Item 1. Business
Our Company
We are a global private markets investment solutions provider with approximately $88 billion of assets under management (“AUM”), and approximately $631 billion of assets under advisement (“AUA”). We work with our clients to conceive, structure, build out, manage and monitor portfolios of private markets funds and direct investments, and we help them access a diversified set of such investment opportunities worldwide. Our clients are principally large, sophisticated, global investors that rely on our private markets expertise, deep industry relationships, differentiated investment access, risk management capabilities, proprietary data advantages and analytical tools to navigate the increasing complexity and opacity of private markets investing. While some maintain their own internal investment teams, our clients look to us for additional expertise, advice and outsourcing capabilities. We were founded in 1991 and have been dedicated to private markets investing for three decades. We currently have approximately 450 employees, including 121 investment professionals, operating throughout the United States and in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Toronto. A significant majority of our employees have equity interests in our Company.
We offer a variety of investment solutions to address our clients’ needs across a range of private markets, including private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure, natural resources, growth equity and venture capital. These solutions are constructed from a range of investment types, including primary investments in funds managed by third-party managers, direct/co-investments alongside such funds and acquisitions of secondary stakes in such funds, with a number of our clients utilizing multiple investment types. These solutions are offered in a variety of formats covering some or all phases of private markets investment programs:
•Customized Separate Accounts: We design and build customized portfolios of private markets funds and direct investments to meet our clients’ specific portfolio objectives with regard to return, risk tolerance, diversification and liquidity. We generally have discretionary investment authority over our customized separate accounts, which comprised approximately $69 billion of our AUM as of March 31, 2021.
•Specialized Funds: We organize, invest and manage specialized primary, secondary and direct/co-investment funds. Our specialized funds invest across a variety of private markets and include equity, equity-linked and credit funds offered on standard terms as well as shorter duration, opportunistically oriented funds. We launched our first specialized fund in 1997, and our product offerings have grown steadily, comprising approximately $19 billion of our AUM as of March 31, 2021.
•Advisory Services: We offer investment advisory services to assist clients in developing and implementing their private markets investment programs. Our investment advisory services include asset allocation, strategic plan creation, development of investment policies and guidelines, the screening and recommending of investments, legal negotiations, the monitoring of and reporting on investments and investment manager review and due diligence. Our advisory clients include some of the largest and most sophisticated private markets investors in the world. We had approximately $631 billion of AUA as of March 31, 2021.
•Distribution Management: We offer distribution management services to our clients through active portfolio management to enhance the realized value of publicly traded stock they receive as distributions from private equity funds.
•Reporting, Monitoring, Data and Analytics: We provide our clients with comprehensive reporting and investment monitoring services, usually bundled into our broader investment solutions
offerings, but occasionally on a stand-alone, fee-for-service basis. Private markets investments are unusually difficult to monitor, report on and administer, and our clients are able to benefit from our sophisticated infrastructure, which provides real-time access to reliable and transparent investment data, and our high-touch service approach, which allows for timely and informed responses to the multiplicity of issues that can arise. We also provide comprehensive research and analytical services as part of our investment solutions, leveraging our large, global, proprietary and high-quality database of private markets investment performance and our suite of proprietary analytical investment tools. In particular, the data and analytics provided by our Cobalt LP platform provides clients with more visibility into the private markets, enabling them to more accurately conduct market research, investment diligence, portfolio analysis and plan commitments. It allows us to provide a service for limited partners with whom we have not yet had any relationship and differentiates us from our competitors in the industry.
Our client and investor base included over 500 institutions and intermediaries as of March 31, 2021, and is broadly diversified by type, size and geography. Our client base primarily comprises institutional investors that range from those seeking to make an initial investment in alternative assets to some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated private markets investors. As a highly customized, flexible outsourcing partner, we are equipped to provide investment services to institutional clients of all sizes and with different needs, internal resources and investment objectives. Our clients include prominent institutional investors in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America. We provide private markets solutions and services to some of the largest global pension, sovereign wealth and U.S. state pension funds. In addition, we believe we are a leading provider of private markets solutions for U.S. labor union pension plans, and we serve numerous smaller public and corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions and insurance companies, endowments and foundations, as well as family offices and selected high-net-worth individuals.
Our intermediary clients enable us to provide our investment products to an expanded range of high-net-worth individuals and families. We have a diversified revenue stream from a variety of client types in multiple geographic regions, with no single client representing more than 4% of management and advisory fee revenues. For the year ended March 31, 2021, our top 10 clients generated approximately 19% of management and advisory fee revenues, and our top 20 clients generated approximately 28% of management and advisory fee revenues with all of our top 20 clients having multiple allocations, products or services with us. A significant portion of our revenue base is recurring and is based on the long-term nature of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts as well as long-term relationships with many of our clients, providing highly predictable cash flows.
Since our inception, we have experienced consistent, strong growth, which continues to be reflected in our more recent AUM and AUA growth. As of March 31, 2021, we had AUM of approximately $88 billion, reflecting a 20% compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) from March 31, 2017, and our AUM increased in each fiscal year during this timeframe. We had approximately $631 billion of AUA as of March 31, 2021, reflecting a 20% CAGR from March 31, 2017, and our AUA increased in each fiscal year during this timeframe.
Organizational Structure
Initial Public Offering and Reorganization
HLI was incorporated in the State of Delaware on December 31, 2007 and conducted its initial public offering (“IPO”) in March 2017. HLI is a holding company with no direct operations. Its principal asset is an equity interest in HLA. It serves as the managing member of HLA and operates and controls all of HLA’s business and affairs.
In connection with the IPO, we completed a series of transactions in order to effect a corporate reorganization, which we refer to collectively throughout this Form 10-K as the “Reorganization”. As part
of the Reorganization, we changed our structure to what is commonly referred to as an “Up-C” structure, which provides our pre-IPO owners with the tax advantage of continuing to own interests in a pass-through structure and provides potential future tax benefits for both the public company and the legacy owners (through the tax receivable agreement) when they ultimately exchange their pass-through interests for shares of Class A common stock or, at our election, for cash. HLI has dual-class common stock, the rights of which are described in more detail below. The below chart summarizes our organizational structure as of March 31, 2021.
(1)The Class B Holders, who hold Class B units, and Class C Holders, who hold Class C units, are pre-IPO owners of our business who continue to hold their interests directly in HLA. Class B units and Class C units may be exchanged on a one-for-one basis for shares of Class A common stock or, at our election, for cash, pursuant to and subject to the restrictions set forth in the exchange agreement.
(2)We hold all of the Class A units of HLA, representing the right to receive approximately 67.2% of the distributions made by HLA. We act as the sole manager of HLA and operate and control all of its business and affairs.
Class A and Class B Common Stock
Our Class A common stock is our publicly traded stock and is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “HLNE”. Our Class B common stock was issued as part of the Reorganization to the holders of our Class B units, who are certain significant outside investors, members of management and significant employee owners. There is no trading market for our Class B common stock.
Economic Rights
Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to full economic rights, including the right to receive dividends when and if declared by our board of directors, subject to any statutory or contractual restrictions on the payment of dividends and to any restrictions on the payment of dividends imposed by the terms of any outstanding preferred stock.
Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to receive only the par value of the Class B common stock upon exchange of the corresponding Class B unit pursuant to the exchange agreement. The exchange of a Class B unit will result in the redemption and cancellation of the corresponding share of Class B common stock.
Voting Rights
Except as provided in our certificate of incorporation or by applicable law, holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class. Our Class A common stock entitles the holder to one vote per share. Our Class B common stock entitles the holder to ten votes per share until a Sunset becomes effective. After a Sunset becomes effective, each share of Class B common stock will then entitle the holder to one vote.
A “Sunset” is triggered by any of the following: (i) Hartley R. Rogers, Mario L. Giannini and their respective permitted transferees collectively cease to maintain direct or indirect beneficial ownership of at least 10% of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (determined assuming all outstanding Class B units and Class C units have been exchanged for Class A common stock); (ii) Mr. Rogers, Mr. Giannini, their respective permitted transferees and employees of us and our subsidiaries cease collectively to maintain direct or indirect beneficial ownership of an aggregate of at least 25% of the aggregate voting power of our outstanding Class A common stock and Class B common stock; (iii) Mr. Rogers and Mr. Giannini both voluntarily terminate their employment and all directorships with HLA and us (other than by reason of death or, in each case as determined in good faith by our board of directors, disability, incapacity or retirement); or (iv) the occurrence of the later of March 31, 2027 or the end of the fiscal year in which occurs the fifth anniversary of the death of the second to die of Mr. Rogers and Mr. Giannini. A Sunset triggered under clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) during the first two fiscal quarters will generally become effective at the end of that fiscal year, and a Sunset triggered under clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) during the third or fourth fiscal quarters will generally become effective at the end of the following fiscal year. A Sunset pursuant to clause (iv) will become effective on the occurrence of the latest event listed in clause (iv), unless a Sunset is also triggered under clause (i) or (ii) that would result in an earlier Sunset, in which case the earlier Sunset will result.
If Mr. Rogers or Mr. Giannini voluntarily terminates his employment and directorships as contemplated by clause (iii) after the death of the other, then the Sunset will become effective on the timing set out in clause (iii). Otherwise, a voluntary termination as to only one of them will result in a Sunset becoming effective on the timing set out in clause (iv). Because a Sunset may not take place for some time, or at all, certain of the Class B Holders will, by virtue of their voting control of us and the stockholders agreement described below, continue to control us for the near future.
Our Class B common stockholders collectively hold 82% of the combined voting power of our common stock. Certain of the holders of our Class B common stock who are significant outside investors, members of management and significant employee owners have, pursuant to a stockholders agreement, agreed to vote all of their shares in accordance with the instructions of HLAI, our controlling stockholder. The parties to the stockholders agreement control approximately 82% of the combined voting power of our common stock. This group is therefore able to exercise control over all matters requiring the approval of our stockholders, including the election of our directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions.
When a Class B Holder exchanges Class B units pursuant to the exchange agreement, it will result in the redemption and cancellation of the corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock in exchange for a cash payment of the par value of such shares and, therefore, will decrease the aggregate voting power of our Class B Holders.
Business Strategy
The alternative investment industry has experienced significant and consistent growth, which we expect to continue and contribute to our future growth in the long term. Given our leading market position and strong reputation in investing and client service, our objective is to continue to leverage the following strategic advantages to exceed the industry growth rate.
Develop innovative private markets solutions. Many of our clients engage us because of our ability to create customized programs that meet their particular investment needs and provide access to a broad spectrum of private markets investment opportunities. We believe that a broad range of solutions across almost every private markets asset class enables us to remain a leader in structuring private markets investment portfolios and to continue to provide the best solutions for our existing and future clients. We intend to continue to meet our clients’ demands for alternative investments via primary, secondary and direct/co-investment opportunities, which provide attractive return characteristics, as well as innovative specialized fund products, while at the same time allowing us to benefit from economies of scale. In addition, we intend to expand into adjacent asset classes, which will allow us to further broaden our solutions capabilities, diversify our business mix and allow us to benefit from growth in private markets asset classes, such as private debt.
We believe we are uniquely positioned in the private markets as not only a solutions provider for our clients, but also as an important capital provider and partner to the world’s leading private markets fund managers. We intend to capitalize on this unique position and seek to partner with fund managers as they look to transition from private to public ownership assets that meet a select set of criteria. A special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”) sponsored by us provides these fund managers with an alternative path to a public listing.
Expand distribution channels. We continue to build a scalable, cost-effective global institutional sales organization, which provides us with a strong local presence in several markets. Our sales organization comprises our business development and product groups which are both dedicated to marketing our services and products globally. In addition, we intend to increase our profile with influential intermediaries that advise individual and institutional clients, particularly small and medium-sized institutions and high-net-worth families and family offices. We may also enter into strategic distribution partnerships with financial institutions in certain geographical regions and market sectors to gain access to their captive client bases. As we continue to explore different ways to access alternative distribution channels, we are also acting as “sub-advisor” for financial intermediaries with significant distribution strength. In this role, we perform a range of investment services from portfolio construction to investment management, while the distribution partner focuses on product distribution and client service. In the context of these partnerships, the distribution partner often aims to provide its clients with products under its own brand, which we achieve by rebranding our existing offerings or by creating customized offerings carrying the distribution partner’s name. We anticipate increasing sub-advisory opportunities as we continue to target high-net-worth individuals and families.
We made an investment for a minority stake in Russell Investments Group, Ltd. (“Russell”), a leading outsourced chief investment officer provider and global investment solutions firm. As part of the investment, HLA and Russell entered into a strategic partnership and intend to jointly develop and implement a strategy to engage in the global investment solutions outsourcing market.
Diversify and grow client base. We aim to continue to expand our relationships with existing clients and intend to capitalize on significant opportunities in new client segments globally, such as smaller institutions and high-net-worth individuals. We believe these investors offer an attractive opportunity to further diversify and grow our client base because many of them only recently have begun to invest in, or increase their allocations to, alternative investments.
Expand private markets solutions and products to defined contribution, retail and similar pools of investable assets. We believe we are pioneers in the creation, distribution, and management of products
such as specialized secondaries, direct/co-investments and specialty credit strategies that are designed to serve defined contribution retirement plans and similar entities. Many of our defined contribution retirement plan clients are based outside of the United States, ranging across Australia, Europe, and Latin America, among other geographies. While these clients tend to have lower private markets allocations than those of defined benefit pension plans, their comfort with, interest in and allocations to private markets alternative investments have tended to increase over time, due in part to significant advancements in the areas of private markets data and benchmarking, where we believe we play a leading role. Therefore, we intend to continue to develop, market and manage investment solutions and products specifically aimed at helping these investors create appropriately structured private markets alternatives programs.
Expand globally. We have substantially grown our global presence, both in terms of clients and investments, by expanding our international offices as well as our client presence. We have built a significant presence to serve clients in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Canada, and we have offices in London, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney and Toronto. In each of these places, we serve major institutional clients, and we review and commit capital to established local private markets funds on behalf of our clients. Our aim is to continue expanding our global presence through further direct investment in personnel, development of client relationships and increased investments with, and direct and co-investments alongside, established private markets fund managers.
We believe that many institutional investors outside the United States are currently underinvested in private markets asset classes and that capturing capital inflows into private capital investing from non-U.S. global markets represents a significant growth opportunity for us. We think that investors from developing regions will increasingly seek branded multi-capability alternative investment managers with which to invest. We believe that geographically and economically diverse non-U.S. investors will require a highly bespoke approach and will demand high levels of transparency, governance and reporting. We have seen this pattern developing in many places, including Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Australasia, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and China, and have positioned ourselves to take advantage of it by establishing local presences with global investment capabilities.
We believe we are uniquely capable of pursuing the opportunities arising from increased allocations among institutional investors and the rapid wealth creation globally among high-net-worth individuals because of our strong brand recognition, multi-office resources, experienced team of investment professionals and comprehensive suite of products and services.
Leverage proprietary databases and analytics to enhance our existing service offerings and develop new products and services. When compared to more liquid investment areas, the private markets industry is characterized by the limited availability and inconsistency of quality information. We believe that the general trend toward transparency and consistency in private markets reporting will create new opportunities for us. We intend to use the advantages afforded to us by our proprietary databases, analytical tools and deep industry knowledge to drive our performance and provide our clients with customized solutions across private markets asset classes. We expect that our data and analytical capabilities will play an important role in continuing to differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors.
In addition to continually expanding our own database, we develop strategic partnerships with, and opportunistically seek minority stakes in, innovative solutions providers such as Private Market Connect (data collection and management), Cobalt (benchmarking and diligence), Canoe Intelligence (document digitalization and processing), iCapital Network (high-net-worth fundraising portal) and Honcho (governance/monitoring software).
Investment Types
We provide our clients access to private markets investment opportunities diversified across financing stages, geographic regions and industries through the investment types described below.
•Primary Investments. Primary investments are investments in private markets funds at the time the funds are initially launched. At the time we commit capital to a fund on behalf of our specialized funds or customized separate accounts, the investments that the fund will make are generally not known and investors typically have very little or no ability to influence the investments that are made during the fund’s investment period. Primary funds usually have a contractual duration of between 10 and 15 years, with the capital typically deployed over a period of four to six years. For advisory and customized separate account clients, our investment recommendations and decisions are designed to achieve specific portfolio construction and return objectives mutually developed by us and the clients. Subject to specific client investment guidelines, we rarely invest in “first time” funds unless the management team has previously worked successfully together and built a credible and impressive track record.
•Secondary Investments. The private secondary market is a non-regulated private market in which buyers and sellers directly negotiate the terms of transactions. The secondary market has grown dramatically in the last 20 years and today provides a reliable liquidity option for owners of private markets interests as well as attractive buying opportunities for secondary investors. Institutional investors utilize the secondary market for strategic portfolio rebalancing, rationalizing overlapping positions resulting from mergers and acquisitions or providing liquidity when facing cash constraints. The market continues to evolve beyond purchases of existing limited partner interests. Today, secondary transactions typically fall within the following categories:
◦Single Funds: These transactions are often too small for the larger secondary funds and brokers and can be accessed through proprietary or less competitive sourcing methods.
◦Subset Portfolios: In these transactions, we typically target a multi-fund portfolio with limited information and/or transfer restrictions.
◦Structured/Direct Transactions: These transactions typically involve the direct purchase of companies alongside an existing or new manager, including fund manager spin-outs and fund manager restructurings.
•Direct/co-investments. Direct/co-investments are direct investments alongside private markets funds in underlying portfolio companies. Our direct/co-investment strategy starts with actively soliciting the managers of private markets funds in which we have made investments to offer our specialized funds and customized separate accounts all direct/co-investment opportunities that may arise from their investment operations.
The investment team analyzes and considers each deal to select those opportunities that best suit the direct/co-investment funds’ investment objectives and create an appropriate diversity of investment type, industry, geography and manager. We generally make direct/co-investments on a parallel basis with the private markets funds and managers leading the investments, by purchasing similar securities on similar terms with exit provisions that allow the direct/co-investment funds through which we invest to realize their investments at the same time and on a pro rata basis.
•Strategic Opportunities Funds: Our strategic opportunities funds are short duration, private markets funds that seek to create a portfolio of opportunistically oriented, private markets investments that generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through a flexible and diversified investment strategy. The funds seek to invest across the entire capital structure and primarily utilize credit direct/co-investments, as well as tail-end secondary investments, to create a portfolio biased toward shorter-duration exposures and downside protection, including a current yield
component. The strategic opportunities funds also may seek to layer into the portfolio construction opportunistic investments, including unique equity positions and investments in areas of market dislocation. These funds leverage our existing platform to generate additional attractive deal flow.
•Evergreen Funds: Our evergreen funds primarily invest in secondaries and direct/co-investments and are designed to provide qualified clients, including certain high-net-worth individuals and their wealth advisors, periodic liquidity. These funds provide investors with an opportunity to access a diversified, institutional-quality portfolio of private equity and private credit assets through a single investment.
Investment Process and Monitoring
Our investment team is divided into five dedicated teams for primary investments, secondary investments, direct/co-investments, real assets and research. Primary investments, secondary, direct/co-investments and real assets have their own discrete investment committees, although there is significant overlap among committee members.
Our investment process has six key steps: investment origination; preliminary screening; due diligence evaluation; financial analysis; investment evaluation and decision-making; and negotiation, documentation and closing. Each step is described below:
•Investment Origination. Fund managers raising new funds and seeking institutional investors typically market their funds directly to us. For secondary investments and direct/co-investments, we aggressively pursue attractive opportunities through our network of fund manager relationships, consultants and, to a lesser extent, third-party distributors.
•Preliminary Screening. For primary fund investment opportunities, including real estate, the screening process consists of a formal review of any private placement memorandum that we receive from a prospective fund manager. A screening memo is prepared by the fund investment team and the investment committee makes a decision whether to proceed to due diligence or decline the investment opportunity. For secondary and direct/co-investment opportunities, each investment is evaluated by the respective investment teams and the most attractive opportunities are reviewed in a formal screening process by the investment committee.
•Due Diligence Evaluation. For primary fund investments that proceed past the initial screening process, we meet in person with the fund manager (conditions permitting). A meeting memo prepared by the investment team based on the meeting is presented to the investment committee for a formal vote. If we elect to move forward, we issue a detailed questionnaire to the fund manager. We subsequently conduct a site visit at the fund manager’s office. Lastly, we prepare a final investment report, which provides details on the manager’s performance, merits and issues, as well as an in-depth analysis of the portfolio.
Among the direct/co-investment opportunities we review, only the most attractive move to more intensive due diligence. The initial due diligence may include meeting and interviewing management and company personnel, multiple meetings and discussions with the lead sponsor, review of materials and reports developed by the private markets fund manager and external consultants to evaluate the investment and engaging additional advisors when appropriate. In addition, we conduct industry and competitive analyses and a risk analysis on the opportunity.
•Financial Analysis. All investment opportunities that pass the initial due diligence review undergo a quantitative, rigorous financial and valuation review. For primary investments, financial analysis includes a thorough review of the fund manager’s historical track record, in which we seek to identify the drivers of return.
Our secondary investment analysis involves both a bottom-up and a top-down analysis of each potential investment. The bottom-up analysis calculates individual values for each
underlying portfolio company within the fund. The top-down analysis focuses on assessment of the markets, both public and private, as well as a rigorous review of the fund manager. This review includes historical returns, average holding periods, investment style and risk profile. These two separate analyses are then combined and weighted in order to calculate an offering price for the portfolio.
For direct/co-investments, the company financial projections are studied, as well as the prospective capital structure and credit risk, and sensitivity analyses of the direct/co-investment’s projected returns.
•Investment Evaluation and Decision-Making. Throughout the due diligence process, the investment team meets periodically with members of the investment committee in an iterative, dynamic “give and take” process leading to the investment decision stage.
For primary investments, the investment committee votes on each opportunity three times before it is formally approved: (i) at the screening stage; (ii) after the initial meeting; and (iii) when the final due diligence report is completed. At each stage, the investment team prepares a memorandum to the committee summarizing the diligence efforts to that point. The investment is then discussed formally by the investment team and the investment committee members to determine if it is attractive enough to move forward or, in the last stage, make an investment.
For secondary investments and direct/co-investments, the investment committee processes are more iterative. Opportunities are reviewed in investment committee meetings, and the discussion among the investment teams and the committee guides the diligence process. As the diligence process progresses, the investment committee makes the decision of whether to continue working on the transaction or to decline. At the final decision stage, a formal vote is required from the investment committee to make an investment.
•Negotiation, Documentation and Closing. Upon recommendation of an investment, we attend to all aspects of the negotiation, documentation and closing processes. Our in-house legal team is mobilized to review the transaction documents, including, in the case of direct/co-investments, the governing documents of the direct/co-investment vehicle and stockholders or comparable agreement setting forth the rights of the direct/co-investors. Throughout the documentation and closing process, the investment team and the legal team work closely together to maximize economic terms and legal rights and protections for our clients and our specialized funds.
Investment Performance
The following tables present information relating to the historical performance of our discretionary investment accounts. The data for these investments is presented from the date indicated through December 31, 2020 and have not been adjusted to reflect acquisitions or disposals of investments subsequent to that date.
When considering the data presented below, you should note that the historical results of our discretionary investments are not indicative of the future results you should expect from such investments, from any future investment funds we may raise or from an investment in our Class A common stock, in part because:
•market conditions and investment opportunities during previous periods may have been significantly more favorable for generating positive performance than those we may experience in the future;
•the performance of our funds is generally calculated on the basis of the net asset value (“NAV”) of the funds’ investments, including unrealized gains, which may never be realized;
•our historical returns derive largely from the performance of our earlier funds, whereas future fund returns will depend increasingly on the performance of our newer funds or funds not yet formed;
•our newly established funds may generate lower returns during the period that they initially
deploy their capital;
•in recent years, there has been increased competition for investment opportunities resulting from the increased amount of capital invested in private markets alternatives and high liquidity in debt markets, and the increased competition for investments may reduce our returns in the future; and
•the performance of particular funds also will be affected by risks of the industries and businesses in which they invest.
The historical and potential future returns of the investment funds we manage are not directly linked to returns on our Class A common stock. Therefore, you should not conclude that continued positive performance of the investment funds we manage will necessarily result in positive returns on an investment in our Class A common stock. As used in this discussion, internal rate of return (“IRR”) is calculated on a pooled basis using daily cash flows. See “—Performance Methodology” below for more information on how our returns are calculated.
Specialized Fund Performance
We organize, invest and manage primary, secondary and direct/co-investment funds. Our funds invest across a variety of private markets and include equity, equity-linked and credit funds offered on standard terms, as well as shorter duration, opportunistically oriented funds. Below is performance information across our various specialized funds. Substantially all of these funds are globally focused, and they are grouped by the investment strategy utilized.
Gross Returns — Realized
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Fund
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Vintage
year
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Fund size ($M)
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Realized
Capital
invested ($M)
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Realized
Gross
multiple
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Realized
Gross
IRR (%)
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Realized Gross
Spread vs.
S&P 500 PME
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Realized Gross
Spread vs.
MSCI World PME
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Primaries (Diversified)
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PEF I
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1998
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122
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117
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1.3
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5.4%
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378 bps
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322 bps
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PEF IV
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2000
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250
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238
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1.7
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16.2%
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1,302 bps
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1,170 bps
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PEF V
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2003
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135
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133
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1.7
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14.2%
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841 bps
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950 bps
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PEF VI
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2007
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494
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497
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1.6
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12.0%
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107 bps
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443 bps
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PEF VII
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2010
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262
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244
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1.6
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14.7%
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51 bps
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454 bps
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PEF VIII
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2012
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427
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69
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1.4
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13.8%
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130 bps
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469 bps
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PEF IX
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2015
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517
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19
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4.1
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58.4%
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4,356 bps
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4,672 bps
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PEF X
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2018
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278
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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Secondaries
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Pre-Fund
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—
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—
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362
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1.5
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17.1%
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1,330 bps
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1,172 bps
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Secondary Fund I
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2005
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360
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353
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1.2
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5.2%
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113 bps
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341 bps
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Secondary Fund II
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2008
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591
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596
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1.5
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20.0%
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463 bps
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880 bps
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Secondary Fund III
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2012
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909
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579
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1.6
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20.4%
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678 bps
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1,075 bps
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Secondary Fund IV
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2016
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1,916
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185
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2.2
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41.5%
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2,563 bps
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2,867 bps
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Secondary Fund V
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2019
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3,058
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8
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1.8
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119.3%
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10,224 bps
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10,498 bps
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Co-investments
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Pre-Fund
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—
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—
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244
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1.9
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21.3%
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1,655 bps
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1,600 bps
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Co-Investment Fund
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2005
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604
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521
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1.1
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1.2%
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(457) bps
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(208) bps
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Co-Investment Fund II
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2008
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1,195
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849
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2.5
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21.5%
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914 bps
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1,292 bps
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Co-Investment Fund III
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2014
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1,243
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310
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2.4
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43.4%
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2,969 bps
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3,309 bps
|
Co-Investment Fund IV
|
2018
|
1,698
|
78
|
1.9
|
40.6%
|
2,539 bps
|
2,891 bps
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fund
|
Vintage
year
|
Fund size ($M)
|
Realized
Capital
invested ($M)
|
Realized
Gross
multiple
|
Realized
Gross
IRR (%)
|
Realized Gross
Spread vs.
CS HY II PME
|
Realized Gross
Spread vs.
CS LL PME
|
Strategic Opportunities (Tail-end secondaries and credit)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Strat Opps 2015
|
2015
|
71
|
52
|
1.3
|
17.2%
|
755 bps
|
1,123 bps
|
Strat Opps 2016
|
2016
|
214
|
134
|
1.3
|
18.4%
|
1,099 bps
|
1,322 bps
|
Strat Opps 2017
|
2017
|
435
|
235
|
1.2
|
16.2%
|
1,210 bps
|
1,242 bps
|
Strat Opps 2018
|
2018
|
889
|
242
|
1.2
|
16.2%
|
1,458 bps
|
1,702 bps
|
Strat Opps 2019
|
2019
|
762
|
25
|
1.1
|
13.9%
|
1,266 bps
|
1,520 bps
|
Gross Returns — Realized and Unrealized
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fund
|
Vintage
year
|
Fund size ($M)
|
Capital invested
($M)
|
Gross multiple
|
Net Multiple
|
Gross IRR (%)
|
Net
IRR (%)
|
Gross Spread vs.
S&P 500 PME
|
Net Spread vs. S&P 500 PME
|
Gross Spread vs. MSCI World PME
|
Net Spread vs. MSCI World PME
|
Primaries (Diversified)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PEF I
|
1998
|
122
|
117
|
1.3
|
1.2
|
5.4%
|
2.5%
|
378 bps
|
76 bps
|
322 bps
|
16 bps
|
PEF IV
|
2000
|
250
|
238
|
1.7
|
1.5
|
16.2%
|
11.2%
|
1,302 bps
|
828 bps
|
1,170 bps
|
708 bps
|
PEF V
|
2003
|
135
|
133
|
1.7
|
1.6
|
14.2%
|
9.6%
|
841 bps
|
364 bps
|
950 bps
|
467 bps
|
PEF VI
|
2007
|
494
|
512
|
1.6
|
1.6
|
11.7%
|
8.8%
|
62 bps
|
(182) bps
|
398 bps
|
147 bps
|
PEF VII
|
2010
|
262
|
285
|
1.5
|
1.5
|
12.8%
|
8.8%
|
(137) bps
|
(516) bps
|
260 bps
|
(126) bps
|
PEF VIII
|
2012
|
427
|
411
|
1.4
|
1.4
|
9.9%
|
7.2%
|
(383) bps
|
(670) bps
|
(56) bps
|
(343) bps
|
PEF IX
|
2015
|
517
|
456
|
1.6
|
1.6
|
19.8%
|
17.7%
|
432 bps
|
202 bps
|
734 bps
|
499 bps
|
PEF X
|
2018
|
278
|
127
|
1.2
|
1.1
|
19.3%
|
14.0%
|
(218) bps
|
(1,000) bps
|
29 bps
|
(787) bps
|
Secondaries
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pre-Fund
|
—
|
—
|
362
|
1.5
|
N/A
|
17.1%
|
N/A
|
1,330 bps
|
N/A
|
1,172 bps
|
N/A
|
Secondary Fund I
|
2005
|
360
|
353
|
1.2
|
1.2
|
5.2%
|
3.8%
|
113 bps
|
(62) bps
|
341 bps
|
158 bps
|
Secondary Fund II
|
2008
|
591
|
596
|
1.5
|
1.4
|
20.0%
|
13.6%
|
463 bps
|
(178) bps
|
880 bps
|
226 bps
|
Secondary Fund III
|
2012
|
909
|
830
|
1.4
|
1.4
|
14.6%
|
11.9%
|
113 bps
|
(185) bps
|
496 bps
|
204 bps
|
Secondary Fund IV
|
2016
|
1,916
|
1,966
|
1.5
|
1.4
|
21.0%
|
21.9%
|
409 bps
|
526 bps
|
720 bps
|
827 bps
|
Secondary Fund V
|
2019
|
3,058
|
974
|
1.4
|
1.5
|
74.6%
|
143.8%
|
4,824 bps
|
9,725 bps
|
4,982 bps
|
9,471 bps
|
Co-investments
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pre-Fund
|
—
|
—
|
244
|
1.9
|
N/A
|
21.3%
|
N/A
|
1,655 bps
|
N/A
|
1,600 bps
|
N/A
|
Co-Investment Fund
|
2005
|
604
|
577
|
1.0
|
0.9
|
0.2%
|
(1.3)%
|
(569) bps
|
(745) bps
|
(319) bps
|
(500) bps
|
Co-Investment Fund II
|
2008
|
1,195
|
1,139
|
2.0
|
1.8
|
17.9%
|
14.2%
|
557 bps
|
168 bps
|
937 bps
|
544 bps
|
Co-Investment Fund III
|
2014
|
1,243
|
1,259
|
1.9
|
1.7
|
20.2%
|
16.8%
|
582 bps
|
253 bps
|
907 bps
|
570 bps
|
Co-Investment Fund IV
|
2018
|
1,698
|
1,407
|
1.3
|
1.3
|
20.9%
|
19.4%
|
122 bps
|
(224) bps
|
365 bps
|
(4) bps
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fund
|
Vintage
year
|
Fund size ($M)
|
Capital invested
($M)
|
Gross multiple
|
Net Multiple
|
Gross IRR (%)
|
Net
IRR (%)
|
Gross Spread vs.
CS HY II PME
|
Net Spread vs. CS HY II PME
|
Gross Spread vs. CS LL PME
|
Net Spread vs. CS LL PME
|
Strategic Opportunities (Tail-end secondaries and credit)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Strat Opps 2015
|
2015
|
71
|
67
|
1.3
|
1.2
|
14.0%
|
10.7%
|
531 bps
|
208 bps
|
851 bps
|
523 bps
|
Strat Opps 2016
|
2016
|
214
|
214
|
1.2
|
1.2
|
11.3%
|
8.9%
|
453 bps
|
227 bps
|
651 bps
|
426 bps
|
Strat Opps 2017
|
2017
|
435
|
445
|
1.3
|
1.2
|
12.8%
|
10.2%
|
774 bps
|
502 bps
|
896 bps
|
641 bps
|
Strat Opps 2018
|
2018
|
889
|
844
|
1.2
|
1.1
|
11.1%
|
9.2%
|
567 bps
|
317 bps
|
847 bps
|
606 bps
|
Strat Opps 2019
|
2019
|
762
|
522
|
1.1
|
1.1
|
12.6%
|
10.0%
|
315 bps
|
(405) bps
|
695 bps
|
(36) bps
|
Performance Methodology
The indices presented for comparison are the S&P 500, MSCI World, Credit Suisse High Yield II (“CS HY II”) and Credit Suisse Leverage Loan (“CS LL”), calculated on a public market equivalent (“PME”) basis. We believe these indices are commonly used by private markets and credit investors to evaluate performance. The PME calculation methodology allows private markets investment performance to be evaluated against a public index and assumes that capital is being invested in, or withdrawn from, the index on the days the capital was called and distributed from the underlying fund managers. The S&P 500 Index is a total return capitalization-weighted index that measures the performance of 500 U.S. large cap stocks. The MSCI World Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index of over 1,600 world stocks that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets. The CS HY II Index, formerly known as the DLJ High Yield Index, is designed to mirror the investable universe of the U.S. dollar denominated high yield debt market. Prices for the CS HY II Index are available on a weekly basis. The CS LL Index is an index designed to mirror the investable universe of the U.S. dollar denominated leveraged loan market. Loans must be rated 5B or lower and the index frequency is monthly.
Our IRR represents the pooled IRR for all discretionary investments for the period from inception to December 31, 2020. Gross IRR is presented net of management fees, carried interest and expenses charged by the general partners of the underlying investments, but does not include our management fees, carried interest or expenses. Our gross IRR would decrease with the inclusion of our management fees, carried interest and expenses. Net IRR is net of all management fees, carried interest and expenses charged by the general partners of the underlying investments, as well as by us. Net IRR figures for our funds do not include cash flows attributable to the general partner. Note that secondary portfolio IRRs can be initially impacted by purchase discounts (or premiums) paid at the closing of a transaction, the impact of which will diminish over time.
The “Realized IRR” represents the pooled IRR for those discretionary investments that we consider realized for purposes of our track record, which are investments where the underlying investment fund has been fully liquidated, has generated a distributions to paid-in capital ratio (“DPI”) greater than or equal to 1.0 or is older than six years and has a residual value to paid-in capital ratio (“RVPI”) less than or equal to 0.2. Hamilton Lane Secondary Realized includes investments that have been fully liquidated, have a DPI greater than or equal to 1.0 or a RVPI less than or equal to 0.2. Hamilton Lane Realized Co-Investment and Hamilton Lane Realized Strategic Opportunities include investments that have been fully liquidated or have a DPI greater than or equal to 1.0. “Unrealized” includes all investments that do not meet the aforementioned criteria. DPI represents total distributions divided by total invested capital. RVPI represents the remaining market value divided by total invested capital. “Capital Invested” refers to the total amount of all investments made by a fund, including commitment-reducing and non-commitment-reducing capital calls. “Multiple” represents total distributions from underlying investments to the fund plus the fund’s market value divided by total contributed capital. “Gross Multiple” is presented net of management fees, carried interest and expenses charged by the fund managers of the underlying investments.
Specialized fund and pre-fund performance does not include ten funds-of-funds that have investor-specific investment guidelines.
Certain of our specialized funds utilize revolving credit facilities, which provide capital that is available to fund investments or pay partnership expenses and management fees. Borrowings may be paid down from time to time with investor capital contributions or distributions from investments. The use of a credit facility affects the fund’s return and magnifies the performance on the upside or on the downside.
Assets Under Management and Advisement
As of March 31, 2021, we had total AUA and AUM of approximately $719 billion, of which $88 billion represents AUM from our customized separate accounts and specialized funds, and $631 billion represents AUA managed on behalf of our advisory accounts. Our AUM and AUA have distinctive terms and fee arrangements, and therefore are presented separately in this section.
AUM
Our AUM, as presented in this Form 10-K, comprise the assets associated with our customized separate accounts and specialized funds. AUM does not include the assets associated with our distribution management services. We classify assets as AUM if we have full discretion over the investment decisions in an account. We calculate our AUM as the sum of:
(1)the NAV of our clients’ and funds’ underlying investments;
(2)the unfunded commitments to our clients’ and funds’ underlying investments; and
(3)the amounts authorized for us to invest on behalf of our clients and fund investors but not committed to an underlying investment.
Management fee revenue is based on a variety of factors and is not linearly correlated with AUM. However, we believe AUM is a useful metric for assessing the relative size and scope of our asset management business.
Our AUM has grown from approximately $42 billion as of March 31, 2017 to approximately $88 billion as of March 31, 2021, representing a CAGR of approximately 20%. The following chart summarizes this growth.
AUA
Our AUA comprise assets from clients for which we do not have full discretion to make investments in their account. We generally earn revenue on a fixed fee basis on our AUA client accounts for services including asset allocation, strategic planning, development of investment policies and guidelines, screening and recommending investments, legal negotiations, monitoring and reporting on investments and investment manager review and due diligence. Advisory fees vary by client based on the amount of annual commitments, services provided and other factors. Since we earn annual fixed fees from the majority of our AUA clients, the growth in AUA from existing accounts does not have a material impact on our revenues. However, we view AUA growth as a meaningful benefit in terms of the amount of data we are able to collect and the degree of influence we have with fund managers.
Assets related to our advisory accounts have increased from approximately $300 billion as of March 31, 2017, to approximately $631 billion as of March 31, 2021, representing a CAGR of approximately 20%. Our AUA clients are predominately large institutional investors with 44% of AUA related to public pension funds and 27% related to sovereign wealth funds. Our AUA is diversified across geographies with approximately 51% derived from clients based outside of the United States.
The following chart summarizes the growth of our AUA since fiscal year 2017.
Diversification of Assets
Given our goal of achieving strong investment returns and portfolio diversification for clients, investments are made across multiple private markets sub-asset classes, including corporate finance/buyout, growth equity, venture capital, mezzanine, distressed debt and other special situation funds (e.g., industry-focused funds and multi-stage funds). Because we have a considerable volume of investment opportunities globally, we selectively invest not only across sub-asset classes, but also across all major geographic regions, including North America, Europe, Asia, Australasia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
Fee-Earning Assets Under Management
Fee-earning AUM is a metric we use to measure the assets from which we earn management fees. Our fee-earning AUM comprise assets in our customized separate accounts and specialized funds from which we derive management fees. We classify customized separate account revenue as management fees if the client is charged an asset-based fee, which includes the majority of our discretionary AUM accounts but also includes certain non-discretionary AUA accounts. Our fee-earning AUM is equal to the amount of capital commitments, net invested capital and NAV of our customized separate accounts and specialized funds depending on the fee terms. Substantially all of our customized separate accounts and specialized funds earn fees based on commitments or net invested capital, which are not affected by market appreciation or depreciation. Therefore, revenues and fee-earning AUM are not significantly affected by changes in market value.
Our calculations of fee-earning AUM may differ from the calculations of other asset managers, and as a result, this measure may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other asset managers. Our definition of fee-earning AUM is not based on any definition that is set forth in the agreements governing the customized separate accounts or specialized funds that we manage.
As of March 31, 2021, our fee-earning AUM was approximately $42 billion compared to $88 billion in AUM. The difference is due primarily to $29 billion of discretionary AUM earning a flat fee or fee on
number of funds for which we categorize revenue as advisory and reporting. This was partially offset by $2 billion of fee-earning AUM from customized separate accounts clients with non-discretionary AUA. The remaining $19 billion is non fee-earning AUM, which includes accounts that earn fees as discretionary AUM is invested or considered active as well as accounts past their fee-earning period.
The following chart summarizes the growth of our fee-earning AUM since fiscal year 2017.
* Amounts may not foot due to rounding
Our Clients
Our client base primarily comprises institutional investors that range from those seeking to make an initial investment in alternative assets to some of the largest and most sophisticated private markets investors. As a highly customized, flexible outsourcing partner, we are equipped to provide investment services to institutional clients of all sizes and with different needs, internal resources and investment objectives. Our clients include prominent institutional investors in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America. We believe we are a leading provider of private markets solutions for U.S. labor union pension plans, and we serve numerous smaller public and corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions and insurance companies, endowments and foundations, as well as family offices and selected high-net-worth individuals.
As of March 31, 2021, our client and investor base included over 500 institutions and intermediaries and is broadly diversified by type, size and geography. Our intermediary clients enable us to provide our investment products to an expanded range of high-net-worth individuals and families. We have a diversified revenue stream from a variety of client types in multiple geographic regions, with no single client representing more than 4% of management and advisory fee revenues. Approximately 51% of our fiscal 2021 management and advisory fee revenues came from clients based outside of the United States. A significant portion of our revenue base is recurring and, based on the long-term nature of our funds as well as long-term relationships with many of our clients, provides highly predictable cash flows. For the year ended March 31, 2021, our top 10 clients generated approximately 19% of management and advisory fee revenues, and our top 20 clients generated approximately 28% of management and advisory fee revenues.
Sales and Marketing
Our business development group consists of employees around the world, including in the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Brazil, Israel, Australia, Canada and Germany. We intend to grow our global sales force as we seek to continue to build our client base and pursue growth opportunities in less developed private equity markets such as Asia and Australia. See “—Business Strategy.” The execution of our marketing strategy relies primarily on our own business development group, which historically has generated the substantial majority of our new client engagements. To enhance our access to markets where we do not currently have a local presence or that are dominated by captive client relationship models, we selectively engage highly respected third-party organizations to market our products and services. For example, we use third-party distributors in Asia and Latin America (other than Brazil).
Our business development group is responsible for identifying and contacting prospective clients for our products and services. Our sales people also work directly with consultants that advise smaller and medium-size institutional investors, which often rely on the consultants for advice in the alternative investment area. Following the initial round of meetings and presentations, prospective advisory and customized separate account clients and specialized fund investors that wish to learn more about us often visit our offices with a team to conduct in-depth due diligence of our firm. Our business development people lead this process, coordinate meetings, and continue to be the prospective client’s principal contact with us through the decision-making process.
Client Service
Our client service group includes employees located in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Brazil, Israel, South Korea, and Australia. At the beginning of the engagement for each advisory account and customized separate account, a member of the relationship management group is assigned as the principal contact person with that client. The relationship managers take primary responsibility for working with the clients to design their strategic plans and to implement those plans in accordance with investment guidelines agreed to by us and the clients. The relationship managers work directly with our allocation committee to ensure that all investment opportunities that are appropriate for their clients are considered. The relationship managers communicate and meet regularly with their clients to discuss potential investments that we are currently considering, funds expected to be raised in the next 12 months, the current status of the clients’ portfolios, investment strategies and overall market conditions.
Within the client service group, our portfolio management services group is dedicated to tracking and reporting on primary investments, secondary investments and direct/co-investments that we manage for our clients. This group also uses the services of third-party administrators and analysts, particularly with respect to specialized funds. We maintain a disciplined investment monitoring process designed to adapt portfolio allocation to enhance returns in our advisory and customized separate account portfolios, as well as in our specialized funds. Once a primary or secondary investment is closed, we have frequent conversations with private markets fund managers, hold periodic in-person meetings (conditions permitting) and attend annual meetings and advisory board meetings. This process generally is led by members of the investment team but also includes members of the relationship management team as well as other members of the senior management team. We have active advisory board seats on behalf of our clients and participate on numerous valuation committees.
Our team of professionals closely follows the activities and investments in clients’ portfolios. The team measures adherence to the stated strategies and limited partnership agreement terms. The team is in regular contact with fund managers, which allows for early detection of potential issues and timely development of constructive recommendations.
We actively track and report on each investment and on overall portfolios. We provide clients with comprehensive and customized quarterly and annual reports. iLevel, our online, interactive client
reporting platform, affords clients always available, secure, Internet-based access to their portfolios. Clients can download timely information on cash flows, adjusted valuations, adjusted capital account schedules, underlying portfolio company information and other data provided by private markets fund managers or developed internally by our in-house reporting team.
Fees and Other Key Contractual Terms
Customized Separate Accounts
We enter into written contracts with each of our customized separate account clients. Within agreed-upon investment guidelines, we generally have full discretion to buy, sell or otherwise effect investment transactions involving the assets in the account, in the name and on behalf of the client, although in some cases certain clients have the right to veto investments. Our discretion generally includes decisions related to, among other matters: voting securities; entering into, amending and terminating contracts; commencing, settling or discontinuing claims or actions; exercising options, conversion or subscription rights; whether to join, dissent from or oppose the reorganization, recapitalization, liquidation, merger, sale, mortgage, pledge or lease of any securities or other property constituting a part of the committed capital; depositing the committed capital with any protective, reorganization or similar committee and paying expenses of such committees and assessments on deposits with them; entering into brokerage accounts in the name of the client; and generally taking or refraining from taking any other action related to the investment or reinvestment of the committed capital. The discretion to invest committed capital generally is subject to investment guidelines established by our clients or by us in conjunction with our clients.
Fees. While the specific terms of our contracts vary significantly from client to client, generally our customized separate account clients are charged asset-based fees annually on committed or net invested capital and/or net asset value. These fees often decrease over the life of the contract due to built-in declines in contractual rates and/or as a result of lower net invested capital balances as capital is returned to clients. For some customized separate accounts, we charge clients annual fixed fees, and, in certain cases, we earn an incentive fee based on realized gains, particularly when the investment strategies include secondary investments and direct/co-investments. In certain cases, we also provide advisory and/or reporting services and, therefore, we also receive fees for services such as monitoring and reporting on a client’s existing private markets investments. In addition, we may provide for investments in our specialized funds as part of our customized separate accounts, and therefore we also receive incentive fees based on realized gains of investments in our specialized funds and/or management fees under the terms of such funds. We generally reduce the management and/or incentive fees on customized separate accounts to the extent that assets in the accounts are invested in our specialized funds so that our clients do not pay duplicate fees.
Duration and Termination. Customized separate account contracts have varying durations of up to 12 years or indefinite terms, and typically can be terminated by our clients for any reason generally upon 30 to 90 days’ notice or can only be terminated for specified reasons. Some contracts provide for termination on shorter or longer notice. Some contracts provide for penalty fees to be paid to us if termination occurs before the end of the stated term in the absence of cause. For contracts that provide for incentive fees based on realized gains, we typically retain the right to continue receiving those fees after termination with respect to existing investments at time of termination. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Customized separate account and advisory account fee revenue is not a long-term contracted source of revenue and is subject to intense competition” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.
Structure. Our customized separate accounts are often structured through contractual arrangements involving an investment management agreement between us and the client. Alternatively, at the client’s request, we will establish a separate investment vehicle, generally structured as a limited partnership with the client as the sole limited partner and a wholly owned subsidiary of HLA as the general partner. Such limited partnerships are typically formed in Delaware or a non-U.S. jurisdiction, such as the Cayman Islands or Luxembourg, in accordance with the client’s specifications. In certain cases, we have formed
investment vehicles utilizing other forms, including Delaware limited liability companies, Cayman unit trusts and/or Luxembourg companies. Our capital commitment to such an investment vehicle is generally 1% of total capital commitments but in certain cases may be higher or lower. We manage these investment vehicles under an investment management agreement between the investment vehicle entity and us, and we manage all aspects of the vehicles, utilizing the services of third parties as needed, including administrators and custodial banks.
Specialized Funds
Since 1997, we have sponsored 29 primary funds, five secondary funds, eight direct/co-investment funds, six strategic opportunities funds, one social and environmental impact fund and one Small Business Investment Company fund. The terms of each fund vary. We have described below the key terms of these funds.
In addition, we sponsor funds designed to provide investors periodic liquidity, which primarily invest in secondaries and direct/co-investments (the “evergreen funds”). One evergreen fund is marketed to investors outside of the United States on a private placement basis, and in the United States, we offer a similar vehicle for U.S. investors, which is registered under the Securities Act and as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
Capital Commitments. Investors in our specialized funds, other than the evergreen funds, generally make commitments to provide capital at the outset of a fund and deliver capital when called upon by us, as investment opportunities become available and to fund operational expenses and other obligations. The commitments are generally available for investment for three to six years, during what we call the commitment period. However, our strategic opportunities funds have one- to two-year commitment periods and, in the case of one of our direct/co-investment funds, the investors do not commit capital at the commencement of the fund but rather have the right to make their own investment decisions as to each investment opportunity that we present to them. We typically have invested the capital committed to our funds, other than our strategic opportunities funds, over a three- to five-year period. Investors in the evergreen funds fund their investment at the time of subscription, and the proceeds may be invested by the funds at any time.
Structure. We conduct the management of our specialized funds, other than the evergreen funds, primarily through structures in which limited partnerships (or series thereof) organized by us accept commitments or funds from investors. The investors become limited partners in the funds and a separate entity that we form and control acts as the general partner. Our capital commitment to the fund is generally 1% of total capital commitments. HLA, to which we refer as the “Manager”, generally serves as the investment manager of our funds, including the evergreen funds. The Manager is registered as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Investment Advisers Act”). Responsibility for helping a fund’s general partner with all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the fund generally is delegated to the Manager pursuant to an investment management agreement. The material terms of our investment management agreements relate to the scope of services to be rendered by the Manager to the applicable funds and certain rights of termination. The funds themselves do not register as investment companies under the Investment Company Act, in reliance on exemptions from such registration other than as described with respect to the evergreen funds.
The Manager generally makes all decisions concerning the making, monitoring and disposing of investments pursuant to authority delegated by the specialized fund’s general partner. The investors in the funds take no part in the conduct or control of the business of the funds, have no right or authority to act for or bind the funds and have no influence over the voting or disposition of the securities or other assets held by the funds. These decisions are made by us as the Manager, typically in our sole discretion pursuant to authority delegated by the general partner, subject to the investment limitations set forth in the agreements governing each fund. The limited partners often have the right to remove the general partner for cause or effect an early dissolution by supermajority vote, or in certain cases by a simple majority vote. In addition, the governing agreements of our funds typically require the suspension of the
commitment period if, depending on the fund, between two and ten designated principals of the Manager cease to devote sufficient professional time to or cease to be employed by the Manager, often called a “key man event”, or in connection with certain other events discussed under “—Duration, Redemption and Termination.” See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business—Our ability to retain our senior management team and attract additional qualified investment professionals is critical to our success” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.
Management Fees. We earn management fees based on a percentage of limited partners’ capital commitments to, net invested capital or net asset value in, our specialized funds. The management fee during the commitment period is often charged on capital commitments and after the commitment period (or a defined anniversary of the fund’s initial closing) is typically reduced by a percentage of the management fee for the preceding year or charged on net invested capital. In the case of certain funds, we charge management fees on capital commitments, with the management fee increasing during the early years of the fund’s term and declining in the later years. Management fees for certain funds are discounted based on the amount of the limited partners’ commitments or if the limited partners are investors in our other funds. Management fees would be reduced in the event that any monitoring, consulting, investment banking, advisory, transaction, directors’ or break-up or similar fees are paid to the fund’s general partner, the Manager or any of their affiliates or principals.
Incentive Fees. The incentive fees charged by our specialized funds are generally referred to as “carried interest.” Our primary funds invest the majority of their capital in other private markets funds on a primary basis, and certain of our primary funds earn carried interest on these investments. To the extent that our primary funds also directly make secondary investments and direct/co-investments, they generally earn carried interest equal to a fixed percentage of net profits, subject to a compounded annual preferred return in respect of those investments. Carried interest from these primary funds is earned on a “full return” basis when all invested capital and the applicable preferred return has been received or on a “deal-by-deal” basis when all capital invested and the applicable preferred return has been received either on all realized investments or on each individual investment.
For each of our secondary funds, direct/co-investment funds, strategic opportunity funds and evergreen funds, we generally earn carried interest equal to a fixed percentage of net profits, subject to a compounded annual preferred return that varies based on fund type. In our secondary funds, we generally earn carried interest on a full-return basis. In the case of certain of our direct/co-investment funds, strategic opportunity funds and evergreen funds, we earn carried interest on a deal-by-deal basis.
If, upon the final distribution of any of our specialized funds from which we earn carried interest, we and our affiliates have received cumulative carried interest in excess of the amount to which we would be entitled from the profits calculated for such investments in the aggregate, or if the limited partners have not received distributions equal to those to which they are entitled, the general partner will return such part of any carried interest to the limited partners as is necessary to ensure that they receive the amounts to which they are entitled, less taxes on the carried interest. We refer to these provisions as “clawbacks.” Most of our funds that provide for carried interest require a full return of capital and expenses to investors before any carried interest is paid to us, which minimizes the risk of a clawback obligation.
Duration, Redemption and Termination. Our specialized funds, other than our strategic opportunities funds and evergreen funds, generally terminate 10 to 14 years after either the first or last date on which a limited partner is admitted to the fund, or, in the case of certain funds, terminate on a specified anniversary date. Our main primary, secondary and direct/co-investment funds have an average term of approximately 12 years. Certain of our strategic opportunities funds terminate five years after the last date on which a limited partner may be admitted to the fund. Our funds are generally subject to extension for up to two years at the discretion of the general partner and thereafter if consent of the requisite majority of limited partners or, in some cases, the fund’s advisory committee is obtained. Our evergreen funds do not have a fixed term.
Interests in our specialized funds, other than our evergreen funds, are not subject to redemption prior to termination of the funds. Termination or dissolution of the funds and the suspension of their commitment periods, however, can generally be accelerated upon the occurrence of certain customary events, including key man events, bankruptcy and similar events and the occurrence of fraud, willful malfeasance or gross negligence and other similar events. Such funds also may be terminated upon the affirmative vote, depending on the fund, of 75% to 85% of the total limited partner interests entitled to vote.
Advisory Services
We enter into written contracts with each of our advisory services clients. Advisory service clients are generally charged annual fixed fees, which vary depending on the services we provide. In limited cases, advisory service clients are charged basis point fees annually based on the amounts they have committed to invest pursuant to their agreements with us. In other cases, where our services are limited to monitoring and reporting on investment portfolios, clients are charged a fee based on the number of investments in their portfolio. We generally do not earn incentive fees based on advisory contracts.
Our advisory services contracts have various durations ranging from one year to indefinite terms. A number of our advisory service contracts have initial terms of approximately three years and then renew at the end of the initial term automatically or at the client’s option unless terminated earlier. Advisory contracts can typically be terminated by our clients for any reason upon short notice, generally 30 to 90 days, although some contracts provide for termination on shorter or longer notice or can only be terminated for specified reasons. Advisory contracts with governmental pension plans typically are subject to a renewal process involving our submission of information in response to a request for proposal (“RFP”) issued by the client. We submit extensive, detailed information pursuant to the RFP procedures, usually on a confidential basis, often in competition with other investment advisors bidding on the contract. In these cases, we generally do not know the identity of the other bidders or the substance of their proposals. The RFP procedures prohibit communications between bidders and the issuer of the RFP relating to the proposals during the bidding process.
Distribution Management
We enter into written contracts with each of our distribution management clients. These clients engage us to manage the liquidation of publicly traded securities that they receive as distributions from funds in which they are investors. Our agreements provide for either “managed liquidation” where the securities are sold within 90 days after distribution or “active management” where the securities may be sold over a longer period.
Distribution management clients are charged basis point fees on either the net proceeds received from the sale of their securities or the aggregate amount of a client’s managed assets and vary depending on whether the account is for managed liquidation or active management services. Alternatively, active management clients may elect an incentive fee structure under which they are charged an asset-based fee plus an incentive fee based on net realized and unrealized gains and income net of realized and unrealized losses. The incentive fee is then credited to a notional account, and we are entitled to a fixed percentage of any positive balance in the notional account on an annual basis. The remaining portion of any positive balance in the notional account is carried forward to the following year. If the incentive fee calculation results in a negative amount in a given year, that amount is applied to reduce the balance in the notional account. We are not required to repay any negative balance in the notional account.
Distribution management contracts have varying durations, some with indefinite terms, and typically can be terminated by our clients for any reason generally upon 30 to 90 days’ notice. Some contracts provide for termination on shorter or longer notice.
Competition
We compete in all aspects of our business with a large number of asset management firms, commercial banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions. With respect to our specialized funds, we primarily compete with the alternative asset management businesses of a number of large international financial institutions and established local and regional competitors based in the United States, Europe and Asia, including managers offering funds-of-funds, secondary funds and direct/co-investment funds in the private markets. Our principal competition for customized separate accounts is mostly other highly specialized and independent private markets asset management firms. We compete primarily in the advisory services area of the business with firms that are regionally based and with a select number of large consulting firms for whom private markets investments is only one, often small, portion of their overall business.
In order to grow our business, we must be able to compete effectively to maintain our existing client base and attract additional clients in advisory services, customized separate account and specialized fund areas of the business. Historically, we have competed principally on the basis of the factors listed below:
•Global access to private markets investment opportunities through our size, scale, reputation and strong relationships with private markets fund managers;
•Brand recognition and reputation within the investing community;
•Performance of investment strategies;
•Quality of service and duration of client relationships;
•Ability to provide a cost effective and comprehensive range of services and products; and
•Clients’ perceptions of our independence and the alignment of our interests with theirs created through our investment in our own products.
The asset management business is intensely competitive, and in addition to the above factors, our ability to continue to compete effectively will depend upon our ability to attract highly qualified investment professionals and retain existing employees.
Intellectual Property
We own or have rights to trademarks, service marks or trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business. In addition, our names, logos and website names and addresses are owned by us or licensed by us. We also own or have the rights to copyrights that protect the content of our solutions. We believe that the “Hamilton Lane” trade name, logo and website are material to our operations.
We have entered into licensing agreements with other companies for several of our technology solutions, including Black Mountain and iLevel, which expire in 2021 and 2025, respectively. The iLevel license will automatically renew for additional one-year periods thereafter, unless terminated by either party.
Legal and Compliance
Our general counsel reports to our chief executive officer. Our attorneys are embedded in our legal corporate, customized separate accounts, commingled funds and investment teams. Most of our customized separate account clients and certain of our advisory clients rely on us to review, analyze and negotiate the terms of the documents relating to primary, secondary and direct/co-investments. Working together with our investment teams, our attorneys negotiate directly with fund managers and deal sponsors and their counsel the terms of all limited partnership agreements, subscription documents, side letters, purchase agreements and other documents relating to primary, secondary and direct/co-investments. Our attorneys also review and make recommendations regarding amendments and requests
for consents presented by the fund managers from time to time. In addition, our legal team is responsible for preparing, reviewing and negotiating all documents relating to the formation and operation of our funds. We utilize the services of outside counsel as we deem necessary.
Our compliance team is led by our chief risk officer, who reports to our chief executive officer. Our chief risk officer has day-to-day management responsibility for the compliance team. The compliance team is responsible for operational due diligence and overseeing and enforcing our policies and procedures relating to compliance with the Investment Advisers Act and related rules and regulations and our code of ethics, as well as the compliance policies and procedures and laws and regulations that apply to our non-U.S. subsidiaries and operations. In addition, the compliance team is responsible for all regulatory matters relating to Hamilton Lane Securities, LLC, our SEC- and FINRA-registered broker-dealer affiliate through which we offer interests in our specialized funds.
Regulatory Environment
Our business is subject to extensive regulation in the United States at both the federal and state level. Under these laws and regulations, the SEC and relevant state securities authorities have broad administrative powers, including the power to limit, restrict or prohibit an investment advisor from carrying on its business if it fails to comply with such laws and regulations. Possible sanctions that may be imposed include the suspension of individual employees, limitations on engaging in certain lines of business for specified periods of time, revocation of investment advisor and other registrations or licenses, censures and fines.
SEC Regulation
HLA is registered as an investment advisor with the SEC. As a registered investment advisor, it is subject to the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act, and the rules promulgated thereunder, as well as to examination by the SEC’s staff. The Investment Advisers Act imposes substantive regulation on virtually all aspects of our business and our relationships with our clients. Applicable requirements relate to, among other things, fiduciary duties to clients, engaging in transactions with clients, maintaining an effective compliance program, incentive fees, solicitation arrangements, allocation of investments, conflicts of interest, advertising, recordkeeping, reporting and disclosure requirements. The Investment Advisers Act regulates the assignment of advisory contracts by the investment advisor. The SEC is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Investment Advisers Act, ranging from fines and censures to termination of an investment advisor’s registration. The failure of HLA to comply with the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act or the SEC could have a material adverse effect on us.
Most of our customized separate accounts and specialized funds are not registered under the Investment Company Act because we generally only form customized separate accounts for, and offer interests in our specialized funds to, persons who we reasonably believe to be “qualified purchasers” as defined in the Investment Company Act.
ERISA-Related Regulation
Some of our specialized funds are treated as holding “plan assets” as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), as a result of investments in those funds by benefit plan investors. By virtue of its role as investment manager of these funds, HLA is a “fiduciary” under ERISA with respect to such benefit plan investors. ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), impose certain duties on persons that are fiduciaries under ERISA, prohibit certain transactions involving benefit plans and “parties in interest” or “disqualified persons” to those plans, and provide monetary penalties for violations of these prohibitions. With respect to these funds, HLA relies on particular statutory and administrative exemptions from certain ERISA prohibited transactions, which exemptions are highly complex and may in certain circumstances depend on compliance by third parties whom we do not control. The failure of HLA or us to comply with these various requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business.
In addition, with respect to other investment funds in which benefit plan investors have invested, but which are not treated as holding “plan assets,” we and HLA rely on certain rules under ERISA in conducting investment management activities. These rules are sometimes highly complex and may in certain circumstances depend on compliance by third parties that we do not control. If for any reason these rules were to become inapplicable, we and HLA could become subject to regulatory action or third-party claims that could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Foreign Regulation
We provide investment advisory and other services and raise funds in a number of countries and jurisdictions outside the United States. In many of these countries and jurisdictions, which include the European Union (“EU”), the European Economic Area (“EEA”), the individual member states of each of the EU and EEA, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom (“U.K.”), we and our operations, and in some cases our personnel, are subject to regulatory oversight and requirements. In general, these requirements relate to registration, licenses for our personnel, periodic inspections, the provision and filing of periodic reports, and obtaining certifications and other approvals. Across the EU, we are subject to the European Union Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”) requirements regarding, among other things, registration for marketing activities, the structure of remuneration for certain of our personnel and reporting obligations. Individual member states of the EU have imposed additional requirements that may include internal arrangements with respect to risk management, liquidity risks, asset valuations, and the establishment and security of depository and custodial requirements.
The application of some of these requirements and regulations to our business will likely change in connection with the exit of the U.K. from the EU (“Brexit”), which became official in January 2020. For example, our subsidiaries that are authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority could potentially lose “passporting” privileges under certain EU directives, such as the AIFMD and the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (“MiFID II”), which certain of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts rely upon for access to markets throughout the EU. In preparation for this, we worked with a third-party alternative investment fund manager (“AIFM”) based in Luxembourg to replace, prior to Brexit, our U.K.-based AIFM for our funds and certain customized separate accounts for the EU. We are also in the process of obtaining a MiFID II license for one of our EU-based (non-U.K.) subsidiaries in the event that the MiFID II license currently held by our U.K.-based subsidiary is no longer valid after Brexit. While we believe that taking these steps will help to ensure that we are able to continue to conduct business in the U.K. and the EU after Brexit, there remains some uncertainty as to the full extent to which our business could be adversely affected by, among other things, the legal status of the U.K. in relation to the EU, the political conditions in the U.K., the trade relations of the U.K. vis-à-vis other countries and the economic outlook in the U.K. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Operational risks and data security breaches may disrupt our business, result in losses or limit our growth”, “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Our international operations are subject to certain risks, which may affect our revenue” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Industry—Regulation of investment advisors outside the United States could adversely affect our ability to operate our business.” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K for more information on the risks we face in connection with Brexit.
Employees
Our Culture and Focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
We believe diversity and inclusion are a core part of our corporate mission to enrich lives and safeguard futures, and we leverage our status as a global leader in the private markets to promote diversity and inclusion to the benefit of employees, clients, the community and our industry overall. Our organization is focused on acting with integrity, pursuing excellence in all that we do and promoting equity and inclusion from within. This starts with a commitment to our employees to create a workplace
environment where they can thrive both professionally and personally, and where our employees feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to the workplace.
Formed in 2016, our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council (“DE&I Council”) aims to raise awareness about the importance and benefits of fostering an inclusive work environment and culture. We know that smart teams do great things, but diverse teams can do truly incredible things, and the way to affect change is to help create it. That is why in 2020 we announced the adoption of a new corporate value, “Promoting Equity and Inclusion from Within.”
We believe that our strong culture is a key factor driving our success in developing and maintaining high-quality relationships with current/prospective employees, clients, prospects, business partners and the communities within which we live and work. In early 2021, we became a signatory to the Institutional Limited Partners Association’s newly announced Diversity in Action Initiative. This effort focuses on foundational actions that limited partner and general partner organizations are taking to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, both internally and throughout the industry more broadly. With approximately 450 employees worldwide as of March 31, 2021, we are proud that our culture has been recognized annually by Pensions & Investments (“P&I”) magazine, a leading investment publication, as a “Best Place to Work in Money Management” since P&I created their list in 2012. We are one of just five firms to hold this distinction. In addition, Hamilton Lane has been recognized by the Central Penn Business Journal as a “Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania,” also for the last nine consecutive years.
Talent Acquisition and Retention
In 2020, our Human Resources Department, in conjunction with the firm’s DE&I Council, introduced a new strategic plan aimed at expanding upon existing efforts to intentionally embed diversity, equity and inclusion into the fabric of the firm’s values, culture, and recruiting and retention practices. The plan outlines enhanced recruiting and retention efforts, including an emphasis on ongoing training, accountability and inclusivity.
As of March 31, 2021, 51% of our employees were minorities or women and 48% of departments were led by minorities or women. As of March 31, 2021, approximately 40% of our employees were women and 32% of senior leadership roles were held by women. In recognition of our efforts, we were designated by the Private Equity Women Investor Network as International LP of the Year for 2020. This award is given annually to an outstanding institutional limited partner who has demonstrated a commitment to encouraging and supporting female investors in the private equity industry.
We believe that our culture and commitment to fostering a truly diverse workforce will continue to play an important role in supporting our future growth.
Employee Engagement
In addition to our recruiting and retention efforts, we recognize that a true commitment to diversity requires a proactive and multi-faceted approach. We have multiple employee-led programs designed to help our colleagues with skill development, career progression and work-life balance, as well as to facilitate open dialogues around important topics such as race, inclusion and social justice. Furthermore, employees have the opportunity to participate in our formal Mentoring Program, which is designed to help less tenured employees foster relationships with more experienced colleagues and/or peers in different departments with the goal of enhancing professional and personal development and growth.
In addition to formalizing a diversity, equity and inclusion strategy with clear objectives and aspirations for increasing the diversity of our workforce, we focused on a number of other human capital initiatives during fiscal 2021. For example, we completed the implementation of pay-for-performance, which involved the introduction of a common set of job competencies providing each individual job profile with a clear understanding of expectations for the role, a new performance measurement and reporting process, a standardized compensation structure and various training modules to facilitate these transitions. Finally, we completed the final implementation phase of a software program for financial
management and human capital management, which provides a platform to deliver our human capital processes, allowing enhanced data analysis, better controls through trackable and auditable transactions, and employee and manager self service.
Our success is because of our people, our colleagues across the globe who bring their authentic selves to work every day. We are not only private markets specialists, but we are artists, musicians, athletes, parents and so much more. It is that intersection of experiences that drives our culture and our unique spirit of competition that inspires innovation. Together, we believe diverse perspectives lead to informed decisions; decisions designed to benefit our clients, our employees and our competitive edge.
New Corporate Headquarters — LEED and Fitwel Certifications
In addition to the efforts noted above, we are pursuing both LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Fitwel certifications for our new corporate headquarters office building in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The LEED certification demonstrates the value we place on locating our headquarters in an energy and resource-efficient building. The Fitwel certification demonstrates our commitment to the health and wellness of our employees. It focuses on increasing physical activity, providing healthy food options, promoting safety and contributing to the overall physical and mental wellbeing of those who work in the building. The office will offer increased spaces designated for personal wellness, mental health and well-being and employee connectivity.
Compensation and Benefits
In order to make working at Hamilton Lane an attractive proposition for current and prospective employees, we have developed a comprehensive total rewards compensation program. The elements of this program are designed to recognize and reward individual performance and recognize contributions that align with and drive positive business results. We believe that a compensation system that incentivizes actions that grow stockholder value closely aligns our employees with the interests of our stockholders. To further align their interests with those of investors in our funds, certain of our employees also have the opportunity to make investments in certain of our funds.
We offer a market-based mix of compensation elements, including:
•base salary;
•annual discretionary incentive bonuses consisting of both cash and equity;
•long-term equity incentives;
•a carried interest plan; and
•competitive health and wellness benefits.
The particular mix and weighting of elements varies depending on the functional area and level of seniority within our organization. We adjust the individual elements of compensation as needed to effectively compete for talent in the jurisdictions in which we do business and to comply with local law. We believe a blend of variable and longer-term components further attracts and incentivizes talent, provides an overall compensation package that is competitive with the market and encourages retention of top performers.
Our health and wellness benefits include 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave plus one additional week to be used on demand, regardless of gender identity, lactation and milk shipping services, assisted reproductive technology and adoption support, back-up child, elder and self-care, mental health services and a number of financial wellness benefits including our Employee Share Purchase Plan, as amended, through which employees can purchase shares of our Class A common stock at a discounted price.
Available Information
Our website is located at www.hamiltonlane.com, and the Shareholders page of our website is located at http://ir.hamiltonlane.com. We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and
file or furnish reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, statements of changes in beneficial ownership and amendments to those reports are available for free on the Shareholders page of our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with, or furnish them to, the SEC. The SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.
We webcast our earnings calls and certain events we participate in or host with members of the investment community on the Shareholders page of our website. Additionally, we provide notifications of news or announcements regarding our financial performance, including SEC filings, investor events, press and earnings releases as part of the Shareholders page of our website. Investors and others can receive notifications of new information posted on the Shareholders page of our website in real time by subscribing to email alerts. We also make certain corporate governance documents available on the Shareholders page of our website, including board committee charters and our code of conduct and ethics.
The contents of our websites are not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to the other information set forth in this Form 10-K, you should carefully consider the following factors, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. The risks described below are not the only risks that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may negatively affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Business
The historical performance of our investments should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our investments or our operations or any returns expected on an investment in our Class A common stock.
Past performance of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts or the investments that we recommend to our advisory clients is not necessarily indicative of future results or of the performance of our Class A common stock. An investment in our Class A common stock is not an investment in any of our specialized funds or customized separate accounts. In addition, the historical and potential future returns of specialized funds and customized separate accounts that we manage are not directly linked to returns on our Class A common stock. Therefore, you should not conclude that continued positive performance of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or the investments that we recommend to our advisory clients will necessarily result in positive returns on an investment in our Class A common stock. However, poor performance of our specialized funds or customized separate accounts could cause a decline in our revenue, and could therefore have a negative effect on our performance and on returns on an investment in our Class A common stock.
The historical performance of our funds should not be considered indicative of the future performance of these funds or of any future funds we may raise, in part because:
•market conditions and investment opportunities during previous periods may have been significantly more favorable for generating positive performance than those we may experience in the future;
•the performance of our funds is generally calculated on the basis of NAV of the funds’ investments, including unrealized gains, which may never be realized;
•our historical returns derive largely from the performance of our earlier funds, whereas future fund returns will depend increasingly on the performance of our newer funds or funds not yet formed;
•our newly established funds may generate lower returns during the period that they initially deploy their capital;
•competition continues to increase for investment opportunities, which may reduce our returns in the future;
•the performance of particular funds also will be affected by risks of the industries and businesses in which they invest; and
•we may create new funds that reflect a different asset mix and new investment strategies, as well as a varied geographic and industry exposure, compared to our historical funds, and any such new funds could have different returns from our previous funds.
The success of our business depends on the identification and availability of suitable investment opportunities for our clients.
Our success largely depends on the identification and availability of suitable investment opportunities for our clients, and in particular the success of funds in which our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts invest. The availability of investment opportunities will be subject to market conditions and other factors outside of our control and the control of the private markets fund managers with which we invest. Past returns of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts have benefited from investment opportunities and general market conditions that may not continue or reoccur, including favorable borrowing conditions in the debt markets, and there can be no assurance that our specialized funds, customized separate accounts, advisory accounts or the underlying funds in which we invest will be able to avail themselves of comparable opportunities and conditions. There can also be no assurance that the private markets funds we select will be able to identify sufficient attractive investment opportunities to meet their investment objectives. Further, the due diligence investigations we conduct before recommending investments to our clients may not uncover all facts relevant to the suitability of such opportunities. See “—The due diligence process that we undertake in connection with investments may not reveal all facts that may be relevant in connection with an investment” for more information on the risks we face in connection with the due diligence process.
Competition for access to investment funds and other investments we make for our clients is intense.
We seek to maintain excellent relationships with general partners and managers of investment funds, including those in which we have previously made investments for our clients and those in which we may in the future invest, as well as sponsors of investments that might provide direct/co-investment opportunities in portfolio companies alongside the sponsoring fund manager. However, because of the number of investors seeking to gain access to investment funds and direct/co-investment opportunities managed or sponsored by the top performing fund managers, there can be no assurance that we will be able to secure the opportunity to invest on behalf of our clients in all or a substantial portion of the investments we select, or that the size of the investment opportunities available to us will be as large as we would desire. Access to secondary investment opportunities is also highly competitive and is often controlled by a limited number of general partners, fund managers and intermediaries.
Customized separate account and advisory account fee revenue is not a long-term contracted source of revenue and is subject to intense competition.
Our revenue in any given period is dependent on the number of fee-paying clients in such period. Our customized separate account and advisory account business operates in a highly competitive environment where typically there are no long-term contracts. While clients of our customized separate account and advisory account businesses may have multi-year contracts, many of these contracts are terminable upon 30 to 90 days’ advance notice to us. We may lose clients as a result of the sale or merger of a client, a change in a client’s senior management, a client’s decision to transition to in-house asset management rather than partner with a third-party provider such as us, competition from other financial advisors and financial institutions and other causes. Moreover, a number of our contracts with state government-sponsored clients are secured through such government’s RFP process, and can be subject to periodic renewal. If multiple clients were to exercise their termination rights or fail to renew their existing contracts and we were unable to secure new clients, our customized separate account and advisory account fees would decline materially. A significant reduction in the number of fee-paying clients in any given period could reduce our revenue and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our failure to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest could damage our reputation and materially and adversely affect our business.
As we expand the scope of our business, we increasingly confront potential conflicts of interest relating to our advisory and investment management businesses. For example, we may recommend that
various advisory clients invest in specialized funds managed by us. It is possible that actual, potential or perceived conflicts could give rise to investor dissatisfaction, litigation or regulatory enforcement actions. As a registered investment advisor, we owe our clients a fiduciary duty and are required to provide disinterested advice. Appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and difficult and our reputation could be damaged if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with one or more potential or actual conflicts of interest. Regulatory scrutiny of, or litigation in connection with, conflicts of interest could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, which could materially and adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including an inability to raise additional funds, attract new clients or retain existing clients.
We have obligations to investors in our specialized funds and customized separate accounts and may have obligations to other third parties that may conflict with your interests.
Our subsidiaries that serve as the general partners of or advisors to our specialized funds and customized separate accounts have fiduciary and contractual obligations to the investors in those funds and accounts, and some of our subsidiaries may have contractual duties to other third parties. As a result, we may take actions with respect to the allocation of investments among our specialized funds and customized separate accounts (including funds and accounts that have different fee structures), the purchase or sale of investments in our specialized funds and customized separate accounts, the structuring of investment transactions for those specialized funds and customized separate accounts, the advice we provide or other actions in order to comply with these fiduciary and contractual obligations. In addition, because most of our senior management and other professionals hold most of their economic interests in us through HLA and certain of its affiliates, which are not subject to U.S. federal and state entity-level income taxes, and our Class A common stockholders hold their interests through Hamilton Lane Incorporated, which is subject to entity-level taxation as a corporation in the United States, conflicts relating to the selection and structuring of investments or other matters may arise between senior management and our other professionals, on the one hand, and the Class A stockholders of Hamilton Lane Incorporated, on the other hand.
Our ability to retain our senior management team and attract additional qualified investment professionals is critical to our success.
Our success depends on our ability to retain our senior management team and to recruit additional qualified investment, sales and other professionals. However, we may not be successful in our efforts to retain our senior management team, as the market for investment professionals is extremely competitive. The individuals that comprise our senior management team possess substantial experience and expertise and, in many cases, have significant relationships with certain of our clients. Accordingly, the loss of any one of our senior management team could adversely affect certain client relationships or limit our ability to successfully execute our investment strategies, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the governing agreements of our specialized funds typically require the suspension of the commitment period if, depending on the fund, between two and ten designated members of our senior management team cease to devote sufficient professional time to or cease to be employed by HLA, often called a “key man event,” or in connection with certain other events. The occurrence of a key man event could also affect investment periods under our limited partnership agreements. Any change to our senior management team could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We intend to expand our business and may enter into new lines of business, geographic markets or strategic partnerships, which may result in additional risks and uncertainties in our business.
We currently generate substantially all of our revenue from asset management and advisory services. However, we may grow our business by offering additional products and services, by entering into new lines of business, by entering into, or expanding our presence in, new geographic markets and by entering into selected strategic partnerships. Entry into certain lines of business or geographic markets or the introduction of new types of investment structures, products or services could increase our operational
costs and may also subject us to new laws and regulations with which we are not familiar, or from which we are currently exempt, which may lead to increased litigation and regulatory risk. For example, we have recently undertaken business initiatives to reach an increasing number of retail investors, which exposes us to greater levels of risk, including heightened litigation, regulatory enforcement and reputational risks. We have also launched our first SPAC, Hamilton Lane Alliance Holdings I, Inc. (“HLAH”), with the goal of raising additional SPACs in the future, depending on market and other conditions. HLAH is sponsored by a wholly-owned subsidiary of HLA that will assist in identifying and effectuating a merger between HLAH and a target company. We view the sponsorship of SPACs as an extension of our pre-existing investment activities, but participation in the SPAC market exposes us and our affiliates to additional risks, including heightened litigation, regulatory enforcement and reputational risks as well as the potential loss of our investment if a suitable target company is not identified for the initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe.
To the extent we enter into new lines of business, we will face numerous risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with the possibility that we have insufficient expertise to engage in such activities profitably or without incurring inappropriate amounts of risk, that we do not have the required investment of capital and other resources and that we could potentially lose clients due to the perception that we are no longer focusing on our core business. We also may from time to time explore opportunities to grow our business via acquisitions, partnerships, investments or other strategic transactions. There can be no assurance that we will successfully identify, negotiate or complete such transactions, that any completed transactions will produce favorable financial results or that we will be able to successfully integrate an acquired business with ours.
In addition, certain aspects of our cost structure, such as costs for compensation, occupancy leases, communication and information technology services, and depreciation and amortization are largely fixed, and we may not be able to timely adjust these costs to match fluctuations in revenue related to growing our business or entering into new lines of business. If a new business generates insufficient revenue or if we are unable to efficiently manage our expanded operations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
A decline in the pace or size of fundraising or investments made by us on behalf of our specialized funds or customized separate accounts may adversely affect our revenues.
The revenues that we earn are driven in part by the amount of capital committed by our clients for investment, our fundraising efforts and the pace at which we make investments on behalf of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts. A decline in the pace or the size of fundraising efforts or investments may reduce our revenues. The private markets investing environment continues to see increased competition, which can make fundraising and the deployment of capital more difficult. In addition, many other factors could cause a decline in the pace of investment, including the inability of our investment professionals to identify attractive investment opportunities, decreased availability of capital on attractive terms and our failure to consummate identified investment opportunities because of business, regulatory or legal complexities or uncertainty and adverse developments in the U.S. or global economy or financial markets. In addition, if we are unable to deploy capital at a pace that is sufficient to offset the pace of realizations, our fee revenues could decrease.
For our specialized funds and customized separate accounts that charge fees based on invested capital, such a decline in the pace of investments may reduce our revenue more acutely. In addition, fees based on invested capital may create an incentive to make investments earlier in the specialized fund’s or customized separate account’s life than it otherwise would if fees were charged based purely on capital commitments, which has more predictability for revenues.
Our indebtedness may expose us to substantial risks.
We maintain a Term Loan and Security Agreement (as amended, the “Term Loan Agreement”), a Multi-Draw Term Loan and Security Agreement (as amended, the “Multi-Draw Term Loan Agreement”)
and a Revolving Loan and Security Agreement (as amended, the “Revolving Loan Agreement” and, together with the Term Loan Agreement and the Multi-Draw Term Loan Agreement, the “Loan Agreements”) with First Republic Bank (“First Republic”). The Term Loan Agreement matures on July 1, 2027, the Revolving Loan Agreement matures on March 24, 2023 and the Multi-Draw Term Loan Agreement matures on July 1, 2030. For more information on our Loan Agreements, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Loan Agreements”.
We expect to continue to utilize debt to finance our operations, which will expose us to the typical risks associated with the use of leverage. An increase in leverage could make it more difficult for us to withstand adverse economic conditions or business plan variances, to take advantage of new business opportunities, or to make necessary capital expenditures. Any portion of our cash flow required for debt service would not be available for our operations, distributions, dividends or other purposes. Any substantial decrease in net operating cash flows or any substantial increase in expenses could make it difficult for us to meet our debt service requirements or force us to modify our operations. Further, there is no guarantee that we will be able to obtain new borrowings or refinance existing borrowings on favorable terms when they mature. Our level of indebtedness may make us more vulnerable to economic downturns and reduce our flexibility in responding to changing business, regulatory and economic conditions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be unable to remain in compliance with the financial or other covenants contained in the Loan Agreements.
The Loan Agreements contain, and any future debt instruments may contain, financial and other covenants that impose requirements on us and limit our and our subsidiaries’ ability to engage in certain transactions or activities, such as:
• incur additional debt;
• provide guarantees in respect of obligations of other persons;
• make loans, advances and investments;
• make certain payments in respect of equity interests, including, among others, the payment of dividends and other distributions, redemptions and similar payments, payments in respect of warrants, options and other rights, and payments in respect of subordinated indebtedness;
• enter into transactions with investment funds and affiliates;
• create or incur liens;
• enter into negative pledges;
• sell all or any part of the business, assets or property, or otherwise dispose of assets;
• make acquisitions or consolidate or merge with other persons;
• enter into sale-leaseback transactions;
• change the nature of our business;
• change our fiscal year;
• make certain modifications to organizational documents or certain material contracts;
• make certain modifications to certain other debt documents; and
• enter into certain agreements with respect to the repayment of indebtedness, the making of loans or advances, or the transfer of assets.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain leverage levels in compliance with the financial covenants included in the Loan Agreements. These restrictions may limit our flexibility in operating our business, and any failure to comply with these financial and other covenants, if not waived, would cause a default or event of default. Our obligations under the Loan Agreements are secured by substantially all of our assets. In the case of an event of default, creditors may exercise rights and remedies, including the rights and remedies of a secured party, under such agreements and applicable law, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For more information on our Loan Agreements, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Loan Agreements”.
Dependence on leverage by certain funds and portfolio companies subjects us to volatility and contractions in the debt financing markets and could adversely affect the ability of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts to achieve attractive rates of return on those investments.
Certain of the specialized funds we manage, the funds in which we invest and portfolio companies within our funds and customized separate accounts currently rely on leverage. If our specialized funds or the companies in which our specialized funds or customized separate accounts invest raise capital in the structured credit, leveraged loan and high yield bond markets, the results of their operations may suffer if such markets experience dislocations, contractions or volatility. Any such events could adversely impact the availability of credit to businesses generally, the cost or terms on which lenders are willing to lend, or the strength of the overall economy.
The absence of available sources of sufficient debt financing for extended periods of time or an increase in either the general levels of interest rates or in the risk spread demanded by sources of indebtedness would make it more expensive to finance those investments, and, in the case of rising interest rates, decrease the value of fixed-rate debt investments made by our funds. Certain investments may also be financed through fund-level debt facilities, which may or may not be available for refinancing on favorable terms, or at all, at the end of their respective terms. Finally, limitations on the deductibility of interest expense on indebtedness used to finance our specialized funds’ investments reduce the after-tax rates of return on the affected investments and make it more costly to use debt financing. See “—Extensive government regulation, compliance failures and changes in law or regulation could adversely affect us.” Any of these factors may have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Similarly, private markets fund portfolio companies regularly utilize the corporate debt markets to obtain additional financing for their operations. The leveraged capital structure of such businesses increases the exposure of the funds’ portfolio companies to adverse economic factors such as rising interest rates, downturns in the economy or deterioration in the condition of such business or its industry. Any adverse impact caused by the use of leverage by portfolio companies in which we directly or indirectly invest could in turn adversely affect the returns of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts.
Defaults by clients and third-party investors in certain of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts could adversely affect that fund’s operations and performance.
Our business is exposed to the risk that clients that owe us money for our services may not pay us. We believe that this risk could potentially increase due to the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic. Also, if investors in our specialized funds and certain customized separate accounts default on their obligations to fund commitments, there may be adverse consequences on the investment process, and we could incur losses and be unable to meet underlying capital calls. For example, investors in most of our specialized funds make capital commitments to those funds that we are entitled to call from those investors at any time during prescribed periods. We depend on investors fulfilling and honoring their commitments when
we call capital from them for those funds to consummate investments and otherwise pay their obligations when due. In addition, certain of our funds may utilize lines of credit to fund investments. Because interest expense and other costs of borrowings under lines of credit are an expense of the fund, the fund’s net multiple of invested capital may be reduced, as well as the amount of carried interest generated by the fund. Any material reduction in the amount of carried interest generated by a fund may adversely affect our revenues.
Any investor that did not fund a capital call would be subject to several possible penalties, including having a meaningful amount of its existing investment forfeited in that fund. However, the impact of the penalty is directly correlated to the amount of capital previously invested by the investor in the fund. For instance, if an investor has invested little or no capital early in the life of the fund, then the forfeiture penalty may not be as meaningful. A failure of investors to honor a significant amount of capital calls could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our failure to comply with investment guidelines set by our clients could result in damage awards against us or a reduction in AUM, either of which would cause our earnings to decline and adversely affect our business.
When clients retain us to manage assets on their behalf, they specify certain guidelines regarding investment allocation and strategy that we are required to observe in the management of their portfolios. Our failure to comply with these guidelines and other limitations could result in clients terminating their investment management agreement with us, as these agreements generally are terminable without cause on 30 to 90 days’ notice. Clients could also sue us for breach of contract and seek to recover damages from us. In addition, such guidelines may restrict our ability to pursue certain allocations and strategies on behalf of our clients that we believe are economically desirable, which could similarly result in losses to a client account or termination of the account and a corresponding reduction in AUM. Even if we comply with all applicable investment guidelines, a client may be dissatisfied with its investment performance or our services or fees, and may terminate their customized separate accounts or advisory accounts or be unwilling to commit new capital to our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or advisory accounts. Any of these events could cause our earnings to decline and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Misconduct by our employees, advisors or third-party service providers could harm us by impairing our ability to attract and retain clients and subjecting us to significant legal liability and reputational harm.
There is a risk that our employees, advisors or third-party service providers could engage in misconduct that adversely affects our business. We are subject to a number of laws, obligations and standards arising from our advisory and investment management businesses and our discretionary authority over the assets we manage. The violation of these laws, obligations and standards by any of our employees, advisors or third-party service providers would adversely affect our clients and us. Our business also often requires that we deal with confidential matters of great significance to companies and funds in which we may invest for our clients. If our employees, advisors or third-party service providers were to engage in fraudulent activity, violate regulatory standards or improperly use or disclose confidential information, we could be subject to legal or regulatory action and suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial position and current and future business relationships. The pervasiveness of social media, coupled with increased public focus on the externalities of activities unrelated to the business, could further magnify the reputational risks associated with negative publicity. It is not always possible to detect or deter misconduct, and the extensive precautions we take that seek to detect and prevent undesirable activity may not be effective in all cases. If one of our employees, advisors or third-party service providers were to engage in misconduct or were to be accused of misconduct, our business and our reputation could be materially and adversely affected. Further, we are subject to the risk that our service providers may default on their contractual obligations to us, which could result in significant disruption to our operations and ability to serve our clients. See “—Extensive government regulation, compliance failures and changes in law or regulation could adversely affect us.”
If the investments we make on behalf of our specialized funds or customized separate accounts perform poorly, we may suffer a decline in our investment management revenue and earnings, and our ability to raise capital for future specialized funds and customized separate accounts may be materially and adversely affected.
Our revenue from our investment management business is derived from fees earned for our management of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts, incentive fees, or carried interest, with respect to certain of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts, and monitoring and reporting fees. In the event that our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or individual investments perform poorly, our revenues and earnings derived from incentive fees will decline, and it will be more difficult for us to raise capital for new specialized funds or gain new customized separate account clients in the future. In addition, if carried interest that was previously distributed to us exceeds the amounts to which we are ultimately entitled, we may be required to repay that amount under a “clawback” obligation. If we are unable to repay the amount of the clawback, we would be subject to liability for a breach of our contractual obligations. If we are unable to raise or are required to repay capital, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
The timing at which we receive distributions of carried interest, an element of our revenues, can be sporadic and unpredictable, which may make it difficult for us to achieve steady earnings growth on a quarterly basis and may cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline.
Our cash flow may fluctuate significantly due to the fact that we receive carried interest distributions only when investments are realized and achieve a certain preferred return based on performance. It takes a substantial period of time to identify attractive investment opportunities, raise all funds needed to make an investment and then realize the cash value (or other proceeds) of an investment. Even if an investment proves to be profitable, it may be a number of years before any profits can be realized in cash (or other proceeds). We cannot predict when, or if, any realization of investments will occur, and thus, we cannot predict the timing or amounts of carried interest distributions to us. If we were to receive a distribution of carried interest in a particular quarter, it may have a significant impact on our results for that particular quarter, which may not be replicated in subsequent quarters. As a result, achieving steady growth in net income and cash flow on a quarterly basis may be difficult, which could in turn lead to large adverse movements or general increased volatility in the price of our Class A common stock.
The exercise of redemption or repurchase rights by investors in our evergreen funds may adversely affect our revenues.
Certain of our specialized funds contain investor liquidity features. While these features are subject to certain limitations, and such funds maintain multiple sources of liquidity to fund potential redemption or repurchase requests, multiple and sustained requests could exhaust these sources of liquidity and create pressure to dispose of investments by such funds sooner than anticipated to satisfy such redemption requests. The investments of such funds are generally illiquid in nature and disposing of such investments within the necessary timeframe could reduce the price at which counterparties are willing to transact. In most cases, transferring such investments requires the consent of a third-party sponsor, and, if such sponsors are unwilling to consent, a fund may need to liquidate a less desirable investment as an alternative. Such accelerated disposition could reduce or eliminate our potential carried interest associated with such investment, and the reduction in such fund’s NAV resulting from the redemption or repurchase would reduce the management fees payable to us.
Valuation methodologies for certain assets in our specialized funds and customized separate accounts can be significantly subjective, and the values of assets established pursuant to such methodologies may never be realized, which could result in significant losses for our specialized funds and customized separate accounts.
There are no readily ascertainable market prices for a large number of the investments in our specialized funds, customized separate accounts, advisory accounts or the funds in which we invest. The
value of the fund investments of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts is determined periodically by us based on the fair value of such investments as reported by the underlying fund managers. Our valuation of the funds in which we invest is largely dependent upon the processes employed by the managers of those funds. The fair value of investments is determined using a number of methodologies described in the particular funds’ valuation policies. These policies are based on a number of factors, including the nature of the investment, the expected cash flows from the investment, the length of time the investment has been held, restrictions on transfer and other generally accepted valuation methodologies. The value of the co/direct-equity and credit investments of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts is determined periodically by us using independent third-party valuation firms to aid us in determining the fair value of these investments using generally accepted valuation methodologies. These may include references to market multiples, valuations for comparable companies, public or private market transactions, subsequent developments concerning the companies to which the securities relate, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, and projections of such companies provided to the general partner and such other factors that we may deem relevant. The methodologies we use in valuing individual investments are based on a variety of estimates and assumptions specific to the particular investments, and actual results related to the investment may vary materially as a result of the inaccuracy of such assumptions or estimates. In addition, because the illiquid investments held by our specialized funds, customized separate accounts, advisory accounts and the funds in which we invest may be in industries or sectors that are unstable, in distress, or undergoing some uncertainty, such investments are subject to rapid changes in value caused by sudden company-specific or industry-wide developments.
Because there is significant uncertainty in the valuation of, or in the stability of the value of, illiquid investments, the fair values of such investments as reflected in a fund’s NAV do not necessarily reflect the prices that would actually be obtained if such investments were sold. Realizations at values significantly lower than the values at which investments have been reflected in fund NAVs could result in losses for the applicable fund and the loss of potential incentive fees by the fund’s manager and us. Also, a situation in which asset values turn out to be materially different from values reflected in fund NAVs, whether due to misinformation or otherwise, could cause investors to lose confidence in us and may, in turn, result in difficulties in our ability to raise additional capital, retain clients or attract new clients. Further, we often engage third-party valuation agents to assist us with the valuations. It is possible that a material fact related to the target of the valuation might be inadvertently omitted from our communications with them, resulting in an inaccurate valuation.
Further, the SEC has highlighted valuation practices as one of its areas of focus in investment advisor examinations and has instituted enforcement actions against advisors for misleading investors about valuation. If the SEC were to investigate and find errors in our methodologies or procedures, we and/or members of our management could be subject to penalties and fines, which could harm our reputation and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our investment management activities may involve investments in relatively high-risk, illiquid assets, and we and our clients may lose some or all of the amounts invested in these activities or fail to realize any profits from these activities for a considerable period of time.
The investments made by our specialized funds and customized separate accounts and recommended by our advisory services may include high-risk, illiquid assets. We have made and expect to continue to make principal investments alongside our investors, as the general partner, in our existing private markets funds and certain customized separate accounts and in any new private markets funds we may establish in the future. The private markets funds in which we invest capital generally invest in securities that are not publicly traded. Even if such securities are publicly traded, many of these funds may be prohibited by contract or applicable securities laws from selling such securities for a period of time. Such funds will generally not be able to sell these securities publicly unless their sale is registered under applicable securities laws, or unless an exemption from such registration requirements is available. Accordingly, the private markets funds in which we invest our clients’ capital may not be able to sell securities when they desire and therefore may not be able to realize the full value of such securities. The ability of private markets funds to dispose of investments is dependent in part on the public equity and debt markets, to the
extent that the ability to dispose of an investment may depend upon the ability to complete an IPO of the portfolio company in which such investment is held or the ability of a prospective buyer of the portfolio company to raise debt financing to fund its purchase. Furthermore, large holdings of publicly traded equity securities can often be disposed of only over a substantial period of time, exposing the investment returns to risks of downward movement in market prices during the disposition period. Contributing capital to these funds is risky, and we may lose some or the entire amount of our specialized funds’ and our clients’ investments.
The portfolio companies in which private markets funds have invested or may invest will sometimes involve a high degree of business and financial risk. These companies may be in an early stage of development, may not have a proven operating history, may be operating at a loss or have significant variations in operating results, may be engaged in a rapidly changing business with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, may be subject to extensive regulatory oversight, may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, to finance expansion or to maintain their competitive position, may have a high level of leverage, or may otherwise have a weak financial condition. See “—Dependence on leverage by certain funds and portfolio companies subjects us to volatility and contractions in the debt financing markets and could adversely affect the ability of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts to achieve attractive rates of return on those investments.”
In addition, these portfolio companies may face intense competition, including competition from companies with greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing, and other capabilities, and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel. Portfolio companies in non-U.S. jurisdictions may be subject to additional risks, including changes in currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations, risks associated with different types (and lower quality) of available information, expropriation or confiscatory taxation and adverse political developments. In addition, during periods of difficult market conditions or slowdowns in a particular investment category, industry or region, portfolio companies may experience decreased revenues, financial losses, difficulty in obtaining access to financing and increased costs. During these periods, these companies may also have difficulty in expanding their businesses and operations and may be unable to pay their expenses as they become due. A general market downturn or a specific market dislocation may result in lower investment returns for the private markets funds or portfolio companies in which our specialized funds and customized separate accounts invest, which consequently would materially and adversely affect investment returns for our specialized funds and customized separate accounts. Furthermore, if the portfolio companies default on their indebtedness, or otherwise seek or are forced to restructure their obligations or declare bankruptcy, we could lose some or all of our investment and suffer reputational harm.
We may pursue investment opportunities that involve business, regulatory, legal or other complexities.
We may pursue investment opportunities that have unusually complex business, regulatory and/or legal aspects to them. Some of our investments may be structured as an investment in which we only acquire a minority interest or in which two or more investors serve together or collectively as equity sponsors, which generally means that any governance rights must be shared with the other investors. Accordingly, decisions relating to the investment may be made by third parties, which could have a material adverse effect on the returns achieved by us on the investment. Complexity presents risks, as such transactions can be more difficult, expensive and time-consuming to finance and execute, it can be more difficult to manage or realize value from the assets acquired in such transactions and such transactions sometimes involve a higher level of regulatory scrutiny or a greater risk of contingent liabilities. Any of these risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our specialized funds and customized separate accounts may face risks relating to undiversified investments.
We cannot give assurance as to the degree of diversification that will be achieved in any of our specialized funds or customized separate accounts. Difficult market conditions or slowdowns affecting a particular asset class, industry, geographic region or other category of investment could have a significant adverse impact on a given specialized fund or customized separate account if its investments are concentrated in that area, which would result in lower investment returns. Accordingly, a lack of diversification on the part of a specialized fund or customized separate account could adversely affect its investment performance and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our specialized funds and customized separate accounts make investments in funds and companies that we do not control.
Investments by most of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts will include debt instruments and equity securities of companies that we do not control. Our specialized funds and customized separate accounts may invest through co-investment arrangements or acquire minority equity interests and may also dispose of a portion of their equity investments in portfolio companies over time in a manner that results in their retaining a minority investment. Consequently, the performance of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts will depend significantly on the investment and other decisions made by third parties, which could have a material adverse effect on the returns achieved by our specialized funds or customized separate accounts. Portfolio companies in which the investment is made may make business, financial or management decisions with which we do not agree. In addition, the majority stakeholders or our management may take risks or otherwise act in a manner that does not serve our interests. If any of the foregoing were to occur, the values of our investments and the investments we have made on behalf of clients could decrease and our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could suffer as a result.
Investments by our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts may in many cases rank junior to investments made by other investors.
In many cases, the companies in which our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or advisory accounts invest have indebtedness or equity securities, or may be permitted to incur indebtedness or to issue equity securities, that rank senior to our clients’ investments in our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or advisory accounts. By their terms, these instruments may provide that their holders are entitled to receive payments of dividends, interest or principal on or before the dates on which payments are to be made in respect of our clients’ investments. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a company in which one or more of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or advisory accounts hold an investment, holders of securities ranking senior to our clients’ investments would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before distributions could be made in respect of our clients’ investments. After repaying senior security holders, the company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying amounts owed in respect of our clients’ investments. To the extent that any assets remain, holders of claims that rank equally with our clients’ investments would be entitled to share on an equal and ratable basis in distributions that are made out of those assets. Also, during periods of financial distress or following an insolvency, our ability to influence a company’s affairs and to take actions to protect investments by our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or advisory accounts may be substantially less than that of those holding senior interests.
The substantial growth of our business in recent years may be difficult to sustain, as it may place significant demands on our resources and employees and may increase our expenses.
The substantial growth of our business has placed, and if it continues, will continue to place, significant demands on our infrastructure, our investment team and other employees, and will increase our expenses. In addition, we are required to develop continuously our infrastructure in response to the increasingly complex investment management industry and increasing sophistication of investors. Legal
and regulatory developments also contribute to the level of our expenses. The future growth of our business will depend, among other things, on our ability to maintain the appropriate infrastructure and staffing levels to sufficiently address our growth and may require us to incur significant additional expenses and commit additional senior management and operational resources. We may face significant challenges in maintaining adequate financial and operational controls as well as implementing new or updated information and financial systems and procedures. Training, managing and appropriately sizing our work force and other components of our business on a timely and cost-effective basis may also pose challenges. In addition, our efforts to retain or attract qualified investment professionals may result in significant additional expenses. There can be no assurance that we will be able to manage our growing business effectively or that we will be able to continue to grow, and any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and control our expenses.
We may not be able to maintain our desired fee structure as a result of industry pressure from private markets investors to reduce fees, which could have a material adverse effect on our profit margins and results of operations.
We may not be able to maintain our current fee structure as a result of industry pressure from private markets investors to reduce fees. In order to maintain our desired fee structure in a competitive environment, we must be able to continue to provide clients with investment returns and service that incentivize our investors to pay our desired fee rates. We cannot assure you that we will succeed in providing investment returns and service that will allow us to maintain our desired fee structure. Fee reductions on existing or future new business could have a material adverse effect on our profit margins and results of operations.
Our risk management strategies and procedures may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks.
Risk management applies to our investment management operations as well as to the investments we make for our specialized funds and customized separate accounts. We have developed and continue to update strategies and procedures specific to our business for managing risks, which include market risk, liquidity risk, operational risk and reputational risk. Management of these risks can be very complex. These strategies and procedures may fail under some circumstances, particularly if we are confronted with risks that we have underestimated or not identified, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, some of our methods for managing the risks related to our clients’ investments are based upon our analysis of historical private markets behavior. Statistical techniques are applied to these observations in order to arrive at quantifications of some of our risk exposures. Historical analysis of private markets returns requires reliance on valuations performed by fund managers, which may not be reliable measures of current valuations. These statistical methods may not accurately quantify our risk exposure if circumstances arise that were not observed in our historical data. In particular, as we enter new lines of business or offer new products, our historical data may be incomplete. Failure of our risk management techniques could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, including our right to receive incentive fees.
The due diligence process that we undertake in connection with investments may not reveal all facts that may be relevant in connection with an investment.
Before making or recommending investments for our clients, we conduct due diligence that we deem reasonable and appropriate based on the facts and circumstances applicable to each investment. When conducting due diligence, we may be required to evaluate important, complex, and sometimes evolving, business, financial, tax, accounting, technological, environmental, social, governance and legal and regulatory issues. Outside consultants, legal advisors and accountants may be involved in the due diligence process in varying degrees depending on the type of investment and the parties involved. Nevertheless, when conducting due diligence and making an assessment regarding an investment, we rely on the resources available to us, including information provided by the target of the investment and, in
some circumstances, third-party investigations, and such an investigation will not necessarily result in the investment ultimately being successful.
Moreover, the due diligence investigation that we will carry out with respect to any investment opportunity may not reveal or highlight all relevant facts (including bribery, fraud or other illegal activities) or risks that are necessary or helpful in evaluating such investment opportunity. Instances of bribery, fraud, accounting irregularities and other improper, illegal or corrupt practices can be difficult to detect and may be more widespread in certain jurisdictions. Our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or advisory accounts may invest in emerging market countries that may not have established laws and regulations that are as stringent as in more developed nations, or where existing laws and regulations may not be consistently enforced. Due diligence on investment opportunities in these jurisdictions is frequently more complicated because consistent and uniform commercial practices in such locations may not have developed, and bribery, fraud, accounting irregularities and corrupt practices can be especially difficult to detect in such locations. Such misconduct may undermine our due diligence efforts with respect to such companies and could negatively affect the valuations of investments in such companies. Further, we may not identify or foresee future developments that could have a material adverse effect on an investment, such as misconduct by personnel at companies in which our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or advisory accounts invest. Financial fraud or other deceptive practices, or failures by personnel at such companies to comply with anti-bribery, trade sanctions or other legal and regulatory requirements, could cause significant legal, reputational and business harm to us.
In addition, a substantial portion of our specialized funds are funds-of-funds, and therefore we are dependent on the due diligence investigation of the general partner or direct/co-investment partner leading such investment. We have little or no control over their due diligence process, and any shortcomings in their due diligence could be reflected in the performance of the investment we make with them on behalf of our clients. Poor investment performance could lead clients to terminate their agreements with us and/or result in negative reputational effects, either of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Restrictions on our ability to collect and analyze data regarding our clients’ investments could adversely affect our business.
Our database of private markets investments includes funds and direct/co-investments that we monitor and report on for our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts. We rely on our database to provide regular reports to our clients, to research developments and trends in private markets and to support our investment processes. We depend on the continuation of our relationships with the general partners and sponsors of the underlying funds and investments in order to maintain current data on these investments and private markets activity. The termination of such relationships or the imposition of restrictions on our ability to use the data we obtain for our reporting and monitoring services could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Operational risks and data security breaches may disrupt our business, damage our reputation, result in financial losses or limit our growth.
We rely heavily on our financial, accounting, compliance, monitoring, reporting and other data processing systems. Any failure or interruption of these systems, including the loss of data, whether caused by fire, other natural disaster, power or telecommunications failure, computer viruses, malicious actors, acts of terrorism or war or otherwise, could result in a disruption of our business, financial loss, liability to clients, regulatory intervention or reputational damage, and thus materially and adversely affect our business. Although we have back-up systems in place, including back-up data storage, our back-up procedures and capabilities in the event of a failure or interruption may not be adequate. In recent years, we have substantially upgraded and expanded the capabilities of our data processing systems and other operating technology, and we expect that we will need to continue to upgrade and expand these capabilities in the future to avoid disruption of, or constraints on, our operations. We may incur
significant costs to further upgrade our data processing systems and other operating technology in the future.
In addition, we are dependent on the effectiveness of our information security policies, procedures and capabilities designed to protect our computer, network and telecommunications systems and the data such systems contain or transmit. Attacks on our information technology infrastructure could enable the attackers to gain access to and steal our proprietary information, destroy data or disable, degrade or sabotage our systems or divert or otherwise steal funds. Attacks could range from those common to businesses generally to those that are more advanced and persistent, which may target us because, as an alternative investment management firm, we hold a significant amount of confidential and sensitive information about our clients and potential investments.
Although we take protective measures and endeavor to modify them as circumstances warrant, our computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, theft, misuse, computer viruses or other malicious code, and other events that could have a security impact. We, our employees and certain of our third-party service providers have been and expect to continue to be the target of “phishing” attacks, and the subject of impersonations and fraudulent requests for money, and other forms of activities. Further, the majority of our employees globally have been working remotely in accordance with local government guidance and social distancing recommendations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which could introduce operational risks, including heightened cybersecurity risk. The costs related to cyber or other security threats or disruptions may not be fully insured or indemnified by other means. In addition, cybersecurity has become a top priority for regulators around the world. Many jurisdictions in which we operate have laws and regulations relating to data privacy, cybersecurity and protection of personal information, including the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) in the EU. See “—Rapidly developing and changing privacy laws and regulations could increase compliance costs and subject us to enforcement risks and reputational damage.” Some jurisdictions have also enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals and governmental agencies of data security breaches involving certain types of personal data. Breaches in security could potentially jeopardize our, our employees’ or our clients’ or counterparties’ confidential, proprietary and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our, our employees’, our clients’, our counterparties’ or third parties’ operations, which could result in material financial losses, increased costs, disruption of our business, liability to clients and other counterparties, regulatory intervention or reputational damage, which, in turn, could cause a decline in our earnings and/or stock price. Furthermore, if we experience a cybersecurity incident, it could result in regulatory investigations and material penalties, which could lead to negative publicity and may cause our clients to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our security measures. In addition, insurance and other safeguards might only partially reimburse us for our losses, if at all.
Finally, we rely on third-party service providers for certain aspects of our business, including for certain information systems, technology, administration, payroll, tax, legal and compliance matters and for the administration of certain of our funds. Their inability or failure to perform as expected or in accordance with the terms of their engagements with us could have a material adverse effect on the operation of our business. These third-party service providers could also experience any of the above cybersecurity threats, fraudulent activities or security breaches, and as a result, unauthorized individuals could improperly gain access to our confidential data. Any interruption or deterioration in the performance of these third parties, cybersecurity incidents involving these third parties or failures of their information systems and technology could impair the quality of our funds’ operations, affect our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Rapidly developing and changing privacy laws and regulations could increase compliance costs and subject us to enforcement risks and reputational damage.
We are subject to various risks and costs associated with the collection, processing, storage and transmission of personal data and other sensitive and confidential information. Personal data is information that can be used to identify a natural person, including names, photos, email addresses, or
computer IP addresses. This data is wide ranging and relates to our clients, employees, counterparties and other third parties. Our compliance obligations include those relating to state laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which provides for enhanced privacy protections for California residents, a private right of action for data breaches and statutory fines and damages for data breaches or other CCPA violations, as well as a requirement of “reasonable” cybersecurity. We are also required to comply with foreign data collection and privacy laws in various non-U.S. jurisdictions in which we have offices or conduct business, including the GDPR, which applies to all organizations processing or holding personal data of EU data subjects (regardless of the organization’s location) as well as to organizations outside the EU that offer goods or services in the EU, or that monitor the behavior of EU data subjects. Compliance with the GDPR requires us to analyze and evaluate how we handle data in the ordinary course of business, from processes to technology. EU data subjects need to be given full disclosure about how their personal data will be used and stored. In that connection, consent must be explicit and companies must be in a position to delete information from their global systems permanently if consent were withdrawn. Financial regulators and data protection authorities throughout the EU have broad audit and investigatory powers under the GDPR to probe how personal data is being used and processed. Penalties for non-compliance can be material. Serious breaches of the GDPR include fines on companies of up to the greater of €20 million or 4% of global group turnover in the preceding year, regulatory action and reputational risk. Our business is subject to many privacy laws in addition to the CCPA and GDPR. In addition, some countries and states are considering or have passed legislation implementing data protection requirements or requiring local storage and processing of data or similar requirements that could increase the cost, complexity and regulatory enforcement risk of delivering our services. There are currently a number of proposals pending before federal, state, and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies.
While we have taken various measures to help ensure that our policies, processes and systems are in compliance with our obligations, our potential liability remains, particularly given the continued and rapid development of privacy laws and regulations around the United States and the world, varied requirements from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, increased enforcement action and significant monetary penalties. Any inability, or perceived inability, to adequately address privacy concerns, or comply with applicable laws, regulations, policies, industry standards and guidance, contractual obligations, or other legal obligations, even if unfounded, could result in significant regulatory and third-party liability, increased costs, disruption of our business and operations, and a loss of client confidence and other reputational damage. Furthermore, as new privacy-related laws and regulations are implemented, the time and resources needed for us to seek compliance with such laws and regulations continues to increase.
We may face damage to our professional reputation and legal liability if our services are not regarded as satisfactory or for other reasons.
As a financial services firm, we depend to a large extent on our relationships with our clients and our reputation for integrity and high-caliber professional services to attract and retain clients. As a result, if a client is not satisfied with our services, such dissatisfaction may be more damaging to our business than to other types of businesses.
In recent years, the volume of claims and amount of damages claimed in litigation and regulatory proceedings against financial advisors has been increasing. Our asset management and advisory activities may subject us to the risk of significant legal liabilities to our clients and third parties, including our clients’ stockholders or beneficiaries, under securities or other laws and regulations for materially false or misleading statements made in connection with securities and other transactions. In our investment management business, we make investment decisions on behalf of our clients, or make investment recommendations to our clients, that could result in substantial losses. Any such losses also may subject us to the risk of legal and regulatory liabilities or actions alleging negligent misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty or breach of contract. These risks often may be difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude often remain unknown for substantial periods of time. We may incur significant legal expenses in defending litigation. In addition, negative publicity and press speculation about us, our investment activities or the private markets in general, whether or not based in truth, or litigation or
regulatory action against us or any third-party managers recommended by us or involving us may tarnish our reputation and harm our ability to attract and retain clients. Substantial legal or regulatory liability could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations or cause significant reputational harm to us, which could seriously harm our business.
We are subject to increasing scrutiny from clients, investors and regulators with respect to ESG costs of investments made by our specialized funds, which may constrain investment opportunities for our specialized funds and adversely affect our ability to raise capital from such clients and investors.
In recent years, certain clients and investors have placed increasing importance on ESG implications of investments made by private equity and other funds to which they commit capital. Certain investors have also demonstrated increased activism with respect to existing investments, including by urging asset managers to take certain actions that could adversely affect the value of an investment, or refrain from taking certain actions that could improve the value of an investment. At times, clients and investors have conditioned future capital commitments on the taking or refraining from taking of such actions. Clients’ and investors’ increased focus and activism related to ESG and similar matters may constrain our investment opportunities. In addition, clients and investors may decide to not commit capital to future fundraises as a result of their assessment of our approach to and consideration of the ESG cost of investments made by our specialized funds. To the extent our access to capital from such clients and investors is impaired, we may not be able to maintain or increase the size of our specialized funds or raise sufficient capital for new specialized funds, which may adversely affect our revenues.
In addition, ESG matters have been the subject of increased focus by certain regulators in the United States and EU. As a result of these legislative initiatives, we may be required to provide additional disclosure to investors in our specialized funds with respect to ESG matters, and we and our specialized funds may be subject to enhanced regulatory scrutiny for compliance with any regulatory requirements.
Our international operations are subject to certain risks, which may affect our revenue.
We intend to grow our non-U.S. business, including growth into new regions with which we have less familiarity and experience, and this growth is important to our overall success. In addition, many of our larger clients are non-U.S. entities seeking to invest in U.S. funds and operating companies. Our international operations carry special financial and business risks, which could include the following:
• greater difficulties in managing and staffing foreign operations;
• fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that could adversely affect our results;
• unexpected changes in trading policies, regulatory requirements, tariffs and other barriers;
• longer transaction cycles;
• higher operating costs;
• local labor conditions and regulations;
• adverse consequences or restrictions on the repatriation of earnings;
• potentially adverse tax consequences, such as trapped foreign losses;
• less stable political and economic environments;
• terrorism, political hostilities, war, public health crises and other civil disturbances or other catastrophic events that reduce business activity;
• cultural and language barriers and the need to adopt different business practices in different geographic areas; and
• difficulty collecting fees and, if necessary, enforcing judgments.
As part of our day-to-day operations outside the United States, we are required to create compensation programs, employment policies, compliance policies and procedures and other administrative programs that comply with the laws of multiple countries. We also must communicate and monitor standards and directives across our global operations. Our failure to successfully manage and grow our geographically diverse operations could impair our ability to react quickly to changing business and market conditions and to enforce compliance with non-U.S. standards and procedures.
A significant amount of the investments of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts include private markets funds that are located outside the United States or that invest in portfolio companies located outside the United States. Such non-U.S. investments involve certain factors not typically associated with U.S. investments, including risks related to (i) currency exchange matters, such as exchange rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the foreign currency in which the investments are denominated, and costs associated with conversion of investment proceeds and income from one currency to another, (ii) differences between the U.S. and foreign capital markets, including the absence of uniform accounting, auditing, financial reporting and legal standards, practices and disclosure requirements and less government supervision and regulation, (iii) certain economic, social and political risks, including exchange control regulations and restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, the risks of political, economic or social instability, and (iv) the possible imposition of foreign taxes with respect to such investments or confiscatory taxation. These risks could adversely affect the performance of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts that are invested in securities of non-U.S. companies, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Any payment of distributions, loans or advances to and from our subsidiaries could be subject to restrictions on or taxation of dividends or repatriation of earnings under applicable local law, monetary transfer restrictions, foreign currency exchange regulations in the jurisdictions in which our subsidiaries operate or other restrictions imposed by current or future agreements, including debt instruments, to which our non-U.S. subsidiaries may be a party. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted, possibly materially, if we are unable to successfully manage these and other risks of international operations in a volatile environment. If our international business increases relative to our total business, these factors could have a more pronounced effect on our operating results or growth prospects.
In addition, in January 2020, the U.K. withdrew from the European Union, and the transition period during which the U.K. was treated as a member of the EU ended December 31, 2020. Our business may be adversely affected by Brexit due to, among other things, disruption of the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people between the U.K. and the EU as well as potential changes to the legal and regulatory environment in the region. Furthermore, as a result of Brexit, our subsidiaries that are authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority are no longer able to avail themselves of passporting rights under certain EU directives (such as the AIFMD and MiFID II) to provide services and perform activities in the U.K. and other parts of Europe. This may have an adverse impact on our results including the cost of, risk to, manner of conducting, and location of, our European business and our ability to hire and retain key staff in Europe. This may also adversely impact the markets in which we operate; the funds we manage or advise; our fund investors and our ability to raise capital from them; and ultimately the returns that may be achieved. While we have taken measures designed to allow us to continue to conduct our business in both the U.K. and the EU, Brexit may increase our cost of conducting business, interfere with our ability to market our products and provide our services and generally make it more difficult for us to pursue our objectives in the region.
Brexit could also lead to legal uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the U.K. determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Compliance with any such new laws and regulations in the U.K. may be difficult and/or costly to implement and could adversely impact our ability
to raise capital from investors in the U.K. and the EU, which could materially reduce our revenue, earnings and cash flow and adversely affect our financial prospects and condition.
Political parties in several other member states of the EU have similarly proposed that a referendum be held on their country’s membership in the EU. It is unclear whether any other member states of the EU will hold such referendums, but further disruption and legal uncertainty can be expected if there are.
Risks Related to Our Industry
The investment management business is intensely competitive.
The investment management business is intensely competitive, with competition based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, the quality of service provided to clients, investor liquidity and willingness to invest, investment terms and conditions, brand recognition and business reputation. Our investment management business competes with a variety of traditional and alternative asset managers, commercial banks, investment banks and other financial institutions, and we expect that competition will continue to increase. A number of factors serve to increase our competitive risks:
• some of our competitors have more relevant experience, greater financial and other resources and more personnel than we do;
• there are relatively few barriers to entry impeding new asset management firms, including a relatively low cost of entering these lines of business, and the successful efforts of new entrants into our various lines of business is expected to continue to result in increased competition;
• if allocation of assets to alternative investment strategies increases, there will be increased competition for alternative investments and access to fund general partners and managers;
• some of our competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us, which may create competitive disadvantages for us with respect to our specialized funds, particularly funds that directly use leverage or rely on debt financing of their portfolio companies to generate superior investment returns;
• developments in financial technology (or fintech), such as a distributed ledger technology (or blockchain), have the potential to disrupt the financial industry and change the way financial institutions, as well as investment managers, do business, and could exacerbate these competitive pressures;
• certain investors may prefer to invest with private partnerships; and
• other industry participants will from time to time seek to recruit our investment professionals and other employees away from us.
This competitive pressure could adversely affect our ability to make successful investments and restrict our ability to raise future funds, either of which would materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Difficult or volatile market and geopolitical conditions can adversely affect our business and the investments made by our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts in many ways.
Our business and the performance of investments made by our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts can be materially affected by difficult or volatile financial market and geopolitical conditions and events throughout the world that are outside our control, including rising interest rates, inflation, the availability of credit, changes in laws, trade barriers, public health crises, civil unrest, trade conflicts, war or threat of war, terrorism or political uncertainty. These factors
may affect the level and volatility of securities prices and the liquidity and value of investments, and we may not be able to or may choose not to manage our exposure to them.
Market deterioration could cause us, the specialized funds and customized separate accounts we manage or the funds in which they invest to experience tightening of liquidity, reduced earnings and cash flow and impairment charges, as well as challenges in raising and deploying capital, obtaining investment financing and making investments on attractive terms. These market conditions can also have an impact on our ability and the ability of funds in which we and our clients invest to liquidate positions in a timely and efficient manner.
Our business could generate lower revenue in a general economic downturn or a tightening of global credit markets. A general economic downturn or tightening of global credit markets may result in reduced opportunities to find suitable investments and make it more difficult for us, or the funds in which we and our clients invest, to exit and realize value from existing investments, potentially resulting in a decline in the value of the investments held in our clients’ portfolios and a decrease in incentive fee revenue. Any reduction in the market value of the assets we manage will not likely be reported until one or more quarters after the end of the applicable performance period due to an inherent lag in the valuation process of private markets investments. This can result in a mismatch between stated valuation and current market conditions and can lead to delayed revelations of changes in performance and, therefore, delayed effects on our clients’ portfolios. If our clients reduce their commitments to make investments in private markets in favor of investments they perceive as offering greater opportunity or lower risk, our revenue or net income could decline as a result of lower fees being paid to us. Further, if, due to the lag in reporting, their decision to do so is made after the initial effects of a market downturn are felt by the rest of the economy, the adverse effect we experience as a result of that decision could likewise adversely affect our results of operations on a delayed basis.
Our profitability may also be adversely affected by our fixed costs and the possibility that we would be unable to scale back other costs within a time frame sufficient to match any decreases in revenue relating to changes in market and economic conditions. If our revenue declines without a commensurate reduction in our expenses, our net income will be reduced. Accordingly, difficult market conditions could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Volatility and disruption in the equity and credit markets, whatever the cause, could also adversely affect the portfolio companies in which private markets funds invest, which, in turn, would adversely affect the performance of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts. For example, the lack of available credit or the increased cost of credit may materially and adversely affect the performance of funds that rely heavily on leverage such as leveraged buyout funds. Disruptions in the debt and equity markets may make it more difficult for funds to exit and realize value from their investments, because potential buyers of portfolio companies may not be able to finance acquisitions and the equity markets may become unfavorable for IPOs. In addition, the volatility will directly affect the market prices of securities issued by many companies for reasons unrelated to their operating performance and may adversely affect the valuation of the investments of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts and advisory accounts. Any or all of these factors may result in lower investment returns.
The global financial markets continue to experience volatility and disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and any economic recovery will likely be uneven and characterized by meaningful dispersion across sectors and regions. There can be no assurance that initiatives taken by governmental authorities designed to strengthen and stabilize the economy and financial markets will be successful, and there is no way to predict the ultimate impact of the disruption or the effect that these initiatives will have on the performance of our specialized funds, customized separate accounts or advisory accounts. See “—The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the U.S. and global economies and may adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the U.S. and global economies and may adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 led much of the world to institute stay-at-home orders, restrictions on travel, transportation, education, production of goods, provision of services, bans on public gatherings, the closing of non-essential businesses or limiting their hours of operation and other restrictions on businesses and their operations in an effort to slow the transmission of the virus. These restrictions have adversely impacted global commercial activity and contributed to significant disruption and uncertainty in the global financial markets. While restrictions have been relaxed or lifted in many jurisdictions in an effort to generate more economic activity, the risk of future COVID-19 outbreaks remains, and jurisdictions may reimpose them in an effort to mitigate risks to public health, especially if more infectious strains of the virus spread. Although a number of vaccines have been developed, the timing of widespread global vaccination is uncertain and these vaccines may be less effective against new, mutated strains of the virus, potentially leading people to continue to self-isolate and not participate in the economy at pre-pandemic levels for a prolonged period of time. Given the amount of uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is currently not possible to predict the precise impact it will have on our business, but it has impacted, and may further impact, our business in various ways, including but not limited to the following:
•We operate our business and target investment opportunities globally, with clients and offices across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. The ability to easily travel and meet with prospective and current clients in person helps build and strengthen our relationships with them in ways that telephone and video conferences may not always afford. Restrictions on travel and gatherings as well as stay-at-home orders mean that most of our client and prospect meetings are not currently taking place in person, and the vast majority of our employees are working from home. As a consequence, our ability to market our funds and raise new business has been impeded (which may result in lower or delayed revenue growth), it has become more difficult to conduct due diligence on investments (which can impede the identification of investment risks) and remote working by our employees during this period could strain our technology resources and introduce operational risks, including heightened cybersecurity risk, as remote working environments can be less secure and more susceptible to hacking attacks.
•A slowdown in fundraising activity could result in delayed or decreased management fees compared to prior periods. In addition, investors may become restricted by their asset allocation policies to invest in new or successor funds that we provide, or may be prohibited by new laws or regulations from funding existing commitments. Further, the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic may cause investors to change their investment strategies or limit the amount of capital they are willing to commit, and that may additionally and negatively affect our ability to raise funds. We may also experience a slowdown in the deployment of our capital, which could also adversely affect our ability to raise capital for new or successor funds.
•Incentive fee revenue, which is typically volatile and largely unpredictable, has in the past and may in the future decrease as the ability of general partners to exit existing investments may be limited due to uncertainty in the global economic markets.
•While the market dislocation caused by COVID-19 would be expected to present attractive investment opportunities due to increased volatility in the financial markets, we may not be able to complete those investments, which could impact revenue, particularly for specialized funds and customized separate accounts that charge fees on invested capital.
•Our liquidity and cash flows may be adversely impacted by declines in realized incentive fees and management fee revenues. As of March 31, 2021, we have adequate liquidity with $87 million in available cash and $35 million in availability under our Loan Agreements.
•Our specialized funds and customized separate accounts invest in industries that have been, and continue to be, materially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including healthcare, travel, entertainment, hospitality and retail. Companies in these industries are facing operational and financial hardships resulting from the pandemic, and if conditions are volatile or do not improve, they could continue to suffer materially, become insolvent or cease operations altogether, any of which would decrease the value of the investments and/or cause significant volatility in valuations. Underlying investments within our specialized funds and customized separate accounts reflect valuations determined as of December 31, 2020. Decreases in public markets and credit indices as well as decreases in current or future estimated performance of underlying portfolio companies in quarters ending after that date may result in negative valuation adjustments that will be reported on a three-month lag in accordance with our accounting policy. Adverse investment valuations directly impact our investments, equity in income of investees, unrealized carried interest, AUM and AUA for the period.
•COVID-19 presents a threat to our employees’ well-being and morale. If our senior management or other key personnel become ill or are otherwise unable to perform their duties for an extended period of time, we may experience a loss of productivity or a delay in the implementation of certain strategic plans. In addition to any potential impact of such extended illness on our operations, we may be exposed to the risk of litigation by our employees against us for, among other things, failure to take adequate steps to protect their well-being, particularly in the event they become sick after a return to the office. A prolonged period of remote work may also make it more difficult to integrate new employees and maintain our culture. Further, local COVID-19-related laws can be subject to rapid change depending on public health developments, which can lead to confusion and make compliance with laws uncertain and subject us to increased risk of litigation for non-compliance.
•Regulatory oversight and enforcement has become more rigorous for public companies in general, and for the financial services industry in particular, as a result of the volatility in the financial markets.
We believe COVID-19’s adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations will be significantly driven by a number of factors that we are unable to predict or control, including, for example: the severity and duration of the pandemic; the pandemic’s impact on the U.S. and global economies; the timing, scope and effectiveness of additional governmental responses to the pandemic; the timing and path of economic recovery; and the negative impact on our portfolio investments, clients, counterparties, vendors and other business partners that may indirectly adversely affect us. The impact of COVID-19 may also exacerbate the other risks discussed in this Form 10-K.
Extensive government regulation, compliance failures and changes in law or regulation could adversely affect us.
Our business activities are subject to laws, rules and regulations with which we seek to comply. Any changes or potential changes in the regulatory framework applicable to our business may impose additional expenses or capital requirements on us, limit our fundraising activities, have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, reputation or prospects, impair employee retention or recruitment and require substantial attention by senior management. The recent change in presidential administrations increases the potential for legislative changes and regulatory reform and has led and will lead to leadership changes at a number of U.S. federal regulatory agencies with oversight over the U.S. financial services industry. This poses uncertainty with respect to such agencies’ policy priorities and may lead to increased regulatory enforcement activity in the financial services industry. It is impossible to determine the extent of the impact of any new laws, regulations, initiatives or regulatory guidance that may be proposed or may become law on our business or the markets in which we operate, but they could make it more difficult for us to operate our business.
Governmental authorities around the world have implemented or are implementing financial system and participant regulatory reform in reaction to volatility and disruption in the global financial markets, financial institution failures and financial frauds. Such reform includes, among other things, additional regulation of investment funds, as well as their managers and activities, including compliance, risk management and anti-money laundering procedures; restrictions on specific types of investments and the provision and use of leverage; implementation of capital requirements; limitations on compensation to managers; and books and records, reporting and disclosure requirements. We cannot predict with certainty the impact on us, our specialized funds or customized separate accounts, or on private markets funds generally, of any such reforms. Any of these regulatory reform measures could have an adverse effect on our specialized funds’ and customized separate accounts’ investment strategies or our business model. We may incur significant expense in order to comply with such reform measures and may incur significant liabilities if regulatory authorities determine that we are not in compliance.
We could also be adversely affected by changes in applicable tax laws, regulations, or administrative interpretations thereof. The new Biden administration has provided initial guidance on what U.S. tax law reforms the President would support. Among other things, the administration may pursue tax policies seeking to increase the corporate income tax rate, which could materially increase the amount of taxes we would be required to pay. The new administration has also proposed to increase individual ordinary and capital gains tax rates, which would increase the amount of tax distributions that HLA is required to pay to its members. See “—Risks Related to our Organizational Structure—In certain circumstances, HLA is required to make distributions to us and the direct and indirect owners of HLA, and the distributions that HLA will be required to make may be substantial.” Other changes that could be enacted in the future, including changes to tax laws enacted by state or local governments in jurisdictions in which we operate, could result in further changes to state and local taxation and materially adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.
In addition, our effective tax rate and tax liability are based on the application of current income tax laws, regulations and treaties. These laws, regulations and treaties are complex, and the manner which they apply to us and our funds is sometimes open to interpretation. Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets. The tax authorities could challenge our interpretation of laws, regulations and treaties, resulting in additional tax liability or adjustment to our income tax provision that could increase our effective tax rate. Changes to tax laws may also adversely affect our ability to attract and retain key personnel.
Our advisory and investment management businesses are subject to regulation in the United States, including by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”), the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and other regulatory agencies, pursuant to, among other laws, the Investment Advisers Act, the Securities Act, the Code, the Commodity Exchange Act, and the Exchange Act. Any change in such regulation or oversight may have a material adverse impact on our operating results. In addition, we regularly rely on exemptions from various requirements of these and other applicable laws. These exemptions are sometimes highly complex and may in certain circumstances depend on compliance by third parties whom we do not control. If, for any reason, these exemptions were to be revoked or challenged or otherwise become unavailable to us, we could be subject to regulatory action or third-party claims, and our business could be materially and adversely affected. Our failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations could result in fines, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including revocation of our registration as an investment adviser or the registration of our broker-dealer subsidiary. Even if a sanction imposed against us or our personnel is small in monetary amount, the adverse publicity arising from the imposition of sanctions against us by regulators could harm our reputation and cause us to lose existing clients or fail to gain new clients. The requirements imposed by our regulators under the Investment Advisers Act are designed primarily to ensure the integrity of the financial markets and to protect our clients and are not designed to protect our stockholders.
In the wake of highly publicized financial scandals, investors exhibited concerns over the integrity of the U.S. financial markets, and the regulatory environment in which we operate is subject to further regulation in addition to those rules already promulgated. For example, there are a significant number of new and proposed regulations that may affect our business under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). The SEC in particular continues to increase its regulation of the asset management and private equity industries, focusing on the private equity industry’s fees, allocation of expenses to funds, marketing practices, allocation of fund investment opportunities, disclosures to fund investors, the allocation of broken-deal expenses and general conflicts of interest disclosures. The SEC has also heightened its focus on the valuation practices employed by investment advisers. The lack of readily ascertainable market prices for many of the investments made by our specialized funds or customized separate accounts or the funds in which we invest could subject our valuation policies and processes to increased scrutiny by the SEC. We may be adversely affected as a result of new or revised legislation or regulations imposed by the SEC, other U.S. or foreign governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets. Brexit may result in our being subject to new and increased regulations if we can no longer rely on passporting privileges that allow U.K. financial institutions to access the EU single market without restrictions. We also may be adversely affected by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules by these governmental authorities and self-regulatory organizations.
To the extent that HLA is a “fiduciary” under ERISA, with respect to benefit plan clients, it is subject to ERISA, and to regulations promulgated thereunder. ERISA and applicable provisions of the Code impose certain duties on persons who are fiduciaries under ERISA, prohibit certain transactions involving ERISA plan clients and provide monetary penalties for violations of these prohibitions. Our failure to comply with these requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, a court could find that one of our co-investment funds has formed a partnership-in-fact conducting a trade or business and would therefore be jointly and severally liable for the portfolio company’s unfunded pension liabilities.
In addition, HLA is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC and is subject to the requirements and regulations of the Investment Advisers Act. Such requirements relate to, among other things, restrictions on entering into transactions with clients, maintaining an effective compliance program, incentive fees, solicitation arrangements, allocation of investments, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, disclosure requirements, limitations on agency cross and principal transactions between an adviser and their advisory clients, as well as general anti-fraud prohibitions. As a registered investment adviser, HLA has fiduciary duties to its clients. A failure to comply with the obligations imposed by the Investment Advisers Act, including recordkeeping, advertising and operating requirements, disclosure obligations and prohibitions on fraudulent activities, could result in examinations, investigations, sanctions and reputational damage, and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act significantly increased the types of transactions that are subject to the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”). CFIUS has the authority to review and potentially block or impose conditions on certain foreign investments in U.S. companies or real estate, which may reduce the number of potential buyers and limit the ability of our funds to realize value from certain existing and future investments.
Federal, state and foreign anti-corruption and sanctions laws create the potential for significant liabilities and penalties and reputational harm.
We are also subject to a number of laws and regulations governing payments and contributions to political persons or other third parties, including restrictions imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) as well as trade sanctions and export control laws administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State. The FCPA is intended to prohibit bribery of foreign governments and their officials and political parties, and requires public companies in the United States to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect
those companies’ transactions. OFAC, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State administer and enforce various export control laws and regulations, including economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign states, organizations and individuals. These laws and regulations relate to a number of aspects of our business, including servicing existing fund investors, finding new fund investors, and sourcing new investments, as well as activities by the portfolio companies in our investment portfolio or other controlled investments.
Similar laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions, such as EU sanctions or the U.K. Bribery Act, as well as other applicable anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, or sanction or other export control laws in the United States and abroad, may also impose stricter or more onerous requirements than the FCPA, OFAC, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State, and implementing them may disrupt our business or cause us to incur significantly more costs to comply with those laws. Different laws may also contain conflicting provisions, making compliance with all laws more difficult. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could be exposed to claims for damages, civil or criminal financial penalties, reputational harm, incarceration of our employees, restrictions on our operations and other liabilities, which could negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, we may be subject to successor liability for FCPA violations or other acts of bribery, or violations of applicable sanctions or other export control laws committed by companies in which we or our funds invest or which we or our funds acquire. While we have developed and implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure strict compliance by us and our personnel with the FCPA and other anti-corruption, sanctions and export control laws in jurisdictions in which we operate, such policies and procedures may not be effective in all instances to prevent violations. Any determination that we have violated the FCPA or other applicable anti-corruption, sanctions or export control laws could subject us to, among other things, civil and criminal penalties, material fines, profit disgorgement, injunctions on future conduct, securities litigation and a general loss of investor confidence, any one of which could adversely affect our business prospects, financial condition, results of operations or the market value of our Class A common stock.
Regulation of investment advisors outside the United States could adversely affect our ability to operate our business.
We provide investment advisory and other services and raise funds in a number of countries and jurisdictions outside the United States. In many of these countries and jurisdictions, which include the U.K., the EU, the EEA, certain of the individual member states of each of the EU and EEA, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, we and our operations, and in some cases our personnel, are subject to regulatory oversight and requirements. In general, these requirements relate to registration, licenses for our personnel, periodic inspections, marketing activities, the provision and filing of periodic reports, and obtaining certifications and other approvals. Across the EU, we are subject to the AIFMD, under which we are subject to regulatory requirements regarding, among other things, registration for marketing activities, the structure of remuneration for certain of our personnel and reporting obligations. Individual member states of the EU have imposed additional requirements that may include internal arrangements with respect to risk management, liquidity risks, asset valuations, and the establishment and security of depository and custodial requirements. Because some EEA countries have not yet incorporated the AIFMD into their agreement with the EU, we may undertake marketing activities and provide services in those EEA countries only in compliance with applicable local laws. In certain other jurisdictions, we are subject to various securities and other laws relating to fundraising and other matters. Failure to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations could result in regulatory intervention, adversely affect our business or ability to provide services to our clients and harm our reputation.
In the EU, the MiFID II requires, among other things, all MiFID II investment firms to comply with prescriptive disclosure, transparency, reporting and recordkeeping obligations and obligations in relation to the receipt of investment research, best execution, product governance and marketing communications. As we operate investment firms which are subject to MiFID II, we have implemented policies and procedures to comply with MiFID II where relevant, including where certain rules have an extraterritorial
impact on us. Compliance with MiFID II has resulted in greater overall complexity, higher compliance, administration and operational costs, and less overall flexibility. The complexity, operational costs and reduction in flexibility may be further compounded as a result of U.K.’s departure from the EU. This is because the U.K. is both: (i) no longer generally required to transpose EU law into U.K. law and (ii) has transposed certain EU legislation into U.K. law subject to various amendments and subject to the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s oversight rather than that of EU regulators. Taken together, this could result in divergence between the U.K. and EU regulatory frameworks. Outside the U.K. and EEA, the regulations to which we are subject relate primarily to registration and reporting obligations.
It is expected that additional laws and regulations will come into force in the U.K., EEA, the EU, and other countries in which we operate over the coming years. Regulation (EU) 2019/2033 on the prudential requirements for investment firms (“IFR”) and Directive (EU) 2019/2034 on the prudential supervision of investment firms (“IFD”) entered into force on December 25, 2019, although many parts of the IFR and IFD will not apply until June 26, 2021. Together, the IFR and IFD will introduce a new prudential regime for those of our EU investment firms that are subject to MiFID II, including new requirements, such as general capital requirements, liquidity requirements, remuneration requirements, requirements to conduct internal capital adequacy assessments and additional requirements on disclosures and public reporting. The legislation could hinder our ability to deploy capital as freely as we would wish and to recruit and incentivize staff. Different and extended internal governance, disclosure, reporting, liquidity and group “prudential” consolidation requirements (among other things) could also have a material impact on our EU-based operations. Further, the U.K.’s departure from the EU and the potential resulting divergence between the U.K. and EU regulatory frameworks may result in additional complexity and costs in complying with regulations across both the U.K. and EU. The U.K. is also proposing to introduce a new prudential regime for investment firms that are subject to MiFID II (as implemented in the U.K.), to take effect on January 1, 2022. The exact impact of the new U.K. prudential regime is currently uncertain. In addition, there may be changes to the AIFMD regime and also further regulation adopted, which may impact those parts of our business operating within the EU.
These laws and regulations, and any changes in them, may affect our costs and manner of conducting business in one or more markets, the risks of doing business, the assets that we manage or advise, and our ability to raise capital from investors. In addition, Brexit may have adverse economic, political and regulatory effects on the operation of our business. Any failure by us to comply with either existing or new laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure
Failure to establish and maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price.
We are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. Additionally, we are required to have our independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. An adverse report may be issued in the event our independent registered public accounting firm is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal controls, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the entity’s financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis. A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal controls that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those charged with governance. When evaluating our internal control over financial reporting, we may identify material weaknesses that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the applicable deadline imposed upon us for compliance with the requirements of Section 404. If we
identify any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is ineffective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, we could fail to meet our reporting obligations or be required to restate our financial statements for prior periods. Investors may also lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our Class A common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq listing standards and, as a result, qualify for, and intend to continue to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.
Holders of our Class B common stock, which is not publicly traded, control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we qualify as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq. Under these rules, a listed company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirement that (i) a majority of our board of directors consist of independent directors, (ii) director nominees be selected or recommended to the board by independent directors and (iii) we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors.
Although the majority of our board of directors consists of independent directors, we have elected to rely on these exemptions and expect to continue to do so. As a result, our directors are not nominated or selected by independent directors and our compensation committee does not consist entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.
Our only material asset is our interest in HLA, and we are accordingly dependent upon distributions from HLA to pay dividends, taxes and other expenses.
HLI is a holding company and has no material assets other than its ownership of membership units in HLA and certain deferred tax assets. As such, HLI does not have any independent means of generating revenue. We intend to cause HLA to make pro rata distributions to its members, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to allow us to pay all applicable taxes, to make payments under the tax receivable agreement we have entered into with the direct and indirect members of HLA, and to pay our corporate and other overhead expenses. To the extent that HLI needs funds, and HLA is restricted from making such distributions under applicable laws or regulations, or is otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.
The IRS might challenge the tax basis step-up we received in connection with our IPO and the related transactions and in connection with subsequent acquisitions of membership units in HLA.
We have used a portion of the proceeds from our IPO and from subsequent registered offerings to purchase membership units in HLA from certain of the legacy direct or indirect members of HLA, which resulted in an increase in our share of the tax basis of the assets of HLA that otherwise would not have been available. The HLA membership units held directly and indirectly by the members of HLA other than HLI, including members of our senior management team, may in the future be exchanged for shares of our Class A common stock or, at our election, for cash. These exchanges are likely to result in increases in our share of the tax basis of the assets of HLA that otherwise would not have been available. The increases in tax basis may reduce the amount of tax that we would otherwise be required to pay in the future, although it is possible that the IRS might challenge all or part of that tax basis increase, and a court
might sustain such a challenge. Our ability to achieve benefits from any tax basis increase will depend upon a number of factors, as discussed below, including the timing and amount of our future income.
We are required to pay over to legacy direct or indirect members of HLA most of the tax benefits we receive from tax basis step-ups attributable to our acquisition of membership units of HLA, and the amount of those payments could be substantial.
As part of our Reorganization, we entered into a tax receivable agreement for the benefit of the direct and indirect members of HLA other than us, pursuant to which we will pay them 85% of the amount of the tax savings, if any, that we realize (or, under certain circumstances, are deemed to realize) as a result of increases in tax basis (and certain other tax benefits) resulting from our acquisition of membership units or as a result of certain items of loss being specially allocated to us for tax purposes in connection with dispositions by HLA of certain investment assets. HLI will retain the benefit of the remaining 15% of these tax savings.
The term of the tax receivable agreement commenced upon the completion of our IPO and will continue until all tax benefits that are subject to the tax receivable agreement have been utilized or have expired, unless we exercise our right to terminate the tax receivable agreement (or the tax receivable agreement is terminated due to a change of control or our breach of a material obligation thereunder), in which case, we will be required to make the termination payment specified in the tax receivable agreement. In addition, payments we make under the tax receivable agreement will be increased by any interest accrued from the due date (without extensions) of the corresponding tax return.
The actual increase in tax basis, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under the tax receivable agreement, will vary depending on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the price of our Class A common stock at the time of the purchase or exchange, the timing of any future exchanges, the extent to which exchanges are taxable, the amount and timing of our income and the tax rates then applicable. We expect that, as a result of the increases in the tax basis of the tangible and intangible assets of HLA attributable to the exchanged HLA interests, the payments that we may make to the legacy direct or indirect members of HLA could be substantial. There may be a material negative effect on our liquidity if, as described below, the payments under the tax receivable agreement exceed the actual benefits we receive in respect of the tax attributes subject to the tax receivable agreement and/or distributions to us by HLA are not sufficient to permit us to make payments under the tax receivable agreement.
In certain circumstances, payments under the tax receivable agreement may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual tax benefits we realize.
The tax receivable agreement provides that if we exercise our right to early termination of the tax receivable agreement, in whole or in part, we experience a change in control, or we materially breach our obligations under the tax receivable agreement, we will be obligated to make an early termination payment to the legacy direct or indirect members of HLA equal to the net present value of all payments that would be required to be paid by us under the tax receivable agreement. The amount of such payments will be determined on the basis of certain assumptions in the tax receivable agreement, including (i) the assumption (except in the case of a partial termination) that we would have enough taxable income in the future to fully utilize the tax benefit resulting from any increased tax basis that results from an exchange and (ii) the assumption that any units (other than those held by Hamilton Lane Incorporated) outstanding on the termination date are deemed to be exchanged for shares of Class A common stock on the termination date. Any early termination payment may be made significantly in advance of the actual realization, if any, of the future tax benefits to which the termination payment relates.
Moreover, as a result of an elective early termination, a change of control or our material breach of our obligations under the tax receivable agreement, we could be required to make payments under the tax receivable agreement that exceed our actual cash savings under the tax receivable agreement. Thus, our obligations under the tax receivable agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, or other forms
of business combinations or changes of control. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance any such early termination payment. It is also possible that the actual benefits ultimately realized by us may be significantly less than were projected in the computation of the early termination payment.
We will not be reimbursed for any payments previously made under the tax receivable agreement if the basis increases described above are successfully challenged by the IRS or another taxing authority. As a result, in certain circumstances, payments could be made under the tax receivable agreement in excess of our ultimate cash tax savings.
In certain circumstances, HLA is required to make distributions to us and the direct and indirect owners of HLA, and the distributions that HLA will be required to make may be substantial.
HLA is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is not subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income is allocated to members, including us. Pursuant to the HLA Operating Agreement, HLA makes pro rata cash distributions, or tax distributions, to the members, including us, calculated using an assumed tax rate, to help each of the members to pay taxes on such member’s allocable share of taxable income. Under applicable tax rules, HLA is required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its members in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions are based on an assumed tax rate that is the highest possible rate applicable to any member, HLA is required to make tax distributions that, in the aggregate, will likely exceed the amount of taxes that HLA would have paid if it were taxed on its net income at the assumed rate. The pro rata distribution amounts will also be increased if and to the extent necessary to ensure that the amount distributed to HLI is sufficient to enable HLI to pay its actual tax liabilities and its other expenses and costs (including amounts payable under the tax receivable agreement).
Funds used by HLA to satisfy its tax distribution obligations are not available for reinvestment in our business. Moreover, the tax distributions HLA is required to make may be substantial, and may exceed (as a percentage of HLA’s income) the overall effective tax rate applicable to a similarly situated corporate taxpayer. In addition, because these payments are calculated with reference to an assumed tax rate, and because of the disproportionate allocation of net taxable income, these payments will likely significantly exceed the actual tax liability for many of the legacy owners of HLA.
As a result of (i) potential differences in the amount of net taxable income allocable to us and to the direct and indirect owners of HLA, (ii) the lower tax rate applicable to corporations than individuals and (iii) the use of an assumed tax rate in calculating HLA’s distribution obligations, we may receive distributions significantly in excess of our tax liabilities and obligations to make payments under the tax receivable agreement. If we do not distribute such cash balances as dividends on our Class A common stock and instead, for example, hold such cash balances or lend them to HLA, the existing owners of HLA would benefit from any value attributable to such accumulated cash balances as a result of their right to acquire shares of Class A common stock or, at our election, an amount of cash equal to the fair market value thereof, in exchange for their Class B units or Class C units.
If Hamilton Lane Incorporated were deemed an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act as a result of its ownership of HLA, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
An issuer will generally be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the Investment Company Act if:
• it is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities; or
• absent an applicable exemption, it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis.
We believe that we are engaged primarily in the business of providing asset management services and not in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. We also believe that the primary source of income from each of our businesses is properly characterized as income earned in exchange for the provision of services. We hold ourselves out as an asset management firm and do not propose to engage primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Accordingly, we do not believe that either Hamilton Lane Incorporated or HLA is an “orthodox” investment company as defined in section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act and described in the first bullet point above. HLA does not have significant assets other than its equity interests in certain wholly owned subsidiaries, which in turn have no significant assets other than general partner interests in the specialized funds we sponsor. These wholly owned subsidiaries are the sole general partners of the funds and are vested with all management and control over the funds. We do not believe the equity interests of HLA in its wholly owned subsidiaries or the general partner interests of these wholly owned subsidiaries in the funds are investment securities. Hamilton Lane Incorporated’s unconsolidated assets consist primarily of cash, a deferred tax asset and Class A units of HLA, which represent the managing member interest in HLA. Hamilton Lane Incorporated is the sole managing member of HLA and holds an approximately 67.2% economic interest in HLA. As managing member, Hamilton Lane Incorporated exercises complete control over HLA. As such, we do not believe Hamilton Lane Incorporated’s managing member interest in HLA is an investment security. Therefore, we believe that less than 40% of Hamilton Lane Incorporated’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis comprise assets that could be considered investment securities. Accordingly, we do not believe Hamilton Lane Incorporated is an inadvertent investment company by virtue of the 40% test in section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act as described in the second bullet point above. In addition, we believe Hamilton Lane Incorporated is not an investment company under section 3(b)(1) of the Investment Company Act because it is primarily engaged in a non-investment company business.
The Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder contain detailed parameters for the organization and operations of investment companies. Among other things, the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder limit or prohibit transactions with affiliates, impose limitations on the issuance of debt and equity securities, prohibit the issuance of stock options, and impose certain governance requirements. We intend to continue to conduct our operations so that Hamilton Lane Incorporated will not be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. However, if anything were to happen that would cause Hamilton Lane Incorporated to be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, requirements imposed by the Investment Company Act, including limitations on our capital structure, ability to transact business with affiliates (including HLA) and ability to compensate key employees, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as currently conducted, impair the agreements and arrangements between and among HLA, us or our senior management team, or any combination thereof and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A change of control of our Company, including the occurrence of a “Sunset,” could result in an assignment of our investment advisory agreements.
Under the Investment Advisers Act, each of the investment advisory agreements for the funds and other accounts we manage must provide that it may not be assigned without the consent of the particular fund or other client. An assignment may occur under the Investment Advisers Act if, among other things, HLA undergoes a change of control. After a “Sunset” becomes effective (as described in “Organizational Structure—Class A and Class B Common Stock—Voting Rights”), the Class B Common Stock will have one vote per share instead of ten votes per share, and the stockholders agreement will expire, meaning that the Class B Holders party thereto will no longer control the appointment of directors or be able to direct the vote on all matters that are submitted to our stockholders for a vote. These events could be deemed a change of control of HLA, and thus an assignment. If such an assignment occurs, we cannot be certain that HLA will be able to obtain the necessary consents from our funds and other clients, which could cause us to lose the management fees and performance fees we earn from such funds and other clients.
Because most members of our senior management team hold most of their economic interest in HLA through other entities, conflicts of interest may arise between them and holders of shares of our Class A common stock or us.
Because most members of our senior management team hold most of their economic interest in HLA directly through holding companies and other vehicles rather than through ownership of shares of our Class A common stock, they may have interests that do not align with, or conflict with, those of the holders of Class A common stock or with us. For example, members of our senior management team have different tax positions from Class A common stockholders, which could influence their decisions regarding whether and when to dispose of assets, whether and when to incur new or refinance existing indebtedness, and whether and when we should terminate the tax receivable agreement and accelerate the obligations thereunder. In addition, the structuring of future transactions and investments may take into consideration the members’ tax considerations even where no similar benefit would accrue to us.
The disparity in the voting rights among the classes of our common stock and inability of the holders of our Class A common stock to influence decisions submitted to a vote of our stockholders may have an adverse effect on the price of our Class A common stock.
Holders of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on almost all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. Shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock entitle the respective holders to identical non-economic rights, except that each share of our Class A common stock entitles its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by stockholders generally, while each share of our Class B common stock entitles its holder to ten votes until a Sunset becomes effective. See “Organizational Structure—Class A and Class B Common Stock.” After a Sunset becomes effective, each share of our Class B common stock will entitle its holder to one vote. Certain of the holders of our Class B common stock who are significant outside investors, members of management and significant employee owners have agreed to vote all of their shares in accordance with the instructions of HLA Investments, LLC (“HLAI”), and will therefore be able to exercise control over all matters requiring our stockholders’ approval, including the election of our directors, as well as any significant corporate transactions. The difference in voting rights could adversely affect the value of our Class A common stock to the extent that investors view, or any potential future purchaser of our Company views, the superior voting rights and implicit control of the Class B common stock to have value.
Our share price may decline due to the large number of shares eligible for future sale and for exchange.
The market price of our Class A common stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of Class A common stock in the market or the perception that such sales could occur. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate. Shares of Class A common stock that were issued in the Reorganization to the original members of HLA who became HLI stockholders owning our Class A common stock are “restricted securities”, and their resale is subject to future registration or reliance on an exemption from registration.
The approximately 17.6 million shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of the Class B units and Class C units that are held by Class B Holders and Class C Holders will be eligible for resale from time to time, subject to certain exchange timing and volume and Securities Act restrictions.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with certain Class B Holders who are significant outside investors, members of management and significant employee owners. Under that agreement, subject to certain limitations, those persons have the ability to cause us to register the resale of shares of our Class A common stock that they acquire upon exchange of their Class B units and Class C units in HLA. Registration of these shares would result in them becoming freely tradable in the open market unless restrictions apply.
We expect to continue to pay dividends to our stockholders, but our ability to do so is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and may be limited by our holding company structure and applicable provisions of Delaware and Pennsylvania law.
Since our IPO, our board of directors has declared regular quarterly dividends on our Class A common stock. Although we expect to continue to pay cash dividends to our stockholders, our board of directors may, in its discretion, increase or decrease the level of dividends or discontinue the payment of dividends entirely. In addition, as a holding company, we are dependent upon the ability of HLA to generate earnings and cash flows and distribute them to us so that we may pay our obligations and expenses (including our taxes and payments under the tax receivable agreement) and pay dividends to our stockholders. We expect to cause HLA to make distributions to its members, including us. However, the ability of HLA to make such distributions will be subject to its operating results, cash requirements and financial condition, restrictive covenants in the Loan Agreements and applicable Pennsylvania law (which may limit the amount of funds available for distribution to its members). Our ability to declare and pay dividends to our stockholders is likewise subject to Delaware law (which may limit the amount of funds available for dividends). If, as a consequence of these various limitations and restrictions, we are unable to generate sufficient distributions from our business, we may not be able to make, or may be required to reduce or eliminate, the payment of dividends on our Class A common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and may negatively affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include provisions that:
• provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum;
• establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes, with each class serving three-year staggered terms;
• require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent, except that action by written consent will be allowed for as long as we are a controlled company;
• specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our board of directors or the chairman of our board of directors;
• establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors;
• authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock; and
• reflect two classes of common stock, as discussed above.
These and other provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. Also, the tax receivable agreement provides that, in the event of a change of control, we will be required to make a payment equal to the present value of estimated future payments under the tax receivable agreement, which would result in a significant payment becoming due in the event of a change of control. In addition, we are a Delaware corporation and governed by the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). Section 203 of the DGCL generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad
range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder, in particular those owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock, for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an “interested” stockholder. While we have elected in our certificate of incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation contains provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the DGCL, except that they provide that HLAI, its affiliates, groups that include HLAI and certain of their direct and indirect transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly will not be subject to such restrictions.
The provision of our certificate of incorporation requiring exclusive venue in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware for certain types of lawsuits may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers or stockholders to us or our stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, (4) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or (5) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.