impact.

 

As part of the due diligence process, we will also look at the transparency of financial disclosures, structure of contemplated transactions (including class of stock being purchased), recent and historical secondary market transaction pricing, and other investment-specific due diligence.

 

Each prospective portfolio company that will pass our initial due diligence review is given a qualitative ranking to allow us to evaluate it against others in our pipeline, and we will review and update these companies on a regular basis.

 

Our due diligence process will vary depending on whether we are investing through a private secondary transaction on a marketplace or with a selling stockholder or by a direct equity investment. We will access information on our potential investments through a variety of sources, including information made available on secondary marketplaces, publications by private company research firms, industry publications, commissioned analysis by third-party research firms, and, to a limited extent, directly from the company or financial sponsor. We will utilize a combination of each of these sources to help us set a target price and valuation for the companies we ultimately select for investment.

 

Portfolio Construction and Sourcing

 

Upon completion of our research and due diligence process, we will select investments for inclusion in our portfolio based on their value proposition, addressable market, fundamentals and valuation. We will seek to create a relatively varied portfolio that we expect will include investments in companies representing a broad range of investment themes. We generally will choose to pursue specific investments based on the availability of shares and valuation expectations. We will utilize a combination of secondary marketplaces, direct purchases from stockholders and direct equity investments in order to make investments in our portfolio companies. Once we have established an initial position in a portfolio company, we may choose to increase our stake through subsequent purchases. Maintaining a balanced portfolio is a key to our success, and as a result we constantly will evaluate the composition of our investments and our pipeline to ensure we are exposed to a diverse set of companies within our target segments.

 

Transaction Execution

 

We will enter into purchase agreements for substantially all of our private company portfolio investments. Private company securities are typically subject to contractual transfer limitations, which may, among other things, give the issuer, its assignees and/or its stockholders a particular period of time, often 30 days or more, in which to exercise a veto right, or a right of first refusal over, the sale of such securities. Accordingly, the purchase agreements that we enter into for secondary transactions typically will require the lapse or satisfaction of these rights as a condition to closing. Under these circumstances, we may be required to deposit the purchase price into escrow upon signing, with the funds released to the seller at closing or returned to us if the closing conditions are not met.

 

Risk Management and Monitoring

 

We will monitor the financial trends of each portfolio company to assess our exposure to individual companies as well as to evaluate overall portfolio quality. We will establish valuation targets at the portfolio level and for gross and net exposures with respect to specific companies and industries within our overall portfolio. In cases where we make a direct investment in a portfolio company, we may also obtain board positions, board observation rights and/or information rights from that portfolio company in connection with our equity investment.

 

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Portfolio Contents and Techniques

 

Our portfolio will be composed principally of the following investments. 

 

Equity Securities

 

We invest in equity securities, including common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, warrants and depositary receipts. Common stock represents an equity ownership interest in a company. We may hold or have exposure to common stocks of issuers of any size, including small and medium capitalization stocks. Because we will ordinarily have exposure to common stocks, historical trends would indicate that our portfolio and investment returns will be subject at times, and over time, to higher levels of volatility and market and issuer-specific risk than if it invested exclusively in debt securities.

 

Restricted and Illiquid Investments

 

We may invest without limitation in illiquid or less liquid investments or investments in which no secondary market is readily available or which are otherwise illiquid, including private placement securities. Liquidity of an investment relates to the ability to dispose easily of the investment and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the investment, which may be less than would be obtained for a comparable more liquid investment.

 

Illiquid investments may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments. Illiquid investments are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on disposition or lack an established secondary trading market. Investment of our assets in illiquid investments may restrict our ability to dispose of our investments in a timely fashion and for a fair price as well as its ability to take advantage of market opportunities.

 

Private Company Investments

 

At any given time we anticipate making significant investments in private companies that we may need to hold for several years or longer. We expect certain of such investments to be in “late-stage private securities,” which are securities of private companies that have demonstrated sustainable business operations and generally have a well-known product or service with a strong market presence. Late-stage private companies have generally had large cash flows from their core business operations and are expanding into new markets with their products or services. Late-stage private companies may also be referred to as “pre-IPO companies.” We may invest in equity securities or debt securities, including debt securities issued with warrants to purchase equity securities or that are convertible into equity securities, of private companies. We may enter into private company investments identified by the Adviser or may co-invest in private company investment opportunities owned or identified by other third party investors, such as private equity firms, with which neither we nor the Adviser is affiliated.

 

Preferred Equity

 

We may invest in preferred securities. There are two basic types of preferred securities. The first type, sometimes referred to as traditional preferred securities, consists of preferred stock issued by an entity taxable as a corporation. The second type, sometimes referred to as trust preferred securities, are usually issued by a trust or limited partnership and represent preferred interests in deeply subordinated debt instruments issued by the corporation for whose benefit the trust or partnership was established.

 

Traditional Preferred Securities. Traditional preferred securities generally pay fixed or adjustable rate dividends to investors and generally have a “preference” over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of a company’s assets. This means that a company must pay dividends on preferred stock before paying any dividends on its common stock. In order to be payable, distributions on such preferred securities must be declared by the issuer’s board of directors. Income payments on typical preferred securities currently outstanding are cumulative, causing dividends and distributions to accumulate even if not declared by the board of directors or otherwise made payable. In such a case all accumulated dividends must be paid before any dividend on the common stock can be paid. However, some traditional preferred stocks are non-cumulative, in which case dividends do not accumulate and need not ever be paid. A portion of the portfolio may include investments in non-cumulative preferred securities, whereby the issuer does not have an obligation to make up any arrearages to its shareholders. Should an issuer of a non-cumulative preferred stock held by us determine not to pay dividends on such stock, the amount of dividends we pay may be adversely affected. There is no assurance that dividends or distributions on the preferred securities in which we invest will be declared or otherwise made payable.

 

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Preferred stockholders usually have no right to vote for corporate directors or on other matters. Shares of preferred stock have a liquidation value that generally equals the original purchase price at the date of issuance. The market value of preferred securities may be affected by favorable and unfavorable changes impacting companies in the utilities and financial services sectors, which are prominent issuers of preferred securities, and by actual and anticipated changes in tax laws, such as changes in corporate income tax rates or the “Dividends Received Deduction.” Because the claim on an issuer’s earnings represented by preferred securities may become onerous when interest rates fall below the rate payable on such securities, the issuer may redeem the securities. Thus, in declining interest rate environments in particular, our holdings, if any, of higher rate-paying fixed rate preferred securities may be reduced and we may be unable to acquire securities of comparable credit quality paying comparable rates with the redemption proceeds.

 

Trust Preferred Securities. Trust preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest-bearing notes with preferred security characteristics, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The trust preferred securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates.

 

Trust preferred securities are typically junior and fully subordinated liabilities of an issuer or the beneficiary of a guarantee that is junior and fully subordinated to the other liabilities of the guarantor. In addition, trust preferred securities typically permit an issuer to defer the payment of income for eighteen months or more without triggering an event of default. Generally, the deferral period is five years or more. Because of their subordinated position in the capital structure of an issuer, the ability to defer payments for extended periods of time without default consequences to the issuer, and certain other features (such as restrictions on common dividend payments by the issuer or ultimate guarantor when full cumulative payments on the trust preferred securities have not been made), these trust preferred securities are often treated as close substitutes for traditional preferred securities, both by issuers and investors. Trust preferred securities have many of the key characteristics of equity due to their subordinated position in an issuer’s capital structure and because their quality and value are heavily dependent on the profitability of the issuer rather than on any legal claims to specific assets or cash flows.

 

Warrants

 

Warrants are instruments issued by corporations enabling the owners to subscribe to and purchase a specified number of shares of the corporation at a specified price during a specified period of time. Warrants normally have a short life span to expiration. The purchase of warrants involves the risk that we could lose the purchase value of a warrant if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the warrants’ expiration. Also, the purchase of warrants involves the risk that the effective price paid for the warrant added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security.

 

Private Investment Companies

 

Investments in private investment companies are subject to additional risks beyond the securities held by such funds. For example, no market for the interests in a Private Fund exists or is expected to develop, and it may be difficult or impossible to transfer the interests in such Private Fund, even in an emergency. In addition, we will not have the right to withdraw or transfer any amount of our investment in a Private Fund without the prior consent of its manager, which consent may be withheld for any or no reason. As a result, we may need to hold the Private Fund interest indefinitely.

 

A Private Fund may also not provide audited financials to us. In the absence of audited financials, we will not have an independent third party verifying financial reports. We will have no right or power to take part in the management of a Private Fund. Accordingly, we will have no opportunity to control the day-to-day operations, including investment and disposition decisions, of the underlying Private Fund. We will not receive the detailed financial information issued by the portfolio company that may be available to the manager of the fund. Accordingly, in purchasing a Private Fund interest, we entrust all aspects of the management of the Private Fund to its manager.

 

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In addition, the manager of a Private Fund may make decisions, which result in a loss for the Private Fund. There can be no assurance that a Private Fund’s manager will make decisions that improve the Private Fund’s performance or lead to a profitable outcome for us.

 

Each Private Fund will be subject to a variety of litigation risks. In the event of a dispute arising from any activities relating to the operation of the Private Fund it is possible that the Private Fund, its manager, the Private Fund’s members, and persons associated or affiliated with such parties may be named as defendants. Under most circumstances, the Private Fund will indemnify its manager and their personnel against any costs they incur in connection with such disputes. Beyond direct costs, such disputes may adversely affect a Private Fund in a variety of ways, including by distracting the manager and harming relationships between the Private Fund and its portfolio company or other investors in the portfolio company.

 

A Private Fund’s assets, including any investments made by the Private Fund and the portfolio companies held by the Private Fund, are available to satisfy all liabilities and other obligations of the Private Fund. If the Private Fund becomes subject to a liability, parties seeking to have the liability satisfied may have recourse to the Private Fund’s assets generally and will not be limited to any particular assets, such as the asset representing the investment giving rise to the liability. Accordingly, we could find our interest in the Private Fund’s assets adversely affected by a liability arising out of an investment of the Private Fund.

 

Forward contracts

 

We may invest in “forward contracts” that involve shareholders (each a “counterparty”) of securities of a potential portfolio company promise future delivery of such securities upon transferability or other removal of restrictions. These may involve counterparty promises of future performances, including among other things transferring shares to us in the future, paying costs and fees associated with maintaining and transferring the shares, not transferring or encumbering their shares, and participating in further acts required of shareholders by the counterparty and their agreement with us. Should counterparties breach their agreement inadvertently, by operation of law, intentionally, or fraudulently, it could affect our performance. Our ability and right to enforce transfer and payment obligations, and other obligations, against counterparties could be limited by acts of fraud or breach on the part of counterparties, operation of law, or actions of third parties. Measures we take to mitigate these risks, including powers of attorney, specific performance and damages provisions, any insurance policy, and legal enforcement steps, may prove ineffective, unenforceable, or economically impractical to enact.

 

In cases where we purchase a forward contract through a secondary marketplace, we may have no direct relationship with, or right to contact, enforce rights against, or obtain personal information or contact information concerning counterparty. In such cases, we will not be direct beneficiaries of the portfolio company’s securities or related instruments. Instead, we would rely on a third party to collect, settle, and enforce its rights with respect to the portfolio company’s securities. There is no guarantee that said party will be successful or effective in doing so.

 

In cases where we purchase a forward contract, because each underlying portfolio company may not have necessarily approved or endorsed the transaction, it offers no warranties or other promises as to the validity or value of thereof, and no promise that it will agree with, approve, or facilitate transfer of shares to us.

 

In cases where we purchase a forward contract, in the event of a public offering, sale, or other corporate event affecting a portfolio company, it could be complicated, uncertain, and require further legal review, negotiation, and other acts for us to work with brokers, transfer agents, and representatives of the portfolio company, its potential acquirer, and other parties.

 

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Swaps

 

Swaps are a type of derivative. Swap agreements involve the risk that the party with which we have entered into the swap will default on its obligation to pay us and the risk that we will not be able to meet our obligations to pay the other party to the agreement. In order to seek to hedge the value of our portfolio, to hedge against increases in our cost associated with interest payments on any outstanding borrowings or to seek to increase our return, we may enter into swaps, including interest rate swap, total return swap (sometimes referred to as a “contract for difference”) and/or credit default swap transactions. In interest rate swap transactions, there is a risk that yields will move in the direction opposite of the direction anticipated by us, which would cause us to make payments to our counterparty in the transaction that could adversely affect our performance. In addition to the risks applicable to swaps generally (including counterparty risk, high volatility, illiquidity risk and credit risk), credit default swap transactions involve special risks because they are difficult to value, are highly susceptible to liquidity and credit risk, and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty).

 

Historically, swap transactions have been individually negotiated non-standardized transactions entered into in OTC markets and have not been subject to the same type of government regulation as exchange-traded instruments. However, since the global financial crisis, the OTC derivatives markets have become subject to comprehensive statutes and regulations. In particular, in the United States, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), signed into law by President Obama on July 21, 2010, requires that certain derivatives with U.S. persons must be executed on a regulated market and a substantial portion of OTC derivatives must be submitted for clearing to regulated clearinghouses. As a result, swap transactions entered into by tus may become subject to various requirements applicable to swaps under the Dodd-Frank Act, including clearing, exchange-execution, reporting and recordkeeping requirements, which may make it more difficult and costly for us to enter into swap transactions and may also render certain strategies in which we might otherwise engage impossible or so costly that they will no longer be economical to implement. Furthermore, the number of counterparties that may be willing to enter into swap transactions with us may also be limited if the swap transactions with us are subject to the swap regulation under the Dodd-Frank Act.

 

Credit default and total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to our portfolio because, in addition to our portfolio, we would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Total return swap agreements are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to us thereunder. We are not required to enter into swap transactions for hedging purposes or to enhance income or gain and may choose not to do so. In addition, the swaps market is subject to a changing regulatory environment. It is possible that regulatory or other developments in the swaps market could adversely affect our ability to successfully use swaps.

 

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MANAGEMENT

 

We are managed by the Adviser. The Adviser is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. Subject to the overall supervision of our Board, the Adviser manages our day-to-day operations, and provides investment advisory and management services to us. The Adviser or its affiliates may engage in certain origination activities and receive attendant arrangement, structuring or similar fees. The Adviser is responsible for managing our business and activities, including sourcing investment opportunities, conducting research, performing diligence on potential investments, structuring our investments, and monitoring our portfolio companies on an ongoing basis through a team of investment professionals.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

The management of our investment portfolio is the responsibility of the Adviser and the Investment Committee. We consider the members of the Investment Committee to be our portfolio managers. The Investment Committee is currently comprised of Sohail Prasad, Samvit Ramadurgam, Ethan Silver and Christine Healey. The Investment Team, under the Investment Committee’s supervision, sources investment opportunities, conducts research, performs due diligence on potential investments, structures our investments and will monitor our portfolio companies on an ongoing basis. The Investment Committee meets regularly to consider investment opportunities, direct its strategic initiatives and supervise the actions taken by the Adviser on our behalf. In addition, the Investment Committee reviews and determines whether to make prospective investments and monitors the performance of our investment portfolio. Each investment opportunity requires the unanimous approval of the members of the Investment Committee. Follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies may require the Investment Committee’s approval beyond that obtained when the initial investment in the portfolio company was made. In addition, temporary investments, such as those in cash equivalents, U. S. government securities and other high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less, may require approval by the Investment Committee. The Investment Committee’s members may change from time to time as designated by the Adviser.

 

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

 

Our portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of our portfolio are as follows:

 

Sohail Prasad. Mr. Prasad is our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and is Founder, Chairman, & Chief Executive Officer of Destiny XYZ Inc. Prior to founding Destiny, Mr. Prasad founded and served as CEO of Forge (NYSE:FRGE), a global private securities marketplace building trading, custody, and data infrastructure to meet the needs of high-growth unicorn companies, employees, and investors. In March 2022, Forge became the first dedicated trading platform for private shares to become a public company. As an eighteen-year-old, Mr. Prasad was among the youngest founders to go through Y Combinator, a start-up accelerator, and was later named a Thiel Fellow by the Thiel Foundation. Over the years, Mr. Prasad has advised and invested in over 200 startups, including as seed investor in notable startups such as Rippling, Rappi, Notion, Retool, Vise, Mercury, and Superhuman. He continues to invest in early stage technology companies through S2 Capital and serves as its Founding Partner. Prior to founding Forge, Mr. Prasad held roles in product management at Zynga, as an early engineer at mobile advertising firm Chartboost, and various other roles at Google and the MIT Media Lab. Mr. Prasad attended Carnegie Mellon University where he studied Electrical & Computer Engineering before dropping out.

 

Samvit Ramadurgam. Mr. Ramadurgam is Founder & Co-Chairman of Destiny XYZ Inc. Prior to founding Destiny, Mr. Ramadurgam founded Forge and previously served as President and Co-CEO. Prior to starting Forge, Mr. Ramadurgam went through the Y Combinator a start-up accelerator, and started his first venture-backed company, Streem, a cloud storage company that was acquired by Box before Box’s IPO in 2014. Mr. Ramadurgam is an active angel investor and has invested in over 200 startups through S2 Capital, where he serves as Founding Partner. His previous work spans numerous startups, including Asana where he built out distributed systems infrastructure and Livemagic where he developed audio fingerprinting algorithms. Prior to this, he conducted research on high temperature superconductivity at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Mr. Ramadurgam holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley.

 

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Ethan Silver. Mr. Silver is our Chief Operating Officer and a member of our Investment Committee.  He is a leading lawyer in the FinTech industry, launching and representing many of the leading companies in the space across their offerings and operations in the broker-dealer, crypto and digital advisory businesses.  This includes deep knowledge and understanding of the largest platforms operating in the private securities/late-stage pre-IPO investing space.  He has also been an investor in many early stage pre-IPO companies.  Mr. Silver started his career on the regulatory side as an Enforcement lawyer with the Bureau of Securities in the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, as well as the Enforcement Division of the NYSE (which was later merged with the NASD to form FINRA).  For the last 15 years he has been on the private side as a Partner at a financial services boutique law firm as well as Lowenstein Sandler LLP.

 

Christine Healey. Ms. Healey is Head of Private Markets of the Adviser and is a member of our Investment Committee.  She has extensive multifunctional experience in pre-IPO investments, having previously worked at Forge for more than three years. Christine worked at Forge in San Francisco and Hong Kong in roles across Business Development & Marketplace, Operations and APAC Expansion. Before Forge, Ms. Healey worked in Investment Banking at Jefferies and Credit Suisse, spending time in New York and San Francisco across Technology & Energy verticals. Ms. Healey is a University of Chicago alumnus.

 

Our Adviser

 

The Adviser serves as our investment adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between us and the Adviser. The Adviser is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act.. The Adviser has no operating history as a registered investment adviser. Subject to the overall supervision of the Board, the Adviser manages our day-to-day operations, and provides investment advisory and management services to us.

 

The Adviser and its affiliates may in the future provide management or investment advisory services to entities that have overlapping objectives with us. The Adviser and its affiliates may face conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities to us and others. In order to address these conflicts, the Adviser intends to put in place an investment allocation policy that addresses the allocation of investment opportunities as well as co-investment restrictions under the 1940 Act. As a registered investment company, we are subject to certain regulatory restrictions in co-investing with individuals or entities with which we may be restricted from doing so under the 1940 Act unless we obtain an exemptive order from the SEC. We may co-invest with our Adviser or our officers and directors in a manner consistent with guidance promulgated under the no-action position of the SEC set forth in Mass Mutual Life Ins. Co. (SEC No-Action Letter, June 7, 2000), on which similarly situated funds like us rely in order to co-invest in a single class of privately placed securities so long as certain conditions are met, including that our investment adviser or an affiliate, acting on our behalf and on behalf of other clients, negotiates no term other than price. We, the Adviser and certain of its affiliates may also submit an exemptive application to the SEC to permit us to co-invest with other funds managed by the Adviser or its affiliates to the extent we are unable to rely on the MassMutual No Action Letter in a manner consistent with our investment objective, positions, policies, strategies and restrictions as well as regulatory requirements and other pertinent factors. There can be no assurance that this exemptive order will be granted. If such relief is granted, then we will be permitted to co-invest with our affiliates if a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our independent directors make certain conclusions in connection with a co-investment transaction, including that (1) the terms of the transactions, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable and fair to us and our shareholders and do not involve overreaching of us or our shareholders on the part of any person concerned and (2) the transaction is consistent with the interests of our shareholders and is consistent with our investment objective and strategies. The Adviser’s allocation policy will seek to ensure equitable allocation of investment opportunities between us and/or other funds managed by the Adviser or its affiliates over time.

 

The Adviser’s address is 1401 Lavaca Street, #144, Austin, TX 78701.

 

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Investment Advisory Agreement

 

The description below of the Investment Advisory Agreement is only a summary and is not necessarily complete. The description set forth below is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Investment Advisory Agreement.

 

Under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is responsible for the following:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

monitoring our investments;

 

performing due diligence on prospective portfolio companies;

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Term

 

The Investment Advisory Agreement was approved by the Board on April 29, 2022. Unless earlier terminated as described below, the Investment Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for an initial two-year term and then from year-to-year if approved annually by a majority of the Board or by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities and, in each case, a majority of the independent directors.

 

The Investment Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate within the meaning of the 1940 Act and related SEC guidance and interpretations in the event of its assignment. In accordance with the 1940 Act, without payment of penalty, we may terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser upon 60 days’ written notice. The decision to terminate the agreement may be made by a majority of the Board or the shareholders holding a Majority of the Outstanding Shares of our common stock. In addition, without payment of penalty, the Adviser may generally terminate the Investment Advisory Agreement upon 60 days’ written notice.

 

 A discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement by the Board will be available in the Company’s [semi]-annual report to stockholders for the period ending ________, 2022.

 

Removal of Adviser

 

The Adviser may be removed by the Board or by the affirmative vote of a Majority of the Outstanding Shares.

 

Compensation of the Adviser

 

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, upon the listing of our shares of common stock on the NYSE, we will pay the Adviser a Management Fee, payable quarterly, in an amount equal to 2.50% of our average gross assets, at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. For purposes of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the term “gross assets” includes assets purchased with borrowed amounts, if any. The Management Fee for any partial month or quarter, as the case may be, will be appropriately prorated and adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases during the relevant calendar months or quarters, as the case may be. Prior to the listing of our shares on the NYSE, the Adviser is entitled to a Management Fee equal to 2.00% per annum, payable monthly, calculated based on the value of the invested capital.

 

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Limitations of Liability and Indemnification

 

The Adviser and its officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons, members and any other person or entity affiliated with the Adviser, including without limitation its sole member, are not liable to us for any action taken or omitted to be taken by the Adviser in connection with the performance of any of its duties or obligations under the Investment Advisory Agreement or otherwise as our investment adviser (except to the extent specified in Section 36(b) of the 1940 Act concerning loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty (as the same is finally determined by judicial proceedings) with respect to the receipt of compensation for services).

 

We will indemnify the Adviser and its officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons, members and any other person or entity affiliated with the Adviser, including without limitation its general partner or managing member (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) and hold them harmless from and against all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) incurred by the Indemnified Parties in or by reason of any pending, threatened or completed action, suit, investigation or other proceeding (including an action or suit by or in the right of us or our security holders) arising out of or otherwise based upon the performance of any of the Adviser’s duties or obligations under the Investment Advisory Agreement or otherwise as our investment adviser. However, the Indemnified Parties shall not be entitled to indemnification in respect of, any liability to us or our shareholders to which the Indemnified Parties would otherwise be subject by reason of criminal conduct, willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Adviser’s duties or by reason of the reckless disregard of the Adviser’s duties and obligations under the Investment Advisory Agreement.

 

Payment of Our Expenses under the Investment Advisory Agreement

 

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

 

all expenses incurred in connection with our operations, including the purchase, holding, sale or proposed sale of any of our investments (including legal and accounting fees) unless paid for by the company which is the subject of the investment;

 

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

 

costs and fees relating to the preparation of our financial and tax reports, portfolio valuations and tax returns;

 

the costs of prosecuting or defending any legal action for or against us or our affiliates;

 

all costs related to our indemnification of the Adviser and our executive officers and any affiliates of the Adviser;

 

the costs of any litigation, director and officer liability or other insurance and indemnification or extraordinary expense or liability relating to our affairs;

 

all unreimbursed out-of-pocket costs relating to investment transactions that are not consummated, including legal, accounting and consulting fees, and all extraordinary professional fees incurred in connection with our business or management;

 

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all expenses associated with our liquidation;

 

any taxes, fees or other governmental charges levied against us and all expenses incurred in connection with any tax audit, investigation, settlement or review of us;

 

fees paid to consultants, custodians, outside counsel, accountants, agents, investment bankers and other similar outside advisors;

 

calculating our net asset value (including the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm);

 

expenses, including travel, entertainment, lodging and meal expenses, incurred by members of our Investment Team, or payable to third parties, in evaluating, developing, negotiating, structuring and performing due diligence on prospective portfolio companies, including such expenses related to potential investments that were not consummated, and, if necessary, enforcing our rights;

 

any and all fees, costs and expenses incurred in connection with the incurrence of leverage and indebtedness of the Company, including borrowings, dollar rolls, reverse purchase agreements, credit facilities, securitizations, margin financing and derivatives and swaps, and including any principal or interest on our borrowings and indebtedness (including, without limitation, any fees, costs, and expenses incurred in obtaining lines of credit, loan commitments, and letters of credit for our account and in making, carrying, funding and/or otherwise resolving investment guarantees);

 

offerings, sales, and repurchases of our common stock and other securities;

 

fees and expenses payable under any underwriting, dealer manager or placement agent agreements, if any;

 

Management Fees under the investment advisory agreement, by and between the Company and the Adviser;

 

any applicable administrative agent fees or loan arranging fees incurred with respect to our portfolio investments;

 

any and all fees, costs and expenses incurred in implementing or maintaining third-party or proprietary software tools, programs or other technology for our benefit (including, without limitation, any and all fees, costs and expenses of any investment, books and records, portfolio compliance and reporting systems, general ledger or portfolio accounting systems and similar systems and services, including, without limitation, consultant, software licensing, data management and recovery services fees and expenses);

 

costs incurred in connection with investor relations, board of directors relations, and with preparing for and effectuating a listing of our securities on any securities exchange;

 

transfer agent, dividend agent and custodial fees and expenses;

 

federal and state registration fees;

 

federal, state and local taxes;

 

fees and expenses of the independent directors, including reasonable travel, entertainment, lodging and meal expenses, and any legal counsel or other advisors retained by, or at the discretion or for the benefit of, the Independent Directors;

 

costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents required by the SEC or other regulators, and all fees, costs and expenses related to compliance-related matters (such as developing and implementing specific policies and procedures in order to comply with certain regulatory requirements) and regulatory filings related to our activities and/or other regulatory filings, notices or disclosures of the Adviser and its affiliates relating to our activities;

 

costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to shareholders, including printing costs;

 

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

 

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direct costs and expenses of administration, including printing, mailing, long distance telephone, copying, secretarial and other staff, independent auditors, tax preparers and outside legal costs;

 

proxy voting expenses;

 

all expenses relating to payments of dividends or interest or distributions in cash or any other form made or caused to be made by the Board to or on account of holders of our securities, including in connection with any dividend reinvestment plan or direct stock purchase plan;

 

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

 

allocable fees and expenses associated with marketing efforts on our behalf;

 

all fees, costs and expenses of any litigation involving us or our portfolio companies and the amount of any judgments or settlements paid in connection therewith, directors and officers, liability or other insurance (including costs of title insurance) and indemnification (including advancement of any fees, costs or expenses to persons entitled to indemnification) or extraordinary expense or liability relating to our affairs;

 

any government or regulatory filings, returns or reports, including fees and expenses for annual reports and foreign qualification certificates; and

 

all other expenses incurred by us or the Adviser or its affiliates in connection with administering our business.

 

License Agreement

 

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

 

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DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

 

The NAV of our shares of common stock will be computed based upon the value of our portfolio securities and other assets on a quarterly basis. We calculate NAV per share by subtracting our liabilities (including accrued expenses, dividends payable and any borrowings) from our total assets (the value of the securities we hold plus cash or other assets, including interest accrued but not yet received) and dividing the result by the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding.

 

Valuation of our securities is as follows:

 

Equity Investments. Equity securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), separate trading boards of a securities exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (an “Exchange”) are valued via independent pricing services generally at an Exchange closing price or if an Exchange closing price is not available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which the assets or liabilities are valued; however, under certain circumstances other means of determining current market value may be used. If an equity security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by us on a day on which we value such security, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the value of such security. If we hold both long and short positions in the same security, the last bid price will be applied to securities held long and the last ask price will be applied to securities sold short. If no bid or ask price is available on a day on which we value such security, the prior day’s price will be used, unless the Adviser determines that such prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a fair value asset.

 

Fixed-Income Investments. Fixed-income securities for which market quotations are readily available are generally valued using such securities’ current market value. We value fixed-income portfolio securities and non-exchange traded derivatives using the last available bid prices or current market quotations provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by our approved independent third-party pricing services, each in accordance with valuation procedures approved by the Board. The pricing services may use matrix pricing or valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values, including transaction data (e.g., recent representative bids and offers), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of: yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; general market conditions; and other factors and assumptions. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but we may hold or transact in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless the Adviser determines such method does not represent fair value. Loan participation notes are generally valued at the mean of the last available bid prices from one or more brokers or dealers as obtained from independent third-party pricing services. Certain fixed-income investments including asset-backed and mortgage related securities may be valued based on valuation models that consider the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the entity, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche.

 

Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on an Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by us on a day on which we value such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the value of such option. If no bid or ask price is available on a day on which we value such option, the prior day’s price will be used, unless the Adviser determines that such prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the option in which case such option will be treated as a fair value asset. OTC derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model, which may incorporate a number of market data factors. Financial futures contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their last sale price or settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations from market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the valuation procedures approved by the Board.

 

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Investments for which market quotations are readily available are typically valued at the bid price of those market quotations. To validate market quotations, we will utilize a number of factors to determine if the quotations are representative of fair value, including the source and number of the quotations. Securities that are publicly-traded are generally valued at the close price on the valuation date; however, if they remain subject to lock-up restrictions, they are discounted accordingly. Securities that are not publicly-traded or whose market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board, based on, among other things, the input of the Adviser, the Audit Committee and independent third-party valuation firm(s) engaged at the direction of the Board.

 

In determining the market value of portfolio investments, we may employ independent third party pricing services, which may use, without limitation, a matrix or formula method that takes into consideration market indexes, matrices, yield curves and other specific adjustments. This may result in the securities being valued at a price different from the price that would have been determined had the matrix or formula method not been used. All cash, receivables and current payables are carried on our books at their face value. The price we could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from our valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by us, and we could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Our ability to value our investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third party service providers.

 

Prices obtained from independent third party pricing services, broker-dealers or market makers to value our securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time we value our assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised or updated subsequent to the day on which we valued such security, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination shall be made considering pertinent facts and circumstances surrounding such revision.

 

In the event that application of the methods of valuation discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method specified by the Board as reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by us (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or by the Adviser (its delegate). Any assets and liabilities that are denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing rates of exchange.

 

Certain of the securities that we acquire may be traded on foreign exchanges or OTC markets on days on which our NAV is not calculated and our shares are not traded. In such cases, the NAV of our shares may be significantly affected on days when investors can neither purchase nor sell our shares.

 

Fair Value. When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by the Adviser to be unreliable, our investments are valued at fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). Fair Value Assets are valued by the Adviser in accordance with procedures approved by the Board. The Adviser may conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its complete lack of trading, if the Adviser believes a market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies significantly from a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), where the security or other asset or liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a “significant event” is deemed to occur if the Adviser determines, in its business judgment prior to or at the time of pricing our assets or liabilities, that it is likely that the event will cause a material change to the last exchange closing price or closing market price of one or more assets or liabilities held by us. On any date the [NYSE] is open and the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or liability will be valued using the prior day’s price, provided that the Adviser is not aware of any significant event or other information that would cause such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset. For certain foreign securities, a third-party vendor supplies evaluated, systematic fair value pricing based upon the movement of a proprietary multi-factor model after the relevant foreign markets have closed. This systematic fair value pricing methodology is designed to correlate the prices of foreign securities following the close of the local markets to the price that might have prevailed as of our pricing time.

 

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Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining our NAV. As a result, our sale or repurchase of our shares at NAV, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.

 

Our annual audited financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating to fair value measurements.

 

Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to investment companies and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect us. For example, the evolution of rules governing the determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities to the extent such rules become more stringent would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value.

 

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DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN

 

Pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan, we will reinvest all cash distributions declared by the Board on behalf of our stockholders who do not elect to receive their distribution in cash as provided below. As a result, if the Board authorizes, and we declare, a cash dividend or other distribution, then our stockholders who have not opted out of our dividend reinvestment plan will have their cash distributions automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock as described below, rather than receiving the cash dividend or other distribution. As we focus on making primarily capital gains-based investments in equity securities, we do not anticipate that we will pay dividends on a quarterly basis or become a predictable distributor of dividends, and we expect that our dividends, if any, will be less consistent than the dividends of other registered investment companies that primarily make debt investments.

 

If newly issued shares are used to implement the dividend reinvestment plan, the number of shares to be issued to a shareholder will be determined by dividing the total dollar amount of the cash dividend or distribution payable to a stockholder by the market price per share of our common stock at the close of regular trading on the NYSE on the payment date of a distribution, or if no sale is reported for such day, the average of the reported bid and ask prices. However, if the market price per share on the payment date of a cash dividend or distribution exceeds the most recently computed net asset value per share, we will issue shares at the greater of (i) the most recently computed net asset value per share and (ii) [l]% of the current market price per share (or such lesser discount to the current market price per share that still exceeded the most recently computed net asset value per share). For example, if the most recently computed net asset value per share is $[l] and the market price on the payment date of a cash dividend is $[l] per share, we will issue shares at $[l] per share. If the most recently computed net asset value per share is $[l] and the market price on the payment date of a cash dividend is $[l] per share, we will issue shares at $[l] per share ([l]% of the current market price). If the most recently computed net asset value per share is $[l] and the market price on the payment date of a cash dividend is $[l] per share, we will issue shares at $[l] per share.

 

If shares are purchased in the open market to implement the dividend reinvestment plan, the number of shares to be issued to a shareholder shall be determined by dividing the dollar amount of the cash dividend payable to such shareholder by the weighted average price per share for all shares purchased by the plan administrator in the open market in connection with the dividend.

 

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

 

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

 

The plan is terminable by us upon notice in writing mailed to each stockholder of record at least 30 days prior to any record date for the payment of any distribution by us. Participants may terminate their accounts under the plan by notifying the plan administrator via its website at [l], by filling out the transaction request form located at bottom of their statement and sending it to the plan administrator at the address set forth in their statement or by calling the plan administrator at [l].

 

During each quarter, but in no event later than 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter, our transfer agent or another designated agent will mail and/or make electronically available to each participant in the dividend reinvestment plan, a statement of account describing, as to such participant, the distributions received during such quarter, the number of shares of our common stock purchased during such quarter, and the per share purchase price for such shares. Annually, as required by the Code, we will include tax information for income earned on shares under the dividend reinvestment plan on a Form 1099-DIV that is mailed to shareholders subject to IRS tax reporting. We reserve the right to amend, suspend or terminate the dividend reinvestment plan. Any distributions reinvested through the issuance of shares through our dividend reinvestment plan will increase our gross assets on which the base Management Fee is determined and paid under the Investment Advisory Agreement. [l] acts as the administrator of the dividend reinvestment plan.

 

For additional discussion regarding the tax implications of participation in the dividend reinvestment plan, see “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.” Additional information about the dividend reinvestment plan may be obtained by contacting shareholder services for Destiny Tech100 Inc. at (415) 639-9966 or 1401 Lavaca Street, #144, Austin, TX 78701.

 

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CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

a citizen or individual resident of the United States;

 

a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia;

 

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

 

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

 

A “Non-U.S. Shareholder” is a beneficial owner of our common stock that is neither a U.S. Shareholder nor a partnership for U.S. tax purposes.

 

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

 

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

 

Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company

 

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

 

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If we:

 

qualify as a RIC; and

 

satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement,

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Investment income received from sources within foreign countries, or capital gains earned by investing in securities of foreign issuers, may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. In this regard, withholding tax rates in countries with which the United States does not have a tax treaty can be as high as 35% or more. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that may entitle us to a reduced rate of tax or exemption from tax on this related income and gains. The effective rate of foreign tax cannot be determined at this time since the amount of our assets to be invested within various countries is not now known. We do not anticipate being eligible for the special election that allows a RIC to treat foreign income taxes paid by such RIC as paid by its shareholders.

 

If we purchase shares in a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, we may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by us to our shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on us in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains. If we invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Code, or QEF, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, we will be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gain of the QEF, even if such income is not distributed to us. Alternatively, we can elect to mark-to-market at the end of each taxable year our shares in a PFIC; in this case, we will recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such shares and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it does not exceed prior increases included in income. Under either election, we may be required to recognize in a year income in excess of our distributions from PFICs and our proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income will nevertheless be subject to the Annual Distribution Requirement and will be taken into account for purposes of the 4% U.S. federal excise tax. We intend to limit and/or manage our holdings in PFICs to minimize our liability for any taxes and related interest charges.

 

Income inclusions from a QEF will be “good income” for purposes of the 90% Income Test provided that they are derived in connection with our business of investing in stocks and securities or the QEF distributes such income to us in the same taxable year to which the income is included in our income.

 

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Foreign exchange gains and losses realized by us in connection with certain transactions involving non-dollar debt securities, certain foreign currency futures contracts, foreign currency option contracts, foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currencies, or payables or receivables denominated in a foreign currency are subject to Code provisions that generally treat such gains and losses as ordinary income and losses and may affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to our shareholders. Any such transactions that are not directly related to our investment in securities (possibly including speculative currency positions or currency derivatives not used for hedging purposes) could, under future Treasury regulations, produce income not among the types of “qualifying income” from which a RIC must derive at least 90% of its annual gross income.

 

In accordance with certain applicable Treasury regulations and guidance published by the IRS, a RIC may treat a distribution of its own stock as fulfilling its RIC distribution requirements if each shareholder may elect to receive his or her entire distribution in either cash or stock of the RIC, subject to a limitation that the aggregate amount of cash to be distributed to all shareholders must be at least 20% of the aggregate declared distribution. If too many shareholders elect to receive cash, the cash available for distribution must be allocated among shareholders electing to receive cash (with the balance of the distribution paid in stock). In no event will any shareholder, electing to receive cash, receive less than the lesser of (a) the portion of the distribution such shareholder elected to receive in cash, or (b) an amount equal to his or her entire distribution times the percentage limitation on cash available for distribution. If these and certain other requirements are met, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the amount of the dividend paid in stock will be equal to the amount of cash that could have been received instead of stock. We have no current intention of paying dividends in shares of our stock in accordance with these Treasury regulations or published guidance.

 

Failure to Qualify as a RIC

 

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

 

The remainder of this discussion assumes that we qualify for RIC tax treatment for each taxable year.

 

Taxation of U.S. Shareholders

 

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

 

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We may retain some or all of our realized net long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses, but designate the retained net capital gain as a “deemed distribution.” In that case, among other consequences, we will pay tax on the retained amount, each U.S. Shareholder will be required to include his, her or its share of the deemed distribution in income as if it had been actually distributed to the U.S. Shareholder, and the U.S. Shareholder will be entitled to claim a credit equal to his, her or its allocable share of the tax paid thereon by us. If the amount of tax that a U.S. Shareholder is treated as having paid exceeds the tax such shareholder owes on the capital gain distribution, such excess generally may be refunded or claimed as a credit against the U.S. Shareholder’s other U.S. federal income tax obligations. The amount of the deemed distribution net of such tax will be added to the U.S. Shareholder’s cost basis for his, her or its shares of our common stock. In order to utilize the deemed distribution approach, we must provide written notice to our shareholders prior to the expiration of 60 days after the close of the relevant taxable year. We cannot treat any of our investment company taxable income as a deemed distribution.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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In general, U.S. Shareholders taxed at individual rates currently are subject to a maximum U.S. federal income tax rate of 20% on their recognized net capital gain (i.e., the excess of recognized net long-term capital gains over recognized net short-term capital losses, subject to certain adjustments), including any long-term capital gain derived from an investment in our shares. Such rate is lower than the maximum rate on ordinary income currently payable by such U.S. Shareholders. In addition, individuals with modified adjusted gross incomes in excess of $200,000 ($250,000 in the case of married individuals filing jointly and $125,000 in the case of married individuals filing separately) and certain estates and trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on their “net investment income,” which generally includes gross income from interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, and rents, and net capital gains (other than certain amounts earned from trades or businesses), reduced by certain deductions allocable to such income. Corporate U.S. Shareholders currently are subject to U.S. federal income tax on net capital gain at the maximum 21% rate also applied to ordinary income. Non-corporate U.S. Shareholders with net capital losses for a year (i.e., capital losses in excess of capital gains) generally may deduct up to $3,000 of such losses against their ordinary income each year. Any net capital losses of a non-corporate U.S. Shareholder in excess of $3,000 generally may be carried forward and used in subsequent years as provided in the Code. Corporate U. S. Shareholders generally may not deduct any net capital losses for a year, but may carry back such losses for three years or carry forward such losses for five years.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

U.S. Shareholders that hold their common stock through foreign accounts or intermediaries will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% on dividends if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts are not satisfied.

 

A U.S. Shareholder that is a tax-exempt organization for U.S. federal income tax purposes and therefore generally exempt from U.S. federal income taxation may nevertheless be subject to taxation to the extent that it is considered to derive unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”).

 

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

 

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Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Under our reinvestment of dividends policy, if a Non-U.S. Shareholder owns shares of our common stock registered in its own name, the Non-U.S. Shareholder will have all cash distributions automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock unless the Non-U.S. Shareholder opts out of the reinvestment of dividends by delivering a written notice to our dividend paying agent prior to the record date of the next dividend or distribution. If the distribution is a distribution of our investment company taxable income, is not reported by us as a short-term capital gains dividend or interest-related dividend and it is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the Non-U.S. Shareholder (or, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is not attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment of the Non-U.S. Shareholder), the amount distributed (to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits) will be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate (or lower rate provided by an applicable treaty) and only the net after-tax amount will be reinvested in our common stock. The Non-U.S. Shareholder will have an adjusted basis in the additional shares of common stock purchased through the reinvestment equal to the amount reinvested. The additional shares will have a new holding period commencing on the day following the day on which the shares are credited to the Non-U.S. Shareholder’s account.

 

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

 

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

 

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We must generally report to our Non-U. S. Shareholders and the IRS the amount of dividends paid during each calendar year and the amount of any tax withheld. Information reporting requirements may apply even if no withholding was required because the distributions were effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Shareholder’s conduct of a United States trade or business or withholding was reduced or eliminated by an applicable income tax treaty. This information also may be made available under a specific treaty or agreement with the tax authorities in the country in which the Non-U.S. Shareholder resides or is established. Under U.S. federal income tax law, interest, dividends and other reportable payments may, under certain circumstances, be subject to “backup withholding” at the then applicable rate (currently 24%). Backup withholding, however, generally will not apply to distributions to a Non-U.S. Shareholder of our common stock, provided the Non-U.S. Shareholder furnishes to us the required certification as to its non-U.S. status, such as by providing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, or IRS Form W-8ECI, or certain other requirements are met. Backup withholding is not an additional tax but can be credited against a Non-U.S. Shareholder’s federal income tax, and may be refunded to the extent it results in an overpayment of tax and the appropriate information is timely supplied to the IRS.

 

Legislation commonly referred to as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act,” or “FATCA,” generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on payments of certain types of income to foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”) unless such FFIs either (i) enter into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to report certain required information with respect to accounts held by U.S. persons (or held by foreign entities that have U.S. persons as substantial owners) or (ii) reside in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement (“IGA”) with the United States to collect and share such information and are in compliance with the terms of such IGA and any related laws or regulations implementing such IGA. The types of income subject to the tax include U.S. source interest and dividends. While existing U.S. Treasury regulations would also require withholding on payments of the gross proceeds from the sale of any property that could produce U.S. source interest or dividends, the U.S. Treasury Department has indicated its intent to eliminate this requirement in subsequent proposed regulations, which state that taxpayers may rely on the proposed regulations until final regulations on issued. The information required to be reported includes the identity and taxpayer identification number of each account holder that is a U.S. person and certain transaction activity within the holder’s account. In addition, subject to certain exceptions, this legislation also imposes a 30% withholding on payments to a foreign entity that is not a financial institution unless the foreign entity certifies that it does not have a greater than 10% U.S. owner or provides the withholding agent with identifying information on each greater than 10% U.S. owner. Depending on the status of a Non-U.S. Shareholder and the status of the intermediaries through which they hold their shares, Non-U.S. Shareholders could be subject to this 30% withholding tax with respect to distributions on their shares and potentially proceeds from the sale of their shares. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S. Shareholder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such taxes.

 

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

 

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SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

 

This prospectus covers the resale by the Selling Stockholders of up to an aggregate of [l] shares of common stock, which includes [l] shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of an aggregate of [l] shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants by the Selling Stockholders.

  

The private offering by which the Selling Stockholders acquired their securities from us was exempt from the registration provisions of the Securities Act. We received gross proceeds of $[l] from the closing of the private offering.

 

The Selling Stockholders may sell some, all or none of their shares. We do not know how long the Selling Stockholders will hold the shares before selling them, and, except for the lockup restrictions agreed to by the Selling Stockholders who received their shares upon the SAFE Conversion, we currently have no agreements, arrangements or understandings with the Selling Stockholders regarding the sale of any of the shares.

 

The following table sets forth the shares beneficially owned, as of [l], 2022, by the Selling Stockholders prior to the offering contemplated by this prospectus, the number of shares that the Selling Stockholders may offer and sell from time to time under this prospectus and the number of shares which the Selling Stockholders would own beneficially if all such offered shares are sold. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act. The percentage of shares beneficially owned prior to the offering is based on [l] shares of our common stock outstanding as of [l], 2022.

 

None of the Selling Stockholders are a registered broker-dealer or an affiliate of a registered broker-dealer. None of the Selling Stockholders nor any of their respective affiliates have held a position or office, or had any other material relationship, with us or any of our predecessors or affiliates. With the exception of the Selling Stockholders that will be engaged in the distribution of shares described under “—Sponsor’s Share Distribution” described below, the Selling Stockholders have acquired their shares solely for investment purposes and not with a view to or for resale or distribution of such securities.

 

Selling Stockholder  

Beneficial

Ownership

Before the

Offering

   

Number of

Shares

Being
Offered

    Beneficial
Ownership After
the Offering
   

Percentage of

Ownership
After the
Offering

 
                         
Destiny XYZ Inc.                                
                                 
                                 

 

 

* Less than 1%

 

Material Relationships with Selling Stockholders

 

Other than in connection with the transactions described below, we have not had any material relationships with the Selling Stockholders in the last three (3) years.

 

Sponsor’s Share Distribution

 

Immediately following the effectiveness of this registration statement on Form N-2, Destiny XYZ Inc., which is majority-owned by Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam, intends to distribute an aggregate of [_____] shares of its common stock registered by this registration statement for no consideration to a limited number of individuals. The distribution of such shares by Destiny XYZ Inc. will constitute underwriting activities, and, therefore, Destiny XYZ Inc. and each of Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam will be deemed to be “underwriters” as defined by Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Because Destiny XYZ Inc. and Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam will be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, they will be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, including Rule 172 thereunder.

 

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None of Destiny XYZ Inc. or Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam will receive any commissions or other payments or fees in connection with the distribution of our shares.

 

We have advised Destiny XYZ Inc. and Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam that they are required to comply with Regulation M promulgated under the Exchange Act. With certain exceptions, Regulation M precludes Destiny XYZ Inc. and Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam from bidding for or purchasing, or attempting to induce any person to bid for or purchase any security which is the subject of the distribution until the entire distribution is complete. Regulation M also prohibits any bids or purchases made in order to stabilize the price of a security in connection with the distribution of that security. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the securities offered by this prospectus.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

The Selling Stockholders and any of their respective pledgees, assignees and successors-in-interest may, from time to time, sell any or all of their securities covered hereby on the NYSE or any other trading market, stock exchange or other trading facility on which the securities are traded or in private transactions. These sales may be at fixed or negotiated prices. The Selling Stockholders may use any one or more of the following methods when selling securities:

 

·ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers;

 

·block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the securities as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

 

·purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account;

 

·an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange;

 

·privately negotiated transactions;

 

·settlement of short sales;

 

·in transactions through broker-dealers that agree with the Selling Stockholders to sell a specified number of such securities at a stipulated price per security;

 

·through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether through an options exchange or otherwise;

 

·a combination of any such methods of sale; or

 

·any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.

 

The Selling Stockholders may also sell securities under Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, rather than under this prospectus.

 

Broker-dealers engaged by the Selling Stockholders may arrange for other brokers-dealers to participate in sales. Broker-dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the Selling Stockholders (or, if any broker-dealer acts as agent for the purchaser of securities, from the purchaser) in amounts to be negotiated, but, except as set forth in a supplement to this prospectus, in the case of an agency transaction not in excess of a customary brokerage commission in compliance with FINRA Rule 2440; and in the case of a principal transaction a markup or markdown in compliance with FINRA IM-2440.

 

In connection with the sale of the securities covered hereby, the Selling Stockholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the securities in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The Selling Stockholders may also sell securities short and deliver these securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the securities to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The Selling Stockholders may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or create one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of securities offered by this prospectus, which securities such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).

 

The Selling Stockholders and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in selling the securities may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. In such event, any commissions received by such broker-dealers or agents and any profit on the resale of the securities purchased by them may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. We are requesting that each Selling Stockholder inform us that it does not have any written or oral agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the securities. We will pay certain fees and expenses incurred by us incident to the registration of the securities.

 

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Because the Selling Stockholders may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, they will be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, including Rule 172 thereunder. In addition, any securities covered by this prospectus which qualify for sale pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act may be sold under Rule 144 rather than under this prospectus. We are requesting that each Selling Stockholder confirm that there is no underwriter or coordinating broker acting in connection with the proposed sale of the resale securities by the Selling Stockholder.

 

We intend to keep this prospectus effective until the earlier of (i) the date on which the securities may be resold by the Selling Stockholders without registration and without regard to any volume or manner-of-sale limitations by reason of Rule 144, without the requirement for us to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect or (ii) all of the securities have been sold pursuant to this prospectus or Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect. The resale securities will be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers if required under applicable state securities laws. In addition, in certain states, the resale securities covered hereby may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.

 

Under applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, any person engaged in the distribution of the resale securities may not simultaneously engage in market making activities with respect to the Company’s common stock for the applicable restricted period, as defined in Regulation M, prior to the commencement of the distribution. In addition, the selling stockholders will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of our common stock by the selling stockholders or any other person. We will make copies of this prospectus available to the selling stockholders and are informing the selling stockholders of the need to deliver a copy of this prospectus to each purchaser at or prior to the time of the sale (including by compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act).

 

Sponsor’s Share Distribution

 

Immediately following the effectiveness of this registration statement on Form N-2, Destiny XYZ Inc., which is majority-owned by Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam, intends to distribute an aggregate of [_____] shares of its common stock registered by this registration statement for no consideration to a limited number of individuals. The distribution of such shares by Destiny XYZ Inc. will constitute underwriting activities, and, therefore, Destiny XYZ Inc. and each of Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam will be deemed to be “underwriters” as defined by Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Because Destiny XYZ Inc. and Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam will be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, they will be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, including Rule 172 thereunder.

 

None of Destiny XYZ Inc. or Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam will receive any commissions or other payments or fees in connection with the distribution of our shares.

 

We have advised Destiny XYZ Inc. and Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam that they are required to comply with Regulation M promulgated under the Exchange Act. With certain exceptions, Regulation M precludes Destiny XYZ Inc. and Messrs. Prasad and Ramadurgam from bidding for or purchasing, or attempting to induce any person to bid for or purchase any security which is the subject of the distribution until the entire distribution is complete. Regulation M also prohibits any bids or purchases made in order to stabilize the price of a security in connection with the distribution of that security. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the securities offered by this prospectus.

 

Lock-Up Provisions

 

Selling Stockholders who acquired shares of our common stock in connection with the SAFE Conversion (the “Lock-Up Shares”) are subject to limitations on their ability to offer, sell or otherwise dispose of the Lock-Up Shares during the “Lock-Up Period” as defined below. Specifically, during the Lock-Up Period, each of the Selling Stockholders that acquired Lock-Up Shares have agreed, with certain limited exceptions, not to directly or indirectly:

 

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·offer, pledge, sell or contract to sell any common stock;

 

·sell any option or warrant to purchase any common stock;

 

·purchase any option or warrant to sell any common stock;

 

·grant any option or warrant for the sale of any common stock;

 

·lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of any common stock;

 

·exercise any right with respect to the registration of any common stock or other securities; or

 

·enter into any swap or other agreement or transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of any common stock whether any such swap, agreement or transaction is to be settled by the delivery of shares of common stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise.

 

Immediately following the date our shares are listed for trading on the NYSE, 25% of the Lock-Up Shares will be freely transferable and not subject to the lock-up provisions set forth above. The “Lock-Up Period” for the remaining Lock-Up Shares is

 

·with respect to the first 33.33% of the remaining Lock-Up Shares, 60 days after the date our shares are listed for trading on the NYSE,
·with respect to an additional 33.33% of the remaining Lock-Up Shares, 120 days after the date our shares are listed for trading on the NYSE, and
·with respect to the last 33.33% of the remaining Lock-Up Shares, 180 days after the date our shares are listed for trading on the NYSE.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our shares equals or exceeds $15.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for a 30-day period after our shares are listed for trading on the NYSE, 50% of the remaining Lock-Up Shares as of such date shall be released from the lock-up provisions set forth herein.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK

 

The following description is based on relevant portions of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”) and on our Articles of Amendment and Restatement (the “Charter”) and our Bylaws (“Bylaws”). This summary may not contain all of the information that is important to you, and we refer you to the MGCL and our Charter and Bylaws for a more detailed description of the provisions summarized below.

 

General

 

Under the terms of our Charter, our authorized capital stock consists of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, and no shares of preferred stock, par value $0.00001 per share. There are no outstanding options or warrants to purchase our stock. Under Maryland law, our shareholders generally are not personally liable for our debts or obligations. Under our Charter, the Board is authorized to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of stock into other classes or series of stock and authorize the issuance of the shares of stock without obtaining shareholder approval. As permitted by the MGCL, our Charter provides that the Board, without any action by our shareholders, may amend the Charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we have authority to issue.

 

The following presents our outstanding classes of securities as of April 30, 2022:

 

Title of Class   Amount
Authorized
  Amount Held by
Us or for Our
Account
  Amount
Outstanding
Exclusive of
Amount Held by
Us or for Our
Account
Common Stock   500,000,000     [l]

 

Common Stock

 

All shares of our common stock will have equal rights as to earnings, assets, voting, and distributions and other distributions and, when they are issued, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Distributions may be paid to the holders of our common stock if, as and when authorized by the Board and declared by us out of funds legally available therefor. The shares of our common stock have no preemptive, exchange, conversion or redemption rights and are freely transferable, except where their transfer is restricted by federal and state securities laws or by contract. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, each share of our common stock would be entitled to share ratably in all of our assets that are legally available for distribution after we pay all debts and other liabilities and subject to any preferential rights of holders of our preferred stock, if any preferred stock is outstanding at such time. Each share of our common stock is entitled to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, including the election of directors. Except as provided with respect to any other class or series of stock, the holders of our common stock possess exclusive voting power.

 

Preferred Stock

 

Our charter authorizes our Board to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of stock into other classes or series of stock, including preferred stock. The cost of any such reclassification would be borne by our existing common stockholders. Prior to issuance of shares of each class or series, our Board is required by Maryland law and by our charter to set the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for each class or series. Thus, our Board could authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock with terms and conditions which could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for holders of our common stock or otherwise be in their best interest. You should note, however, that any issuance of preferred stock must comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act requires, among other things, that (1) immediately after issuance and before any dividend or other distribution is made with respect to our common stock and before any purchase of common stock is made, such preferred stock together with all other senior securities must not exceed an amount equal to 50% of our gross assets after deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution or purchase price, as the case may be, and (2) the holders of shares of preferred stock, if any are issued, must be entitled as a class to elect two directors at all times and to elect a majority of the directors if dividends on such preferred stock are in arrears by two full years or more. Certain matters under the 1940 Act require the separate vote of the holders of any issued and outstanding preferred stock. We believe that the availability for issuance of preferred stock will provide us with increased flexibility in structuring future financings and acquisitions. However, we do not currently have any plans to issue preferred stock.

 

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Limitation on Liability of Directors and Officers; Indemnification and Advance of Expenses

 

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

 

Our Charter authorizes us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law and subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act, to indemnify any present or former director or officer or any individual who, while serving as our director or officer and at our request, serves or has served another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise as a director, officer, partner or trustee, from and against any claim or liability to which that person may become subject or which that person may incur by reason of his or her service in any such capacity and to pay or reimburse their reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding. Our Bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law and subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act, to indemnify any present or former director or officer or any individual who, while serving as our director or officer and at our request, serves or has served another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise as a director, officer, partner or trustee and who is made, or threatened to be made, a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity from and against any claim or liability to which that person may become subject or which that person may incur by reason of his or her service in any such capacity and to pay or reimburse his or her reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding. Our Bylaws also provide that, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, with the approval of the Board and provided that certain conditions described in our Bylaws are met, we may pay certain expenses incurred by any such indemnified person in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such indemnified person to repay amounts we have so paid if it is ultimately determined that indemnification of such expenses is not authorized under our Bylaws. In accordance with the 1940 Act, we will not indemnify any person for any liability to which such person would be subject by reason of such person’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

 

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

 

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We have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers. The indemnification agreements provide our directors and executive officers the maximum indemnification permitted under Maryland law and the 1940 Act as of the date of such agreements.

 

Our insurance policy does not currently provide coverage for claims, liabilities and expenses that may arise out of activities that our present or former directors or officers have performed for another entity at our request. There is no assurance that such entities will in fact carry such insurance. However, we note that we do not expect to request our present or former directors or officers to serve another entity as a director, officer, partner or trustee unless we can obtain insurance providing coverage for such persons for any claims, liabilities or expenses that may arise out of their activities while serving in such capacities.

 

Certain Provisions of the MGCL and Our Charter and Bylaws; Anti-Takeover Measures

 

The MGCL and our Charter and Bylaws contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a potential acquirer to acquire us by means of a tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. These provisions are expected to discourage certain coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to negotiate first with the Board. These measures may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in the best interests of our shareholders. These provisions could have the effect of depriving shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control over us. Such attempts could have the effect of increasing our expenses and disrupting our normal operations. We believe that the benefits of these provisions outweigh the potential disadvantages of discouraging any such acquisition proposals because, among other things, the negotiation of such proposals may improve their terms. Our Board has considered these provisions and has determined that the provisions are in the best interests of us and our shareholders generally.

 

Classified Board of Directors

 

The Board is divided into three classes of directors serving staggered three-year terms. Directors of each class are elected to serve for three-year terms and until their successors are duly elected and qualify and each year one class of directors is elected by the shareholders. A classified board may render a change in control of us or removal of our incumbent management more difficult. We believe, however, that the longer time required to elect a majority of a classified Board will help to ensure the continuity and stability of our management and policies.

 

Election of Directors

 

Our Charter and Bylaws provide that, subject to the special rights of the holders of any class or series of preferred stock to elect directors, each director is elected by a plurality of the votes cast with respect to such director’s election. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors. Pursuant to our Charter, the Board may amend the Bylaws to alter the vote required to elect directors.

 

Number of Directors; Vacancies; Removal

 

Our Charter provides that the number of directors will be set by the Board in accordance with our Bylaws. Our Bylaws provide that a majority of our entire Board may at any time increase or decrease the number of directors. However, unless our Bylaws are amended, the number of directors may never be less the minimum number required by the MGCL or greater than eleven. Our Charter provides that, at such time as we have at least three independent directors and our common stock is registered under the Exchange Act, we elect to be subject to the provision of Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL regarding the filling of vacancies on the Board. Accordingly, at such time, except as may be provided by the Board in setting the terms of any class or series of preferred stock, any and all vacancies on the Board may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors in office, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and any director elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred and until a successor is elected and qualifies, subject to any applicable requirements of the 1940 Act.

 

Our Charter provides that a director may be removed only for cause, as defined in our Charter, and then only by the affirmative vote of at least three-fourths of the votes entitled to be cast in the election of directors.

 

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Action by Shareholders

 

Under the MGCL, shareholder action can be taken only at an annual or special meeting of shareholders or by unanimous written consent in lieu of a meeting (unless the charter provides for shareholder action by less than unanimous written consent, which our Charter does not). These provisions, combined with the requirements of our Bylaws regarding the calling of a shareholder-requested special meeting of shareholders discussed below, may have the effect of delaying consideration of a shareholder proposal indefinitely.

 

Advance Notice Provisions for Shareholder Nominations and Shareholder Proposals

 

Our Bylaws provide that with respect to an annual meeting of shareholders, nominations of persons for election to the Board and the proposal of business to be considered by shareholders may be made only (1) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (2) by the Board or (3) by a shareholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has complied with the advance notice procedures of our Bylaws. With respect to special meetings of shareholders, only the business specified in our notice of the meeting may be brought before the meeting. Nominations of persons for election to the Board at a special meeting may be made only (1) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (2) by the Board or (3) provided that the Board has determined that directors will be elected at the meeting, by a shareholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has complied with the advance notice provisions of the Bylaws.

 

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

 

Calling of Special Meetings of Shareholders

 

Our Bylaws provide that special meetings of shareholders may be called by the Board and certain of our officers. Additionally, our Bylaws provide that, subject to the satisfaction of certain procedural and informational requirements by the shareholders requesting the meeting, a special meeting of shareholders will be called by the secretary of the corporation upon the written request of shareholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting.

 

Approval of Extraordinary Corporate Action; Amendment of Charter and Bylaws

 

Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, amend its charter, merge, sell all or substantially all of its assets, engage in a share exchange or engage in similar transactions outside the ordinary course of business, unless approved by the affirmative vote of shareholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. However, a Maryland corporation may provide in its charter for approval of these matters by a lesser percentage, but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Our Charter generally provides for approval of charter amendments and extraordinary transactions by the shareholders entitled to cast at least a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Our Charter also provides that certain charter amendments, any proposal for our conversion, whether by charter amendment, merger or otherwise, from a closed-end company to an open-end company and any proposal for our liquidation or dissolution requires the approval of the shareholders entitled to cast at least 80% of the votes entitled to be cast on such matter. However, if such amendment or proposal is approved by 75% or more of our continuing directors (in addition to approval by the Board), such amendment or proposal may be approved by a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on such a matter. The “continuing directors” are defined in our Charter as (1) our current directors, (2) those directors whose nomination for election by the shareholders or whose election by the directors to fill vacancies is approved by a majority of our current directors then on the Board or (3) any successor directors whose nomination for election by the shareholders or whose election by the directors to fill vacancies is approved by a majority of continuing directors or the successor continuing directors then in office.

 

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Our Charter and Bylaws provide that the Board will have the exclusive power to adopt, alter, amend or repeal any provision of our Bylaws and to make new Bylaws.

 

No Appraisal Rights

 

Except with respect to appraisal rights arising in connection with the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act discussed below, as permitted by the MGCL, our Charter provides that shareholders will not be entitled to exercise appraisal rights unless a majority of the Board determines such rights apply.

 

Control Share Acquisitions

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

a majority or more of all voting power.

 

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

 

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

 

If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then the corporation may redeem for fair value any or all of the control shares, except those for which voting rights have previously been approved. The right of the corporation to redeem control shares is subject to certain conditions and limitations, including, as provided in our Bylaws, compliance with the 1940 Act. Fair value is determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or of any meeting of shareholders at which the voting rights of the shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a shareholders meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other shareholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquirer in the control share acquisition.

 

The Control Share Acquisition Act does not apply (a) to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or (b) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation. Our Bylaws contain a provision exempting from the Control Share Acquisition Act any and all acquisitions by any person of our shares of stock. We can offer no assurance that such provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future. However, we will amend our bylaws to be subject to the Control Share Acquisition Act only if the Board determines that it would be in our best interests, including in light of the Board’s fiduciary obligations, applicable federal and state laws, and the particular facts and circumstances surrounding the Board’s decision.

 

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Business Combinations

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the corporation and an interested shareholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

 

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

 

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

 

These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporation’s common shareholders receive a minimum price, as defined under Maryland law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested shareholder for its shares.

 

The statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors before the time that the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. The Board has adopted a resolution that any business combination between us and any other person is exempted from the provisions of the Business Combination Act, provided that the business combination is first approved by the Board, including a majority of the directors who are not interested persons as defined in the 1940 Act. This resolution may be altered or repealed in whole or in part at any time. However, the Board will adopt resolutions so as to make us subject to the provisions of the Business Combination Act only if the Board determines that it would be in our best interests and if the SEC staff does not object to our determination that our being subject to the Business Combination Act does not conflict with the 1940 Act. If this resolution is repealed, or the Board does not otherwise approve a business combination, the statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer.

 

Conflict with the 1940 Act

 

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

 

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Exclusive Forum

 

Our Bylaws require that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Circuit Court for Baltimore City (or, if that Court does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division) shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any standard of conduct or legal duty owed by any of the Company’s director, officer or other agent to the Company or to its stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the MGCL or the Charter or the Bylaws (as either may be amended from time to time), or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This exclusive forum selection provision in our Bylaws does not apply to claims arising under the federal securities laws, including the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.

 

There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a provision, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. In addition, this provision may increase costs for stockholders in bringing a claim against us or our directors, officers or other agents. Any investor purchasing or otherwise acquiring our shares is deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing provision.

 

The exclusive forum selection provision in our Bylaws may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other agents, which may discourage lawsuits against us and such persons. It is also possible that, notwithstanding such exclusive forum selection provision, a court could rule that such provision is inapplicable or unenforceable.

 

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CUSTODIAN, TRANSFER AND DIVIDEND PAYING AGENT AND REGISTRAR

 

Our securities are held by U.S. Bank, N.A. pursuant to a custodian agreement. The principal business address of U.S. Bank, N.A. is U.S. Bank Tower, 425 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC will serve as our transfer agent, distribution paying agent and registrar. The principal business address of U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

The validity of the common stock offered hereby and certain legal matters for us in connection with the offering will be passed upon for us by Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP. Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP also represents the Adviser.

 

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

The financial statements for the Company have been included herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the report of [l], our independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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AVAILABLE INFORMATION

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form N-2, together with all amendments and related exhibits, under the Securities Act, with respect to the shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus. The registration statement contains additional information about us and the shares of our common stock being offered by this prospectus.

 

We file with or submit to the SEC annual, semi-annual, and monthly reports, proxy statements and other information meeting the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and the 1940 Act. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information filed electronically by us with the SEC which are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. This information will also be available free of charge by contacting us at Destiny Tech100 Inc., Attention: Mr. Sohail Prasad, by telephone at (415) 639-9966, or on our website at [l].

 

Privacy Policy

 

Your privacy is very important to us. This Privacy Notice sets forth our policies with respect to non-public personal information about our stockholders and prospective and former stockholders. These policies apply to stockholders in our Company and may be changed at any time, provided a notice of such change is given to you.

 

You may provide us with personal information, such as your name, address, e-mail address, social security and/or tax identification number, assets and/or income information: (i) in a trading confirmation or other related account or transaction documentation; (ii) in correspondence and conversations with us and our representatives; and (iii) through transactions in the Company.

 

We do not disclose any of this non-public personal information about our stockholders, or prospective or former stockholders to anyone, other than to our affiliates, such as our investment adviser, and to certain service providers such as our accountants, attorneys, auditors and brokers in each case, only as necessary to facilitate the acceptance and management of your investment or account and our relationship with you, and to regulators and otherwise as permitted by applicable law. We will comply with all federal and state laws regarding the protection of consumer information.

 

We will also release information about you if you direct us to do so, if compelled to do so by law, or in connection with any government or self-regulatory organization request or investigation. For example, it may be necessary, under anti-money laundering and similar laws, to disclose information about stockholders in order to accept investments from and provide reports to them.

 

We seek to carefully safeguard your private information and, to that end, restrict access to non-public personal information about you to those employees and other persons who need to know the information to enable us to provide services to you. We also maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect your non-public personal information.

 

If you have any questions regarding this policy or the treatment of your non-public personal information, please contact our Chief Compliance Officer at cory@destiny.xyz.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES   S-3
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES   S-4
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY   S-5
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST   S-12
CLOSED-END FUND STRUCTURE   S-14
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS   S-14
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE   S-15

 

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DESTINY TECH100 INC.

 

Shares of Common Stock

 

 

 

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

 

            , 2022

 

Until         , 2022 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), federal securities laws may require all dealers that effect transactions in our common stock to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

 

   

 

  

The information in this preliminary statement of additional information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary statement of additional information is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED MAY 12, 2022

 

 

Destiny Tech100 Inc.

 

      Shares of Common Stock

 

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

Destiny Tech100 Inc. (the “Company”) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with no operating history. This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) relating to shares of common stock does not constitute a prospectus, but should be read in conjunction with the prospectus relating thereto dated ________, 2022. This SAI, which is not a prospectus, does not include all information that a prospective investor should consider before purchasing common shares, and investors should obtain and read the prospectus prior to purchasing such shares. A copy of the prospectus may be obtained without charge by calling (415) 639-9966. You may also obtain a copy of the prospectus on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) website (http://www.sec.gov). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this SAI have the meanings ascribed to them in the prospectus.

 

References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no-action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

 

This Statement of Additional Information is dated ________, 2022.

 

 S-1 

 

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES   S-3
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES   S-4
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY   S-5
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST   S-12
CLOSED-END FUND STRUCTURE   S-14
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS   S-14
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE   S-15

 

 S-2 

 

  

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES

 

Investment Restrictions

 

Our investment objective and our investment policies and strategies described in this prospectus, except for the seven investment restrictions designated as fundamental policies under this caption, are not fundamental and may be changed by the Board without stockholder approval.

 

As referred to above, the following seven investment restrictions are designated as fundamental policies and as such cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities:

 

1.We may not borrow money, except as permitted by (i) the 1940 Act, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction;

 

2.We may not engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by others, except to the extent that we may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities;

 

3.We may not purchase or sell physical commodities or contracts for the purchase or sale of physical commodities. Physical commodities do not include futures contracts with respect to securities, securities indices, currency or other financial instruments;

 

4.We may not purchase or sell real estate, which term does not include securities of companies which deal in real estate or mortgages or investments secured by real estate or interests therein, except that we reserve freedom of action to hold and to sell real estate acquired as a result of our ownership of securities;

 

5.We may not make loans, except to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction;

 

6.We may not issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, the SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction; and

 

7.Concentrate our investments in a particular industry, as that term is used in the Investment Company Act, except that we will concentrate our investments in companies operating in one or more industries within the technology group of industries.

 

 S-3 

 

  

The latter part of certain of our fundamental investment restrictions (i.e., the references to “except to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, the SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction”) provides us with flexibility to change our limitations in connection with changes in applicable law, rules, regulations or exemptive relief. The language used in these restrictions provides the necessary flexibility to allow our Board to respond efficiently to these kinds of developments without the delay and expense of a stockholder meeting.

 

Whenever an investment policy or investment restriction set forth in this prospectus states a maximum percentage of assets that may be invested in any security or other asset or describes a policy regarding quality standards, such percentage limitation or standard shall be determined immediately after and as a result of our acquisition of such security or asset. Accordingly, any later increase or decrease resulting from a change in values, assets or other circumstances or any subsequent rating change made by a rating agency (or as determined by the Adviser if the security is not rated by a rating agency) will not compel us to dispose of such security or other asset. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we must always be in compliance with the borrowing policies set forth above.

 

Non-Fundamental Policy: We will not change our policy of investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of our total assets in equity and equity-linked securities of companies principally engaged in the technology sector unless we provide shareholders at least 60 days’ written notice before implementation of the change in compliance with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules.

 

INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES

 

The following information supplements the discussion of our investment objective, policies and techniques that are described in the prospectus. We may invest in the following instruments and use the following investment techniques, subject to any limitations set forth in the prospectus. There is no guarantee we will acquire all of the types of securities or use all of the investment techniques that are described herein.

 

Transitional or restructuring situations

 

We may invest in companies involved in (or that are the target of) acquisition attempts or tender offers or in companies involved in work-outs, liquidations, spin-offs, reorganizations, bankruptcies, refinancing and similar circumstances involving material changes or events. In any investment opportunity involving any such type of transitional or restructuring situation, there exists the risk that the contemplated transaction or event will be unsuccessful, take considerable time or result in a distribution of cash or a new security the value of which is less than the purchase price of the original security or other financial instrument. Similarly, if an anticipated transaction or reorganization or event does not in fact occur, we may be required to sell our investment at a loss.

 

Convertible Securities

 

A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock or other equity security of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to nonconvertible income securities in that they ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower yields than comparable nonconvertible securities. The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors also may have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible securities. Convertible securities may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument.

 

 S-4 

 

  

MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY

 

Our Board of Directors

 

Board Composition

 

Our Board currently consists of three members but is expected to be expanded to five prior to the listing of our shares on the NYSE. The Board is divided into three classes, with the members of each class serving staggered, three-year terms; however, the initial members of the three classes have initial terms of one, two and three years, respectively. The terms of our Class I directors will expire at the 2023 annual meeting of shareholders; the terms of our Class II directors will expire at the 2024 annual meeting of shareholders; and the terms of our Class III directors will expire at the 2025 annual meeting of shareholders.

 

Travis Mason serves as a Class I director (with a term expiring in 2023). Eric Patterson serves as a Class II director (with a term expiring in 2024). Sohail Prasad serves as a Class III director (with a term expiring in 2025).

 

Independent Directors

 

Pursuant to the Company’s Charter, a majority of the Board will consist of directors who are not “interested persons” of the Company, of the Adviser, or of any of their respective affiliates, as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act (“independent directors”).

 

Consistent with these considerations, after review of all relevant transactions and relationships between each director, or any of his or her family members, and the Company, the Adviser, or of any of their respective affiliates, the Board has determined that Travis Mason, Eric Patterson and [l] qualify as independent directors. Each director who serves on the Audit Committee is an independent director for purposes of Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act.

 

Interested Directors

 

Sohail Prasad is considered an “interested person” (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) of the Company since he has an ownership interest in the Adviser.

 

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

 

Overall responsibility for our oversight rests with the Board. We have entered into the Investment Advisory Agreement pursuant to which the Adviser will manage the Company on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Adviser and our other service providers in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable provisions of state and other laws and our charter. The Board is currently composed of three members, two of whom are independent directors. The Board is expected to be expanded to five members prior to the listing of our shares on the NYSE. The Board meets at regularly scheduled quarterly meetings each year. In addition, the Board may hold special in-person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. As described below, the Board has established a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, a Compensation Committee and an Audit Committee, and may establish ad hoc committees or working groups from time to time, to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities.

 

The Board has appointed Sohail Prasad to serve in the role of Chairman of the Board. Mr. Prasad is considered an interested director because he is an officer of the Company and controls the Adviser. The Chairman’s role is to preside at all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with the Adviser, counsel and other directors generally between meetings. The Chairman serves as a key point person for dealings between management and the directors. The Chairman also may perform such other functions as may be delegated by the Board from time to time. The Board reviews matters related to its leadership structure annually. The Board believes that Mr. Prasad’s history with the Company, familiarity with the Adviser’s investment platform and extensive experience investing in and managing early-stage investments qualifies him to serve as Chairman of the Board. The Board does not have a lead independent director. However, Mr. Patterson, the chair of the Audit Committee, is an independent director and acts as a liaison between the independent directors and management between meetings of the Board and is involved in the preparation of agendas for Board and committee meetings. The Board believes that its leadership structure is appropriate in light of the Company’s characteristics and circumstances because the structure allocates areas of responsibility among the individual directors and the committees in a manner that encourages effective oversight. The Board also believes that its size creates a highly efficient governance structure that provides ample opportunity for direct communication and interaction between the Adviser and the Board.

 

 S-5 

 

  

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

 

Biographical Information

 

Brief biographies of our executive officers and directors are set forth below. Also included below following each biography is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that led our Board to conclude that the applicable director should serve on our Board at this time.

 

Name and Year of
Birth
    Position(s) Held
(Length of Service)
  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years
Expiration of
Term
  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Director
Other
Directorships
Held by
Director
Independent Directors                  
Travis Mason     Director  

Operating Partner, 776 Fund Management (2021 – present)

 

Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2020 – 2021)

 

Vice President, Certification and Regulation, Airbus (2017 – 2020)

2023   1 None
Eric Patterson     Director  

Managing Member and Chief Investment Officer, Three Bell Capital LLC

2024   1 None
[l]     Director            
Interested Directors                  
Sohail Prasad     Chief Executive Officer  

Chief Executive Officer, Forge (2014 to 2018) 

 

S2 Capital, Founding Partner

2025  

1

None
Executive Officers                  
Ethan Silver     Chief Operating Officer            
Peter Sattelmair     Chief Financial Officer  

Director, PINE Advisor Solutions

 

Director of Fund Operations and Assistant Treasurer, TransAmerica Asset Management (2015-2022)

       
Cory Gossard     Chief Compliance Officer  

Director, PINE Advisor Solutions 

 

Chief Compliance Officer, SS&C ALPS

       

 

 S-6 

 

  

Independent Directors

 

Travis Mason. Mr. Mason currently serves as Operating Partner of 776 Fund Management, a venture capital firm. Mr. Mason has 12 years of experience helping entrepreneurs navigate regulatory and public policy barriers to bring future technologies to market throughout North America, Europe, South America and Asia. Before Seven Seven Six, Mr. Mason served as a Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from 2020 to 2021. Prior to that, from 2017 to 2020, Mr. Mason served as Vice President, Certification and Regulation, at Airbus, leading global policy for the company’s emerging technology investments in autonomous air taxis, unmanned aircraft and urban air mobility. Prior to Airbus, Mr. Mason worked at Alphabet’s Google X and Google on the engineering and public policy teams to help bring technologies like drone delivery and autonomous vehicles to market.

 

Eric Patterson. Mr. Patterson has served as Managing member and Chief Investment Officer of Three Bell Capital LLC since 2012. Prior to founding Three Bell Capital, Mr. Patterson worked in strategy and research focused on various asset classes including public equities, public fixed income, hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital.

 

Mr. Patterson has previously advised a number of private funds in various asset classes as well as served on the board of the YMCA of Silicon Valley.

 

Mr. Patterson earned a Bachelors in Finance and Economics from San Diego State University and is a CAIA Charterholder.

 

Interested Directors

 

Sohail Prasad. Mr. Prasad is our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and is Founder, Chairman, & Chief Executive Officer of Destiny XYZ Inc. Prior to founding Destiny, Mr. Prasad founded and served as CEO of Forge (NYSE:FRGE), a global private securities marketplace building trading, custody, and data infrastructure to meet the needs of high-growth unicorn companies, employees, and investors. In March 2022, Forge became the first dedicated trading platform for private shares to become a public company. As an eighteen-year-old, Mr. Prasad was among the youngest founders to go through Y Combinator, a start-up accelerator, and was later named a Thiel Fellow by the Thiel Foundation. Over the years, Mr. Prasad has advised and invested in over 200 startups, including as seed investor in notable startups such as Rippling, Rappi, Notion, Retool, Vise, Mercury, and Superhuman. He continues to invest in early stage technology companies through S2 Capital and serves as its Founding Partner. Prior to founding Forge, Mr. Prasad held roles in product management at Zynga, as an early engineer at mobile advertising firm Chartboost, and various other roles at Google and the MIT Media Lab. Mr. Prasad attended Carnegie Mellon University where he studied Electrical & Computer Engineering before dropping out.

 

We believe Mr. Prasad is well qualified to serve as a director due to his deep expertise with investments in rapidly growing venture-capital-backed emerging companies and his contacts and business experience, including his experience with Forge.

 

Communications with Directors

 

Shareholders and other interested parties may contact any member (or all members) of the Board by mail. To communicate with the Board, any individual directors or any group or committee of directors, correspondence should be addressed to the Board or any such individual directors or group or committee of directors by either name or title. All such correspondence should be sent to Destiny Tech100 Inc., 1401 Lavaca Street, #144, Austin, TX 78701, Attention: Chair of the Audit Committee.

 

Executive Officers

 

Peter Sattelmair. Mr. Sattelmair has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2022. He currently serves as a Director at PINE Advisor Solutions and has over 22 years in the financial services and asset management industries.  Prior to PINE, he spent the previous 7 years at Transamerica Asset Management where he served as the Director of Fund Operations and Assistant Treasurer of a wide range of registered products with AUM of $80+ billion.  In his roles at Transamerica Asset Management, Mr. Sattelmair was responsible for the oversight of all aspects of the funds including fund accounting, custody, fund administration, valuation, and oversight of third-party vendors.

 

Prior to joining Transamerica Asset Management in July 2014, Mr. Sattelmair spent 15 years working at State Street Bank in various roles and locations including Boston, MA and Kansas City, MO.  Mr. Sattelmair left State Street as a Vice President of Fund Administration.

 

Mr. Sattelmair obtained his B.S. in Business Management from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

 

Cory Gossard. Mr. Gossard has served as our Chief Compliance Officer since April 2022 and currently serves as a Director at PINE Advisor Solutions. Mr. Gossard is a seasoned Fund and Advisor Chief Compliance Officer with 25 years of experience in the asset management industry. Most recently, he was the Chief Compliance Officer for SS&C ALPS in which he held responsibilities for firm compliance, AML, risk management, portfolio compliance, internal audit, vendor oversight and outsourced CCO services. In addition to serving as the CCO for SS&C ALPS, Cory also served as Fund CCO for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, SPDR DJIA ETF Trust, and SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust with aggregate AUM in excess of $350 billion. Before ALPS, Mr. Gossard held an 18-year tenure at Citibank and a multitude of job titles making him a versatile compliance professional.

 

 S-7 

 

  

Board Committees

 

Audit Committee Governance, Responsibilities and Meetings

 

In accordance with its written charter adopted by the Board, the Audit Committee:

 

(a)assists the Board’s oversight of the integrity of our financial statements, the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the performance of our independent registered public accounting firm;

 

(b)prepares an Audit Committee report, if required by the SEC, to be included in our annual proxy statement;

 

(c)oversees the scope of the annual audit of our financial statements, the quality and objectivity of our financial statements, accounting and financial reporting policies and internal controls;

 

(d)determines the selection, appointment, retention and termination of our independent registered public accounting firm, as well as approving the compensation thereof;

 

(e)pre-approves all audit and non-audit services provided to us and certain other persons by such independent registered public accounting firm; and

 

(f)acts as a liaison between our independent registered public accounting firm and the Board.

 

Our Board has determined that Messrs. Mason, Patterson and [l] meet the current independence and experience requirements of Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act.

 

Messrs. Mason, Patterson and [l] are members of the Audit Committee and Mr. Patterson serves as Chairman.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Governance, Responsibilities and Meetings

 

In accordance with its written charter adopted by the Board, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee:

 

(a)recommends to the Board persons to be nominated by the Board for election at the Company’s meetings of our shareholders, special or annual, if any, or to fill any vacancy on the Board that may arise between shareholder meetings;

 

(b)makes recommendations with regard to the tenure of the directors;

 

(c)is responsible for overseeing an annual evaluation of the Board and its committee structure to determine whether the structure is operating effectively; and

 

(d)recommends to the Board the compensation to be paid to the independent directors of the Board.

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider for nomination to the Board candidates submitted by our shareholders or from other sources it deems appropriate.

 

Messrs. Mason, Patterson and [l] are members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and [l] serves as Chairman.

 

Director Nominations

 

Nomination for election as a director may be made by, or at the direction of, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee or by shareholders in compliance with the procedures set forth in our bylaws.

 

 S-8 

 

  

Shareholder proposals or director nominations to be presented at the annual meeting of shareholders, other than shareholder proposals submitted pursuant to the SEC’s Rule 14a-8, must be submitted in accordance with the advance notice procedures and other requirements set forth in our bylaws. These requirements are separate from the requirements discussed above to have the shareholder nomination or other proposal included in our proxy statement and form of proxy/voting instruction card pursuant to the SEC’s rules.

 

Our bylaws require that the proposal or recommendation for nomination must be delivered to, or mailed and received at, the principal executive offices of the Company not earlier than the 150th day prior to the one year anniversary of the date the Company’s proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting, or later than the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting. If the date of the annual meeting has changed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, shareholder proposals or director nominations must be so received not earlier than the 150th day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than the 120th day prior to the date of such annual meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made.

 

In evaluating director nominees, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers, among others, the following factors:

 

whether the individual possesses high standards of character and integrity, relevant experience, a willingness to ask hard questions and the ability to work well with others;

 

whether the individual is free of conflicts of interest that would violate applicable law or regulation or interfere with the proper performance of the responsibilities of a director;

 

whether the individual is willing and able to devote sufficient time to the affairs of the Company and be diligent in fulfilling the responsibilities of a director and Board committee member;

 

whether the individual has the capacity and desire to represent the balanced, best interests of the shareholder as a whole and not a special interest group or constituency; and

 

whether the individual possesses the skills, experiences (such as current business experience or other such current involvement in public service, academia or scientific communities), particular areas of expertise, particular backgrounds, and other characteristics that will help ensure the effectiveness of the Board and Board committees.

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s goal is to assemble a board that brings to the Company a variety of perspectives and skills derived from high-quality business and professional experience.

 

Other than the foregoing, there are no stated minimum criteria for director nominees, although the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may also consider other factors as they may deem are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The Board also believes it appropriate for certain key members of our management to participate as members of the Board.

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee identifies nominees by first evaluating the current members of the Board willing to continue in service. Current members of the Board with skills and experience that are relevant to our business and who are willing to continue in service are considered for re-nomination. If any member of the Board does not wish to continue in service or if the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee decides not to re-nominate a member for re-election, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee identify the desired skills and experience of a new nominee in light of the criteria above. The members of the Board are polled for suggestions as to individuals meeting the aforementioned criteria. Research may also be performed to identify qualified individuals. To date, we have not engaged third parties to identify or evaluate or assist in identifying potential nominees, although we reserve the right in the future to retain a third-party search firm, if necessary.

 

The Board has not adopted a formal policy with regard to the consideration of diversity in identifying director nominees. In determining whether to recommend a director nominee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers and discusses diversity, among other factors, with a view toward the needs of the Board as a whole. The Board generally conceptualizes diversity expansively to include, without limitation, concepts such as race, gender, national origin, differences of viewpoint, professional experience, education, skill and other qualities that contribute to the Board, when identifying and recommending director nominees. The Board believes that the inclusion of diversity as one of many factors considered in selecting director nominees is consistent with the Board’s goal of creating a Board that best serves the needs of the Company and the interests of its shareholders.

 

 S-9 

 

  

Compensation Committee

 

In accordance with its written charter adopted by the Board, the Compensation Committee is responsible for determining, or recommending to the Board for determination, the compensation, if any, of our chief executive officer and all other executive officers. The Compensation Committee also assists the Board with matters related to compensation generally, except with respect to compensation of the directors. As none of our executive officers currently is compensated by us, the Compensation Committee will not produce and/or review a report on executive compensation practices.

 

[l], [l] and [l] are members of the Compensation Committee and [l] serves as Chairman.

 

Compensation and Insider Participation

 

The following table sets forth the compensation expected to be received by our directors for the year ending December 31, 2022.

 

Name  Fees Paid in
Cash(1)
   All Other
Compensation(2)
   Total 
Interested Directors               
Sohail Prasad            
Independent Directors               
Travis Mason  $100,000       $100,000 
Eric Patterson  $100,000       $100,000 
[l]   [l]        [l] 

 

 

(1)For a discussion of the independent directors ' compensation, see below.
(2)We do not maintain a stock or option plan, non-equity incentive plan or pension plan for our directors.

 

Director Compensation

 

No compensation is expected to be paid to our directors considered to be "interested persons" as defined in the 1940 Act. Our independent directors who do not also serve in an executive officer capacity for us or the Adviser are entitled to receive annual cash retainer fees, fees for participating in in-person Board and committee meetings and annual fees for serving as a committee chairperson. These directors are Messrs. Mason, Patterson and [l]. We pay each Independent Director the following amounts for serving as director:

 

The independent directors receive an annual fee of $100,000. They also receive reimbursements of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending in person or telephonically each regular Board meeting.

 

We also reimburse each of the directors for all reasonable and authorized business expenses in accordance with our policies as in effect from time to time, including reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending each Board meeting and each committee meeting not held concurrently with a Board meeting.

 

 S-10 

 

  

Portfolio Management

 

Portfolio Manager Assets Under Management

 

The following table sets forth information about funds and accounts other than the Company for which the portfolio managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management as of ________, 2022:

 

    Number of Other Accounts Managed
and Assets by Account Type
  Number of Other Accounts and
Assets for Which Advisory Fee is
Performance-Based
Name of Portfolio Manager   Other
Registered
Investment
Companies
  Other Pooled
Investment
Vehicles
  Other
Accounts
  Other
Registered
Investment
Companies
  Other Pooled
Investment
Vehicles
  Other
Accounts
                         
Sohail Prasad                        
                         
Samvit Ramadurgam                        
                         
Ethan Silver                        
                         
Christine Healey                        

 

Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview

 

The discussion below describes the portfolio managers’ compensation as of ________, 2022.

 

The Adviser’s financial arrangements with its portfolio managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by the Adviser.

 

Securities Ownership of Portfolio Managers

 

The table below shows the dollar range of shares of our common stock be beneficially owned by the members of the Investment Committee as of ________, 2022 stated as one of the following dollar ranges: None; $1 – $10,000; $10,001 – $50,000; $50,001 – $100,000; or Over $100,000.

 

Name   Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in Destiny Tech100 Inc.(1)(2)
Sohail Prasad   Over $100,000
Samvit Ramadurgam   Over $100,000
Ethan Silver   None
Christine Healey   None

 

 

 

(1)Beneficial ownership determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
(2)The dollar range of equity securities of the Company beneficially owned by directors of the Company, if applicable, is calculated by multiplying the price per share of $[_____] (the opening trading price of our shares on the NYSE) times the number of shares beneficially owned.

 

Code of Ethics

 

We and the Adviser have each adopted a code of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act that establishes procedures for personal investments and restricts certain personal securities transactions. Personnel subject to each code may invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by us, so long as such investments are made in accordance with the code’s requirements. Our code of ethics is available, free of charge, on our website at www.[l]. You may also read and copy the code of ethics at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at (202) 942-8090. In addition, the code of ethics is attached as an exhibit hereto and is available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

 S-11 

 

  

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

 

We have delegated our proxy voting responsibility to the Advisor. The Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures of the Adviser are set forth below. The guidelines will be reviewed periodically by the Adviser and our Independent Directors, and, accordingly, are subject to change. For purposes of these Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures described below, “we,” “our” and “us” refers to Destiny Advisors LLC.

 

Introduction

 

An investment adviser registered under the Advisers Act has a fiduciary duty to act solely in the best interests of its clients. As part of this duty, we recognize that we must vote client securities in a timely manner free of conflicts of interest and in the best interests of our clients.

 

These policies and procedures for voting proxies for our investment advisory clients are intended to comply with Section 206 of, and Rule 206(4)-6 under, the Advisers Act.

 

Proxy Policies

 

Based on the nature of our investment strategy, we do not expect to receive proxy proposals but may from time to time receive amendments, consents or resolutions applicable to investments held by us. It is our general policy to exercise our voting or consult authority in a manner that serves the interests of our stockholders. We may occasionally be subject to material conflicts of interest in voting proxies due to business or personal relationships it maintains with persons having an interest in the outcome of certain votes. If at any time we becomes aware of a material conflict of interest relating to a particular proxy proposal, our Chief Compliance Officer will review the proposal and determine how to vote the proxy in a manner consistent with interests of our stockholders.

 

Proxy Voting Records

 

Information regarding how we voted proxies relating to portfolio securities will be available: (1) without charge, upon request, by calling collect (847) 734-2000; and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may also obtain information about how we voted proxies by making a written request for proxy voting information to: Destiny Advisors LLC, 1401 Lavaca Street, #144, Austin, TX 78701.

 

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 

Transactions with Related Persons

 

Investment Advisory Agreement

 

On April 29, 2022, the Company entered into the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser. Under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is responsible for managing the Company’s business and activities, including sourcing investment opportunities, conducting research, performing diligence on potential investments, structuring its investments, and monitoring its portfolio companies on an ongoing basis through a team of investment professionals.

 

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

 

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

 

 S-12 

 

  

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

 

From time to time, the Adviser may pay amounts owed by the Company to third-party providers of goods or services, including the Board, and the Company will subsequently reimburse the Adviser for such amounts paid on its behalf. Amounts payable to the Adviser are settled in the normal course of business without formal payment terms.

 

Under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Company will pay the Adviser a base management fee. The cost of the Management Fee will ultimately be borne by the Company’s shareholders.

 

The management fee is payable quarterly in arrears. Upon the listing of our shares of common stock on the NYSE, the Management Fee will be payable at an annual rate of 2.50% of our average gross assets including assets purchased with borrowed amounts, if any, at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. Prior to the listing of our shares on the NYSE, we will pay a Management Fee, payable monthly, in an amount equal to 2.00% of the value of the invested capital. The Management Fee for any partial month or quarter, as the case may be, will be appropriately prorated and adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases during the relevant calendar months or quarters, as the case may be.

 

The Adviser and its affiliates may provide management or investment advisory services to entities that have overlapping objectives with us. The Adviser and its affiliates may face conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities to us and others. In order to address these conflicts, the Adviser intends to put in place an allocation policy that addresses the allocation of investment opportunities as well as co-investment restrictions under the 1940 Act.

 

License Agreement

 

We also intend to enter into the License Agreement, pursuant to which we will be granted a non-exclusive license to use the name “Destiny.” Under the License Agreement, we will have a right to use the Destiny name for so long as the Adviser or one of its affiliates remains our investment adviser. Other than with respect to this limited license, we have no legal right to the “Destiny” name or logo.

 

Certain Business Relationships

 

The Adviser’s team of investment professionals will have substantial responsibilities in connection with the management of other investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles. Certain members of the Adviser’s investment team serve, or may serve, as officers, directors, members, or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment funds, accounts, or investment vehicles managed by the Adviser. Similarly, the principals and Destiny XYZ Inc. and their respective affiliates may have other funds with similar, different or competing investment objectives, and such funds may not all be affiliated. For example, the principals of the Adviser founded S2 Capital, which has invested in early stage technology companies and, subject to the Adviser’s conflicts of interest procedures, we may seek to invest in the same companies. In serving in these multiple capacities, they may have obligations to other investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in the best interests of us or our shareholders. These activities also may distract them from sourcing or servicing new investment opportunities for us or slow our rate of investment. Any failure to manage our business and our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

The principals of the Adviser, employees of Destiny XYZ Inc., and other funds managed by Destiny XYZ Inc. may receive investment opportunities that we may not have access to.

 

In addition, each of the principals of the Adviser are shareholders of Forge and SharesPost, preeminent private securities marketplaces, which we may utilize as a means to acquire equity and equity-related interests, subject to our best execution policy.

 

 S-13 

 

  

Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons

 

The Audit Committee is required to review and approve any transactions with related persons (as such term is defined in Item 404 of Regulation S-K).

 

Affiliated Transactions

 

As a registered investment company, we are subject to certain regulatory restrictions in co-investing with individuals or entities with which we may be restricted from doing so under the 1940 Act unless we obtain an exemptive order from the SEC. We may co-invest with our Adviser or our officers and directors in a manner consistent with guidance promulgated under the no-action position of the SEC set forth in Mass Mutual Life Ins. Co. (SEC No-Action Letter, June 7, 2000), on which similarly situated funds like us rely in order to co-invest in a single class of privately placed securities so long as certain conditions are met, including that our investment adviser or an affiliate, acting on our behalf and on behalf of other clients, negotiates no term other than price. We, the Adviser and certain of its affiliates may also submit an exemptive application to the SEC to permit us to co-invest with other funds managed by the Adviser or its affiliates to the extent we are unable to rely on the MassMutual No Action Letter in a manner consistent with our investment objective, positions, policies, strategies and restrictions as well as regulatory requirements and other pertinent factors. There can be no assurance that this exemptive order will be granted. If such relief is granted, then we will be permitted to co-invest with our affiliates if a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our independent directors make certain conclusions in connection with a co-investment transaction, including that (1) the terms of the transactions, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable and fair to us and our shareholders and do not involve overreaching of us or our shareholders on the part of any person concerned and (2) the transaction is consistent with the interests of our shareholders and is consistent with our investment objective and strategies.

 

CLOSED-END FUND STRUCTURE

 

Common stock of closed-end funds frequently trade at prices lower than their NAV. We cannot predict whether shares of our common stock will trade at, above or below NAV. In addition to NAV, the market price of shares of our common stock may be affected by such factors as our dividend stability and dividend levels, which are in turn affected by expenses, and market supply and demand. In recognition of the possibility that shares of our common stock may trade at a discount from their NAV, and that any such discount may not be in the best interest of stockholders, the Board, in consultation with the Adviser may from time to time review possible actions to reduce any such discount. There can be no assurance that the Board will decide to undertake any of these actions or that, if undertaken, such actions would result in shares of our common stock.

 

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

 

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. These rules generally provide that a person is the beneficial owner of securities if such person has or shares the power to vote or direct the voting thereof, or to dispose or direct the disposition thereof or has the right to acquire such powers within 60 days. The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership as indicated in the Company’s books and records of each current director, the nominees for director, the Company’s executive officers, the executive officers and directors as a group, and each person known to us to beneficially own 5% or more of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

 

The table shows such ownership as of [__________], 2022.

 

 S-14 

 

  

Name and Address   Type of
ownership
  Shares
owned
  Percentage  
5% Owners              
Destiny XYZ Inc.              
               
Interested Directors              
Sohail Prasad              
Independent Directors              
Travis Mason              
Eric Patterson              
[l]              
Executive Officers              
Peter Sattelmair              
Cory Gossard              
All officers and directors as a group ([l] persons)              

 

 

The address for each of the directors and officers is c/o Destiny Tech100 Inc., 1401 Lavaca Street, #144, Austin, TX 78701.

 

Equity Owned by Directors in the Company

 

The table below shows the dollar range of equity securities of the Company that were beneficially owned by each director as of [l], 2022 stated as one of the following dollar ranges: None; $1 – $10,000; $10,001 – $50,000; $50,001 – 100,000; or Over $100,000.

 

Name of Director   Dollar Range of
Equity Securities
in Destiny Tech100 Inc.(1)(2)
Sohail Prasad   Over $100,000
Travis Mason   [l]
Eric Patterson   [l]
[l]   [l]

 

 

 

(1)Beneficial ownership determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
(2)The dollar range of equity securities of the Company beneficially owned by directors of the Company, if applicable, is calculated by multiplying the opening trading price of our shares on the NYSE of $        times the number of shares beneficially owned.

 

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

 

Though we acquire and dispose of certain of our investments in privately negotiated transactions, including in connection with private secondary market transactions, we also use brokers in the normal course of our business. However, to the extent a broker-dealer is involved in a transaction, the price paid or received by us may reflect a mark-up or mark-down. Subject to policies established by our Board, the Adviser will be primarily responsible for selecting brokers and dealers to execute transactions with respect to the publicly traded securities portion of our portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage commissions. The Adviser does not expect to execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer but will seek to obtain the best net results for us under the circumstances, taking into account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution and operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. The Adviser generally will seek reasonably competitive trade execution costs but will not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available. Subject to applicable legal requirements and consistent with Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, the Adviser may select a broker based upon brokerage or research services provided to the Adviser and us and any other clients. In return for such services, we may pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if the Adviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.

 

 S-15 

 

  

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

[To be provided by amendment.]

 

 F-1 

 

  

PART C

 

Other Information

 

ITEM 25. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

 

(1)Financial Statements

 

The following financial statements of Destiny Tech100 Inc. are provided in Part A of this Registration Statement:

 

[To be provided by amendment.]

 

(2)Exhibits

 

(a)(1)   Articles of Incorporation*
(a)(2)   Articles of Amendment and Restatement**
(b)   Bylaws**
(c)   Not Applicable
(d)   Not Applicable
(e)(1)   Dividend Reinvestment Plan**
(f)   Not Applicable
(g)   Form of Investment Advisory Agreement*
(i)   Not Applicable
(j)(1)   Custody Agreement*
(k)(1)   Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement*
(k)(2)   Fund Administration Servicing Agreement*
(k)(3)   Form of License Agreement**
(k)(4)   Transfer Agency Servicing Agreement*
(l)   Opinion and Consent of Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP**
(m)   Not applicable
(n)(1)   Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm**
(o)   Not applicable
(p)   Not applicable
(q)   Not applicable
(r)   Code of Ethics of the Registrant**
(s)   Filing Fee Table
(t)   Power of Attorney*

 

 

 

*Filed herewith.

 

**To be filed by amendment.

 

Item 26. Marketing Arrangements

 

Not Applicable.

 

 C-1 

 

  

Item 27. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

 

    Amount in
thousands
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee   $  *
FINRA Filing Fee      None
Exchange listing fees      *
Printing expenses      *
Legal fees and expenses      *
Accounting fees and expenses      *
Miscellaneous     *
Total   $ *

 

 

 

*To be provided by amendment.

 

All of the expenses set forth above shall be borne by the Registrant.

 

Item 28. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control

 

The information contained under the headings “The Company,” “Management,” “Related-Party Transactions and Certain Relationships” and “Control Persons and Principal Shareholders” in this Registration Statement is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 29. Number of Holders of Securities

 

The following table sets forth the approximate number of record holders of our common stock as of         , 2022.

 

Title of Class   Number of
Record Holders
Common Stock    

 

Item 30. Indemnification

 

Section 2-418 of the Maryland General Corporation Law allows for the indemnification of officers, directors and any corporate agents in terms sufficiently broad to indemnify these persons under certain circumstances for liabilities, including reimbursement for expenses, incurred arising under the Securities Act. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that we shall indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by law and this right to indemnification shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and personal and legal representatives; provided, however, that, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, we are not obligated to indemnify any director or officer (or his or her heirs, executors or personal or legal representatives) in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by the person unless the proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized or consented to by the Board. The right to indemnification conferred includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding in advance of its final disposition.

 

So long as we are regulated under the 1940 Act, the above indemnification is limited by the 1940 Act or by any valid rule, regulation or order of the SEC thereunder. The 1940 Act provides, among other things, that a company may not indemnify any director or officer against liability to it or its security holders to which he or she might otherwise be subject by reason of his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office unless a determination is made by final decision of a court, by vote of a majority of a quorum of directors who are disinterested, non-party directors or by independent legal counsel that the liability for which indemnification is sought did not arise out of the foregoing conduct.

 

 C-2 

 

  

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

 

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

 

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by us of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by us is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Advisor.

 

A description of any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which the Adviser, and each managing director, director or executive officer of the Adviser, is or has been during the past two fiscal years, engaged in for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee, is set forth in this Registration Statement in the sections entitled “The Company,” “Management” and “Management and Other Agreements.” Additional information regarding the Adviser and its officers is set forth in its Form ADV, filed with the SEC (SEC File No. 801-123048), and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 32. Location of Accounts and Records.

 

All accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the 1940 Act, and the rules thereunder are maintained at the offices of:

 

(1)the Registrant, Destiny Tech100 Inc., 1401 Lavaca Street, #144, Austin, TX 78701;

 

(2)the Transfer Agent, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202;

 

(3)the Custodian, U.S. Bank, U.S. Bank Tower, 425 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202; and

 

(4)the Adviser, Destiny Advisors LLC, 1401 Lavaca Street, #144, Austin, TX 78701.

 

Item 33. Management Services

 

Not Applicable.

 

Item 34. Undertakings

 

(1)We undertake to suspend the offering of shares until the prospectus is amended if (1) subsequent to the effective date of its registration statement, the net asset value declines more than 10% from its net asset value as of the effective date of the registration statement; or (2) the net asset value increases to an amount greater than the net proceeds as stated in the prospectus.

 

(2)Not applicable.

 

 C-3 

 

  

(3)Not applicable.

 

(4)We undertake that:

 

(a)For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by us pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

 

(b)For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(5)Not applicable.

 

(6)Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

(7)We undertake to send by first class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery, within two business days of receipt of a written or oral request, any prospectus or Statement of Additional Information.

 

 C-4 

 

  

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement on Form N-2 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Austin, and the State of Texas on the 12th day of May, 2022.

 

    DESTINY TECH100 INC.
         
    By:   /s/ Sohail Prasad
    Name:   Sohail Prasad
    Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENT, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Sohail Prasad and Ethan Silver, and each of them, his or her true lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place, and stead, in any and all capacities to sign this Registration Statement on Form N-2 and any and all amendments thereto, including post-effective amendments, and to file the same, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on May 12, 2022.

  

Name   Title
     
/s/ Sohail Prasad    
Sohail Prasad  

President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

(Principal Executive Officer)

     
/s/ Peter Sattelmair    
Peter Sattelmair  

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

     
/s/ Travis Mason    
Travis Mason   Independent Director
     
/s/ Eric Patterson    
Eric Patterson   Independent Director

 

 C-5