SEC Filing | Trinity Capital Inc.

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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 21, 2021

Securities Act File No. 333-251395

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM N-2

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 ☒
Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1☒
Post-Effective Amendment No. ☐

Trinity Capital Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

3075 West Ray Road
Suite 525
Chandler, Arizona 85226
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(480) 374 5350
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

Steven L. Brown
c/o Trinity Capital Inc.
3075 West Ray Road
Suite 525
Chandler, Arizona 85226
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

WITH COPIES TO:

Cynthia M. Krus, Esq.
Stephani M. Hildebrandt, Esq.
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP
700 Sixth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: (202) 383-0100
Fax: (202) 637-3593

Thomas J. Friedmann, Esq.
Dechert LLP
One International Place, 40th Floor
100 Oliver Street
Boston, MA 02110
Tel: (617) 728-7120
Fax: (617) 426-6567

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

☐ when declared effective pursuant to Section 8(c) of the Securities Act.

If appropriate, check the following box:

☐ This [post-effective] amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed [post-effective amendment] [registration statement].

☐ This Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: .

☐ This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: .

☐ This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: .

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Check each box that appropriately characterizes the Registrant:

☐ Registered Closed-End Fund (closed-end company that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“Investment Company Act”)).

☒ Business Development Company (closed-end company that intends or has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act).

☐ Interval Fund (Registered Closed-End Fund or a Business Development Company that makes periodic repurchase offers under Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act).

☐ A.2 Qualified (qualified to register securities pursuant to General Instruction A.2 of this Form).

☐ Well-Known Seasoned Issuer (as defined by Rule 405 under the Securities Act).

☒ Emerging Growth Company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”).

☐ If an Emerging Growth Company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act.

☐ New Registrant (registered or regulated under the Investment Company Act for less than 12 calendar months preceding this filing).

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Title of Securities Being Registered	Amount Being Registered(1)		Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit(2)			Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1)(2)			Amount of Registration Fee(3)
Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share		8,678,619		$	15.50		$	134,518,595		$	14,676

(1)

Includes the underwriters’ option to purchase up to 1,132,000 additional shares of our common stock and 646,619 shares being registered for sale by the selling stockholders.

(2)

Estimated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, solely for the purpose of determining the registration fee.

(3)

Previously paid a registration fee of $16,365.

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

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

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JANUARY 21, 2021

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

Trinity Capital Inc.

7,546,619 Shares of Common Stock

We are a specialty lending company that provides debt, including loans and equipment financings, to growth stage companies, including venture-backed companies and companies with institutional equity investors. We define “growth stage companies” as companies that have significant ownership and active participation by sponsors, such as institutional investors or private equity firms, and annual revenues of up to $100 million.

We are an internally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). We intend to elect to be treated, and intend to qualify annually thereafter, as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a BDC and a RIC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. See “Regulation” and “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

Our investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation through our investments. We seek to achieve our investment objective by making investments consisting primarily of term loans and equipment financings and, to a lesser extent, working capital loans, equity and equity-related investments. In addition, we may obtain warrants or contingent exit fees at funding from many of our portfolio companies, providing an additional potential source of investment returns.

We primarily target investments in growth stage companies that have generally completed product development and are in need of capital to fund revenue growth. Our loans and equipment financings range from $2 million to $30 million. We are not limited to investing in any particular industry or geographic area and seek to invest in under-financed segments of the private credit markets. The debt in which we invest typically is not rated by any rating agency, but if these instruments were rated, they would likely receive a rating of below investment grade (that is, below BBB- or Baa3), which is often referred to as “high yield” or “junk.” As of September 30, 2020, the debt, including loans and equipment financings, in our portfolio had a weighted average time to maturity of approximately 2.9 years.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). As a result, we are subject to reduced public company reporting requirements and intend to take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.

This is our initial public offering of our shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, pursuant to which we are offering 6,900,000 shares of our common stock. In addition, this prospectus relates to 646,619 shares of our common stock (the “Secondary Shares”) that may be sold by the selling stockholders identified under “Selling Stockholders” (the “Selling Stockholders”). We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the Secondary Shares by the Selling Stockholders.

Our shares of common stock have no history of public trading. We have applied to have our common stock listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “TRIN”.

We currently expect that the initial public offering price per share of our common stock will be between $13.50 and $15.50 per share. Assuming an initial public offering price of $14.50 per share (the mid-point range of the estimated initial public offering price range), purchasers in this offering will experience dilution of approximately $1.38 per share, as such initial public offering price is higher than the net asset value per share of our outstanding common stock. See “Dilution” for more information. The net asset value per share of our common stock as of September 30, 2020 was $13.01.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk, including credit risk and the risk of the use of leverage, and is highly speculative. In addition, shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, frequently trade at a discount to their net asset values. If shares of our common stock trade at a discount to our net asset value, purchasers in this offering will face increased risk of loss. Before buying any shares of our common stock, you should read the discussion of the material risks of investing in our common stock, including the risk of leverage, in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 20 of this prospectus.

This prospectus contains important information you should know before investing in our common stock. Please read this prospectus before investing and keep it for future reference. We also file periodic and current reports, proxy statements and other information about us with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This information is available free of charge by contacting us at 3075 West Ray Road, Suite 525, Chandler, Arizona 85226, calling us at (480) 374-5350 or visiting our corporate website located at www.trincapinvestment.com. Information on our website is not incorporated into or a part of this prospectus. The SEC also maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains this information.

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

Per Share

Total

Public offering price

Sales load (underwriting discounts and commissions)(1)

Proceeds to us, before expenses(2)

Proceeds to the Selling Stockholders, before expenses(3)

(1)

See “Underwriting” for a more complete description of underwriting discounts and commissions.

(2)

We estimate that we will incur offering expenses of approximately $1.5 million, or approximately $0.2174 per share, in connection with this offering of shares by us and the Selling Stockholders.

(3)

We will pay the fees and expenses incident to the offer and sale of the Secondary Shares by the Selling Stockholders (excluding underwriting discounts and commissions).

We have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1,132,000 shares of our common stock from us, at the public offering price, less the sales load payable by us, within 30 days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters exercise their option in full, the total sales load will be $ million and total proceeds to us, before expenses, will be $ million.

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of our common stock on or about , 2021.

Joint Book-Running Managers

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods A Stifel Company

Wells Fargo Securities

UBS Investment Bank

Co-Managers

Janney Montgomery Scott

B. Riley Securities

Ladenburg Thalmann

Compass Point

The date of this prospectus is , 2021.

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	PROSPECTUS SUMMARY					1
	THE OFFERING SUMMARY					10
	FEES AND EXPENSES					14
	SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA AND PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION					16
	RISK FACTORS					20
	SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS					72
	USE OF PROCEEDS					74
	CAPITALIZATION					75
	DISTRIBUTIONS					76
	DILUTION					77
	MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS					79
	BUSINESS					101
	SENIOR SECURITIES					117
	PORTFOLIO COMPANIES					118
	MANAGEMENT					126
	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION					134
	CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS					140
	CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS					142
	DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE					144
	DISTRIBUTION REINVESTMENT PLAN					146
	CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS					147
	DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK					157
	REGULATION					167
	SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE					173
	SELLING STOCKHOLDERS					179
	UNDERWRITING					181
	CUSTODIAN, TRANSFER AND DIVIDEND PAYING AGENT AND REGISTRAR					187
	BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES					187
	LEGAL MATTERS					187
	INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM					187
	AVAILABLE INFORMATION					187
	INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS					F-1

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

In addition, this prospectus contains statistical and market data that has been obtained from industry sources and publications. These industry sources and publications generally indicate that they have obtained their information from sources believed to be reliable, but do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of their information. Although we believe that these sources and publications are reliable, we do not represent that we have done a complete search for other industry data and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to

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such statistical and market data as it involves many assumptions and limitations. Further, neither we nor the underwriters in this offering have independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the statistical and market data obtained from industry sources and publications, and neither we nor the underwriters in this offering take any further responsibility for such statistical and market data. Forward-looking information obtained from these sources and publications is subject to the same qualifications and the additional uncertainties regarding the other forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus.

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights some of the information in this prospectus. It is not complete and may not contain all of the information that you may want to consider before investing in our common stocks. You should read our entire prospectus before investing in our common stock.

Throughout this prospectus, except where the context suggests otherwise:

•

the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “Trinity’’ and “Company” refer, collectively, to the Legacy Funds (as defined below) and their respective subsidiaries, general partners, managers and managing members, as applicable prior to the consummation of the Formation Transactions (as defined below) and Trinity Capital Inc. after the consummation of the Formation Transactions; and

•

“Legacy Funds” refers collectively to Trinity Capital Investment, LLC (“TCI”), Trinity Capital Fund II, L.P. (“Fund II”), Trinity Capital Fund III, L.P. (“Fund III”), Trinity Capital Fund IV, L.P. (“Fund IV”) and Trinity Sidecar Income Fund, L.P. (“Sidecar Fund”) and their respective subsidiaries, general partners, managers and managing members, as applicable.

Trinity Capital Inc.

Overview

Trinity Capital Inc., a Maryland corporation, provides debt, including loans and equipment financings, to growth stage companies, including venture-backed companies and companies with institutional equity investors. Our investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation through our investments. We seek to achieve our investment objective by making investments consisting primarily of term loans and equipment financings and, to a lesser extent, working capital loans, equity and equity-related investments. Our equipment financings involve loans for general or specific use, including acquiring equipment, that are secured by the equipment or other assets of the portfolio company. In addition, we may obtain warrants or contingent exit fees at funding from many of our portfolio companies, providing an additional potential source of investment returns. The warrants entitle us to purchase preferred or common ownership shares of a portfolio company, and we typically target the amount of such warrants to scale in proportion to the amount of the debt or equipment financing. Contingent exit fees are cash fees payable upon the consummation of certain trigger events, such as a successful change of control or initial public offering of the portfolio company. See “Business — Investment Philosophy, Strategy and Purpose.”

We target investments in growth stage companies, which are typically private companies, including venture-backed companies and companies with institutional equity investors. We define “growth stage companies” as companies that have significant ownership and active participation by sponsors, such as institutional investors or private equity firms, and annual revenues of up to $100 million. Subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), we are not limited to investing in any particular industry or geographic area and seek to invest in under-financed segments of the private credit markets. The debt in which we invest typically is not rated by any rating agency, but if these instruments were rated, they would likely receive a rating of below investment grade (that is, below BBB- or Baa3), which is often referred to as “high yield” or “junk.”

We primarily seek to invest in loans and equipment financings to growth stage companies that have generally completed product development and are in need of capital to fund revenue growth. We believe a lack of profitability often limits these companies’ ability to access traditional bank financing, and our in-house engineering and operations experience allows us to better understand this risk and earn what we believe to be higher overall returns and better risk-adjusted returns than those associated with traditional bank loans.

Our loans and equipment financings range from $2 million to $30 million. We believe investments of this scale are generally sufficient to support near-term growth needs of most growth stage companies. We generally limit each loan and equipment financing to approximately five percent or less of our total assets. We seek to structure our loans and equipment financings such that amortization of the amount invested quickly reduces our risk exposure. Leveraging the experience of our investment professionals, we seek to

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target companies at their growth stage of development and to identify financing opportunities ignored by the traditional direct lending community.

As of September 30, 2020, our investment portfolio had an aggregate fair value of approximately $425.5 million and was comprised of approximately $273.6 million in secured loans, $107.7 million in equipment financings, and $44.2 million in equity and equity-related investments, including warrants, across 81 portfolio companies. See “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for additional information.

We are an internally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the 1940 Act. We intend to elect to be treated, and intend to qualify annually, as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a BDC and a RIC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. See “Regulation” and “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.” For example, as a BDC, at least 70% of our assets must be assets of the type listed in Section 55(a) of the 1940 Act, as described herein.

Our History

On January 16, 2020, through a series of transactions (the “Formation Transactions”), we acquired the Legacy Funds, including their respective investment portfolios (collectively, the “Legacy Portfolio”), and Trinity Capital Holdings, LLC, a holding company whose subsidiaries managed and/or had the right to receive fees from certain of the Legacy Funds (“Trinity Capital Holdings”). In the Formation Transactions, the Legacy Funds were merged with and into the Company, and we issued 9,183,185 shares of our common stock at $15.00 per share for an aggregate amount of approximately $137.7 million and paid approximately $108.7 million in cash to the Legacy Investors to acquire the Legacy Funds and all of their respective assets, including the Legacy Portfolio.

As part of the Formation Transactions, we also acquired 100% of the equity interests of Trinity Capital Holdings, the sole member of Trinity Management IV, LLC, the investment manager to Fund IV and the sub-adviser to Fund II and Fund III, for an aggregate purchase price of $10.0 million, which was comprised of 533,332 shares of our common stock at $15.00 per share for an aggregate amount of approximately $8.0 million and approximately $2.0 million in cash. As a result of this transaction, Trinity Capital Holdings became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.

For additional information regarding our history and the Formation Transactions, see “Business.”

Borrowings

Through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Trinity Funding 1, LLC, we are a party to a $300 million Credit Agreement (as amended, the “Credit Agreement”) with Credit Suisse AG (“Credit Suisse”). The Credit Agreement matures on January 8, 2022, unless extended, and we have the ability to borrow up to an aggregate of $300 million. Borrowings under the Credit Agreement generally bear interest at a rate of the three-month London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) plus 3.25%. As of January 20, 2021, approximately $135 million was outstanding under the Credit Agreement. See “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

In January 2020, we issued $125 million in aggregate principal amount of our unsecured 7.00% Notes due 2025 (the “2025 Notes”) in reliance upon the available exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act (the “144A Note Offering”). The 2025 Notes were issued pursuant to an Indenture dated as of January 16, 2020 (the “Base Indenture”), between us and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”), and a First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of January 16, 2020 (the “First Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture, the “2025 Notes Indenture”), between us and the Trustee. The 2025 Notes mature on January 16, 2025 (the “2025 Notes Maturity Date”), unless repurchased or redeemed in accordance with their terms prior to such date, and bear interest at a rate of 7.00% per year payable quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing on March 15, 2020. See “Business,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Securities Eligible for Future Sale.”

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In December 2020, we issued $50 million in aggregate principal amount of our unsecured 6.00% Convertible Notes due 2025 (the “Convertible Notes”) in reliance upon the available exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Convertible Notes were issued pursuant to the Base Indenture and a Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 11, 2020 (the “Second Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture, the “Convertible Notes Indenture”), between us and the Trustee. The Convertible Notes mature on December 11, 2025 (the “Convertible Notes Maturity Date”), unless earlier converted or repurchased in accordance with their terms prior to such date. The Convertible Notes bear interest at a rate of 6.00% per year, subject to additional interest of 0.75% per annum if we do not maintain an investment grade rating with respect to the Convertible Notes, payable semiannually on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing on May 1, 2021. Holders may convert their Convertible Notes, at their option, at any time on or prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding the Convertible Notes Maturity Date. The conversion rate is initially 66.6667 shares of our common stock, per $1,000 principal amount of the Convertible Notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $15.00 per share of common stock). The conversion rate is subject to adjustment in some events but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid interest. Upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, we will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of our common stock, or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, at our election, per $1,000 principal amount of the Convertible Notes, equal to the then existing conversion rate. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Securities Eligible for Future Sale.”

COVID-19 Developments

In March 2020, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Shortly thereafter, the President of the United States declared a National Emergency throughout the United States attributable to such pandemic. The pandemic has become increasingly widespread in the United States, including in the Company’s primary markets of operation. As of the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, and subsequent to September 30, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the U.S. and global economy.

We have and continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our portfolio companies. We cannot predict the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its duration in the United States and worldwide, the effectiveness of governmental responses designed to mitigate strain to businesses and the economy, and the magnitude of the economic impact of the outbreak, including with respect to the travel restrictions, business closures and other quarantine measures imposed on service providers and other individuals by various local, state, and federal governmental authorities, as well as non-U.S. governmental authorities. While several countries, as well as certain states, counties and cities in the United States, have relaxed initial public health restrictions with a view to partially or fully reopening their economies, many cities world-wide have since experienced a surge in the reported number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These increases have led to the re-introduction of restrictions and business shutdowns in certain states, counties and cities in the United States and globally and could continue to lead to the re-introduction of such restrictions and business shutdowns elsewhere. Additionally, as of January 2020, travelers from the United States are not allowed to visit Canada, Australia or the majority of countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. These continued travel restrictions may prolong the global economic downturn. In addition, although the Federal Food and Drug Administration authorized vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for emergency use starting in December 2020, it remains unclear how quickly the vaccines will be distributed nationwide and globally or when “herd immunity” will be achieved and the restrictions that were imposed to slow the spread of the virus will be lifted entirely. The delay in distributing the vaccines could lead people to continue to self-isolate and not participate in the economy at pre-pandemic levels for a prolonged period of time. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the U.S. economy and most other major global economies may continue to experience a recession, and we anticipate our business and operations could be materially adversely affected by a prolonged recession in the United States and other major markets. As such, we are unable to predict the duration of any business and supply-chain disruptions, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will negatively affect our portfolio companies’ operating results or the impact that such disruptions may have on our results of operations and financial condition. Though the magnitude of the impact remains to be seen, we expect our portfolio companies and, by extension, our operating results to be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and, depending on the duration and extent of the disruption to the operations of our portfolio companies, we

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expect that certain portfolio companies will experience financial distress and may possibly default on their financial obligations to us and their other capital providers. Some of our portfolio companies have significantly curtailed business operations, furloughed or laid off employees and terminated service providers, and deferred capital expenditures, which could impair their business on a permanent basis and additional portfolio companies may take similar actions. We continue to closely monitor our portfolio companies, which includes assessing each portfolio company’s operational and liquidity exposure and outlook; however, any of these developments would likely result in a decrease in the value of our investment in any such portfolio company. In addition, to the extent that the impact to our portfolio companies results in reduced interest payments or permanent impairments on our investments, we could see a decrease in our net investment income, which would increase the percentage of our cash flows dedicated to our debt obligations and could impact the amount of any future distributions to our stockholders.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we instituted a temporary work-from-home policy in March 2020, during which our employees primarily worked remotely without disruption to our operations. In May 2020, we began to allow healthy employees to work in the office if they so choose.

Our Business and Structure

Overview

We provide debt, including loans and equipment financings, to growth stage companies, including venture-backed companies and companies with institutional equity investors. Our investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation through our investments. We make investments consisting primarily of term loans and equipment financings and, to a lesser extent, working capital loans, equity and equity-related investments.

We target investments in growth stage companies with institutional investor support, experienced management teams, promising products and offerings, and large expanding markets. These companies typically have begun to have success selling their products to the market and need additional capital to expand their operations and sales. Despite often achieving growing revenues, these types of companies typically have limited financing options to fund their growth. Equity, being dilutive in nature, is generally the most expensive form of capital available, while traditional bank financing is rarely available, given the lifecycle stage of these companies. Financing from us bridges this financing gap, providing companies with growth capital, which may result in improved profitability, less dilution for all equity investors, and increased enterprise value. We are not limited to investing in any particular industry or geographic area and seek to invest in under-financed segments of the private credit markets.

We invest in debt, including loans and equipment financings, that may have initial interest-only periods of 0 to 24 months and may then fully amortize over a term of 24 to 60 months. These investments are typically secured by a blanket first lien, a specific asset lien on mission critical assets or a blanket second lien. We may also make a limited number of direct equity and equity-related investments in conjunction with our debt investments. We target growth stage companies that have recently issued equity to raise cash to offset potential cash flow needs related to projected growth, have achieved positive cash flow to cover debt service, or have institutional investors committed to providing additional funding. A loan or equipment financing may be structured to tie the amortization of the loan or equipment financing to the portfolio company’s projected cash balances while cash is still available for operations. As such, the loan or equipment financing may have a reduced risk of default. We believe that the amortizing nature of our investments will mitigate risk and significantly reduce the risk of our investments over a relatively short period. We focus on protecting and recovering principal in each investment and structure our investments to provide downside protection. As of September 30, 2020, the debt, including loans and equipment financings, in our portfolio had a weighted average time to maturity of approximately 2.9 years.

Certain of the loans in which we invest have financial maintenance covenants, which are used to proactively address materially adverse changes in a portfolio company’s financial performance. However, we have invested in and may in the future invest in or obtain significant exposure to “covenant-lite” loans, which generally are loans that do not have a complete set of financial maintenance covenants. Generally, covenant-lite loans provide borrower companies more freedom to negatively impact lenders because their covenants are incurrence-based, which means they are only tested and can only be breached following an

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affirmative action of the borrower, rather than by a deterioration in the borrower’s financial condition. Accordingly, because we invest in and have exposure to covenant-lite loans, we may have fewer rights against a borrower and may have a greater risk of loss on such investments as compared to investments in or exposure to loans with financial maintenance covenants.

Management Team

We are an internally managed BDC employing 34 dedicated professionals, including 15 investment, originations and portfolio management professionals, all of whom have experience working on investment and financing transactions. Our management team has prior management experience, including with early stage tech startups, and employs a highly systematized approach. Our senior management team, led by Steven L. Brown, comprises the majority of the senior management team that managed the Legacy Funds and sourced their investment portfolios, and we believe is well positioned to take advantage of the potential investment opportunities available in the marketplace.

•

Steven L. Brown, our founder, is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and has 25 years of experience in venture equity and venture debt investing and working with growth stage companies.

•

Gerald Harder, our Chief Credit Officer, has been with Trinity since 2016, and we believe his prior 30 years of engineering and operations experience adds significant value in analyzing investment opportunities.

•

Kyle Brown, our President and Chief Investment Officer, has been with Trinity since 2015 and is responsible for managing Trinity’s investment activities. He has historically managed relationships with potential investment partners, including venture capital firms and technology bank lenders, allowing us to nearly triple the number of investment opportunities reviewed by our senior management after Mr. Brown joined the senior management of Trinity.

•

Ron Kundich, our Senior Vice President — Loan Originations, is responsible for developing relationships with our referral partners, sourcing potential investments and evaluating investment opportunities.

•

David Lund, our Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President of Finance and Strategic Planning, and Treasurer, has over 35 years of finance and executive leadership experience working with both private and publicly traded companies, including serving as Chief Financial Officer at an internally managed venture lending, publicly traded BDC during its initial stage and subsequent years of growth in assets.

All investment decisions are made by our Investment Committee (the “Investment Committee”), whose members consist of Steven L. Brown, Gerald Harder, Kyle Brown and Ron Kundich. We consider these individuals to be our portfolio managers. The Investment Committee approves proposed investments by majority consent, which majority must include Steven L. Brown, in accordance with investment guidelines and procedures established by the Investment Committee. See “Management” and “Executive Compensation” for additional information regarding these individuals.

The members of the Investment Committee have worked together in predecessor investment funds, including the Legacy Funds, and bring decades of combined experience investing in venture debt and venture capital and managing venture-backed start-ups and other public and private entities. As a result, the members of the Investment Committee have strong backgrounds in venture capital, private equity, investing, finance, operations, management and intellectual property, and have developed a strong working knowledge in these areas and a broad network of contacts. Combined, as of September 30, 2020, the members of the Investment Committee had over 75 years in aggregate of operating experience in various public and private companies, many of them venture-funded. As a group, they have managed through all aspects of the venture capital lifecycle, including participating in change of control transactions with venture-backed companies that they founded and/or served.

Potential Competitive Advantages

We believe that we are one of only a select group of specialty lenders that has our depth of knowledge, experience, and track record in lending to growth stage companies. Further, we are one of an even smaller subset of specialty lenders that offers both loans and equipment financings. Our other potential competitive advantages include:

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•

In-house engineering and operations expertise to evaluate growth stage companies’ business products and plans.

•

Direct origination networks that benefit from relationships with venture banks, institutional equity investors and entrepreneurs built during the term of operations of the Legacy Funds, which began in 2008.

•

A dedicated staff of professionals covering credit origination and underwriting, as well as portfolio management functions.

•

A proprietary credit rating system and regimented process for evaluating and underwriting prospective portfolio companies.

•

Scalable software platforms developed during the term of operations of the Legacy Funds, which support our underwriting processes and loan monitoring functions.

For additional information regarding our potential competitive advantages, see “Business.”

Market Opportunity

We believe that an attractive market opportunity exists for providing debt and equipment financing to growth stage companies for the following reasons:

•

Growth stage companies have generally been underserved by traditional lending sources.

•

Unfulfilled demand exists for debt, including loans and equipment financings, to growth stage companies due to the complexity of evaluating risk in these investments.

•

Debt investments with warrants are less dilutive than traditional equity financing and complement equity financing from venture capital and private equity funds.

•

Equity funding of growth stage companies, including venture capital backed companies, has increased steadily over the last ten years, resulting in new lending and equipment financing opportunities. During the last economic downturn from 2007 – 2009, new venture capital fundings in the United States decreased less than 15% annually, and totaled almost $60.0 billion. The total investment opportunities we have generated for review increased from approximately $1.14 billion in 2015 to $3.28 billion in 2018, and $3.81 billion for the year ended December 31, 2019. During the first nine months of 2020, we generated approximately $4.3 billion of investment opportunities for review. The total investment opportunities we have generated for review from inception of TCI through September 30, 2020 were approximately $18.3 billion. Notably, our equipment financing business saw substantial growth in potential investment opportunities from $50.0 million in 2016 to $1.39 billion in 2019, and $1.2 billion for the first nine months of 2020, with more growth projected in 2020 and beyond. We believe that our potential investment opportunities year to date signal a continuing robust market for investment in growth stage companies. During the first nine months of 2020, we funded investments of approximately $138.0 million, including $71.3 million in secured loans, $64.9 million in equipment financings, and $1.8 million in equity investments.

•

We estimate that the annual U.S. venture debt and equipment financing market in 2019 exceeded $20.0 billion and was approximately $17.0 billion as of September 30, 2020. We believe that the equipment financing market is even more fragmented, with the majority of equipment financing providers unable to fund investments for more than $10 million. We believe there are significant growth opportunities for us to expand our market share in the venture debt market and become a one-stop shop for loans and equipment financing for growth stage companies.

Growth Stage Companies are Underserved by Traditional Lenders. We believe many viable growth stage companies have been unable to obtain sufficient growth financing from traditional lenders, including financial services companies such as commercial banks and finance companies, because traditional lenders have continued to consolidate and have adopted a more risk-averse approach to lending. More importantly, we believe traditional lenders are typically unable to underwrite the risk associated with these companies effectively and generally refrain from lending and/or providing equipment financing to growth stage companies, instead preferring the risk-reward profile of traditional fixed asset-based lending.

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Unfulfilled Demand for Debt and Equipment Financing to Growth Stage Companies. Private capital in the form of debt and equipment financing from specialty finance companies continues to be an important source of funding for growth stage companies. We believe that the level of demand for debt and equipment financing is a function of the level of annual venture equity investment activity, and can be as much as 20% to 30% of such investment activity. We believe this market is largely served by a handful of venture banks, with whom our products generally do not compete, and a relative few term lenders and lessors.

We further believe that demand for debt and equipment financing to growth stage companies is currently underserved, given the high level of activity in venture capital equity market for the growth stage companies in which we invest, and that this is an opportune time to invest in the debt and equipment financing for growth stage companies. Our senior management team has seen a significant increase in the number of potential investment opportunities over the last ten years.

Debt Investments with Warrants Complement Equity Financing from Venture Capital and Private Equity Funds. We believe that growth stage companies and their financial sponsors will continue to view debt and equipment financing as an attractive source of capital because it augments the capital provided by venture capital and private equity funds. We believe that our debt investments, including loans and equipment financings, will provide access to growth capital that otherwise may only be available through incremental equity investments by new or existing equity investors. As such, we intend to provide portfolio companies and their financial sponsors with an opportunity to diversify their capital sources.

For additional information regarding our market opportunity, see “Business.”

Investment Philosophy, Strategy and Process

We lend money in the form of term loans and equipment financings and, to a lesser extent, working capital loans to growth stage companies. Investors may receive returns from three sources — the loan’s interest payments or equipment financing payments and the associated contractual fees; the final principal payment; and, contingent upon a successful change of control or initial public offering, proceeds from the equity positions or contingent exit fees obtained at loan or equipment financing origination.

We believe good candidates for loans and equipment financings appear in all business sectors. Subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act, we are not limited to investing in any particular industry or geographic area and seek to invest in under-financed segments of the private credit markets. We believe in diversification and do not intend to specialize in any one sector. Our portfolio companies are selected from a wide range of industries, technologies and geographic regions. Since we focus on investing in portfolio companies alongside venture capital firms and technology banks, we anticipate that most of our opportunities will come from sectors that those sources finance. See “Business” for additional details.

Employees

As of September 30, 2020, we had 34 employees, including 15 investment, originations and portfolio management professionals, all of whom have experience working on investment and financing transactions.

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Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 3075 West Ray Road, Suite 525, Chandler, Arizona 85226 and our telephone number is (480) 374-5350. Our corporate website is located at www.trincapinvestment.com. Information on our website is not incorporated into or a part of this prospectus.

Preliminary Estimates of Results as of December 31, 2020

From October 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020, we made total investments of approximately $102.1 million. Of these investments, $72.4 million were in secured loans, $29.3 million were in equipment financings, and $0.4 million were in equity securities. Approximately $45.5 million of these investments were to 7 new portfolio companies and approximately $56.6 million were to 12 existing portfolio companies. The weighted average yield of debt and other income producing securities funded during the period at amortized cost was approximately 13.8%.

From October 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020, we received approximately $43.0 million in principal repayments, including approximately $29.0 million of early repayments. During this period we recognized realized losses of approximately $5.0 million primarily related to one investment and reversed previously recorded net unrealized depreciation related to such net realized losses of approximately $4.0 million.

The level of our investment activity can vary substantially from period to period depending on many factors. Such factors may include the amount of loans, equipment financings and equity capital required by growth stage companies, the general economic environment and market conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the competitive environment for the types of investments we make.

For the three-month period ended December 31, 2020, we estimate that our unaudited total investment income will be between $15.0 million and $15.7 million and our unaudited net investment income will be between $4.8 million and $5.5 million, or between $0.26 and $0.30 per share. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we estimate that our unaudited total investment income will be between $54.6 million and $55.3 million and our unaudited net investment income will be between $22.8 million and $23.5 million, or between $1.26 and $1.30 per share.The unaudited estimate of the range of the net asset value per share of our common stock as of December 31, 2020 is between $12.93 and $13.03.

The preliminary financial estimates provided herein have been prepared by, and are the responsibility of, management. Neither Ernst & Young LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, nor any other independent accountants, have audited, reviewed, compiled, or performed any procedures with respect to the accompanying preliminary financial data.

These estimates are subject to the completion of our financial closing procedures and are not a comprehensive statement of our financial results or valuations as of December 31, 2020 and have not been approved by the Board. We advise you that our actual results may differ materially from these estimates as a result of the completion of the period and our financial closing procedures, final adjustments, valuation process and other developments that may arise between now and the time that our financial results are finalized.

Risk Factors

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

•

we have limited operating history as a BDC;

•

we depend upon our senior management team and investment professionals, including the members of the Investment Committee, and their referral relationships with venture capital sponsors for our success;

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economic recessions or downturns, disruptions and instability in capital markets, and political, social and economic uncertainty including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, could impair our portfolio companies and harm our business and operating results;

•

the COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the U.S. economy and has disrupted financial activity in the areas in which we or our portfolio companies operate;

•

our stockholders may experience dilution if additional shares of our common stock are issued, which could reduce the overall value of an investment in us;

•

regulations governing our operation as a BDC and RIC affect our ability to raise capital and the way in which we raise additional capital or borrow for investment purposes, which may have a negative effect on our growth;

•

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

•

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

•

changes in laws or regulations governing our operations may adversely affect our business or cause us to alter our business strategy;

•

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

•

our management team and investment professionals may not be able to achieve the same or similar returns as those achieved by the Legacy Funds or by such persons while they were employed at prior positions;

•

our investment strategy focuses on growth stage companies, which are subject to many risks, including dependence on the need to raise additional capital, volatility, intense competition, shortened product life cycles, changes in regulatory and governmental programs, periodic downturns, below investment grade ratings, which could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in us;

•

we are subject to risks inherent in the equipment financing business that may adversely affect our ability to finance our portfolio on terms which will permit us to generate profitable rates of return for investors;

•

our investments are geographically concentrated in the Western and Northeastern part of the United States, including California, which may results in a single occurrence in a particular geographic area having a disproportionate negative impact on our investment portfolio. For example, portfolio companies in California, may be particularly susceptible to certain types of hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, mudslides, wildfires and other national disasters, which could have a negative impact on their business and ability to meet their obligations under their debt securities that we hold;

•

our investments are very risky and highly speculative and a lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business;

•

we may be subject to risks associated with our investments in senior loans, junior debt securities and covenant-lite loans;

•

our portfolio may be exposed in part to one or more specific industries, which may subject us to a risk of significant loss in a particular investment or investments if there is a downturn in that particular industry;

•

we are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates, including the decommissioning of LIBOR;

•

defaults by our portfolio companies could jeopardize a portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt, equipment financing or equity investment that we hold which could harm our operating results;

•

we may not be able to pay distributions, our distributions may not grow over time and/or a portion of our distributions may be a return of capital;

•

investing in our common stock may involve an above-average degree of risk; and

•

the market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

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THE OFFERING SUMMARY

Common Stock Offered by Us

6,900,000 shares (or 8,032,000 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock).

Common Stock Offered by the Selling Stockholders

646,619 shares (the “Secondary Shares”). The Secondary Shares offered pursuant to this prospectus were issued by us in the Private Common Stock Offering (as defined in this prospectus), the Formation Transactions and pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan, and are being registered for resale pursuant to the Common Stock Registration Rights Agreement (as defined in this prospectus). See “Selling Stockholders” and “Securities Eligible for Future Sale.”

Common Stock to be Outstanding after this Offering

25,308,984 shares, (or 26,440,984 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock).

Use of Proceeds

Our net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $92.5 million (or approximately $108.0 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock), based on an offering price of $14.50 per share (the mid-point range of the estimated initial public offering price range), after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering costs of approximately $1.5 million.

We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to pay down a portion of our existing indebtedness outstanding under the Credit Agreement, to make investments in accordance with our investment objective, and for general corporate purposes.

We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the Secondary Shares.

Pursuant to the Common Stock Registration Rights Agreement, we will pay the fees and expenses incurred in offering and disposing of the Secondary Shares, including all registration and filing fees, any other regulatory fees, printing and delivery expenses, listing fees and expenses, fees and expenses of counsel, independent certified public accountants, and any special experts retained by us, and reasonable and documented fees and expenses of counsel to the Selling Stockholders in an amount not to exceed $75,000. The Selling Stockholders will be responsible for (i) all brokers’ and underwriters’ discounts and commissions, transfer taxes, and transfer fees relating to the sale or disposition of the Secondary Shares, and (ii) the fees and expenses of any counsel to the Selling Stockholders exceeding $75,000. See “Use of Proceeds.”

Proposed Symbol on the Nasdaq Global Select Market

We have applied to have our common stock listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “TRIN”.

Distributions

We generally intend to make quarterly distributions and to distribute, out of assets legally available for distribution, substantially all of our available earnings, as determined by

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our board of directors (the Board”) in its sole discretion and in accordance with RIC requirements. The distributions that we pay may represent a return of capital. A return of capital will (i) lower a stockholder’s tax basis in our shares and thereby increase the amount of capital gain (or decrease the amount of capital loss) realized upon a subsequent sale or redemption of such shares, and (ii) reduce the amount of funds we have for investment in portfolio companies. A distribution or return of capital does not necessarily reflect our investment performance, and should not be confused with yield or income. See “Distributions” and “Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

On November 9, 2020, the Board declared a quarterly distribution of $0.27 per share, which was paid on December 4, 2020 to stockholders of record as of November 20, 2020. On December 22, 2020, the Board declared a dividend of $0.27 per share, which was paid on January 15, 2021 to stockholders of record as of December 30, 2020. See “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Recent Developments.”

We can offer no assurance that we will achieve investment returns that will permit us to make distributions or that the Board will declare any distributions in the future.

To maintain our tax treatment as a RIC, we must make certain distributions. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company.”

Taxation

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

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

•

maintain our election under the 1940 Act to be treated as a BDC;

•

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

•

maintain diversified holdings.

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

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

Leverage

As a BDC, we are permitted under the 1940 Act to borrow funds or issue “senior securities” to finance a portion of our investments. As a result, we are exposed to the risks of leverage, which may be considered a speculative investment technique.

Leverage increases the potential for gain and loss on amounts invested and, as a result, increases the risks associated with investing in our securities. With certain limited exceptions, we may issue “senior securities,” including borrowing money from banks or other financial institutions only in amounts such that the ratio of our total assets (less total liabilities other than indebtedness represented by senior securities) to our total indebtedness represented by senior securities plus preferred stock, if any, is at least 150% after such incurrence or issuance. This means that generally, we can borrow up to $2 for every $1 of investor equity. The costs associated with our borrowings are borne by our stockholders. In connection with our organization, the Board and our initial sole stockholder authorized us to adopt the 150% asset coverage ratio. See “Regulation.” As of September 30, 2020, our asset coverage ratio was approximately 198.6%. We target a leverage range of between 1.15x to 1.35x.

As of January 20, 2021, approximately $135 million was outstanding under the Credit Agreement. We have the ability to borrow up to $300 million under the Credit Agreement and borrowings thereunder generally bear interest at a rate of the three-month LIBOR plus 3.25%.

As of January 20, 2021, $125 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes was outstanding. The 2025 Notes bear interest at a rate of 7.00% per year payable quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing on March 15, 2020.

As of January 20, 2021, $50 million in aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes was outstanding. The Convertible Notes bear interest at a rate of 6.00% per year, subject to additional interest of 0.75% per annum if we do not maintain an investment grade rating with respect to the Convertible Notes, payable semiannually on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing on May 1, 2021.

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Distribution Reinvestment Plan

We have adopted an “opt out” distribution reinvestment plan for our stockholders. As a result, if we declare a cash dividend or other distribution, each stockholder that has not “opted out” of our distribution reinvestment plan will have their dividends or distributions automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock rather than receiving cash distributions. There are no brokerage charges or other charges to stockholders who participate in the distribution reinvestment plan.

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

Trading at a Discount

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value. We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below our net asset value per share unless we have stockholder approval. The risk that our shares may trade at a discount to our net asset value is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. We cannot predict whether our shares will trade above, at or below net asset value. See “Risk Factors.”

Custodian, Transfer and Dividend Paying Agent and Registrar

Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, serves as our custodian. American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC serves as our transfer agent, plan administrator, dividend paying agent and registrar. See “Custodian, Transfer and Dividend Paying Agent and Registrar.”

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Ernst & Young LLP acts as our independent registered public accounting firm.

Available Information

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form N-2, of which this prospectus is a part, under the Securities Act. This registration statement contains additional information about us and the shares of our common stock being offered by this prospectus. We are also required to file periodic reports, current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. This information is available on the SEC’s website at http:// www.sec.gov.

We maintain a website at www.trincapinvestment.com and make all of our periodic and current reports, proxy statements and other information available, free of charge, on or through our website. Information on our website is not incorporated into or part of this prospectus. You may also obtain such information free of charge by contacting us in writing at 3075 West Ray Road, Suite 525, Chandler, Arizona 85226, Attention: Investor Relations, or through the “Contact” section of our website at https://trincapinvestment.com/contact/.

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FEES AND EXPENSES

The following table is intended to assist you in understanding the costs and expenses that you will bear directly or indirectly. We caution you that some of the percentages indicated in the table below are estimates and may vary. The expenses shown in the table under “Annual expenses” are based on estimated amounts for our current fiscal year and assume that we issue 6,900,000 shares of common stock in the offering, based on an offering price of $14.50 per share (the mid-point range of the estimated initial public offering price range). The following table should not be considered a representation of our future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than shown. Except where the context suggests otherwise, whenever this prospectus contains a reference to fees or expenses paid by “us” or “the Company” or that “we” will pay fees or expenses, you will indirectly bear these fees or expenses as an investor in the Company.

Stockholder transaction expenses:
Sales load (as a percentage of offering price)		6.00%(1)
Offering expenses (as a percentage of offering price)		1.50%(2)
Distribution reinvestment plan expenses	$	15.00(3)
Total stockholder transaction expenses (as a percentage of offering price)		7.50%
Annual expenses (as a percentage of net assets attributable to common stock):
Operating expenses		4.59%(4)
Interest payments on borrowed funds		5.28%(5)
Total annual expenses		9.87%(6)

(1)

The sales load (underwriting discount and commission) with respect to the shares of our common stock sold in this offering, including by us and the Selling Stockholders, which is a one-time fee paid to the underwriters, is the only sales load paid in connection with this offering.

(2)

Amount reflects estimated offering expenses of approximately $1.5 million for the offer and sale of shares by us and the Selling Stockholders. We will pay the fees and expenses incident to the offer and sale of the Secondary Shares by the Selling Stockholders (excluding underwriting discounts and commissions). See “Use of Proceeds.”

(3)

The expenses of our distribution reinvestment plan are included in “Operating expenses.” The plan administrator’s fees will be paid by us. There will be no brokerage charges or other charges to stockholders who participate in our distribution reinvestment plan except that, if a participant elects by written notice to the plan administrator prior to termination of the participant’s account to have the plan administrator sell part or all of the shares held by the plan administrator in the participant’s account and remit the proceeds to the participant, the plan administrator is authorized to deduct a $15.00 transaction fee plus a $0.12 per share brokerage commission from the proceeds. For additional information, see “Distribution Reinvestment Plan.”

(4)

Operating expenses represent the estimated annual operating expenses of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries based on annualized operating expenses estimated for the current fiscal year, which considers the actual expenses for the first nine months ended September 30, 2020, annualized, and adjusted for any additional and non-recurring expenses in the quarter ended December 31, 2020. We do not have an investment adviser and are internally managed by our executive officers under the supervision of the Board. As a result, we do not pay investment advisory fees, but instead we pay the operating costs associated with employing investment management professionals including, without limitation, compensation expenses related to salaries, discretionary bonuses and grants of options and restricted stock, if any.

Operating expenses include the fees and expenses incident to the offer and sale of (i) any other shares of our common stock registered for resale pursuant to the Common Stock Registration Rights Agreement, (ii) the 2025 Notes registered for resale pursuant to the 2025 Notes Registration Rights Agreement (as defined in this prospectus), and (iii) any Convertible Notes and/or shares of our common stock issued upon conversion of such notes registered for resale pursuant to the Convertible Notes

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Registration Rights Agreement (as defined in this prospectus). For such offerings, we estimate that we will incur an aggregate of approximately $450,000 of such fees and expenses.

(5)

Interest payments on borrowed funds represents an estimate of our annualized interest expense based on borrowings under the Credit Agreement with Credit Suisse, the 2025 Notes and the Convertible Notes. The assumed weighted average interest rate on our total debt outstanding was 7.11%. Assumes we had $70 million outstanding under the Credit Agreement, $125 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes outstanding and $50 million in aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes outstanding. We may borrow additional funds from time to time to make investments to the extent we determine that the economic situation is conducive to doing so. We may also issue additional debt securities or preferred stock, subject to our compliance with applicable requirements under the 1940 Act.

(6)

The holders of shares of our common stock indirectly bear the cost associated with our annual expenses.

Example

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

			1 year						3 years						5 years						10 years
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5% annual return from realized capital gains				$	164					$	329					$	479					$	794

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

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

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SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA AND PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The following tables set forth our selected historical financial information and other data at and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, including on a pro forma basis for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. On January 16, 2020, through the Formation Transactions, we acquired the Legacy Funds and all of their respective assets (the “Legacy Assets”), including the Legacy Portfolio, pursuant to which the Legacy Funds were merged with and into the Company.

Our selected historical financial information and other data at and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 has been derived from our unaudited financial statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, and the selected historical financial information and other data for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 has been derived from the audited financial statements of the Legacy Funds for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus and our SEC filings. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring accruals, considered necessary for the fair presentation of the financial statements for our interim period, have been included. Our results for the interim period may not be indicative of our results for any future interim period or the full fiscal year.

The selected historical financial information and other data presented below should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” which are included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Actual and Pro Forma As Adjusted Balance Sheet

The following unaudited actual and pro forma as adjusted balance sheet is based on our balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 and the historical audited balance sheet of the Legacy Funds as of December 31, 2019 included with this prospectus, and pro forma as adjusted to give effect to the borrowings under the Credit Agreement with Credit Suisse and repayment of the SBA guarantee debentures and the Loan and Security Agreement with MUFG, the completion of the Private Common Stock Offering and the 144A Note Offering, and completion of the Formation Transactions discussed in this prospectus.

	Legacy Funds									Trinity Capital Inc.
	Historical Combined Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2019			Credit Suisse Transaction(1)			Pro Forma Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2019			Private Offerings(2)			Formation Transactions(3)			Pro Forma As Adjusted(3) as of December 31, 2019			Actual as of September 30, 2020
	(dollars in millions, except share and per share data)																		(unaudited)
Assets:
Investments, at fair value		$	419.3		$	—		$	419.3		$	—		$	—		$	419.3		$	425.5
Cash and cash equivalents			52.9			(39.1)			13.8			235.3			(173.3)(4)			75.8			36.3
Restricted cash(6)			—			—			—			—			—			—			16.3
Interest receivable			3.3			—			3.3			—			—			3.3			3.2
Other assets			0.7			—			0.7			—			0.2			0.9			1.1
Total Assets		$	476.2		$	(39.1)		$	437.1		$	235.3		$	(173.1)		$	499.3		$	482.4
Liabilities and Members’ Equity and Partnerships’ Capital:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		$	3.1		$	(1.9)		$	1.2		$	—		$	1.6		$	2.8		$	5.0
SBA debentures, net			209.1			(209.1)			—			—			—			—			—
Promissory Notes payable, net			21.8			—			21.8			—			(21.8)			—			—
2025 Notes, net			—			—			—			119.5			—			119.5			120.2
Credit facilities, net			8.2			178.1			186.3			—			(60.0)			126.3			112.4
Other liabilities			4.2			—			4.2			—			—			4.2			7.5
Total Liabilities			246.4			(32.9)			213.5			119.5			(80.2)			252.8			245.1
Members’ equity and partners’ capital contributions			229.8			(6.2)			223.6			—			(224.6)			(1.0)			—

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	Legacy Funds									Trinity Capital Inc.
	Historical Combined Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2019			Credit Suisse Transaction(1)			Pro Forma Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2019			Private Offerings(2)			Formation Transactions(3)			Pro Forma As Adjusted(3) as of December 31, 2019			Actual as of September 30, 2020
	(dollars in millions, except share and per share data)																		(unaudited)
Assets:
Common stock, par value $0.001 per share; 200,000,000 shares authorized; 18,049,860(5) shares outstanding, pro forma, as adjusted; 18,236,043 shares outstanding, actual			—			—			—			—			—			—			0
Additional paid-in capital/undistributed earnings			—			—			—			125.0			132.2			257.2			273.0
Private Offerings costs and expenses			—			—			—			(9.2)			—			(9.2)			(10.5)
Retained earnings			—			—			—			—			(0.5)			(0.5)			(25.2)
Total members’ equity and partners’ capital/stockholders’ equity			229.8			(6.2)			223.6			115.8			(92.9)			246.5			237.3
Total liabilities and members’ equity and partners’ capital/stockholders’ equity		$	476.2		$	(39.1)		$	437.1		$	235.3		$	(173.1)		$	499.3		$	482.4
Shares outstanding												8,333,333			9,716,527(5)			18,049,860(5)			18,236,043
Net asset value per share																	$	13.66		$	13.01

(1)

The Credit Suisse Transaction consists of (i) borrowings under the Credit Agreement of approximately $190.0 million, net of $3.7 million of deferred costs, (ii) the repayment of the SBA guaranteed debentures of approximately $214.2 million as well as the write off of the related deferred financing costs of $5.1 million, (iii) the recording of $1.1 million of interest expense related to the SBA guaranteed debentures for the period of January 1, 2020 through the next payment date of March 1, 2020, and the related payment of such total accrued SBA guaranteed debenture interest of approximately $3.2 million, and (iv) the repayment of the amounts outstanding under a Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of March 29, 2019 and as amended on June 3, 2019, September 5, 2019 and January 2, 2020 (the “Loan and Security Agreement”), by and between Fund IV and MUFG Union Bank, N.A. (“MUFG”), of approximately $8.2 million.

(2)

The “Private Offerings Adjustments” consists of (i) the sale of 8.3 million shares of common stock, representing approximately $125.0 million in total value at an offering price of $15.00 per share in the Private Common Stock Offering, net of approximately $9.2 million of initial purchaser discounts and placement fees, and Private Common Stock Offering expenses, and (ii) the sale of $125.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes, net of approximately $5.5 million of initial purchaser discounts and 144A Note Offering expenses.

(3)

In connection with the Formation Transactions, the Legacy Investors and the members of Trinity Capital Holdings were given the option to receive shares of common stock and/or cash in exchange for their interests. The deadline for the Legacy Investors to make their respective elections to receive shares of common stock and/or cash expired on November 15, 2019. Based on the results of such elections and the valuation of each Legacy Fund as of January 16, 2020 and for purposes of the Formation Transactions Adjustments, the Company issued 9,183,185 shares of common stock, representing approximately $137.7 million in total value based on a per share price of $15.00, and paid approximately $108.7 million in cash to the Legacy Investors in connection with the Formation Transactions. The merger consideration of the Formation Transactions was based on valuations as of September 30, 2019, as adjusted for assets that were disposed of by the Legacy Funds, as well as earnings, capital contributions and distributions paid to the Legacy Investors and material events affecting the

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portfolio companies of the Legacy Funds subsequent to September 30, 2019 and through January 16, 2020, the closing date of the Formation Transactions. As a result of these adjustments and changes in balances subsequent to September 30, 2019, members’ equity and partners’ capital contributions do not net to zero on a pro forma as adjusted basis. In addition, 533,332 shares of common stock, representing approximately $8.0 million in total value based on a per share price of $15.00, were issued to, and approximately $2.0 million in cash was paid to, the members of Trinity Capital Holdings for their equity interests in Trinity Capital Holdings in connection with the Formation Transactions.

(4)

Cash used in the Formation Transactions totals approximately $173.3 million, which was funded from $115.8 million in net proceeds from the Private Common Stock Offering and $119.5 million in net proceeds from the 144A Note Offering, resulting in an approximately $62 million increase of cash on hand. The cash used in the Formation Transactions was used in the following manner: approximately $108.7 million was paid to Legacy Investors, $60.0 million was used to partially repay amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement, approximately $2.0 million was paid to the members of Trinity Capital Holdings as partial consideration for their equity interests, and a scheduled payment of $2.1 million to a former member related to a severance agreement, which was an obligation of, and was paid by, Trinity Capital Holdings as a subsidiary of the Company.

(5)

Amount includes 10 shares of common stock issued in connection with the formation of the Company.

(6)

Restricted cash at September 30, 2020 consisted of approximately $15.6 million related to the Credit Facility covenants, and approximately $0.7 million held in escrow related to the payout of a severance related liability assumed as part of the Formation Transactions with respect to a former member of certain general partners of certain Legacy Funds.

Actual and Pro Forma As Adjusted Income Statement

The following unaudited actual and pro forma as adjusted income statement is based on our income statement for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and the historical audited income statement of the Legacy Funds as of December 31, 2019 included with this prospectus, and pro forma adjusted to give effect to the completion of the Formation Transactions, the Private Common Stock Offering and the 144A Note Offering discussed in this prospectus.

	For the Year Ended December 31, 2019									For the Year Ended December 31, 2018									For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020
	(dollars in millions)																		(unaudited)
	Historical Statement of Operations			Adjustments for Trinity Capital Inc.(2)			Pro Forma Statement of Operations			Historical Statement of Operations			Adjustments for Trinity Capital Inc.(2)			Pro Forma Statement of Operations			Actual
Investment Income:
Interest Income		$	55.7		$	—		$	55.7		$	47.1		$	—		$	47.1		$	36.8
One-time fee Income			—			—			—			—			—			—			2.8
Total investment income			55.7			—			55.7			47.1			—			47.1			39.6
Expenses:
Interest expense and other debt financing costs(1)			11.7			9.9			21.6			10.1			8.3			18.4			12.5
General and administrative(3)			1.1			8.2			9.3			—			7.8			7.8			5.8
Management fees to affiliate			8.2			(8.2)			—			7.8			(7.8)			—			—
Legal, accounting and other			—			1.1			1.1			0.2			1.2			1.4			3.3
Total expenses			21.0			11.0			32.0			18.1			9.5			27.6			21.6
Net Investment Income			34.7			(11.0)			23.7			29.0			(9.5)			19.5			18.0
Net realized gain/(loss) from investments			5.8			—			5.8			2.8			—			2.8			(4.4)

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	For the Year Ended December 31, 2019									For the Year Ended December 31, 2018									For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020
	(dollars in millions)																		(unaudited)
	Historical Statement of Operations			Adjustments for Trinity Capital Inc.(2)			Pro Forma Statement of Operations			Historical Statement of Operations			Adjustments for Trinity Capital Inc.(2)			Pro Forma Statement of Operations			Actual
Net unrealized gain/(loss) from investments			(1.7)			—			(1.7)			(8.6)			—			(8.6)		(13.8)
Costs related to the acquisition of Trinity Capital Holdings and Legacy Funds			—			—			—			—			—			—		(15.6)
Net Income		$	38.8		$	(11.0)		$	27.8		$	23.2		$	(9.5)		$	13.7		(15.8)
Return on Equity(4)

(1)

Interest expense for the periods ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 represents (i) SBA interest expense totaling approximately $8.8 million and $7.3 million for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, for Fund II and Fund III borrowings, with annual interest rates ranging from 3.6% to 4.4%, (ii) interest expense totaling approximately $2.5 million and 2.7 million for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, on the TCI promissory notes whose annual interest rates range from 8.5% – 10%, and (iii) interest expense totaling approximately $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 for Fund IV under the Loan and Security Agreement. On a pro forma basis, (i) the amount borrowed and the effective annual interest rate on borrowings under the Credit Agreement could differ from historical borrowings, and the interest rate generally reflects the three-month LIBOR, plus 3.25%; and (ii) reflects the sale of $125.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes, including the amortization of the financing fees.

(2)

Adjustments reflect additional audit, legal, and other general and administrative expenses that are expected to be incurred on a pro forma basis.

(3)

General and administrative expenses include compensation and benefits for our full-time associates that provide deal origination, accounting, portfolio management, and other services, as well as other operating expenses such as lease, legal, marketing, and systems expenses.

(4)

For the year ended December 31, 2018, the pro forma return on equity is approximately 5.3%, and was calculated based on the average of the pro forma adjusted ending net assets at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the pro forma return on equity is approximately 14.7%, and was calculated based on the annualized pro forma adjusted net income for the period and average of the pro forma adjusted ending net assets at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019.

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RISK FACTORS

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

Risks Related to Our Business and Structure

We have limited operating history as a BDC.

We were formed on August 12, 2019 to acquire the assets of the Legacy Funds and have limited operating history as a combined entity or as a BDC. As a result, we are subject to the business risks and uncertainties associated with recently formed businesses, including the risk that we will not achieve our investment objective and the value of a stockholder’s investment could decline substantially or become worthless. In addition, we may be unable to generate sufficient revenue from our operations to make or sustain distributions to our stockholders.

The 1940 Act and the Code impose numerous constraints on the operations of BDCs and RICs that do not apply to the other types of investment vehicles and did not apply to the Legacy Funds. For example, under the 1940 Act, BDCs are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of qualifying U.S. private or thinly traded companies. Moreover, qualification for RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code requires, among other things, satisfaction of source-of-income, diversification and other requirements. The failure to comply with these provisions in a timely manner could prevent us from qualifying as a BDC or RIC or could force us to pay unexpected taxes and penalties, which could be material. Our management team’s lack of experience in managing a portfolio of assets under such constraints may hinder our ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and, as a result, achieve our investment objective.

We depend upon our senior management team and investment professionals, including the members of the Investment Committee, for our success.

Our ability to achieve our investment objective and to make distributions to our stockholders depends upon the performance of our senior management. We depend on the investment expertise, skill and network of business contacts of our senior management team and investment professionals, including the members of the Investment Committee, who evaluate, negotiate, structure, execute, monitor and service our investments. Our success depends to a significant extent on the continued service and coordination of these individuals. The departure of any of these individuals or competing demands on their time in the future could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective. Further, if these individuals do not maintain their existing relationships with financial institutions, sponsors and investment professionals and do not develop new relationships with other sources of investment opportunities, we may not be able to grow our investment portfolio or achieve our investment objective. This could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our business model depends to a significant extent upon strong referral relationships with venture capital sponsors, and our inability to develop or maintain these relationships, or the failure of these relationships to generate investment opportunities, could adversely affect our business.

We expect that members of our management team will maintain their relationships with venture capital sponsors, and we will rely to a significant extent upon these relationships to provide us with our deal flow. If we fail to maintain our existing relationships, our relationships become strained as a result of enforcing our rights with respect to non-performing investments in protecting our investments or we fail to develop new relationships with other firms or sources of investment opportunities, then we will not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, persons with whom members of our management team have

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relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities and, therefore, there is no assurance that such relationships will lead to the origination of debt or other investments.

Our financial condition and results of operations depend on our ability to manage our business effectively.

Our ability to achieve our investment objective and grow depends on our ability to manage our business. This depends, in turn, on our ability to identify, invest in and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria. The achievement of our investment objective depends upon the execution of our investment process and our access to financing on acceptable terms. Our senior origination professionals and other investment personnel may be called upon to provide managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. These activities may distract them or slow our rate of investment. Any failure to manage our business and our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Our results of operations depend on many factors, including the availability of opportunities for investment, readily accessible short and long-term funding alternatives in the financial markets and economic conditions. Furthermore, if we cannot successfully operate our business or implement our investment policies and strategies, it could negatively impact our ability to pay distributions or other distributions and you may lose all or part of your investment.

We are subject to certain regulatory restrictions that may adversely affect our business.

As an internally managed BDC, the size and categories of our assets under management are limited, and we will be unable to offer as wide a variety of financial products to prospective portfolio companies and sponsors (potentially limiting the size and diversification of our asset base). We therefore may not achieve efficiencies of scale and greater management resources available to externally managed BDCs.

Additionally, as an internally managed BDC, our ability to offer more competitive and flexible compensation structures, such as offering both a profit-sharing plan and a long-term incentive plan, is subject to the limitations imposed by the 1940 Act, which may limit our ability to attract and retain talented investment management professionals. As such, these limitations could inhibit our ability to grow, pursue our business plan and attract and retain professional talent, any or all of which may have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

You will not have the opportunity to evaluate the economic merits, transaction terms or other financial or operational data concerning our investments prior to purchasing shares of our common stock.

You will not have the opportunity to evaluate the economic merits, transaction terms or other financial or operational data concerning our investments prior to purchasing shares of our common stock. You must rely on our investment professionals and the Board to implement our investment policies, to evaluate our investment opportunities and to structure the terms of our investments. Because investors are not able to evaluate our investments in advance of purchasing shares of our common stock, an investment in shares of our common stock may entail more risk than other types of offerings. This additional risk may hinder your ability to achieve your own personal investment objective related to portfolio diversification, risk-adjusted investment returns and other objectives.

Our management team and/or members of the Investment Committee may, from time to time, possess material nonpublic information, limiting our investment discretion.

Our management team and/or the members of the Investment Committee may serve as directors of, or in a similar capacity with, companies in which we invest, the securities of which are purchased or sold on our behalf. In the event that material nonpublic information is obtained with respect to such companies, or we become subject to trading restrictions under the internal trading policies of those companies or as a result of applicable law or regulations, we could be prohibited for a period of time from purchasing or selling the securities of such companies, and this prohibition may have a material adverse effect on us.

We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities, which could reduce returns and result in losses.

Our competitors include both existing and newly formed equity and debt focused public and private funds, other BDCs, investment banks, venture-oriented commercial banks, commercial financing companies

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and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity and hedge funds. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than us. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources (including deposits) that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments than we have. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC or to the distribution and other requirements we must satisfy to maintain our ability to be subject to tax as a RIC. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than we are able to offer.

The competitive pressures we face may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We believe that some competitors may make loans with rates that are comparable or lower than our rates. We may lose some investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. However, if we match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we may experience decreased net interest income, lower yields and increased risk of credit loss. As a result of this competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, and we may not be able to identify and make investments that are consistent with our investment objective.

In addition, we believe a significant part of our competitive advantage stems from the fact that the market for investments in small, fast-growing, private companies is underserved by traditional commercial banks and other financing sources. A significant increase in the number and/or the size of our competitors in this target market could force us to accept less attractive investment terms.

The capital markets are currently in a period of disruption and economic uncertainty. Such market conditions have materially and adversely affected debt and equity capital markets, which have had, and may continue to have, a negative impact on our business and operations.

The U.S. capital markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruption following the global outbreak of COVID-19 that began in December 2019, as evidenced by the volatility in global stock markets as a result of, among other things, uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the fluctuating price of commodities such as oil. Despite actions of the U.S. federal government and foreign governments, these events have contributed to worsening general economic conditions that are materially and adversely impacting the broader financial and credit markets and reducing the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole. These conditions could continue for a prolonged period of time or worsen in the future.

Given the ongoing and dynamic nature of the circumstances, it is difficult to predict the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business. The extent of such impact will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain, including when the COVID-19 pandemic can be controlled and abated and when and how the economy may be reopened. As the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related adverse local and national economic consequences, we could be subject to any of the following risks, any of which could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations:

•

Current market conditions may make it difficult to raise equity capital because, subject to some limited exceptions, as a BDC, we are generally not able to issue additional shares of our common stock at a price less than the NAV per share without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. In addition, these market conditions may make it difficult to access or obtain new indebtedness with similar terms to our existing indebtedness.

•

Significant changes or volatility in the capital markets may also have a negative effect on the valuations of our investments. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity).

•

Significant changes in the capital markets, such as the recent disruption in economic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, the pace of

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our investment activity and economic activity generally. Additionally, the recent disruption in economic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, a negative effect on the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments to access capital if required, and as a result, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments if we were required to sell them for liquidity purposes. An inability to raise or access capital, and any required sale of all or a portion of our investments as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The current period of capital markets disruption and economic uncertainty may make it difficult to extend the maturity of, or refinance, our existing indebtedness or obtain new indebtedness and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Current market conditions may make it difficult to extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness or obtain new indebtedness with similar terms and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business. The debt capital that will be available to us in the future, if at all, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions than what we currently experience, including being at a higher cost in rising rate environments. If we are unable to raise or refinance debt, then our equity investors may not benefit from the potential for increased returns on equity resulting from leverage and we may be limited in our ability to make new commitments or to fund existing commitments to our portfolio companies. An inability to extend the maturity of, or refinance, our existing indebtedness or obtain new indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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

From time-to-time, capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability. During such periods of market disruption and instability, we and other companies in the financial services sector may have limited access, if available, to alternative markets for debt and equity capital. Equity capital may be difficult to raise because, subject to some limited exceptions which will apply to us as a BDC, we will generally not be able to issue additional shares of our common stock at a price less than net asset value without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. In addition, our ability to incur indebtedness (including by issuing preferred stock) is limited by applicable regulations such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, must equal at least 150% immediately after each time we incur indebtedness. The debt capital that will be available, if at all, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions in the future. Any inability to raise capital could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Given the extreme volatility and dislocation in the capital markets over the past several years, many BDCs have faced, and may in the future face, a challenging environment in which to raise or access capital. In addition, significant changes in the capital markets, including the extreme volatility and disruption over the past several years, has had, and may in the future have, a negative effect on the valuations of our investments and on the potential for liquidity events involving these investments. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity). As a result, volatility in the capital markets can adversely affect our investment valuations. Further, the illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if required and to value such investments. Consequently, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we carry our investments. An inability to raise capital, and any required sale of our investments for liquidity purposes, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, a prolonged period of market illiquidity may cause us to reduce the volume of loans and debt securities we originate and/or fund and adversely affect the value of our portfolio investments, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

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We may need to raise additional capital to grow because we must distribute most of our income.

We may need additional capital to fund new investments and grow our portfolio of investments through public and/or private offerings of both debt and equity. Unfavorable economic conditions could increase our funding costs or result in a decision by lenders not to amend outstanding credit facilities or extend credit to us. A reduction in the availability of new capital could limit our ability to grow. In addition, we are required to distribute each taxable year an amount at least equal to 90% of our “investment company taxable income” (i.e., our net ordinary income and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, if any) to our stockholders to continue to be taxed as a RIC. As a result, these earnings are not available to fund new investments.

We could raise capital through other channels.

The Board may determine to raise additional capital through other channels, including through private or public offerings. Capital raised through other channels could subject us to additional regulatory requirements. These additional provisions could affect our stockholders and limit our ability to take certain actions. In addition, if capital is raised through other channels, we would have to use financial and other resources to file any required registration statements and to comply with any additional regulatory requirements.

Regulations governing our operation as a BDC affect our ability to and the way in which we raise additional capital.

We issued the 2025 Notes and the Convertible Notes, and assumed the Credit Agreement through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Trinity Funding 1, LLC, and may issue other debt securities or preferred stock and/or borrow money from other banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the provisions of the 1940 Act, we are permitted as a BDC to issue senior securities in amounts such that our asset coverage ratio, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 150% (if certain requirements are met) of total assets less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities immediately after each issuance of senior securities. We have satisfied the requirements to increase our asset coverage ratio to 150%, including stockholder and Board approval. Under a 150% asset coverage ratio, we could potentially borrow $2 for investment purposes of every $1 of investor equity.

If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that happens, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature of our leverage, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous. This could have a material adverse effect on our operations and we may not be able to make distributions in an amount sufficient to be subject to taxation as a RIC, or at all. See “— Risks Related to our Business and Structure — We may borrow money, which may magnify the potential for gain or loss and may increase the risk of investing in us.” In addition, issuance of securities could dilute the percentage ownership of our current stockholders in us.

No person or entity from which we borrow money will have a veto power or a vote in approving or changing any of our fundamental policies. If we issue preferred stock, the preferred stock would rank “senior” to common stock in our capital structure, preferred stockholders would have separate voting rights on certain matters and might have other rights, preferences or privileges more favorable than those of our common stockholders, and the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for holders of our common stock or otherwise be in your best interest. Holders of our common stock will directly or indirectly bear all of the costs associated with offering and servicing any preferred stock that we issue. In addition, any interests of preferred stockholders may not necessarily align with the interests of holders of our common stock and the rights of holders of shares of preferred stock to receive distributions would be senior to those of holders of shares of our common stock.

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

As part of our business strategy, we issued the 2025 Notes and the Convertible Notes, and assumed the Credit Agreement through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Trinity Funding 1, LLC, and we may borrow from

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and issue senior debt securities to banks, insurance companies and other lenders or investors. Holders of these senior securities or other credit facilities will have claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our stockholders. Leverage magnifies the potential for loss on investments in our indebtedness and on invested equity capital. As we use leverage to partially finance our investments, you will experience increased risks of investing in our securities. If the value of our assets increases, then leveraging would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to increase more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged our business. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of interest payable on the borrowed funds would cause our net investment income to increase more than it would without the leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to pay common stock distributions, scheduled debt payments or other payments related to our securities. Our ability to service any borrowings that we incur will depend largely on our financial performance and will be subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique.

The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns on our portfolio, net of expenses. Leverage generally magnifies the return of stockholders when the portfolio return is positive and magnifies their losses when the portfolio return is negative. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical, and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing in the table below.

	Assumed Return on Our Portfolio (Net of Expenses)
	-10%		-5%		0%		5%		10%
Corresponding return to common stockholder(1)		-22.8%		-14.0%		-5.3%		3.5%		12.2%

(1)

Assumes (i) $577.0 million in total assets, (ii) $245.0 million in outstanding principal indebtedness, (iii) $329.9 million in net assets and (iv) weighted average interest rate, excluding fees (such as fees on undrawn amounts and amortization of financing costs), of 7.11%.

See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources” for more information regarding our borrowings.

There are significant financial and other resources necessary to comply with the requirements of being a public entity.

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and certain requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (as defined in this prospectus). These requirements may place a strain on our systems and resources. The Exchange Act requires that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, which are discussed below. In order to maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls, significant resources and management oversight will be required. We have implemented procedures, processes, policies and practices for the purpose of addressing the standards and requirements applicable to public companies. These activities may divert management’s attention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We expect to incur significant additional annual expenses related to these steps and, among other things, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees, reporting requirements of the SEC, transfer agent fees, additional administrative expenses, increased auditing and legal fees and similar expenses.

The systems and resources necessary to comply with public company reporting requirements will increase further once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As long as we remain an emerging growth company, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years following an IPO or

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until the earliest of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (ii) December 31 of the fiscal year that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act which would occur if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter and we have been publicly reporting for at least 12 months or (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the preceding three-year period.

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

We are not required to comply with certain requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including the internal control evaluation and certification requirements of Section 404 of that statute (“Section 404”), and will not be required to comply with all of those requirements until we have been subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act for a specified period of time or, in the case of the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the date we are no longer an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act. Accordingly, our internal controls over financial reporting do not currently meet all of the standards contemplated by Section 404 that we will eventually be required to meet. We are in the process of addressing our internal controls over financial reporting and are establishing formal procedures, policies, processes and practices related to financial reporting and to the identification of key financial reporting risks, assessment of their potential impact and linkage of those risks to specific areas and activities within the Company.

Additionally, we have begun the process of documenting our internal control procedures to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, which requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. Our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until the later of the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act, or the date we are no longer an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act. Because we do not currently have comprehensive documentation of our internal controls and have not yet tested our internal controls in accordance with Section 404, we cannot conclude in accordance with Section 404 that we do not have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting or a combination of significant deficiencies that could result in the conclusion that we have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. As a public entity, we will be required to complete our initial management assessment of our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner. If we are not able to implement the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, our operations, financial reporting or financial results could be adversely affected. Matters impacting our internal controls may cause us to be unable to report our financial information on a timely basis and thereby subject us to adverse regulatory consequences, including sanctions by the SEC or violations of applicable stock exchange listing rules, and result in a breach of the covenants under the agreements governing any of our financing arrangements. There could also be a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor confidence in us and the reliability of our financial statements. Confidence in the reliability of our financial statements could also suffer if we or our independent registered public accounting firm were to report a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. This could materially adversely affect us and, following an IPO, lead to a decline in the market price of our common stock.

Provisions in our credit facilities may limit our operations.

At our discretion, we may utilize the leverage available under the Credit Agreement for investment and operating purposes. Additionally, we may in the future enter into additional credit facilities. To the extent we borrow money to make investments, the applicable credit facility may be backed by all or a portion of our loans and securities on which the lender will have a security interest. We may pledge up to 100% of our assets and may grant a security interest in all of our assets under the terms of any debt instrument we enter into with a lender. We expect that any security interests we grant will be set forth in a pledge and security agreement and evidenced by the filing of financing statements by the agent for the lenders. In addition, we expect that the custodian for our securities serving as collateral for such loan would include in its electronic systems notices indicating the existence of such security interests and, following notice of occurrence of

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an event of default, if any, and during its continuance, will only accept transfer instructions with respect to any such securities from the lenders or their designee. If we were to default under the terms of any debt instrument, the agent for the applicable lenders would be able to assume control of the timing of disposition of any or all of our assets securing such debt, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In addition, any security interests and/or negative covenants required by any credit facility may limit our ability to create liens on assets to secure additional debt and may make it difficult for us to restructure or refinance indebtedness at or prior to maturity or obtain additional debt or equity financing. In addition, if our borrowing base under any credit facility were to decrease, we may be required to secure additional assets in an amount sufficient to cure any borrowing base deficiency. In the event that all of our assets are secured at the time of such a borrowing base deficiency, we could be required to repay advances under the credit facility or make deposits to a collection account, either of which could have a material adverse impact on our ability to fund future investments and to make distributions.

In addition, we may be subject to limitations as to how borrowed funds may be used, which may include restrictions on geographic and industry concentrations, loan size, payment frequency and status, average life, collateral interests and investment ratings, as well as regulatory restrictions on leverage which may affect the amount of funding that may be obtained. There may also be certain requirements relating to portfolio performance, including required minimum portfolio yield and limitations on delinquencies and charge-offs, a violation of which could limit further advances and, in some cases, result in an event of default. An event of default under a credit facility could result in an accelerated maturity date for all amounts outstanding thereunder, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. This could reduce our liquidity and cash flow and impair our ability to grow our business.

Any defaults under a credit facility could adversely affect our business.

In the event we default under any credit facility or other borrowings, our business could be adversely affected as we may be forced to sell a portion of our investments quickly and prematurely at what may be disadvantageous prices to us in order to meet our outstanding payment obligations and/or support working capital requirements under the credit facility, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, following any such default, the agent for the lenders under such credit facility could assume control of the disposition of any or all of our assets, including the selection of such assets to be disposed and the timing of such disposition, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates.

Because we may borrow money to make investments, our net investment income will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we invest those funds. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. A reduction in the interest rates on new investments relative to interest rates on current investments could have an adverse impact on our net investment income. However, an increase in interest rates could decrease the value of any investments we hold which earn fixed interest rates and also could increase our interest expense, thereby decreasing our net income. Also, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make an investment in our common stock less attractive if we are not able to increase our distribution rate, which could reduce the value of our common stock. Further, rising interest rates could also adversely affect our performance if such increases cause our borrowing costs to rise at a rate in excess of the rate that our investments yield.

In periods of rising interest rates, to the extent we borrow money subject to a floating interest rate, our cost of funds would increase, which could reduce our net investment income. Further, rising interest rates could also adversely affect our performance if we hold investments with floating interest rates, subject to specified minimum interest rates (such as a LIBOR floor), while at the same time engaging in borrowings subject to floating interest rates not subject to such minimums. In such a scenario, rising interest rates may increase our interest expense, even though our interest income from investments is not increasing in a corresponding manner as a result of such minimum interest rates.

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If general interest rates rise, there is a risk that the portfolio companies in which we hold floating rate securities will be unable to pay escalating interest amounts, which could result in a default under their loan documents with us. Rising interest rates could also cause portfolio companies to shift cash from other productive uses to the payment of interest, which may have a material adverse effect on their business and operations and could, over time, lead to increased defaults. In addition, rising interest rates may increase pressure on us to provide fixed rate loans to our portfolio companies, which could adversely affect our net investment income, as increases in our cost of borrowed funds would not be accompanied by increased interest income from such fixed-rate investments.

On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to phase out LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is unclear if at that time whether LIBOR will cease to exist or if new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after 2021. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, is considering replacing U.S. dollar LIBOR with a new index calculated by short term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities called the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). The first publication of SOFR was released in April 2018. Whether or not SOFR attains market traction as a LIBOR replacement remains a question and the future of LIBOR at this time is uncertain. In addition, on March 25, 2020, the FCA stated that although the central assumption that firms cannot rely on LIBOR being published after the end of 2021 has not changed, the outbreak of COVID-19 has delayed the timing of many firms’ transition planning, and the FCA will continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on transition timelines and update the marketplace as soon as possible. Furthermore, on November 30, 2020, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (“ICE”) announced that the ICE Benchmark Administration Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICE and the administrator of LIBOR, will consult in early December 2020 to consider extending the LIBOR transition deadline to the end of June 2023. The consultation was published on December 4, 2020, and is open for feedback until late January 2021. Despite this potential extension of the US LIBOR transition deadline, US regulators continue to urge financial institutions to stop entering into new LIBOR transactions by the end of 2021. Although SOFR appears to be the preferred replacement rate for U.S. dollar LIBOR, at this time, it is not possible to predict the effect of any such changes, any establishment of alternative reference rates or any other reforms to LIBOR that may be enacted. The elimination of LIBOR or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of LIBOR could have an adverse impact on the market for or value of any LIBOR-linked securities, loans, and other financial obligations or extensions of credit held by or due to us or on our overall financial condition or results of operations. In addition, if LIBOR ceases to exist, we may need to renegotiate credit agreements extending beyond 2021 with our portfolio companies that utilize LIBOR as a factor in determining the interest rate, in order to replace LIBOR with the new standard that is established, which may have an adverse effect on our overall financial condition or results of operations. Following the replacement of LIBOR, some or all of these credit agreements may bear interest a lower interest rate, which could have an adverse impact on our results of operations. Furthermore, under the Credit Agreement with Credit Suisse, borrowings generally will bear interest at a rate of the three-month LIBOR plus 3.25%. If LIBOR ceases to exist, we would need to renegotiate certain terms of the Credit Agreement. If we are unable to do so, amounts drawn under the Credit Agreement may bear interest at a higher rate, which would increase the cost of our borrowings and, in turn, affect our results of operations.

Falling interest rates may negatively impact our investment income.

As a result of the decision by the Federal Reserve Board to decrease the target range for the federal funds rate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, interest rates have decreased. Some of our credit agreements with our portfolio companies utilize the prime rate as a factor in determining interest rate. However, under the Credit Agreement with Credit Suisse, borrowing generally will bear interest at a rate of the three-month LIBOR plus 3.25%. Accordingly, a reduction in interest rates will result in a decrease in our total investment income unless limited by interest rate floors. Further, our net investment income could decrease if there is not a corresponding decrease in the interest that we pay on our borrowings.

If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could fail to qualify as a BDC, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As a BDC, we may not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets. We believe that most

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of the investments that we may acquire in the future will constitute qualifying assets. However, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if such investments are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 1940 Act. If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could violate the 1940 Act provisions applicable to BDCs. As a result of such violation, specific rules under the 1940 Act could prevent us, for example, from making follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies which could result in the dilution of our position or could require us to dispose of investments at inappropriate times in order to come into compliance with the 1940 Act. If we need to dispose of investments quickly, it could be difficult to dispose of such investments on favorable terms. We may not be able to find a buyer for such investments and, even if we do find a buyer, we may have to sell the investments at a substantial loss. Any such outcomes would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Most or a substantial portion of our portfolio investments will be recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board and, as a result, there may be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or if there is no readily available market value, at fair value as determined by the Board. Most or a substantial portion of our portfolio investments may take the form of securities that are not publicly traded. The fair value of securities and other investments that are not publicly traded may not be readily determinable, and we value these securities at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board, including to reflect significant events affecting the value of our securities. As part of the valuation process, we may take into account the following types of factors, if relevant, in determining the fair value of our investments:

•

a comparison of the portfolio company’s securities to publicly traded securities;

•

the enterprise value of a portfolio company;

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the nature and realizable value of any collateral;

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the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flow;

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the markets in which the portfolio company does business; and

•

changes in the interest rate environment and the credit markets generally that may affect the price at which similar investments may be made in the future and other relevant factors.

We expect that most of our investments (other than cash and cash equivalents) will be classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy and require disclosures about the level of disaggregation along with the inputs and valuation techniques we use to measure fair value. This means that our portfolio valuations are based on unobservable inputs and our own assumptions about how market participants would price the asset or liability in question. Inputs into the determination of fair value of our portfolio investments require significant management judgment or estimation. Even if observable market data is available, such information may be the result of consensus pricing information or broker quotes, which include a disclaimer that the broker would not be held to such a price in an actual transaction. The non-binding nature of consensus pricing and/or quotes accompanied by disclaimers materially reduces the reliability of such information. We employ the services of one or more independent service providers to review the valuation of these securities. The types of factors that the Board may take into account in determining the fair value of our investments generally include, as appropriate, comparison to publicly traded securities including such factors as yield, maturity and measures of credit quality, the enterprise value of a portfolio company, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flow, the markets in which the portfolio company does business and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these securities existed. Due to this uncertainty in the value of our portfolio investments, a fair value determination may cause net asset value on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that we may ultimately realize upon one or more of our investments. As a result, investors purchasing shares of our common stock based on an overstated net asset value would pay a higher price than the value of the investments might warrant. Conversely, investors selling shares during a period in which the net asset value understates the value of investments will receive a lower price for their shares than the value the investment portfolio might warrant.

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We will adjust quarterly the valuation of our portfolio to reflect the determination of the Board of the fair value of each investment in our portfolio. Any changes in fair value are recorded in our statements of operations as net change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments.

We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results.

We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including our ability or inability to make investments in companies that meet our investment criteria, the interest rate payable on the debt securities we acquire, the default rate on such securities, the level of our expenses, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

Changes in laws or regulations governing our operations may adversely affect our business or cause us to alter our business strategy.

We and our portfolio companies are subject to regulation at the local, state and federal level. These laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation, may change from time to time, including as the result of interpretive guidance or other directives from the U.S. President and others in the executive branch, and new laws, regulations and interpretations may also come into effect, including those governing the types of investments we or our portfolio companies are permitted to make, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. In particular, on July 21, 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, became law. The Dodd-Frank Act impacts many aspects of the financial services industry. Many of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act have been implemented, while others will still require final rulemaking by regulatory authorities. President Trump and certain members of Congress have indicated that they will seek to amend or repeal portions of the Dodd-Frank Act, among other federal laws, and drastically reduce the role of regulatory agencies, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which may create regulatory uncertainty in the near term. While the impact of the Dodd-Frank Act, and U.S. federal tax reform legislation enacted in December 2017, on us and our portfolio companies may not be known for an extended period of time, the Dodd-Frank Act and U.S. federal tax reform, including future rules implementing its provisions and the interpretation of those rules, along with other legislative and regulatory proposals directed at the financial services industry or affecting taxation that are proposed or pending in the U.S. Congress, may negatively impact the operations, cash flows or financial condition of us or our portfolio companies, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies, intensify the regulatory supervision of us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies. In addition, if we do not comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could lose any licenses that we then hold for the conduct of our business and may be subject to civil fines and criminal penalties.

Additionally, changes to the laws and regulations governing our operations, including those associated with RICs, may cause us to alter our investment strategy in order to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities or result in the imposition of corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on us. Such changes could result in material differences to the strategies and plans set forth in this prospectus and may shift our investment focus from the areas of expertise of our investment professionals to other types of investments in which our investment professionals may have little or no expertise or experience. Any such changes, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

Over the last several years, there also has been an increase in regulatory attention to the extension of credit outside of the traditional banking sector, raising the possibility that some portion of the non-bank financial sector will be subject to new regulation. While it cannot be known at this time whether any regulation will be implemented or what form it will take, increased regulation of non-bank credit extension could negatively impact our operations, cash flows or financial condition, impose additional costs on us, intensify the regulatory supervision of us or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

There is uncertainty surrounding potential legal, regulatory and policy changes by new presidential administrations in the United States that may directly affect financial institutions and the global economy.

As a result of the United States presidential election, which occurred on November 3, 2020 and subsequent senate runoff elections, commencing January 2021, the Democratic Party will control the

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executive and legislative branches of government. Changes in federal policy, including tax policies, and at regulatory agencies occur over time through policy and personnel changes following elections, which lead to changes involving the level of oversight and focus on the financial services industry or the tax rates paid by corporate entities. The nature, timing and economic and political effects of potential changes to the current legal and regulatory framework affecting financial institutions remain highly uncertain. Uncertainty surrounding future changes may adversely affect our operating environment and therefore our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

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

The Board has the authority, except as otherwise prohibited by the 1940 Act, to modify or waive certain of our operating policies and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. However, absent stockholder approval, we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or withdraw our election as, a BDC. Under Maryland law, we also cannot be dissolved without prior stockholder approval except by judicial action. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies would have on our business, operating results and the price value of our common stock. Nevertheless, any such changes could adversely affect our business and impair our ability to make distributions.

Terrorist attacks, acts of war, global health emergencies or natural disasters may impact the businesses in which we invest and harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Terrorist acts, acts of war, global health emergencies or natural disasters may disrupt our operations, as well as the operations of the businesses in which we invest. Such acts have created, and continue to create, economic and political uncertainties and have contributed to global economic instability. Future terrorist activities, military or security operations, global health emergencies or natural disasters could further weaken the domestic/global economies and create additional uncertainties, which may negatively impact the businesses in which we invest directly or indirectly and, in turn, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. Losses from terrorist attacks, global health emergencies and natural disasters are generally uninsurable.

Internal and external cyber threats, as well as other disasters, could impair our ability to conduct business effectively.

The occurrence of a disaster, such as a cyber-attack against us or against a third-party that has access to our data or networks, a natural catastrophe, an industrial accident, failure of our disaster recovery systems, or consequential employee error, could have an adverse effect on our ability to communicate or conduct business, negatively impacting our operations and financial condition. This adverse effect can become particularly acute if those events affect our electronic data processing, transmission, storage, and retrieval systems, or impact the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of our data.

We depend heavily upon computer systems to perform necessary business functions. Despite our implementation of a variety of security measures, our computer systems, networks, and data, like those of other companies, could be subject to cyber-attacks and unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction, such as from physical and electronic break-ins or unauthorized tampering. If one or more of these events occurs, it could potentially jeopardize the confidential, proprietary, and other information processed, stored in, and transmitted through our computer systems and networks. Such an attack could cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations, which could result in financial losses, litigation, regulatory penalties, client dissatisfaction or loss, reputational damage, and increased costs associated with mitigation of damages and remediation.

Third parties with which we do business may also be sources of cybersecurity or other technological risk. We outsource certain functions and these relationships allow for the storage and processing of our information, as well as client, counterparty, employee, and borrower information. While we engage in actions to reduce our exposure resulting from outsourcing, ongoing threats may result in unauthorized access, loss, exposure, destruction, or other cybersecurity incidents that adversely affects our data, resulting in increased costs and other consequences as described above.

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We and our third party providers are currently impacted by quarantines and similar measures being enacted by governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that are obstructing the regular functioning of business workforces (including requiring employees to work from external locations and their homes). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we instituted a work from home policy until it was deemed safe to return to the office. We have since reopened our principal office but permit employees to work from home on a voluntary basis. An extended period of remote working, whether by us or our third party providers, could strain technology resources and introduce operational risks, including heightened cybersecurity risk. Remote working environments may be less secure and more susceptible to hacking attacks, including phishing and social engineering attempts that seek to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the risks described above are heightened under current conditions.

We may incur lender liability as a result of our lending activities.

In recent years, a number of judicial decisions have upheld the right of borrowers and others to sue lending institutions on the basis of various evolving legal theories, collectively termed “lender liability.” Generally, lender liability is founded on the premise that a lender has either violated a duty, whether implied or contractual, of good faith and fair dealing owed to the borrower or has assumed a degree of control over the borrower resulting in the creation of a fiduciary duty owed to the borrower or its other creditors or stockholders. We may be subject to allegations of lender liability, which could be time-consuming and expensive to defend and result in significant liability.

We may incur liability as a result of providing managerial assistance to our portfolio companies.

In the course of providing significant managerial assistance to certain portfolio companies, certain of our management and directors may serve as directors on the boards of such companies. To the extent that litigation arises out of investments in these companies, our management and directors may be named as defendants in such litigation, which could result in an expenditure of our funds, through our indemnification of such officers and directors, and the diversion of management time and resources.

Our management team and investment professionals may not be able to achieve the same or similar returns as those achieved by the Legacy Funds or by such persons while they were employed at prior positions.

The track record and achievements of the our management team and investment professionals are not necessarily indicative of future results that will be achieved by us. As a result, we may not be able to achieve the same or similar returns as those achieved by our management team and investment professionals at their prior positions, including at the Legacy Funds.

Risks Related to Our Investments

Our investment strategy focuses on growth stage companies, which are subject to many risks, including dependence on the need to raise additional capital, volatility, intense competition, shortened product life cycles, changes in regulatory and governmental programs, periodic downturns, below investment grade ratings, which could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in us.

We invest primarily in growth stage companies, many of which may have narrow product lines and small market shares, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as to general economic downturns, compared to more mature companies. The revenues, income (or losses), and projected financial performance and valuations of growth stage companies can and often do fluctuate suddenly and dramatically. For these reasons, investments in our portfolio companies, if rated by one or more ratings agency, would typically be rated below “investment grade,” which refers to securities rated by ratings agencies below the four highest rating categories. Our target growth stage companies are geographically concentrated and are therefore highly susceptible to materially negative local, political, natural and economic events. In addition, high growth industries are generally characterized by abrupt business cycles and intense competition. Overcapacity in high growth industries, together with cyclical economic downturns, may result in substantial decreases in the value of many growth stage companies and/or their ability to meet their current and projected financial performance to service our debt. Furthermore,

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growth stage companies also typically rely on venture capital and private equity investors, or initial public offerings, or sales for additional capital.

Venture capital firms in turn rely on their limited partners to pay in capital over time in order to fund their ongoing and future investment activities. To the extent that venture capital firms’ limited partners are unable or choose not to fulfill their ongoing funding obligations, the venture capital firms may be unable to continue operationally and/or financially supporting the ongoing operations of our portfolio companies which could materially and adversely impact our financing arrangement with the portfolio company.

These companies, their industries, their products and customer demand and the outlook and competitive landscape for their industries are all subject to change, which could adversely impact their ability to execute their business plans and generate cash flow or raise additional capital that would serve as the basis for repayment of our loans. Therefore, our growth stage companies may face considerably more risk of loss than do companies at other stages of development.

The equipment financing industry is highly competitive and competitive forces could adversely affect the financing rates and resale prices that we may realize on our equipment financing investment portfolio and the prices that we have to pay to acquire our investments.

As part of our investment strategy, we engage in equipment financing, through which we finance equipment to growth stage companies. Equipment manufacturers, corporations, partnerships and others offer users an alternative to the purchase of most types of equipment with payment terms that vary widely depending on the type of financing, the lease or loan term and the type of equipment. In seeking equipment financing transactions, we will compete with financial institutions, manufacturers and public and private leasing companies, many of which may have greater financial resources than us.

Some types of equipment are under special government regulation which may make the equipment more costly to acquire, own, maintain under equipment financings and sell.

The use, maintenance and ownership of certain types of equipment are regulated by federal, state and/or local authorities. Regulations may impose restrictions and financial burdens on our ownership and operation of equipment. Changes in government regulations, industry standards or deregulation may also affect the ownership, operation and resale value of equipment. For example, certain types of equipment are subject to extensive safety and operating regulations imposed by government and/or industry self-regulatory organizations which may make these types of equipment more costly to acquire, own, maintain under equipment financings and sell. These agencies or organizations may require changes or improvements to equipment and we may have to spend our own capital to comply. These changes may also require the equipment to be removed from service for a period of time. The terms of equipment financings may provide for payment reductions if the equipment must remain out of service for an extended period or is removed from service. We may then have reduced operating revenues from equipment financings for these items of equipment. If we did not have the capital to make a required change, we might be required to sell the affected equipment or to sell other items of its equipment in order to obtain the necessary cash; in either event, we could suffer a loss on our investment and might lose future revenues, and we might also have adverse tax consequences.

We are subject to risks inherent in the equipment financing business that may adversely affect our ability to finance our portfolio on terms that will permit us to generate profitable rates of return for investors.

A number of economic conditions and market factors, many of which we cannot control, could threaten our ability to operate profitably. These include: changes in economic conditions, including fluctuations in demand for equipment, interest rates and inflation rates; the timing of purchases and the ability to forecast technological advances for equipment; technological and economic obsolescence; and increases in our expenses.

Demand for equipment fluctuates, and periods of weak demand could adversely affect equipment financing rates and resale prices that we may realize on our investment portfolio while periods of high demand could adversely affect the prices that we have to pay to acquire our investments. Such fluctuations in demand could therefore adversely affect the ability of a leasing program to invest its capital in a timely and

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profitable manner. Equipment lessors have experienced a more difficult market in which to make suitable investments during historical periods of reduced growth and recession in the U.S. economy as a result of the softening demand for capital equipment during these periods. An economic recession resulting in lower levels of capital expenditure by businesses may result in more used equipment becoming available on the market and downward pressure on prices and equipment financing rates due to excess inventory. Periods of low interest rates exert downward pressure on equipment financing rates and may result in less demand for equipment financings. Furthermore, a decline in corporate expansion or demand for capital goods could delay investment of our capital, and its production of financing revenues. There can be no assurance as to what future developments may occur in the economy in general or in the demand for equipment and other asset based financing in particular.

Global economic, political and market conditions, including uncertainty about the financial stability of the United States, could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Downgrades by rating agencies to the U.S. government’s credit rating or concerns about its credit and deficit levels in general could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with our debt portfolio and our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. In addition, a decreased U.S. government credit rating could create broader financial turmoil and uncertainty, which may weigh heavily on our financial performance and the value of our common stock.

Deterioration in the economic conditions in the Eurozone and globally, including instability in financial markets, may pose a risk to our business. In recent years, financial markets have been affected at times by a number of global macroeconomic and political events, including the following: large sovereign debts and fiscal deficits of several countries in Europe and in emerging markets jurisdictions, levels of non performing loans on the balance sheets of European banks, the potential effect of any European country leaving the Eurozone, the potential effect of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, and market volatility and loss of investor confidence driven by political events. Market and economic disruptions have affected, and may in the future affect, consumer confidence levels and spending, personal bankruptcy rates, levels of incurrence and default on consumer debt and home prices, among other factors. We cannot assure you that market disruptions in Europe, including the increased cost of funding for certain governments and financial institutions, will not impact the global economy, and we cannot assure you that assistance packages will be available, or if available, be sufficient to stabilize countries and markets in Europe or elsewhere affected by a financial crisis. To the extent uncertainty regarding any economic recovery in Europe negatively impacts consumer confidence and consumer credit factors, our and our portfolio companies’ business, financial condition and results of operations could be significantly and adversely affected.

The Chinese capital markets have also experienced periods of instability over the past several years. The current political climate has also intensified concerns about a potential trade war between the U.S. and China in connection with each country’s recent or proposed tariffs on the other country’s products. These market and economic disruptions and the potential trade war with China have affected, and may in the future affect, the U.S. capital markets, which could adversely affect our and our portfolio companies’ business, financial condition or results of operations.

The current global financial market situation, as well as various social and political circumstances in the U.S. and around the world (including wars and other forms of conflict, terrorist acts, security operations and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and global health epidemics), may contribute to increased market volatility and economic uncertainties or deterioration in the U.S. and worldwide. For example, the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in many countries continues to adversely impact global commercial activity, and has contributed to significant volatility in financial markets. The outbreak of COVID-19 may have a material adverse impact on the ability of our portfolio companies to fulfill their end customers’ orders due to supply chain delays, limited access to key commodities or technologies or other events that impact their manufacturers or their suppliers. Such events have affected, and may in the future affect, the global and U.S. capital markets, and our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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Additionally, the U.S. government’s credit and deficit concerns, the European sovereign debt crisis, and the potential trade war with China could cause interest rates to be volatile, which may negatively impact our and our portfolio companies’ ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms.

Commencing January 2021, the Democratic Party will control the executive and legislative branches of government, which increases the likelihood that legislation may be adopted that could significantly affect the regulation of U.S. financial markets. We cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets or on our investments. We monitor developments and seek to manage our investments in a manner consistent with achieving our investment objective, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in doing so.

Global economic, political and market conditions may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, including our revenue growth and profitability.

The current worldwide financial markets situation, as well as various social and political tensions in the United States and around the world (including wars and other forms of conflict, terrorist acts, security operations and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and global health epidemics), may contribute to increased market volatility, may have long term effects on the United States and worldwide financial markets, and may cause economic uncertainties or deterioration in the United States and worldwide. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, in many countries continues to adversely impact global commercial activity and has contributed to significant volatility in financial markets. The outbreak of COVID-19 may have a material adverse impact on the ability of our portfolio companies to fulfill their end customers’ orders due to supply chain delays, limited access to key commodities or technologies or other events that impact their manufacturers or their suppliers. We monitor developments and seek to manage our investments in a manner consistent with achieving our investment objective, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in doing so.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the global economy and has disrupted financial activity in the areas in which we or our portfolio companies operate.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread outbreaks of illness and numerous deaths, adversely impacted global and U.S. commercial activity and contributed to significant volatility in certain equity and debt markets. The global impact of the outbreak is rapidly evolving, and many countries and localities, including the U.S. and states in which our portfolio companies operate, have reacted by instituting quarantines, prohibitions on travel and the closure of offices, businesses, schools, retail stores and other public venues. Businesses are also implementing similar precautionary measures. Such measures, as well as the general uncertainty surrounding the dangers and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, have created significant disruption in supply chains and economic activity and are having a particularly adverse impact on transportation, hospitality, tourism, entertainment and other industries, including industries in which certain of our portfolio companies operate. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant volatility and declines in the global public equity markets and it is uncertain how long this volatility will continue. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, the potential impacts, including a global, regional or other economic recession, are increasingly uncertain and difficult to assess.

While several countries, as well as certain states, counties and cities in the United States, have relaxed initial public health restrictions with a view to partially or fully reopening their economies, many cities world-wide have since experienced a surge in the reported number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These increases have led to the re-introduction of restrictions and business shutdowns in certain states, counties and cities in the United States and globally and could continue to lead to the re-introduction of such restrictions and business shutdowns elsewhere. Additionally, as of January 2020, travelers from the United States are not allowed to visit Canada, Australia or the majority of countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. These continued travel restrictions may prolong the global economic downturn. In addition, although the Federal Food and Drug Administration authorized vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for emergency use starting in December 2020, it remains unclear how quickly the vaccines will be distributed nationwide and globally or when “herd immunity” will be achieved and the restrictions that were imposed to slow the spread of the virus will be lifted entirely. The delay in distributing the vaccines could lead people to continue to self-isolate and not participate in the

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economy at pre-pandemic levels for a prolonged period of time. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the U.S. economy and most other major global economies may continue to experience a recession, and we anticipate our business and operations could be materially adversely affected by a prolonged recession in the United States and other major markets. Some economists and major investment banks have expressed concern that the continued spread of the virus globally could lead to a world-wide economic downturn, the impacts of which could last for some time after the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled and/or abates.

The COVID-19 pandemic (including the preventative measures taken in response thereto) has to date (i) created significant business disruption issues for certain of our portfolio companies, and (ii) materially and adversely impacted the value and performance of certain of our portfolio companies. The COVID-19 pandemic is having a particularly adverse impact on industries in which certain of our portfolio companies operate, including manufacturing and retail. Certain of our portfolio companies in other industries have also been significantly impacted. The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing as of the filing date of this prospectus, and its extended duration may have further adverse impacts on our portfolio companies after September 30, 2020, including for the reasons described herein. Although on March 27, 2020, the U.S. government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), which contains provisions intended to mitigate the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is uncertain whether, or how much, our portfolio companies have benefited or may benefit from the CARES Act or any other subsequent legislation intended to provide financial relief or assistance. As a result of this disruption and the pressures on their liquidity, certain of our portfolio companies have been, or may continue to be, incentivized to draw on most, if not all, of the unfunded portion of any revolving or delayed draw term loans made by us, subject to availability under the terms of such loans.

Further, disruptions in the capital markets caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the spread between the yields realized on risk-free and higher risk securities, resulting in illiquidity in parts of the capital markets. These and future market disruptions and/or illiquidity would be expected to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Unfavorable economic conditions also would be expected to increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events have limited and could continue to limit our investment originations, limit our ability to grow and have a material negative impact on our and our portfolio companies’ operating results and the fair values of our debt and equity investments.

Political, social and economic uncertainty, including uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic, creates and exacerbates risks.

Social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) will occur that create uncertainty and have significant impacts on issuers, industries, governments and other systems, including the financial markets, to which companies and their investments are exposed. As global systems, economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, events that once had only local impact are now more likely to have regional or even global effects. Events that occur in one country, region or financial market will, more frequently, adversely impact issuers in other countries, regions or markets, including in established markets such as the U.S. These impacts can be exacerbated by failures of governments and societies to adequately respond to an emerging event or threat.

Uncertainty can result in or coincide with, among other things: increased volatility in the financial markets for securities, derivatives, loans, credit and currency; a decrease in the reliability of market prices and difficulty in valuing assets (including portfolio company assets); greater fluctuations in spreads on debt investments and currency exchange rates; increased risk of default (by both government and private obligors and issuers); further social, economic, and political instability; nationalization of private enterprise; greater governmental involvement in the economy or in social factors that impact the economy; changes to governmental regulation and supervision of the loan, securities, derivatives and currency markets and market participants and decreased or revised monitoring of such markets by governments or self-regulatory organizations and reduced enforcement of regulations; limitations on the activities of investors in such markets; controls or restrictions on foreign investment, capital controls and limitations on repatriation of

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invested capital; the significant loss of liquidity and the inability to purchase, sell and otherwise fund investments or settle transactions (including, but not limited to, a market freeze); unavailability of currency hedging techniques; substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation, which can last many years and have substantial negative effects on credit and securities markets as well as the economy as a whole; recessions; and difficulties in obtaining and/or enforcing legal judgments.

For example, in December 2019, COVID-19 emerged in China and then spread rapidly to other countries, including the United States. This outbreak has led to and for an unknown period of time will continue to lead to disruptions in local, regional, national and global markets and economies affected thereby. With respect to the U.S. credit markets, this outbreak has resulted in, and until fully resolved is likely to continue to result in, the following, among other things: (i) government imposition of various forms of shelter in place orders and the closing of “non-essential” businesses, resulting in significant disruption to the businesses of many middle-market loan borrowers, including supply chains, demand and practical aspects of their operations, as well as in lay-offs of employees, and, while these effects are hoped to be temporary, some effects could be persistent or even permanent; (ii) increased draws by borrowers on revolving lines of credit; (iii) increased requests by borrowers for amendments and waivers of their credit agreements to avoid default, increased defaults by such borrowers and/or increased difficulty in obtaining refinancing at the maturity dates of their loans; (iv) volatility and disruption of these markets including greater volatility in pricing and spreads and difficulty in valuing loans during periods of increased volatility, and liquidity issues; and (v) rapidly evolving proposals and/or actions by state and federal governments to address problems being experienced by the markets and by businesses and the economy in general which will not necessarily adequately address the problems facing the loan market and businesses. This outbreak is having, and any future outbreaks could have, an adverse impact on the markets and the economy in general, which could have a material adverse impact on, among other things, the ability of lenders to originate loans, the volume and type of loans originated, and the volume and type of amendments and waivers granted to borrowers and remedial actions taken in the event of a borrower default, each of which could negatively impact the amount and quality of loans available for investment by us and returns to us, among other things. As of the date of this prospectus, it is impossible to determine the scope of this outbreak, or any future outbreaks, how long any such outbreak, market disruption or uncertainties may last, the effect any governmental actions will have or the full potential impact on us and our portfolio companies.

Although it is impossible to predict the precise nature and consequences of these events, or of any political or policy decisions and regulatory changes occasioned by emerging events or uncertainty on applicable laws or regulations that impact us, our portfolio companies and our investments, it is clear that these types of events are impacting and will, for at least some time, continue to impact us and our portfolio companies and, in many instances, the impact will be adverse and profound. For example, growth stage companies in which we may invest are being significantly impacted by these emerging events and the uncertainty caused by these events. The effects of a public health emergency may materially and adversely impact (i) the value and performance of us and our portfolio companies, (ii) the ability of our borrowers to continue to meet loan covenants or repay loans provided by us on a timely basis or at all, which may require us to restructure our investments or write down the value of our investments, (iii) our ability to repay debt obligations, on a timely basis or at all, or (iv) our ability to source, manage and divest investments and achieve our investment objectives, all of which could result in significant losses to us.

If the economy is unable to substantially reopen, and high levels of unemployment continue for an extended period of time, loan delinquencies, loan nonaccruals, problem assets, and bankruptcies may increase. In addition, collateral for our loans may decline in value, which could cause loan losses to increase and the net worth and liquidity of loan guarantors could decline, impairing their ability to honor commitments to us. An increase in loan delinquencies and non-accruals or a decrease in loan collateral and guarantor net worth could result in increased costs and reduced income which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations

We will also be negatively affected if the operations and effectiveness of us or a portfolio company (or any of the key personnel or service providers of the foregoing) are compromised or if necessary or beneficial systems and processes are disrupted.

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Any public health emergency, including the COVID-19 pandemic or any outbreak of other existing or new epidemic diseases, or the threat thereof, and the resulting financial and economic market uncertainty could have a significant adverse impact on us and the fair value of our investments and our portfolio companies.

The extent of the impact of any public health emergency, including the COVID-19 pandemic, on our and our portfolio companies’ operational and financial performance will depend on many factors, including the duration and scope of such public health emergency, the actions taken by governmental authorities to contain its financial and economic impact, the extent of any related travel advisories and restrictions implemented, the impact of such public health emergency on overall supply and demand, goods and services, investor liquidity, consumer confidence and levels of economic activity and the extent of its disruption to important global, regional and local supply chains and economic markets, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. In addition, our and our portfolio companies’ operations may be significantly impacted, or even temporarily or permanently halted, as a result of government quarantine measures, voluntary and precautionary restrictions on travel or meetings and other factors related to a public health emergency, including its potential adverse impact on the health of any of our or our portfolio companies’ personnel. This could create widespread business continuity issues for us and our portfolio companies.

These factors may also cause the valuation of our investments to differ materially from the values that we may ultimately realize. Our valuations, and particularly valuations of private investments and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and are often based on estimates, comparisons and qualitative evaluations of private information. As a result, our valuations may not show the completed or continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting measures taken in response thereto. Any public health emergency, including the COVID-19 pandemic or any outbreak of other existing or new epidemic diseases, or the threat thereof, and the resulting financial and economic market uncertainty could have a significant adverse impact on us and the fair value of our investments and our portfolio companies.

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

Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our debt investments during these periods. The recent global outbreak of COVID-19 has disrupted economic markets, and the prolonged economic impact is uncertain. Some economists and major investment banks have expressed concern that the continued spread of the virus globally could lead to a worldwide economic downturn. Many manufacturers of goods in China and other countries in Asia have seen a downturn in production due to the suspension of business and temporary closure of factories in an attempt to curb the spread of the illness. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic spreads to other parts of the world, similar impacts may occur with respect to affected countries. In the past, instability in the global capital markets resulted in disruptions in liquidity in the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated credit market and the failure of major domestic and international financial institutions. In particular, in past periods of instability, the financial services sector was negatively impacted by significant write-offs as the value of the assets held by financial firms declined, impairing their capital positions and abilities to lend and invest. In addition, continued uncertainty surrounding the negotiation of trade deals between Britain and the European Union following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union and uncertainty between the United States and other countries, including China, with respect to trade policies, treaties, and tariffs, among other factors, have caused disruption in the global markets. There can be no assurance that market conditions will not worsen in the future.

In an economic downturn, we may have non-performing assets or non-performing assets may increase, and the value of our portfolio is likely to decrease during these periods. Adverse economic conditions may also decrease the value of any collateral securing our loans. A severe recession may further decrease the value of such collateral and result in losses of value in our portfolio and a decrease in our revenues, net income, assets and net worth. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us on terms we deem acceptable. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results.

The occurrence of recessionary conditions and/or negative developments in the domestic and international credit markets may significantly affect the markets in which we do business, the value of our

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investments, and our ongoing operations, costs and profitability. Any such unfavorable economic conditions, including rising interest rates, may also increase our funding costs, limit our access to capital markets or negatively impact our ability to obtain financing, particularly from the debt markets. In addition, any future financial market uncertainty could lead to financial market disruptions and could further impact our ability to obtain financing. These events could limit our investment originations, limit our ability to grow and negatively impact our operating results and financial condition.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created disruption and instability, but may create attractive investment opportunities.

The ongoing spread of COVID-19 has had, and will continue to have, a material adverse impact on the global economy, including in the United States, as cross border commercial activity and market sentiment have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and government and other measures seeking to contain its spread. We believe that attractive investment opportunities may present themselves during this volatile period in particular, especially if the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic can be contained, and during other periods of market volatility, including opportunities to make acquisitions of other companies or investment portfolios at compelling values. However, periods of market disruption and instability, like the one we are experiencing currently, may adversely affect the Company’s access to sufficient debt and equity capital in order to take advantage of attractive investment and acquisition opportunities that are created during these periods. In addition, the debt capital that will be available, if any, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions in the future.

Significant developments stemming from the United Kingdom’s referendum on membership in the European Union could have a material adverse effect on us.

In June 2016, the United Kingdom held a referendum in which a majority of voters voted in favor of Brexit, and, subsequently, on March 29, 2017, the U.K. government began the formal process of leaving the European Union. The United Kingdom formally left the European Union on January 31, 2020 and on December 24, 2020, the United Kingdom and European Union signed a trade deal that became provisionally effective on January 1, 2021 and that now governs the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union (the “Trade Agreement”). The Trade Agreement implements significant regulation around trade, transport of goods and travel restrictions between the United Kingdom and the European Union. Brexit has created political and economic uncertainty, particularly in the United Kingdom and the European Union, and this uncertainty may last for years. Events that could occur in the future as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal, including the possible breakup of the United Kingdom, may continue to cause significant volatility in global financial markets, including in global currency and credit markets. This volatility could cause a slowdown in economic activity in the United Kingdom, Europe or globally, which could adversely affect our operating results and growth prospects. Any of these effects of Brexit, and others we cannot anticipate, could have unpredictable consequences for credit markets and adversely affect our and our portfolio companies’ business, results of operations and financial performance.

Events outside of our control, including public health crises, may negatively affect our results of operations and financial performance.

Periods of market volatility may occur in response to pandemics or other events outside of our control. These types of events could adversely affect our results of operations and financial performance. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the closure of many corporate offices, retail stores, and manufacturing facilities and factories throughout the world. As the impact on global markets from the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult to predict, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may negatively affect our results of operation and financial performance or the duration of any potential business disruption is uncertain. Any potential impact to our results of operations and financial performance will depend to a large extent on future developments and new information that may emerge regarding the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken by authorities and other entities to contain the COVID-19 pandemic or treat its impact, all of which are beyond our control. These potential impacts, while uncertain, could adversely affect our results of operations and financial performance.

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Our investments are geographically concentrated, which may result in a single occurrence in a particular geographic area having a disproportionate negative impact on our investment portfolio.

Investments in a particular geographic region may be particularly susceptible to economic conditions and regulatory requirements. To the extent our investments are concentrated in a particular region or group of regions, our investment portfolio may be more volatile than a more geographically investment portfolio. Any deterioration in the economy, or adverse events in such regions, may increase the rate of delinquency and default experience (and as a consequence, losses) with respect to our investments in such region. Our investments are geographically concentrated in the Western and Northeastern part of the United States. As a result, we may be more susceptible to being adversely affected by any single occurrence in those regions. For example, portfolio companies in California, may be particularly susceptible to certain types of hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, mudslides, wildfires and other national disasters, which could have a negative impact on their business and negatively impacting such company’s ability to meet their obligations under their debt securities that we hold. Additionally, adverse economic conditions or other factors particularly affecting a specific region could increase the risk of loss on our investments.

Our investments in leveraged portfolio companies may be risky, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Investment in leveraged companies involves a number of significant risks. Leveraged companies in which we invest may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their debt securities that we hold. Such developments may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of our realizing any guarantees that we may have obtained in connection with our investment. In addition, our junior secured loans are generally subordinated to senior loans. As such, other creditors may rank senior to us in the event of an insolvency.

In addition, investing in small, fast-growing, private companies involves a number of significant risks, including the following:

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these companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their debt securities that we hold. This failure to meet obligations may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of us realizing any guarantees we may have obtained in connection with our investment;

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they typically have shorter operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions, market conditions, and general economic downturns;

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

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they generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion, or maintain their competitive position. In addition, our executive officers and directors may, in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from our investments in the portfolio companies; and

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they may have difficulty accessing the capital markets to meet future capital needs, which may limit their ability to grow or to repay their outstanding debt upon maturity.

Our investments are very risky and highly speculative.

We invest primarily in secured loans and select equity and equity-related investments issued by, and provide equipment financing to, small, fast-growing private companies. We invest primarily in secured loans made to companies whose debt has generally not been rated by any rating agency, although we would expect such debt, if rated, to fall below investment grade. Securities rated below investment grade are often referred to as “high yield” securities and “junk bonds,” and are considered “high risk” and speculative in nature compared to debt instruments that are rated above investment grade.

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Generally, little public information exists about these companies, and we are required to rely on the ability of our senior management team and investment professionals to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments. Also, privately held companies frequently have less diverse product lines and smaller market presence than larger competitors. These factors could adversely affect our investment returns as compared to companies investing primarily in the securities of public companies.

Senior Secured Loans. There is a risk that the collateral securing our loans may decrease in value over time, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise and may fluctuate in value based upon the success of the business and market conditions, including as a result of the inability of the portfolio company to raise additional capital. In some circumstances, our liens on the collateral securing our loans could be subordinated to claims of other creditors. In addition, deterioration in a portfolio company’s financial condition and prospects, including its inability to raise additional capital, may be accompanied by deterioration in the value of the collateral for the loan. Consequently, the fact that a loan is secured does not guarantee that we will receive principal and interest payments according to the loan’s terms, or at all, or that we will be able to collect on the loan should we be compelled to enforce our remedies.

Second Lien Secured Loans. In structuring our loans, we may subordinate our security interest in certain assets of a borrower to another lender, usually a bank. In these situations, all of the risks identified above in Senior Secured Loans would be true and additional risks inherent in holding a junior security position would also be present.

Equity and Equity-Related Investments. When we invest in secured loans, we may acquire equity and equity-related securities as well. In addition, we may invest directly in the equity and equity-related securities of portfolio companies. The equity and equity-related interests we receive may not appreciate in value and may in fact decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity and equity-related interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity and equity-related interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience.

In addition, we have invested in and may in the future invest in or obtain significant exposure to “covenant-lite” loans. We use the term “covenant-lite” loans to refer generally to loans that do not have a complete set of financial maintenance covenants. Generally, covenant-lite loans provide borrower companies more freedom to negatively impact lenders because their covenants are incurrence-based, which means they are only tested and can only be breached following an affirmative action of the borrower, rather than by a deterioration in the borrower’s financial condition. Accordingly, because we invest in and have exposure to covenant-lite loans, we may have fewer rights against a borrower and may have a greater risk of loss on such investments as compared to investments in or exposure to loans with financial maintenance covenants.

Investing in small, fast-growing companies involves a high degree of risk, and our financial results may be affected adversely if one or more of our significant portfolio investments defaults on its loans or fails to perform as we expect.

Our portfolio will consist primarily of debt and equity and equity-related investments in small privately owned companies. Investing in these companies involves a number of significant risks. Typically, the debt in which we invest is not initially rated by any rating agency; however, we believe that if such investments were rated, they would be below investment grade. Securities rated below investment grade are often referred to as “high yield” securities and “junk bonds,” and are considered “high risk” and speculative in nature compared to debt instruments that are rated above investment grade. Compared to larger publicly owned companies, these companies may be in a weaker financial position and may experience wider variations in their operating results, which may make them more vulnerable to economic downturns. Typically, these companies need more capital to compete; however, their access to capital is limited and their cost of capital is often higher than that of their competitors. Our portfolio companies will face intense competition from larger companies with greater financial, technical, and marketing resources and their success typically depends on the managerial talents and efforts of an individual or a small group of persons. Therefore, the loss of any of its key employees could affect a portfolio company’s ability to compete effectively and harm its financial condition. Further, some of these companies will conduct business in regulated industries that are

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susceptible to regulatory changes. These factors could impair the cash flow of our portfolio companies and result in other events, such as bankruptcy. These events could limit a portfolio company’s ability to repay its obligations to us, which may have an adverse effect on the return on, or the recovery of, our investment in these businesses. Deterioration in a borrower’s financial condition and prospects may be accompanied by deterioration in the value of the loan’s collateral.

Many of these companies cannot obtain financing from public capital markets or from traditional credit sources, such as commercial banks. Accordingly, loans made to these types of companies pose a higher default risk than loans made to companies that have access to traditional credit sources.

We may be subject to risks associated with our investments in covenant-lite loans.

We have invested in and may in the future invest in or obtain significant exposure to covenant-lite loans, which means the obligations contain fewer maintenance covenants than other obligations, or no maintenance covenants, and may not include terms that allow the lender to monitor the financial performance of the borrower, including financial ratios, and declare a default if certain financial criteria are breached. While these loans may still contain other collateral protections, a covenant-lite loan may carry more risk than a covenant-heavy loan made by the same borrower as it does not require the borrower to provide affirmation that certain specific financial tests have been satisfied on a routine basis as is generally required under a covenant-heavy loan agreement. Generally, covenant-lite loans provide borrowers more freedom to negatively impact lenders because their covenants, if any, tend to be incurrence-based, which means they are only tested and can only be breached following an affirmative action of the borrower, rather than by a deterioration in the borrower’s financial condition. Our investment in or exposure to a covenant-lite loan may potentially hinder our ability to reprice credit risk associated with the issuer and reduce our ability to restructure a problematic loan and mitigate potential loss. As a result, our exposure to losses may be increased, which could result in an adverse impact on our revenues, net income and net asset value.

We may be subject to risks associated with our investments in senior loans.

We invest in senior secured loans. Senior secured loans are usually rated below investment grade or may also be unrated. As a result, the risks associated with senior secured loans may be considered by credit rating agencies to be similar to the risks of below investment grade fixed income instruments, although senior secured loans are senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade fixed income instruments, which are often subordinated or unsecured. Investment in senior secured loans rated below investment grade is considered speculative because of the credit risk of their issuers. Such companies are more likely than investment grade issuers to default on their payments of interest and principal owed to us, and such defaults could have a material adverse effect on our performance. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior secured loan may lose significant market value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a senior secured loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the senior secured loan’s value.

There may be less readily available and reliable information about most senior secured loans than is the case for many other types of securities, including securities issued in transactions registered under the Securities Act or registered under the Exchange Act. As a result, we will rely primarily on our own evaluation of a borrower’s credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. Therefore, we will be particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of our management team and investment professionals.

In general, the secondary trading market for senior secured loans is not well developed. No active trading market may exist for certain senior secured loans, which may make it difficult to value them. Illiquidity and adverse market conditions may mean that we may not be able to sell senior secured loans quickly or at a fair price. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain senior secured loans, the market for them may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods.

We may be subject to risks associated with our investments in junior debt securities.

We may invest in junior debt securities. Although certain junior debt securities are typically senior to common stock or other equity securities, the equity and debt securities in which we invest may be

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subordinated to substantial amounts of senior debt, all or a significant portion of which may be secured. Such subordinated investments may be characterized by greater credit risks than those associated with the senior obligations of the same issuer. These subordinated securities may not be protected by all of the financial covenants, such as limitations upon additional indebtedness, typically protecting such senior debt. Holders of junior debt generally are not entitled to receive full payments in bankruptcy or liquidation until senior creditors are paid in full. Holders of equity are not entitled to payments until all creditors are paid in full. In addition, the remedies available to holders of junior debt are normally limited by restrictions benefiting senior creditors. In the event any portfolio company cannot generate adequate cash flow to meet senior debt service, we may suffer a partial or total loss of capital invested.

Second priority liens on collateral securing loans that we make to our portfolio companies may be subject to control by senior creditors with first priority liens. If there is a default, the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay in full both the first priority creditors and us.

Certain loans that we make are secured by a second priority security interest in the same collateral pledged by a portfolio company to secure senior debt owed by the portfolio company to commercial banks or other traditional lenders. Often the senior lender has procured covenants from the portfolio company prohibiting the incurrence of additional secured debt without the senior lender’s consent. Prior to and as a condition of permitting the portfolio company to borrow money from us secured by the same collateral pledged to the senior lender, the senior lender will require assurances that it will control the disposition of any collateral in the event of bankruptcy or other default. In many such cases, the senior lender will require us to enter into an intercreditor agreement prior to permitting the portfolio company to borrow from us. Typically the intercreditor agreements we will be requested to execute will expressly subordinate our debt instruments to those held by the senior lender and further provide that the senior lender shall control: (1) the commencement of foreclosure or other proceedings to liquidate and collect on the collateral; (2) the nature, timing, and conduct of foreclosure or other collection proceedings; (3) the amendment of any collateral document; (4) the release of the security interests in respect of any collateral; and (5) the waiver of defaults under any security agreement. Because of the control we may cede to senior lenders under intercreditor agreements we may enter, we may be unable to realize the proceeds of any collateral securing some of our loans.

If the assets securing the loans that we make decrease in value, then we may lack sufficient collateral to cover losses.

We believe that our borrowers generally are able to repay our loans from their available capital, future capital-raising transactions or current and/or future cash flow from operations. However, to attempt to mitigate credit risks, we typically take a secured collateral position. There is a risk that the collateral securing our secured loans may decrease in value over time, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise, may be liquidated at a price lower than what we consider to be fair value and may fluctuate in value based upon the success of the business and market conditions, including as a result of the inability of a borrower to raise additional capital.

In some circumstances, other creditors have claims having priority over our senior lien. Although for certain borrowers, we may be the only form of secured debt (other than potentially specific equipment financing), other borrowers may also have other senior secured debt, such as revolving loans and/or term loans, having priority over our senior lien. At the time of underwriting our loans, we generally only consider growth capital loans for prospective borrowers with sufficient collateral that covers the value of our loan as well as the revolving and/or term loans that may have priority over our senior lien; however, there may be instances in which we have incorrectly estimated the current or future potential value of the underlying collateral or the underlying collateral value has decreased, in which case our ability to recover our investment may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, a substantial portion of the assets securing our investment may be in the form of intellectual property, inventory and equipment and, to a lesser extent, cash and accounts receivable. Intellectual property, if any, that is securing our loan could lose value if, among other things, the borrower’s rights to the intellectual property are challenged or if the borrower’s license to the intellectual property is revoked or expires. Inventory may not be adequate to secure our loan if our valuation of the inventory at the time that we made the loan was not accurate or if there is a reduction in the demand for the inventory.

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Similarly, any equipment securing our loan may not provide us with the anticipated security if there are changes in technology or advances in new equipment that render the particular equipment obsolete or of limited value, or if the borrower fails to adequately maintain or repair the equipment. The residual value of the equipment at the time we would take possession may not be sufficient to satisfy the outstanding debt and we could experience a loss on the disposition of the equipment. Any one or more of the preceding factors could materially impair our ability to recover our investment in a foreclosure.

Our portfolio may be exposed in part to one or more specific industries, which may subject us to a risk of significant loss in a particular investment or investments if there is a downturn in that particular industry.

Our portfolio may be exposed in part to one or more specific industries. A downturn in any particular industry in which we are invested could significantly impact the aggregate returns we realize. If an industry in which we have significant investments suffers from adverse business or economic conditions, as these industries have to varying degrees, a material portion of our investment portfolio could be affected adversely, which, in turn, could adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.

Our investment portfolio’s concentration in technology-related companies is subject to many risks, including volatility, intense competition, shortened product life cycles, changes in regulatory and governmental programs and periodic downturns, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

As of September 30, 2020, investments in technology-related companies in the professional, scientific and technical services industry represented approximately 18.6% of the fair value of our investment portfolio, and many of these technology-related companies have narrow product lines and small market shares, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as to general economic downturns. The revenues, income (or losses), and valuations of technology-related companies can and often do fluctuate suddenly and dramatically. In addition, technology-related industries are generally characterized by abrupt business cycles and intense competition. Overcapacity in technology-related industries, together with cyclical economic downturns, may result in substantial decreases in the market capitalization of many technology-related companies. Such decreases in market capitalization may occur again, and any future decreases in technology-related company valuations may be substantial and may not be temporary in nature. Therefore, our portfolio companies may face considerably more risk of loss than do companies in other industry sectors.

Because of rapid technological change, the average selling prices of products and some services provided by technology-related companies have historically decreased over their productive lives. As a result, the average selling prices of products and services offered by technology-related companies may decrease over time, which could adversely affect their operating results, their ability to meet obligations under their debt securities and the value of their equity securities. This could, in turn, materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Investments that we may make in sustainable and renewable technology companies will be subject to substantial operational risks, such as underestimated cost projections, unanticipated operation and maintenance expenses, loss of government subsidies, and inability to deliver cost-effective alternative energy solutions compared to traditional energy products. In addition, sustainable and renewable technology companies employ a variety of means of increasing cash flow, including increasing utilization of existing facilities, expanding operations through new construction or acquisitions, or securing additional long-term contracts. Thus, some energy companies may be subject to construction risk, acquisition risk or other risks arising from their specific business strategies. Furthermore, production levels for solar, wind and other renewable energies may be dependent upon adequate sunlight, wind, or biogas production, which can vary from market to market and period to period, resulting in volatility in production levels and profitability. Demand for sustainable and renewable technology is also influenced by the available supply and prices for other energy products, such as coal, oil and natural gases. A change in prices in these energy products could reduce demand for alternative energy.

A disease pandemic or natural disaster may also impact investments that we may make in technology-related portfolio companies. The nature and level of natural disasters cannot be predicted and may be exacerbated by global climate change. A disease pandemic or major disaster, such as an earthquake, tsunami,

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flood or other catastrophic event could result in disruption to the business and operations of any such technology-related portfolio companies.

We may invest in technology-related companies that are reliant on U.S. and foreign regulatory and governmental programs. Any material changes or discontinuation, due to change in administration or U.S. Congress or otherwise could have a material adverse effect on the operations of a portfolio company in these industries and, in turn, impair our ability to timely collect principal and interest payments owed to us to the extent applicable.

We may invest in technology-related companies that do not have venture capital or private equity firms as equity investors, and these companies may entail a higher risk of loss than do companies with institutional equity investors, which could increase the risk of loss of your investment.

Our portfolio companies may require substantial additional equity financing to satisfy their continuing working capital and other cash requirements and, in most instances, to service the interest and principal payments on our investment. Portfolio companies that do not have venture capital or private equity investors may be unable to raise any additional capital to satisfy their obligations or to raise sufficient additional capital to reach the next stage of development. Portfolio companies that do not have venture capital or private equity investors may be less financially sophisticated and may not have access to independent members to serve on their boards, which means that they may be less successful than portfolio companies sponsored by venture capital or private equity firms. Accordingly, financing these types of companies may entail a higher risk of loss than would financing companies that are sponsored by venture capital or private equity firms.

Our relationship with certain portfolio companies may expose us to our portfolio companies’ trade secrets and confidential information which may require us to be parties to non-disclosure agreements and restrict us from engaging in certain transactions.

Our relationship with some of our portfolio companies may expose us to our portfolio companies’ trade secrets and confidential information (including transactional data and personal data about their employees and clients) which may require us to be parties to non-disclosure agreements and restrict us from engaging in certain transactions. Unauthorized access or disclosure of such information may occur, resulting in theft, loss or other misappropriation. Any theft, loss, improper use, such as insider trading or other misappropriation of confidential information could have a material adverse impact on our competitive positions, our relationship with our portfolio companies and our reputation and could subject us to regulatory inquiries, enforcement and fines, civil litigation (which may cause us to incur significant expense or expose us to losses) and possible financial liability or costs.

Our investment portfolio’s concentration in the manufacturing industry is subject to various risks, including interruptions to the manufacturing process and costs of raw materials and energy, which may adversely affect our performance.

As of September 30, 2020, investments in the manufacturing industry represented approximately 21.9% of the fair value of our investment portfolio. Generally, our investments in the manufacturing industry are subject to various risks including safety or product liability issues, costs of raw materials and energy, including crude oil, and competition in global markets. The manufacturing industry is highly competitive, which puts pressure on prices. Prices are subject to international supply and demand as well as to the purchase costs of raw materials and energy. Markets for these products, as well as prices for raw materials and energy used by the manufacturing industry, are cyclical and volatile and the costs of raw materials and energy represent a substantial portion of the industry’s production costs and operating expenses. In addition, manufacturing facilities are subject to planned and unplanned production shutdowns, turnarounds and outages, which could have an adverse effect on long-term production. Companies in this industry are also subject to extensive federal, state, local and foreign environmental, health and safety laws and regulations concerning, among other things, emissions in the air, discharges to land and water and the generation, handling, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste and other materials. These requirements, and enforcement of these requirements, may become more stringent in the future. In addition, future regulatory or other developments could also restrict or eliminate the use of, or require manufacturing companies to make modifications to, their products, packaging, manufacturing processes and technology, which could have

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a significant adverse impact on its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Any of these interruptions to a manufacturing company in which we invest could adversely affect our performance.

Our investment portfolio’s concentration in the consumer and retail industry faces considerable uncertainties. Continued adverse changes in the economy may adversely affect consumer spending, which could negatively impact our business.

As of September 30, 2020, investments in the consumer and retail industry represented approximately 15.1% of the fair value of our investment portfolio. The consumer and retail industry is heavily dependent on discretionary consumer spending patterns. Our investments in the consumer and retail industry will be sensitive to numerous factors that affect discretionary consumer income, including adverse general economic conditions, changes in employment trends and levels of unemployment, increases in interest rates, weather, a significant rise in energy or food prices or other events or actions that may lead to a decrease in consumer confidence or a reduction in discretionary income. In addition, in a period of inflationary pricing, increased fuel costs may discourage customers from driving to retail locations, reducing store traffic and possibly sales. Declines in consumer spending, especially for extended periods, could have a material adverse effect on a portfolio company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. If a consumer and retail company in which we invest is unable to navigate these risks, our performance may be adversely affected.

Our investments in the life sciences industry are subject to various risks, including extensive government regulation, litigation risk and certain other risks particular to that industry, which may adversely affect the performance of such investments.

We may invest in companies in the life sciences industry that are subject to extensive regulation by the Food and Drug Administration and to a lesser extent, other federal, state and other foreign agencies. If any of these portfolio companies fail to comply with applicable regulations, they could be subject to significant penalties and claims that could materially and adversely affect their operations. Portfolio companies that produce medical devices or drugs are subject to the expense, delay and uncertainty of the regulatory approval process for their products and, even if approved, these products may not be accepted in the marketplace. In addition, governmental budgetary constraints effecting the regulatory approval process, new laws, regulations or judicial interpretations of existing laws and regulations might adversely affect a portfolio company in this industry. Portfolio companies in the life sciences industry may also have a limited number of suppliers of necessary components or a limited number of manufacturers for their products, and therefore face a risk of disruption to their manufacturing process if they are unable to find alternative suppliers when needed, including in response to any supply chain disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Any of these factors could materially and adversely affect the operations of a portfolio company in this industry and, in turn, impair our ability to timely collect principal and interest payments owed to us and consequently may adversely affect the performance of such investments.

The main industry sectors around which we intend to develop our investments are all capital intensive.

The industry sectors in which we make investments, technology, business services and industrial, are each capital intensive. Currently, financing for capital-intensive companies remains difficult. In some successful companies, we believe we may need to invest more than we currently have planned to invest in these companies. There can be no assurance that we will have the capital necessary to make such investments. In addition, investing greater than planned amounts in our portfolio companies could limit our ability to pursue new investments and fund follow-on investments. Both of these situations could cause us to miss investment opportunities or limit our ability to protect existing investments from dilution or other actions or events that would decrease the value and potential return from these investments.

The majority of our portfolio companies will need multiple rounds of additional financing to repay their debts to us and continue operations. Our portfolio companies may not be able to raise additional financing, which could harm our investment returns.

The majority of our portfolio companies will often require substantial additional equity financing to satisfy their continuing working capital and other cash requirements and, in most instances, to service the interest and principal payments on our investment. Each round of venture financing is typically intended to

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provide a company with only enough capital to reach the next stage of development. We cannot predict the circumstances or market conditions under which our portfolio companies will seek additional capital. It is possible that one or more of our portfolio companies will not be able to raise additional financing or may be able to do so only at a price or on terms unfavorable to us, either of which would negatively impact our investment returns. Some of these companies may be unable to obtain sufficient financing from private investors, public capital markets or traditional lenders. This may have a significant impact if the companies are unable to obtain certain federal, state or foreign agency approval for their products or the marketing thereof, of if regulatory review processes extend longer than anticipated, and the companies need continued funding for their operations during these times. Accordingly, financing these types of companies may entail a higher risk of loss than would financing companies that are able to utilize traditional credit sources.

If our portfolio companies are unable to commercialize their technologies, products, business concepts or services, the returns on our investments could be adversely affected.

The value of our investments in our portfolio companies may decline if they are not able to commercialize their technology, products, business concepts or services. Additionally, although some of our portfolio companies may already have a commercially successful product or product line at the time of our investment, information technology, e-commerce, life science, and energy technology-related products and services often have a more limited market or life span than products in other industries. Thus, the ultimate success of these companies often depends on their ability to continually innovate in increasingly competitive markets. If they are unable to do so, our investment returns could be adversely affected and their ability to service their debt obligations to us over the term of the loan could be impaired. Our portfolio companies may be unable to acquire or develop any new products successfully, and the intellectual property they currently hold may not remain viable. Even if our portfolio companies are able to develop commercially viable products, the market for new products and services is highly competitive and rapidly changing. Neither our portfolio companies nor we will have any control over the pace of technology development. Commercial success is difficult to predict, and the marketing efforts of our portfolio companies may not be successful.

If our portfolio companies are unable to protect their intellectual property rights, our business and prospects could be harmed, and if portfolio companies are required to devote significant resources to protecting their intellectual property rights, the value of our investment could be reduced.

Our future success and competitive position will depend in part upon the ability of our portfolio companies to obtain, maintain and protect proprietary technology used in their products and services. Our portfolio companies will rely, in part, on patent, trade secret, and trademark law to protect that technology, but competitors may misappropriate their intellectual property, and disputes as to ownership of intellectual property may arise. Portfolio companies may, from time to time, be required to institute litigation to enforce their patents, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights; protect their trade secrets; determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others; or defend against claims of infringement. Such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources. Similarly, if a portfolio company is found to infringe or misappropriate a third-party’s patent or other proprietary rights, it could be required to pay damages to the third-party, alter its products or processes, obtain a license from the third-party, and/or cease activities utilizing the proprietary rights, including making or selling products utilizing the proprietary rights. Any of the foregoing events could negatively affect both the portfolio company’s ability to service our debt investment and the value of any related debt and equity securities that we own, as well as any collateral securing our investment.

Loans may become nonperforming for a variety of reasons.

A loan or debt obligation may become non-performing for a variety of reasons. Such non-performing loans may require substantial workout negotiations or restructuring that may entail, among other things, a substantial reduction in the interest rate, a substantial write-down of the principal amount of the loan and/or the deferral of payments. In addition, such negotiations or restructuring may be quite extensive and protracted over time, and therefore may result in substantial uncertainty with respect to the ultimate recovery. We may also incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery upon a default on a loan or participate in the restructuring of such obligation. The liquidity for defaulted loans may be limited, and to the extent that defaulted loans are sold, it is highly unlikely that the proceeds from such sale will be

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equal to the amount of unpaid principal and interest thereon. In connection with any such defaults, workouts or restructuring, although the we exercise voting rights with respect to an individual loan, we may not be able to exercise votes in respect of a sufficient percentage of voting rights with respect to such loan to determine the outcome of such vote.

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

All of our assets may be invested in illiquid securities, and a substantial portion of our investments in leveraged companies will be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than more broadly traded public securities. The illiquidity of these investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments when desired. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded these investments. As a result, we do not expect to achieve liquidity in our investments in the near-term. However, to pay distributions to our stockholders and to maintain the election to be regulated as a BDC and qualify as a RIC, we may have to dispose of investments if we do not satisfy one or more of the applicable criteria under the respective regulatory frameworks. We may also face other restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment in a portfolio company to the extent that we have material nonpublic information regarding such portfolio company.

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

As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board. When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, we use the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate our valuation. We record decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments as unrealized depreciation. Declines in prices and liquidity in the corporate debt markets may result in significant net unrealized depreciation in our portfolio. The effect of all of these factors on our portfolio may reduce our net asset value by increasing net unrealized depreciation in our portfolio. Depending on market conditions, we could incur substantial realized losses and may suffer additional unrealized losses in future periods, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our portfolio companies may prepay loans, which prepayment may reduce stated yields if capital returned cannot be invested in transactions with equal or greater expected yields.

The loans that will underlie our portfolio may be callable at any time, and many of them can be repaid with no premium to par. It is not clear at this time when or if any loan might be called. Whether a loan is called will depend both on the continued positive performance of the portfolio company and the existence of favorable financing market conditions that allow such company the ability to replace existing financing with less expensive capital. As market conditions change frequently, it is unknown when, and if, this may be possible for each portfolio company. Risks associated with owning loans include the fact that prepayments may occur at any time, sometimes without premium or penalty, and that the exercise of prepayment rights during periods of declining spreads could cause us to reinvest prepayment proceeds in lower-yielding instruments. In the case of some of these loans, having the loan called early may reduce our achievable yield if the capital returned cannot be invested in transactions with equal or greater expected yields, especially during periods of declining interest rates in the broader market, such in current market conditions.

To the extent original issue discount and payment-in-kind interest constitute a portion of our income, we will be exposed to typical risks associated with such income being required to be included in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash representing such income.

Our investments may include original issue discount, or OID. To the extent original issue discount constitutes a portion of our income, we are exposed to typical risks associated with such income being required to be included in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash, including the following:

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We must include in income each year a portion of the OID that accrues over the life of the obligation, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same taxable year.

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Because any OID or other amounts accrued will be included in investment company taxable income for the year of the accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our stockholders in order to satisfy our annual distribution requirements, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. As a result, we may have to sell some of our investments at times or at prices that would not be advantageous to us, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities.

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The higher yield of OID instruments reflect the payment deferral and credit risk associated with these instruments.

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Even if the accounting conditions for income accrual are met, the borrower could still default when our actual collection is supposed to occur at the maturity of the obligation.

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OID instruments may have unreliable valuations because their continuing accruals require continuing judgments about the collectability of the deferred payments and the value of the collateral.

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OID instruments generally represent a significantly higher credit risk than coupon loans.

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OID income received by us may create uncertainty about the source of our cash distributions to stockholders. For accounting purposes, any cash distributions to stockholders representing OID or market discount income are not treated as coming from paid-in capital, even though the cash to pay them comes from the offering proceeds. Thus, although a distribution of OID or market discount interest comes from the cash invested by the stockholders, Section 19(a) of the 1940 Act does not require that stockholders be given notice of this fact by reporting it as a return of capital.

We are a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, and therefore we are not limited by the 1940 Act with respect to the proportion of our assets that may be invested in securities of a single issuer.

We are classified as a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, which means that we are not limited by the 1940 Act with respect to the proportion of our assets that we may invest in securities of a single issuer. Our portfolio may be concentrated in a limited number of portfolio companies and industries. Beyond the asset diversification requirements associated with our qualification as a RIC under the Code, we do not have fixed guidelines for diversification. To the extent that we assume large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers, our net asset value may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified investment company as a result of changes in the financial condition or the market’s assessment of the issuer. We may also be more susceptible to any single economic or regulatory occurrence than a diversified investment company. As a result, the aggregate returns we realize may be significantly adversely affected if a small number of investments perform poorly or if we need to write down the value of any one investment. Additionally, while we are not targeting any specific industries, our investments may be concentrated in relatively few industries. As a result, a downturn in any particular industry in which we are invested could also significantly impact the aggregate returns we realize.

We may hold the debt securities of leveraged companies that may, due to the significant volatility of such companies, enter into bankruptcy proceedings.

Leveraged companies may experience bankruptcy or similar financial distress. The bankruptcy process has a number of significant inherent risks. Many events in a bankruptcy proceeding are the product of contested matters and adversary proceedings and are beyond the control of the creditors. A bankruptcy filing by a portfolio company may adversely and permanently affect the portfolio company. If the proceeding is converted to a liquidation, the value of the issuer may not equal the liquidation value that was believed to exist at the time of the investment. The duration of a bankruptcy proceeding is also difficult to predict, and a creditor’s return on investment can be adversely affected by delays until the plan of reorganization or liquidation ultimately becomes effective. The administrative costs in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding are frequently high and would be paid out of the debtor’s estate prior to any return to creditors. Because the standards for classification of claims under bankruptcy law are vague, our influence with respect to the class of securities or other obligations we own may be lost by increases in the number and amount of claims in the same class or by different classification and treatment. In the early stages of the bankruptcy process,

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it is often difficult to estimate the extent of, or even to identify, any contingent claims that might be made. In addition, certain claims that have priority by law (for example, claims for taxes) may be substantial.

Our failure to make follow-on investments in our portfolio companies could impair the value of our portfolio.

Following an initial investment in a portfolio company, we may make additional investments in that portfolio company as “follow-on” investments, in seeking to:

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increase or maintain in whole or in part our position as a creditor or equity ownership percentage in a portfolio company;

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exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing; or

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preserve or enhance the value of our investment.

We have discretion to make follow-on investments, subject to the availability of capital resources and the provisions of the 1940 Act. Failure on our part to make follow-on investments may, in some circumstances, jeopardize the continued viability of a portfolio company and our initial investment, or may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation. Even if we have sufficient capital to make a desired follow-on investment, we may elect not to make a follow-on investment because we may not want to increase our level of risk, because we prefer other opportunities or because we are inhibited by compliance with BDC requirements or the desire to maintain our RIC status.

Because we will not hold controlling equity interests in the majority of our portfolio companies, we may not be able to exercise control over our portfolio companies or prevent decisions by management of our portfolio companies, which could decrease the value of our investments.

We do not expect to hold controlling equity positions in the majority of our portfolio companies. Our debt investments may provide limited control features such as restrictions on the ability of a portfolio company to assume additional debt or to use the proceeds of our investment for other than certain specified purposes. “Control” under the 1940 Act is presumed at more than 25% equity ownership, and may also be present at lower ownership levels where we provide managerial assistance. When we do not acquire a controlling equity position in a portfolio company, we may be subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and that the management and/or stockholders of a portfolio company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that are adverse to our interests. Due to the lack of liquidity of the debt and equity and equity-related investments that we typically hold in our portfolio companies, we may not be able to dispose of our investments in the event we disagree with the actions of a portfolio company and may therefore suffer a decrease in the value of our investments.

Defaults by our portfolio companies will harm our operating results.

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its assets. This could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize such portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt or equity securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting portfolio company. In addition, we have invested in and may in the future invest in or obtain significant exposure to “covenant-lite” loans. We use the term “covenant-lite” loans to refer generally to loans that do not have a complete set of financial maintenance covenants. Generally, covenant-lite loans provide borrower companies more freedom to negatively impact lenders because their covenants are incurrence-based, which means they are only tested and can only be breached following an affirmative action of the borrower, rather than by a deterioration in the borrower’s financial condition. Accordingly, because we invest in and have exposure to covenant-lite loans, we may have fewer rights against a borrower and may have a greater risk of loss on such investments as compared to investments in or exposure to loans with financial maintenance covenants.

Further, many of our investments will likely have a principal amount outstanding at maturity, which could result in a substantial loss to us if the borrower is unable to refinance or repay.

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

Although our investments are primarily secured, some investments may be unsecured and subordinated to substantive amounts of senior indebtedness. The portfolio companies in which we invest usually have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt securities in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments may provide that the holders are entitled to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments in respect of the debt securities in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying senior creditors, the portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with debt securities in which we invest, we would have to share any distributions on an equal and ratable basis with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.

Additionally, certain loans that we make to portfolio companies may be secured on a second-priority basis by the same collateral securing senior secured debt of such companies. The first-priority liens on the collateral will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under any outstanding senior debt and may secure certain other future debt that may be permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under the agreements governing the loans. The holders of obligations secured by first-priority liens on the collateral will generally control the liquidation of, and be entitled to receive proceeds from, any realization of the collateral to repay their obligations in full before us. In addition, the value of the collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the loan obligations secured by the second-priority liens after payment in full of all obligations secured by the first-priority liens on the collateral. If such proceeds were not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the loan obligations secured by the second-priority liens, then, to the extent not repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral, we will only have an unsecured claim against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.

The rights we may have with respect to the collateral securing the loans we make to our portfolio companies with senior debt outstanding may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more intercreditor agreements that we enter into with the holders of such senior debt, including in unitranche transactions. Under a typical intercreditor agreement, at any time that obligations that have the benefit of the first-priority liens are outstanding, any of the following actions that may be taken in respect of the collateral will be at the direction of the holders of the obligations secured by the first-priority liens:

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the ability to cause the commencement of enforcement proceedings against the collateral;

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the ability to control the conduct of such proceedings;

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the approval of amendments to collateral documents;

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releases of liens on the collateral; and

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waivers of past defaults under collateral documents.

We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if our rights are adversely affected. In addition, a bankruptcy court may choose not to enforce an intercreditor agreement or other agreement with creditors.

We may also make unsecured loans to portfolio companies, meaning that such loans will not benefit from any interest in collateral of such companies. Liens on such portfolio companies’ collateral, if any, will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under its outstanding secured debt and may secure certain future debt that is permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under its secured loan agreements. The holders of obligations secured by such liens will generally control the liquidation of, and be entitled to receive proceeds from, any realization of such collateral to repay their obligations in full before us. In addition, the value of such collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from sales of

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such collateral would be sufficient to satisfy our unsecured loan obligations after payment in full of all secured loan obligations. If such proceeds were not sufficient to repay the outstanding secured loan obligations, then our unsecured claims would rank equally with the unpaid portion of such secured creditors’ claims against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.

We may also make subordinated investments that rank below other obligations of the obligor in right of payment. Subordinated investments are generally more volatile than secured loans and are subject to greater risk of default than senior obligations as a result of adverse changes in the financial condition of the obligor or in general economic conditions. If we make a subordinated investment in a portfolio company, the portfolio company may be highly leveraged, and its relatively high loan-to-value ratio may create increased risks that its operations might not generate sufficient cash flow to service all of its debt obligations.

The disposition of our investments may result in contingent liabilities.

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

We may be subject to additional risks if we engage in hedging transactions and/or invest in foreign securities.

The 1940 Act generally requires that 70% of our investments be in issuers each of whom, in addition to other requirements, is organized under the laws of, and has its principal place of business in, any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands or any other possession of the United States. Our investment strategy does not contemplate a significant number of investments in securities of non-U.S. companies. We expect that these investments would focus on the same investments that we make in U.S. growth stage companies and, accordingly, would be complementary to our overall strategy and enhance the diversity of our holdings.

To the extent that these investments are denominated in a foreign currency, we may engage in hedging transactions. Engaging in either hedging transactions or investing in foreign securities would entail additional risks to our stockholders. We may, for example, use instruments such as interest rate swaps, caps, collars and floors, forward contracts or currency options or borrow under a credit facility in foreign currencies to minimize our foreign currency exposure. In each such case, we generally would seek to hedge against fluctuations of the relative values of our portfolio positions from changes in market interest rates or currency exchange rates. Hedging against a decline in the values of our portfolio positions would not eliminate the possibility of fluctuations in the values of such positions or prevent losses if the values of the positions declined. However, such hedging could establish other positions designed to gain from those same developments, thereby offsetting the decline in the value of such portfolio positions. Such hedging transactions could also limit the opportunity for gain if the values of the underlying portfolio positions increased. Moreover, it might not be possible to hedge against an exchange rate or interest rate fluctuation that was so generally anticipated that we would not be able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price.

While we may enter into such transactions to seek to reduce currency exchange rate and interest rate risks, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates or interest rates could result in poorer overall investment performance than if we had not engaged in any such hedging transactions. In addition, the degree of correlation between price movements of the instruments used in a hedging strategy and price movements in the portfolio positions being hedged could vary. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, we might not seek to establish a perfect correlation between the hedging instruments and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Any such imperfect correlation could prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and expose us to risk of loss. In addition, it might not be possible to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies because the value of those securities would likely fluctuate as a result of factors not related to currency fluctuations.

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The new market structure applicable to derivatives imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act may affect our ability to use over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives for hedging purposes.

The Dodd-Frank Act enacted, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and SEC have issued or proposed rules to implement, both broad new regulatory requirements and broad new structural requirements applicable to OTC derivatives markets and, to a lesser extent, listed commodity futures (and futures options) markets. Similar changes are in the process of being implemented in other major financial markets.

Recent and anticipated regulatory changes require that certain types of OTC derivatives, including those that we may use for hedging activities, including interest rate and credit default swaps, be cleared and traded on regulated platforms, and these regulatory changes are expected to apply to foreign exchange transactions in the future. U.S. regulators have also adopted rules requiring us to post collateral with respect to cleared OTC derivatives and rules imposing margin requirements for OTC derivatives executed with registered swap dealers that are not cleared. The margin requirements for cleared and uncleared OTC derivatives may, in order to maintain our exemption from commodity pool operator (“CPO”) registration under the CFTC No-Action Letter 12-40, limit our ability to enter into hedging transactions or to obtain synthetic investment exposures, in either case adversely affecting our ability to mitigate risk. Furthermore, any failure by us to fulfill any collateral requirement (e.g., a so-called “margin call”) may result in a default and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Dodd-Frank Act also imposed requirements relating to real-time public and regulatory reporting of OTC derivative transactions, enhanced documentation requirements, position limits on an expanded array of derivatives, and recordkeeping requirements. Taken as a whole, these changes could significantly increase the cost of using uncleared OTC derivatives to hedge risks, including interest rate and foreign exchange risk; reduce the level of exposure we are able to obtain for risk management purposes through OTC derivatives (including as the result of the CFTC imposing position limits on additional products); reduce the amounts available to us to make non-derivatives investments; impair liquidity in certain OTC derivatives; and adversely affect the quality of execution pricing obtained by us, all of which could adversely impact our investment returns.

We may not realize gains from our equity and equity-related investments.

We may in the future make investments that include warrants or other equity or equity-related securities. In addition, we may from time to time make non-control, equity co-investments in companies in conjunction with private equity sponsors. Our goal is ultimately to realize gains upon our disposition of such equity and equity-related interests. However, the equity and equity-related interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity and equity-related interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity and equity-related interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience. We also may be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We often seek puts or similar rights to give us the right to sell our equity and equity-related securities back to the portfolio company issuer. We may be unable to exercise these put rights for the consideration provided in our investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

Our ability to enter into transactions involving derivatives and financial commitment transactions may be limited.

In November 2020, the SEC adopted a rulemaking regarding the ability of a BDC (or a registered investment company) to use derivatives and other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations. Under the newly adopted rules, BDCs that use derivatives will be subject to a value-at-risk leverage limit, a derivatives risk management program and testing requirements and requirements related to board reporting. These new requirements will apply unless the BDC qualifies as a “limited derivatives user,” as defined under the adopted rules. Under the new rule, a BDC may enter into an unfunded commitment agreement that is not a derivatives transaction, such as an agreement to provide financing to a portfolio company, if the BDC has, among other things, a reasonable belief, at the time it enters into such an agreement, that it will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its obligations with respect to all

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of its unfunded commitment agreements, in each case as it becomes due. Collectively, these requirements may limit our ability to use derivatives and/or enter into certain other financial contracts.

Risks Related to an Investment in Our Common Stock

We may not be able to pay distributions, our distributions may not grow over time and/or a portion of our distributions may be a return of capital.

We intend to pay distributions to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. We cannot assure you that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to sustain a specified level of cash distributions or make periodic increases in cash distributions. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by, among other things, the impact of one or more of the risk factors described herein, including the COVID-19 pandemic described in this prospectus. For example, if the temporary closure of many corporate offices, retail stores, and manufacturing facilities and factories in the jurisdictions, including the United States, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic were to continue for an extended period of time, it could result in reduced cash flows to us from our existing portfolio companies, which could reduce cash available for distribution to our stockholders. If we declare a dividend, and if enough stockholders opt to receive cash distributions rather than participate in our distribution reinvestment plan, we may be forced to sell some of our investments in order to make cash dividend payments. In addition, the inability to satisfy the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC could limit our ability to pay distributions. All distributions will be paid at the discretion of the Board and will depend on our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our RIC status, compliance with applicable BDC regulations and such other factors as the Board may deem relevant from time to time. We cannot assure you that we will pay distributions to our stockholders.

When we make distributions, we will be required to determine the extent to which such distributions are paid out of current or accumulated earnings and profits. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of an investor’s basis in our stock and, assuming that an investor holds our stock as a capital asset, thereafter as a capital gain.

Investing in our common stock may involve an above-average degree of risk.

The investments we make in accordance with our investment objective may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and a higher risk of volatility or loss of principal. Our investments in portfolio companies may be highly speculative and aggressive and, therefore, an investment in our common stock may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.

Provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”) and our Charter and Bylaws could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

The MGCL and our Charter and Bylaws contain provisions that may discourage, delay or make more difficult a change in control of us or the removal of our directors. We are subject to the Maryland Business Combination Act, subject to any applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. The Board has adopted a resolution exempting from the Maryland Business Combination Act any business combination between us and any other person, subject to prior approval of such business combination by the Board, including approval by a majority of our independent directors. If the resolution exempting business combinations is repealed or the Board does not approve a business combination, the Maryland Business Combination Act may discourage third parties from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer. In addition, we may amend our Bylaws to be subject to the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act, but only if the Board determines that it would be in our best interests, including in light of the Board’s fiduciary obligations, applicable federal and state laws, and the particular facts and circumstances surrounding the Board's decision. If such conditions are met, and we amend our Bylaws to repeal the exemption from the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act, the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act also may make it more difficult for a third party to obtain control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such a transaction.

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We have adopted certain measures that may make it difficult for a third-party to obtain control of us, including provisions of our Charter classifying the Board in three staggered terms and authorizing the Board to classify or reclassify shares of our capital stock in one or more classes or series and to cause the issuance of additional shares of our stock. These provisions, as well as other provisions of our Charter and Bylaws, may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.

Our Bylaws include an exclusive forum selection provision, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other agents.

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

This exclusive forum selection provision in our Bylaws will not apply to claims arising under the federal securities laws, including the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a provision, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. In addition, this provision may increase costs for stockholders in bringing a claim against us or our directors, officers or other agents. Any investor purchasing or otherwise acquiring our shares is deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing provision.

The exclusive forum selection provision in our Bylaws may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other agents, which may discourage lawsuits against us and such persons. It is also possible that, notwithstanding such exclusive forum selection provision, a court could rule that such provision is inapplicable or unenforceable. If this occurred, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in another forum, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have broad discretion over the use of proceeds of this offering and will use proceeds in part to satisfy operating expenses.

We have significant flexibility in applying the proceeds of this offering and may use the net proceeds from this offering in ways with which you may not agree, or for purposes other than those contemplated at this time. We will also pay operating expenses, and may pay other expenses such as due diligence expenses of potential new investments, from net proceeds. Our ability to achieve our investment objective may be limited to the extent that net proceeds of this offering, pending full investment, are used to pay operating expenses.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock, and we cannot assure you that a market for our common stock will develop or that the market price for shares of our common stock will not decline following this offering.

Our common stock has no history of public trading. We have applied to list our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Although we expect our common stock to be listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, we cannot assure you that an active trading market will develop for our common stock after this offering or, if one develops, that the trading market can be sustained. In addition, we cannot predict the prices at which our common stock will trade. The offering price for our common stock will be determined through our negotiations with the underwriters and may not bear any relationship to the market price at which it may trade after this offering. Shares of companies offered in an initial public offering often trade at a discount to the initial offering price due to underwriting discounts and commissions and related offering expenses. Also, shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value and our stock may also be discounted in the market. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share of

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common stock may decline. We cannot predict whether our common stock will trade at, above or below net asset value. The risk of loss associated with this characteristic of closed-end management investment companies may be greater for investors expecting to sell shares of common stock purchased in the offering soon after the offering. In addition, if our common stock trades below its net asset value, we will generally not be able to sell additional shares of our common stock to the public at its market price without first obtaining the approval of a majority of our stockholders (including a majority of our unaffiliated stockholders) and our independent directors for such issuance.

Investors in this offering will incur immediate dilution upon the closing of this offering.

The initial public offering price of our shares of common stock in this offering may be higher than the net asset value per share of our outstanding common stock. Accordingly, investors purchasing shares of common stock in this offering may incur immediate dilution upon the closing of this offering.

A stockholder’s interest in us will be diluted if additional shares of our common stock are issued pursuant to this offering and/or in the future, which could reduce the overall value of an investment in us.

Our stockholders do not have preemptive rights to purchase any shares we issue in the future. Our charter authorizes us to issue up to 200 million shares of common stock. Pursuant to our charter, a majority of our entire Board may amend our charter to increase the number of shares of common stock we may issue without stockholder approval. Our Board may elect to sell additional shares in the future or issue equity interests in private or public offerings. To the extent we issue additional equity interests at or below net asset value, your percentage ownership interest in us may be diluted. In addition, depending upon the terms and pricing of any additional offerings and the value of our investments, you may also experience dilution in the book value and fair value of your shares.

Under the 1940 Act, we generally are prohibited from issuing or selling our common stock at a price below net asset value per share, which may be a disadvantage as compared with certain public companies. We may, however, sell our common stock, or warrants, options, or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the current net asset value of our common stock if our Board and independent directors determine that such sale is in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders, and our stockholders, including a majority of those stockholders that are not affiliated with us, approve such sale. In any such case, the price at which our securities are to be issued and sold may not be less than a price that, in the determination of our Board, closely approximates the fair value of such securities (less any distributing commission or discount).

If we raise additional funds by issuing common stock or senior securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, then the percentage ownership of our stockholders at that time will decrease and you will experience dilution. Stockholders will experience dilution upon the conversion of some or all of the Convertible Notes into shares of our common stock. The existence of the Convertible Notes may also encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the Convertible Notes could depress the market price for our common stock.

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Upon completion of this offering, we will have 25,308,984 shares of common stock outstanding (or 26,440,984 shares of common stock if the underwriters’ exercise their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock). The shares of common stock sold in the offering will be freely tradable without restriction or limitation under the Securities Act.

Any shares of common stock purchased or issued in the Private Common Stock Offering or the Formation Transactions, issued upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, or currently owned by our affiliates, as defined in the Securities Act, are subject to the public information, manner of sale and volume limitations of Rule 144 under the Securities Act and applicable lock-up periods. See “Securities Eligible for Future Sale — Transfer Restrictions.” Such shares of common stock are “restricted securities” under the meaning of Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act and may only be sold if such sale is registered under the Securities Act or exempt from registration, including the exemption under Rule 144, and applicable

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lock-up periods have expired. In addition, stockholders that received shares of our common stock in connection with the Private Common Stock Offering and the Formation Transactions have the right under the Common Stock Registration Rights Agreement, and stockholders that receive shares of our common stock upon conversion of the Convertible Notes will have the right under the Convertible Notes Registration Rights Agreement (as defined in this prospectus), to have the resale of their shares registered under the Securities Act and accordingly may publicly resale such shares following this offering.

Following this offering, (i) the Secondary Shares and (ii) any other shares registered for resale (whether prior to or following this offering) pursuant to the Common Stock Registration Rights Agreement and/or the Convertible Notes Registration Rights Agreement will no longer be “restricted” securities. In addition, any future public resale of any shares of our common stock under the Common Stock Registration Rights Agreement and/or the Convertible Notes Registration Rights Agreement, and/or the expiration of applicable lock-up periods, subject to applicable securities laws, sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the perception that such sales could occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market prices for our common stock. If this occurs, it could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of equity securities should we desire to do so. We cannot predict what effect, if any, future sales of securities, or the availability of securities for future sales, will have on the market price of our common stock prevailing from time to time.

The market value of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

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

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changes in the value of our portfolio of investments and derivative instruments as a result of changes in market factors, such as interest rate shifts, and also portfolio specific performance, such as portfolio company defaults, among other reasons;

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changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to RICs or BDCs;

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loss of RIC or BDC status;

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distributions that exceed our net investment income and net income as reported according to GAAP;

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changes in earnings or variations in operating results;

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changes in accounting guidelines governing valuation of our investments;

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any shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses from levels expected by investors;

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departure of key personnel;

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general economic trends and other external factors; and

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loss of a major funding source.

If we issue preferred stock or convertible debt securities, the net asset value of our common stock may become more volatile.

We cannot assure you that the issuance of preferred stock and/or convertible debt securities would result in a higher yield or return to the holders of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock or convertible debt would likely cause the net asset value of our common stock to become more volatile. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock, or the interest rate on the convertible debt securities, were to approach the net rate of return on our investment portfolio, the benefit of such leverage to the holders of our common stock would be reduced. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock, or the interest rate on the convertible debt securities, were to exceed the net rate of return on our portfolio, the use of leverage would result in a lower rate of return to the holders of common stock than if we had not issued the preferred stock or convertible debt securities. Any decline in the net asset value of our investment would be borne entirely by the holders of our common stock. Therefore, if the market value of our portfolio were to decline, the leverage would result in a greater decrease in net asset value to the holders of our common stock than if we were

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not leveraged through the issuance of preferred stock or debt securities. This decline in net asset value would also tend to cause a greater decline in the market price, if any, for our common stock.

There is also a risk that, in the event of a sharp decline in the value of our net assets, we would be in danger of failing to maintain required asset coverage ratios, which may be required by the preferred stock or convertible debt, or our current investment income might not be sufficient to meet the dividend requirements on the preferred stock or the interest payments on the debt securities. In order to counteract such an event, we might need to liquidate investments in order to fund the redemption of some or all of the preferred stock or convertible debt. In addition, we would pay (and the holders of our common stock would bear) all costs and expenses relating to the issuance and ongoing maintenance of the preferred stock, debt securities, convertible debt, or any combination of these securities. Holders of preferred stock or convertible debt may have different interests than holders of common stock and may at times have disproportionate influence over our affairs.

Stockholders may be subject to filing requirements under the Exchange Act as a result of an investment in us.

Because our common stock is registered under the Exchange Act, ownership information for any person who beneficially owns 5% or more of our common stock must be disclosed in a Schedule 13D, Schedule 13G or other filings with the SEC. Beneficial ownership for these purposes is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and includes having voting or investment power over the securities. In some circumstances, investors who choose to reinvest their distributions may see their percentage stake in us increased to more than 5%, thus triggering this filing requirement. Although we provide in our quarterly financial statements the amount of outstanding stock and the amount of the investor’s stock, the responsibility for determining the filing obligation and preparing the filing remains with the investor. In addition, owners of 10% or more of our common stock are subject to reporting obligations under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act.

Stockholders may be subject to the short-swing profits rules under the Exchange Act as a result of an investment in us.

Persons who hold more than 10% of a class of shares of our common stock may be subject to Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, which recaptures for the benefit of the issuer profits from the purchase and sale of registered stock within a six-month period.

Stockholders will experience dilution in their ownership percentage if they do not participate in our distribution reinvestment plan.

Stockholders may experience dilution in the net asset value of their shares if they do not participate in our distribution reinvestment plan and if our shares are trading at a discount to net asset value.

All distributions declared in cash payable to stockholders that are participants in our distribution reinvestment plan will generally be automatically reinvested in shares of our common stock if the investor does not elect to opt out of the plan. As a result, stockholders that opt out of our distribution reinvestment plan may experience accretion to the net asset value of their shares if our shares are trading at a premium to net asset value and dilution if our shares are trading at a discount to net asset value. The level of accretion or discount would depend on various factors, including the proportion of our stockholders who participate in the plan, the level of premium or discount at which our shares are trading and the amount of the distribution payable to stockholders.

Risks Related to the 2025 Notes

The 2025 Notes are unsecured and therefore are effectively subordinated to any secured indebtedness we have currently incurred or may incur in the future.

The 2025 Notes are not secured by any of our assets or any of the assets of our subsidiaries. As a result, the 2025 Notes are effectively subordinated, or junior, to any secured indebtedness or other obligations

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we or our subsidiaries have currently incurred, including the Credit Agreement, and may incur in the future (or any indebtedness that is initially unsecured that we later secure) to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In any liquidation, dissolution, bankruptcy or other similar proceeding, the holders of any of our existing or future secured indebtedness and the secured indebtedness of our subsidiaries may assert rights against the assets pledged to secure that indebtedness in order to receive full payment of their indebtedness before the assets may be used to pay other creditors, including the holders of the 2025 Notes. Secured indebtedness is effectively senior to the 2025 Notes to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness.

The 2025 Notes are structurally subordinated to the indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries.

The 2025 Notes are obligations exclusively of us and not of any of our subsidiaries. None of our subsidiaries are a guarantor of the 2025 Notes and the 2025 Notes are not required to be guaranteed by any subsidiaries we may acquire or create in the future. Except to the extent we are a creditor with recognized claims against our subsidiaries, all claims of creditors (including trade creditors) and holders of preferred stock, if any, of our subsidiaries will have priority over our equity interests in such subsidiaries (and therefore the claims of our creditors, including holders of the 2025 Notes) with respect to the assets of such subsidiaries. Even if we are recognized as a creditor of one or more of our subsidiaries, our claims would still be effectively subordinated to any security interests in the assets of any such subsidiary and to any indebtedness or other liabilities of any such subsidiary senior to our claims. Consequently, the 2025 Notes will be structurally subordinated, or junior, to the Credit Agreement and all existing and future indebtedness and other obligations (including trade payables) incurred by any of our subsidiaries, financing vehicles or similar facilities and any subsidiaries, financing vehicles or similar facilities that we may in the future acquire or establish.

The 2025 Notes Indenture contains limited protection for holders of the 2025 Notes.

The 2025 Notes Indenture (as defined in this prospectus) offers limited protection to holders of the 2025 Notes. The terms of the 2025 Notes Indenture and the 2025 Notes do not restrict our or any of our subsidiaries’ ability to engage in, or otherwise be a party to, a variety of corporate transactions, circumstances or events that could have an adverse impact on your investment in the 2025 Notes. In particular, the terms of the 2025 Notes Indenture and the 2025 Notes will not place any restrictions on our or our subsidiaries’ ability to:

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issue securities or otherwise incur additional indebtedness or other obligations, including (1) any indebtedness or other obligations that would be pari passu, or equal, in right of payment to the 2025 Notes, (2) any indebtedness or other obligations that would be secured and therefore rank effectively senior in right of payment to the 2025 Notes to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness, (3) indebtedness or other obligations of ours that are guaranteed by one or more of our subsidiaries and which therefore are structurally senior to the 2025 Notes and (4) securities, indebtedness or other obligations incurred by our subsidiaries that would be senior to our equity interests in our subsidiaries and therefore rank structurally senior to the 2025 Notes with respect to the assets of those subsidiaries, in each case other than an incurrence of indebtedness or other obligations that would cause a violation of Section 18(a)(1)(A) as modified by Section 61(a) of the 1940 Act or any successor provisions of the 1940 Act, but giving effect, in either case, to any exemptive relief granted to us by the SEC. Currently, these provisions generally prohibit us from incurring additional borrowings, including through the issuance of additional debt securities, unless our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 150% after such borrowings;

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pay dividends on, or purchase or redeem or make any payments in respect of, capital stock or other securities ranking junior in right of payment to the 2025 Notes;

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sell assets (other than certain limited restrictions on our ability to consolidate, merge or sell all or substantially all of our assets);

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create liens (including liens on the shares of our subsidiaries) or enter into sale and leaseback transactions;

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enter into transactions with affiliates;

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make investments; or

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create restrictions on the payment of dividends or other amounts to us from our subsidiaries.

In addition, the 2025 Notes Indenture does not require us to offer to purchase the 2025 Notes in connection with a change of control or any other event. Furthermore, the terms of the 2025 Notes Indenture and the 2025 Notes do not protect holders of the 2025 Notes in the event that we experience changes (including significant adverse changes) in our financial condition, results of operations or credit ratings, as they do not require that we or our subsidiaries adhere to any financial tests or ratios or specified levels of net worth, revenues, income, cash flow, or liquidity.

Our ability to recapitalize, incur additional debt and take a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the 2025 Notes may have important consequences for you as a holder of the 2025 Notes, including making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to the 2025 Notes or negatively affecting the trading value of the 2025 Notes to the extent such a trading market develops for the 2025 Notes.

Certain of our current debt instruments include more protections for their holders than the 2025 Notes Indenture and the 2025 Notes. In addition, other debt we issue or incur in the future could contain more protections for its holders than the 2025 Notes Indenture and the 2025 Notes, including additional covenants and events of default. The issuance or incurrence of any such debt with incremental protections could affect the market for and trading levels and prices of the 2025 Notes to the extent such a market develops for the 2025 Notes.

If we default on our obligations to pay our other indebtedness, we may not be able to make payments on the 2025 Notes.

Any default under the agreements governing our indebtedness or under other indebtedness to which we may be a party, that is not waived by the required lenders or holders and the remedies sought by the holders of such indebtedness could make us unable to pay principal, premium, if any, and interest on the 2025 Notes and substantially decrease the market value of the 2025 Notes.

If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow and are otherwise unable to obtain funds necessary to meet required payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, or if we otherwise fail to comply with the various covenants, including financial and operating covenants, in the instruments governing our indebtedness, we could be in default under the terms of the agreements governing such indebtedness. In the event of such default, the holders of such indebtedness could elect to declare all the funds borrowed thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest, the lenders under our current indebtedness or other debt we may incur in the future could elect to terminate their commitments, cease making further loans and institute foreclosure proceedings against our assets, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

If our operating performance declines, we may in the future need to seek to obtain waivers from the required lenders or holders under the agreements governing our indebtedness, or other indebtedness that we may incur in the future, to avoid being in default. If we breach our covenants under the agreements governing our indebtedness and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders or holders. If this occurs, we would be in default and our lenders or debt holders could exercise their rights as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

If we are unable to repay debt, lenders having secured obligations, including Credit Suisse under the Credit Agreement, could proceed against the collateral securing the debt. Because the 2025 Notes Indenture has cross-acceleration provisions, and any future debt will likely have, customary cross-default and cross-acceleration provisions, if the indebtedness thereunder, hereunder or under any future credit facility is accelerated, we may be unable to repay or finance the amounts due.

The optional redemption provision may materially adversely affect a holder’s return on the 2025 Notes.

The 2025 Notes are redeemable in whole or in part at any time or from time to time on or after January 16, 2023 at our option. We may choose to redeem the 2025 Notes at times when prevailing interest rates are lower

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than the interest rate paid on the 2025 Notes. In this circumstance, you may not be able to reinvest the redemption proceeds in a comparable security at an effective interest rate as high as that of the 2025 Notes being redeemed.

A downgrade, suspension or withdrawal of the rating assigned by a rating agency to us and/or the 2025 Notes, if any, could cause the market value of the 2025 Notes to decline significantly.

Any credit ratings assigned to us and/or the 2025 Notes are an assessment by rating agencies of our ability to pay our obligations. Consequently, real or anticipated changes to any such credit ratings will generally affect the market value of the 2025 Notes. These credit ratings, however, may not reflect the potential impact of risks related to market conditions generally or other factors discussed herein that could impact the market value of the 2025 Notes.

Generally, rating agencies base their ratings on such material and information, and such of their own investigations, studies and assumptions, as they deem appropriate. Any such credit ratings should be evaluated independently from similar ratings of other securities or companies. Credit ratings are not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the issuing organization in its sole discretion. Neither we nor any rating agents undertake any obligation to maintain any credit ratings assigned to us and/or the 2025 Notes or to advise our stockholders or holders of the 2025 Notes of any changes to such credit ratings. There can be no assurance that any credit ratings assigned to us and/or the 2025 Notes will remain for any given period of time.

Risks Related to the Convertible Notes

The Convertible Notes are unsecured and therefore are effectively subordinated to any secured indebtedness currently outstanding or that may be incurred in the future and rank pari passu with, or equal to, all outstanding and future unsecured unsubordinated indebtedness issued by us and our general liabilities.

The Convertible Notes are not be secured by any of our assets or any of the assets of any of our subsidiaries. As a result, the Convertible Notes are effectively subordinated to any outstanding secured indebtedness as of the date of this prospectus (including the Credit Agreement) or that we or our subsidiaries may incur in the future (or any indebtedness that is initially unsecured as to which we subsequently grant a security interest) to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In any liquidation, dissolution, bankruptcy or other similar proceeding, the holders of any of our secured indebtedness or secured indebtedness of our subsidiaries may assert rights against the assets pledged to secure that indebtedness in order to receive full payment of their indebtedness before the assets may be used to pay other creditors, including the holders of the Convertible Notes. As of January 20, 2021, through of our wholly-owned subsidiary, Trinity Funding 1, LLC, we had approximately $135 million of borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement. The indebtedness under the Credit Agreement is effectively senior to the Convertible Notes to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In addition, as of January 20, 2021, we had $125 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes outstanding, which rank pari passu with the Convertible Notes.

The Convertible Notes are structurally subordinated to the indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries.

The Convertible Notes are obligations exclusively of Trinity Capital Inc., and not of any of our subsidiaries. None of our subsidiaries is a guarantor of the Convertible Notes, and the Convertible Notes are not required to be guaranteed by any subsidiary we may acquire or create in the future. Any assets of our subsidiaries will not be directly available to satisfy the claims of our creditors, including holders of the Convertible Notes. Except to the extent we are a creditor with recognized claims against our subsidiaries, all claims of creditors of our subsidiaries will have priority over our equity interests in such entities (and therefore the claims of our creditors, including holders of the Convertible Notes) with respect to the assets of such entities. Even if we are recognized as a creditor of one or more of these entities, our claims would still be effectively subordinated to any security interests in the assets of any such entity and to any indebtedness or other liabilities of any such entity senior to our claims. Consequently, the Convertible Notes are structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables, of any of our existing or

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future subsidiaries. Certain of these entities serve as guarantors under the Credit Agreement, and in the future our subsidiaries may incur substantial additional indebtedness, all of which is and would be structurally senior to the Convertible Notes.

The Convertible Notes Indenture contains limited protection for holders of the Convertible Notes.

The Convertible Notes Indenture offers limited protection to holders of the Convertible Notes. The terms of the Convertible Notes Indenture and the Convertible Notes do not restrict our or any of our subsidiaries’ ability to engage in, or otherwise be a party to, a variety of corporate transactions, circumstances or events that could have a material adverse impact on the holders’ investment in the Convertible Notes. In particular, the terms of the Convertible Notes Indenture and the Convertible Notes will not place any restrictions on our or our subsidiaries’ ability to:

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issue securities or otherwise incur additional indebtedness or other obligations, including (1) any indebtedness or other obligations that would be equal in right of payment to the Convertible Notes, (2) any indebtedness or other obligations that would be secured and therefore rank effectively senior in right of payment to the Convertible Notes to the extent of the values of the assets securing such debt, (3) indebtedness of ours that is guaranteed by one or more of our subsidiaries and which therefore is structurally senior to the Convertible Notes and (4) securities, indebtedness or obligations issued or incurred by our subsidiaries that would be senior to our equity interests in those entities and therefore rank structurally senior to the Convertible Notes with respect to the assets of our subsidiaries, in each case other than an incurrence of indebtedness or other obligation that would cause a violation of Section 18(a)(1)(A) as modified by such provisions of Section 61(a) of the 1940 Act as may be applicable to us from time to time or any successor provisions, whether or not we continue to be subject to such provisions of the 1940 Act, but giving effect, in each case, to any exemptive relief granted to us by the SEC. Currently, these provisions generally prohibit us from making additional borrowings, including through the issuance of additional debt or the sale of additional debt securities, unless our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 150%;

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pay dividends on, or purchase or redeem or make any payments in respect of, capital stock or other securities ranking junior in right of payment to the Convertible Notes;

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sell assets (other than certain limited restrictions on our ability to consolidate, merge or sell all or substantially all of our assets);

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enter into transactions with affiliates;

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create liens (including liens on the shares of our subsidiaries) or enter into sale and leaseback transactions;

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make investments; or

•

create restrictions on the payment of dividends or other amounts to us from our subsidiaries.

Furthermore, the terms of the Convertible Notes Indenture and the Convertible Notes do not protect holders of the Convertible Notes in the event that we experience changes (including significant adverse changes) in our financial condition, results of operations or credit ratings, if any, as they do not require that we or our subsidiaries adhere to any financial tests or ratios or specified levels of net worth, revenues, income, cash flow, or liquidity.

Our ability to recapitalize, incur additional debt (including additional debt that matures prior to the maturity of the Convertible Notes), and take a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the Convertible Notes may have important consequences for holders of the Convertible Notes, including making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to the Convertible Notes or negatively affecting the trading value of the Convertible Notes.

Other debt we issue or incur in the future could contain more protections for its holders than the Convertible Notes Indenture and the Convertible Notes, including additional covenants and events of default. The issuance or incurrence of any such debt with incremental protections could affect the market for, trading levels, and prices of the Convertible Notes.

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If we default on our obligations to pay our other indebtedness, we may not be able to make payments on the Convertible Notes.

Any default under the agreements governing our indebtedness or under other indebtedness to which we may be a party, that is not waived by the required lenders or holders and the remedies sought by the holders of such indebtedness could make us unable to pay principal, premium, if any, and interest on the Convertible Notes and substantially decrease the market value of the Convertible Notes.

If we are unable to repay debt, lenders having secured obligations, including Credit Suisse under the Credit Agreement, could proceed against the collateral securing the debt. Because the Convertible Notes Indenture will have, and any future debt will likely have, customary cross-default provisions, if the indebtedness thereunder, hereunder or under any future credit facility is accelerated, we may be unable to repay or finance the amounts due.

We may not have, or have the ability to raise, the funds necessary to purchase the Convertible Notes as required upon a fundamental change, and our future debt may contain limitations on our ability to deliver shares of our common stock upon conversion or purchase of the Convertible Notes.

Holders of the Convertible Notes will have the right to require us to purchase their Convertible Notes for cash upon the occurrence of a fundamental change at a purchase price equal to 100% of their principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. As defined in the Convertible Notes Indenture, a fundamental change means the occurrence of either a change in control or, after the initial listing of our common stock on a national securities exchange, the termination of trading of our common stock on any such exchange. We may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make purchases of Convertible Notes surrendered therefor. In addition, our ability to purchase the Convertible Notes or to deliver shares of our common stock upon conversions of the Convertible Notes may be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements governing our indebtedness. Our failure to purchase Convertible Notes at a time when the purchase is required by the Convertible Notes Indenture or deliver any shares of our common stock upon future conversions of the Convertible Notes as required by the Convertible Notes Indenture would constitute a default under the Convertible Notes Indenture. A default under the Convertible Notes Indenture or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under the Credit Agreement and/or the 2025 Notes Indenture. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and purchase the Convertible Notes.

The conversion rate of the Convertible Notes may not be adjusted for all dilutive events.

The conversion rate of the Convertible Notes is subject to adjustment upon certain events, including the issuance of certain stock dividends on our common stock, certain issuance of rights or warrants subdivisions, combinations, certain distributions of capital stock, indebtedness or assets, certain cash dividends and certain issuer tender or exchange offers. However, the conversion rate will not be adjusted for

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other events, such as a third-party tender or exchange offer or an issuance of common stock for cash, that may adversely affect the trading price of the Convertible Notes or the common stock. An event that adversely affects the value of the Convertible Notes may occur, and that event may not result in an adjustment to the conversion rate.

The forced conversion provision may materially adversely affect the holders’ return on the Convertible Notes.

At our option, we may cause the holders to convert all or a portion of the then outstanding principal amount of the Convertible Notes plus accrued but unpaid interest, but excluding the date of such conversion, at any time on or prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding the maturity date, if, following the listing of our common stock on a national securities exchange, the closing sale price of our common stock on such national securities exchange for any 30 consecutive trading days exceeds 120% of the conversion price, as may be adjusted. Upon such conversion, we will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, at our election, per $1,000 principal amount of the Convertible Notes, equal to the conversion rate, and a forced conversion make-whole payment, if any, in cash, as described Convertible Notes Indenture. In this circumstance, the holders may not be able to reinvest the proceeds therefrom in a comparable security at an effective interest rate as high as that of the Convertible Notes.

There is currently no public market for the Convertible Notes, and an active trading market may not develop for the Convertible Notes. The failure of a market to develop for the Convertible Notes could adversely affect the liquidity and value of the Convertible Notes.

The Convertible Notes are a new issue of securities, and there is no existing market for the Convertible Notes. We do not intend to apply for listing of the Convertible Notes on any securities exchange or for quotation of the Convertible Notes on any automated dealer quotation system. A market may not develop for the Convertible Notes, and there can be no assurance as to the liquidity of any market that may develop for the Convertible Notes. If an active, liquid market does not develop for the Convertible Notes, the market price and liquidity of the Convertible Notes may be adversely affected. If any of the Convertible Notes are traded after their initial issuance, they may trade at a discount from their initial offering price.

The liquidity of the trading market, if any, and future trading prices of the Convertible Notes will depend on many factors, including, among other things, the price of our common stock, prevailing interest rates, our operating results, financial performance and prospects, the market for similar securities and the overall securities market, and may be adversely affected by unfavorable changes in these factors. Historically, the market for convertible debt has been subject to disruptions that have caused volatility in prices. It is possible that the market for the Convertible Notes will be subject to disruptions that may have a negative effect on the holders of the Convertible Notes, regardless of our operating results, financial performance or prospects.

We have agreed to file a resale registration statement for the Convertible Notes. Under the Convertible Notes Registration Rights Agreement we are required to register the resale of the Convertible Notes under the Securities Act. Until such a registration statement has been declared effective, holders of the Convertible Notes may not offer or sell the Convertible Notes except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an effective registration statement. The SEC, however, has broad discretion to determine whether any registration statement will be declared effective and may delay or deny the effectiveness of any such registration statement filed by us for a variety of reasons. Our ability to have declared effective by the SEC a registration statement pertaining to the resale of the Convertible Notes on a timely basis will depend upon our ability to resolve any issues that may be raised by the SEC. No assurance can be given as to when a registration statement with respect to the Convertible Notes will become effective. Failure to have the registration statement become effective could adversely affect the liquidity and price of the Convertible Notes.

The Convertible Notes may bear the restricted legend indefinitely if we issue additional Convertible Notes.

The Convertible Notes Indenture will allow us to issue additional Convertible Notes in the future on the same terms and conditions as the Convertible Notes offered hereby, except for any differences in the

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issue price and interest accrued prior to the issue date of the additional Convertible Notes; provided that if any such additional notes are not fungible with the Convertible Notes initially offered hereby for U.S. federal income tax purposes, those additional notes will have a separate CUSIP number. Subject to certain exceptions, the Convertible Notes Indenture will provide that the Convertible Notes and any shares of common stock issued upon conversion of the Convertible Notes will bear a restricted securities legend until the date that is one year after the later of last date of original issuance of the Convertible Notes or the last day of issuance of any additional Convertible Notes, or such later date, if any, as may be required by applicable law. We may, but are not required to, remove the restricted securities legend from any global Convertible Notes promptly after such date. However, because the issuance of any additional Convertible Notes would cause such date to be delayed beyond one year after the last date of original issuance of the Convertible Notes offered hereby, any additional Convertible Notes that we issue at a later date will cause the removal of the restricted legend, if at all, to be delayed beyond such date. As a result of the foregoing, your ability to resell in the public market the Convertible Notes and common stock issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Notes may be delayed, which may adversely affect the size of the market for these securities and pricing on re-sales.

The accounting for convertible debt securities is subject to uncertainty.

The accounting for convertible debt securities is subject to frequent scrutiny by the accounting regulatory bodies and is subject to change. We cannot predict if or when any such change could be made and any such change could have an adverse impact on our reported or future financial results. Any such impacts could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and in turn negatively impact the trading price of the Convertible Notes.

The market value of our common stock and of the Convertible Notes may fluctuate significantly, and this may make it difficult for holders to resell the Convertible Notes or common stock issued upon conversion of the Convertible Notes when holders want or at prices holders find attractive.

There is currently no public market for the Convertible Notes or our common stock and there can be no assurance that a market for the Convertible Notes or our common stock will develop. In addition, the market value and liquidity, if any, of the market for the Convertible Notes or our common stock may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. In addition, because the Convertible Notes are convertible into our common stock, volatility or depressed prices for our common stock could have a similar effect on the trading price of the Convertible Notes. These factors include:

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changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to RICs or BDCs;

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loss of RIC or BDC status;

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distributions that exceed our net investment income and net income as reported according to GAAP;

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changes in earnings or variations in operating results;

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changes in accounting guidelines governing valuation of our investments;

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any shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses from levels expected by investors;

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departure of key personnel;

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general economic trends and other external factors; and

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loss of a major funding source.

Under the Convertible Notes Registration Rights Agreement we have agreed to file a resale registration statement for the Convertible Notes and any shares of common stock to be issued upon conversion of the Convertible Notes. Under the Convertible Notes Registration Rights Agreement we are required to register the resale of the Convertible Notes and such shares under the Securities Act. Until any such resale

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registration statement has been declared effective, holders of the Convertible Notes and such shares may not offer or sell the Convertible Notes and such shares except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an effective registration statement. The SEC, however, has broad discretion to determine whether any registration statement will be declared effective and may delay or deny the effectiveness of any such resale registration statement filed by us for a variety of reasons. Our ability to have declared effective by the SEC a registration statement pertaining to the resale of the Convertible Notes and/or any shares of common stock to be issued upon conversion of the Convertible Notes on a timely basis will depend upon our ability to resolve any issues that may be raised by the SEC. No assurance can be given as to when any such resale registration statement with respect to the Convertible Notes and/or any shares of common stock to be issued upon conversion of the Convertible Notes will become effective. Failure to have any such resale registration statement become effective could adversely affect the liquidity and price of the Convertible Notes and/or any shares of common stock issued upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, as applicable.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market or the issuance of securities senior to our common stock could adversely affect the trading price of our common stock and the value of the Convertible Notes and our ability to raise funds in new stock offerings.

Future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock or equity-related securities in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market value of our common stock and the value of the Convertible Notes and could impair our ability to raise capital through future offerings of our securities, should we decide to offer them. No prediction can be made as to the effect that future sales of shares of common stock, or the availability of shares of common stock for future sale, will have on the trading price of our common stock or the value of the Convertible Notes.

Holders of the Convertible Notes will not be entitled to any rights with respect to our common stock, but will be subject to all changes made with respect to our common stock.

Holders of the Convertible Notes will not be entitled to any rights with respect to our common stock (including, without limitation, voting rights or rights to receive any dividends or other distributions on our common stock), but will be subject to all changes affecting our common stock. Holders will only be entitled to rights in respect of our common stock if and when we deliver shares of our common stock upon conversion for their Convertible Notes and, to a limited extent, under the conversion rate adjustments applicable to the Convertible Notes. For example, in the event that an amendment is proposed to our charter or bylaws requiring stockholder approval and the record date for determining the stockholders of record entitled to vote on the amendment occurs prior to a holder’s conversion of Convertible Notes, the holder will not be entitled to vote on the amendment, although the holder will nevertheless be subject to any changes in the powers, preferences or rights of our common stock that result from such amendment.

Upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, holders may receive less valuable consideration than expected because the market value or net asset value per share of our common stock may decline after holders exercise their conversion right but before we settle our conversion obligation.

Under the Convertible Notes, a converting holder may be exposed to fluctuations in the market value or net asset value per share of our common stock during the period from the date such holder surrenders its Convertible Notes for conversion until the date we settle our conversion obligation.

Because we may satisfy our conversion obligation solely in shares of our common stock upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, under such circumstances we will deliver shares of our common stock, together with cash for any fractional share, on the second business day following the relevant conversion date. Accordingly, if the market value or net asset value per share of our common stock decreases during this period, the market value of the shares of our common stock that holders receive will be adversely affected and would be less than the conversion value of the Convertible Notes on the conversion date.

The adjustment to the conversion rate for Convertible Notes converted in connection with a make-whole adjustment event may not adequately compensate holders for any lost value of their Convertible Notes as a result of such transaction.

Following a make-whole adjustment event, if a holder elects to convert its Convertible Notes in connection with such corporate transaction, we will increase the conversion rate by an additional number of

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shares of our common stock upon conversion in certain circumstances. As defined in the Convertible Notes Indenture, a make-whole adjustment event means any change of control and any termination of trading of our common stock on any national securities exchange. The increase in the conversion rate will be determined based on the date on which the make-whole adjustment event occurs or becomes effective and the price paid (or deemed to be paid) per share of our common stock in the make-whole adjustment event, as described in the Convertible Notes Indenture. The adjustment to the conversion rate for Convertible Notes converted in connection with a make-whole adjustment event may not adequately compensate holders for any lost value of their Convertible Notes as a result of such transaction. In addition, if the price paid (or deemed to be paid) per share of our common stock in the make-whole adjustment event is greater than $20.00 per share or less than $13.01 per share (in each case, subject to adjustment), no increase in the conversion rate will be made. Moreover, in no event will the conversion rate per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes exceed the maximum conversion rate described further in the Convertible Notes Indenture, which is subject to adjustment as described in such section.

Our obligation to increase the conversion rate upon the occurrence of a make-whole adjustment event could be considered a penalty, in which case the enforceability thereof would be subject to general principles of reasonableness of economic remedies.

Some significant restructuring transactions may not constitute a fundamental change, in which case we would not be obligated to offer to purchase the Convertible Notes.

Upon the occurrence of a fundamental change, holders have the right to require us to purchase their Convertible Notes. However, the fundamental change provisions will not afford protection to holders in the event of other transactions that could adversely affect the Convertible Notes. For example, transactions such as leveraged recapitalizations, refinancings, restructurings, or acquisitions initiated by us may not constitute a fundamental change requiring us to repurchase the Convertible Notes. In addition, holders may not be entitled to require us to purchase their Convertible Notes upon a fundamental change in certain circumstances involving a significant change in the composition of our Board, or in connection with a proxy contest where our Board does not endorse a dissident slate of directors but approves them for purposes of the definition of “continuing directors” as set forth in the Convertible Notes Indenture. In the event of any such transaction, the holders would not have the right to require us to purchase their Convertible Notes, even though each of these transactions could increase the amount of our indebtedness, or otherwise adversely affect our capital structure or any credit ratings, thereby adversely affecting the holders.

Provisions of the Convertible Notes could discourage an acquisition of us by a third party.

Certain provisions of the Convertible Notes could make it more difficult or more expensive for a third party to acquire us. Upon the occurrence of certain transactions constituting a fundamental change, holders of the Convertible Notes will have the right, at their option, to require us to purchase for cash all of their Convertible Notes or any portion of the principal amount of such Convertible Notes in integral multiples of $1,000. We may also be required to increase the conversion rate in the event of certain transactions constituting a make-whole adjustment event. These provisions could discourage an acquisition of us by a third party.

A downgrade, suspension or withdrawal of the rating assigned by a rating agency to us and/or the Convertible Notes, if any, could cause the market value of the Convertible Notes to decline significantly.

Any credit ratings assigned to us and/or the Convertible Notes are an assessment by rating agencies of our ability to pay our obligations. Consequently, real or anticipated changes to any such credit ratings will generally affect the market value of the Convertible Notes. These credit ratings, however, may not reflect the potential impact of risks related to market conditions generally or other factors discussed herein that could impact the market value of the Convertible Notes.

If an investment grade rating is not maintained with respect to the Convertible Notes, additional interest of 0.75% per annum will accrue on the Convertible Notes until such time as the Convertible Notes have received an investment grade rating of “BBB-” (or its equivalent) or better. An explanation of the significance of a credit rating may be obtained from the rating agency. Generally, rating agencies base their ratings on such material and information, and such of their own investigations, studies and assumptions,

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as they deem appropriate. A credit rating should be evaluated independently from similar ratings of other securities or companies. A credit rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time. There can be no assurance that a credit rating will remain for any given period of time.

Conversions of the Convertible Notes will dilute the ownership interest of our existing stockholders, including holders who had previously converted their Convertible Notes, if shares of our common stock are issued upon conversions of the Convertible Notes.

The conversion of some or all of the Convertible Notes into shares of our common stock will dilute the ownership interests of our existing stockholders. Any sales of our common stock issuable upon such conversion could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the Convertible Notes may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the Convertible Notes could depress the market price of our common stock.

If the Convertible feature of the Convertible Notes is deemed to be greater than incidental and investment in the Convertible Notes by Benefit Plan Investors is “significant” within the Plan Asset Regulation, we could be subject to ERISA fiduciary duties and other provisions of ERISA.

Under certain circumstances, our underling assets could be treated as “plan assets” of employee benefit plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) or section 4975 of the Code (“Benefit Plan Investors”). This could occur if the convertibility feature of the Convertible Notes were to be treated as greater than “incidental,” and, as such, the Convertible Notes were deemed to be equity under the ERISA’s plan asset regulation (DOL Reg. section 2510.3-101 as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA, the “Plan Asset Regulation”). If investment by Benefit Plan Investors in the Covertible Notes is “significant” and the Convertible Notes were deemed equity interests, in each case under the Plan Asset Regulation and an exception to the Plan Asset Regulation did not apply, we and our management would be subject to ERISA fiduciary duties and certain transactions we might enter into, or may have entered into, in the ordinary course of our business might constitute non-exempt “prohibited transactions” under section 406 of ERISA or section 4975 of the Code and might have to be rescinded at significant cost to us.

If the Convertible Notes are issued with original issue discount and a bankruptcy petition were filed by or against us, holders of the Convertible Notes may receive a lesser amount for their claim than they would have been entitled to receive under the Convertible Notes Indenture.

If the Convertible Notes are issued with original issue discount and a bankruptcy petition were filed by or against us under the United States Bankruptcy Code after the issuance of the Convertible Notes, the claim by any holder of the Convertible Notes for the principal amount of the Convertible Notes may be limited to an amount equal to the sum of: the original issue price for the Convertible Notes and that portion of any original issue discount that does not constitute “unmatured interest” for purposes of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

Any original issue discount that was not amortized as of the date of the bankruptcy filing would constitute unmatured interest. Accordingly, holders of the Convertible Notes under these circumstances may receive a lesser amount than they would be entitled to under the terms of the Convertible Notes Indenture, even if sufficient funds are available.

Holders may be subject to tax if we make or fail to make certain adjustments to the conversion rate of the Convertible Notes, even though the holders did not receive a corresponding cash distribution.

The conversion rate of the Convertible Notes is subject to adjustment in certain circumstances, including the payment of cash dividends. If the conversion rate is adjusted as a result of a distribution that is taxable to our common stockholders, such as a cash dividend, a holder may be deemed to have received a dividend subject to U.S. federal income tax without the receipt of any cash. In addition, a failure to adjust (or to adjust adequately) the conversion rate after an event that increases a holder’s proportionate interest in us could be treated as a deemed taxable dividend to the holder. If a make-whole adjustment event occurs on or prior to the business day immediately preceding the stated maturity date of the Convertible Notes,

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under some circumstances, we will increase the conversion rate for the Convertible Notes converted in connection with the make-whole adjustment event. Such increase may also be treated as a distribution subject to U.S. federal income tax as a dividend. In addition, if a holder is a non-U.S. holder, such holder may be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax in connection with such a deemed distribution. If withholding tax is paid on a holder’s behalf as a result of an adjustment to the conversion rate of the Convertible Notes, the withholding agent may offset such payments against payments of cash and common stock on the Convertible Notes. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisor with respect to the U.S. federal income tax consequences resulting from an adjustment to the conversion rate of the Convertible Notes.

Because the Convertible Notes will initially be held in book-entry form, holders must rely on DTC’s procedures to receive communications relating to the Convertible Notes and exercise their rights and remedies.

We will initially issue the Convertible Notes in the form of one or more global notes registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of DTC. Beneficial interests in global notes will be shown on, and transfers of global notes will be effected only through, the records maintained by DTC. Except in limited circumstances, we will not issue certificated Convertible Notes. Accordingly, if a holder owns a beneficial interest in a global note, then the holder will not be considered an owner or holder of the Convertible Notes. Instead, DTC or its nominee will be the sole holder of the Convertible Notes. Unlike persons who have certificated Convertible Notes registered in their names, owners of beneficial interests in global notes will not have the direct right to act on our solicitations for consents or requests for waivers or other actions from holders. Instead, those beneficial owners will be permitted to act only to the extent that they have received appropriate proxies to do so from DTC or, if applicable, a DTC participant. The applicable procedures for the granting of these proxies may not be sufficient to enable owners of beneficial interests in global notes to vote on any requested actions on a timely basis. In addition, notices and other communications relating to the Convertible Notes will be sent to DTC. We expect DTC to forward any such communications to DTC participants, which in turn would forward such communications to indirect DTC participants. But we can make no assurances that holders timely receive any such communications.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Risks

We cannot predict how tax reform legislation will affect us, our investments, or our stockholders, and any such legislation could adversely affect our business.

Legislative or other actions relating to taxes could have a negative effect on us. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the U.S. Treasury Department. The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed tax reform legislation in December 2017 (the “2017 Tax Act”), which the President signed into law shortly thereafter. Such legislation made many changes to the Code, including, among other things, significant changes to the taxation of business entities, the deductibility of interest expense, and the tax treatment of capital investment. Such legislation could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify as a RIC and have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to us and our stockholders. Additionally, the U.S. Treasury and IRS are in the process of issuing regulations and administrative interpretations of the 2017 Tax Act, and any such regulations, interpretations, any court decisions interpreting the 2017 Tax Act or the regulations or administrative interpretations thereunder, or any other changes in the tax laws could similarly, significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC or the U.S. federal income tax consequences to us and our stockholders of such qualification, or could have other adverse consequences. Stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisor regarding tax legislative, regulatory, or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our securities.

For any period that we do not qualify as a “publicly offered regulated investment company,” as defined in the Code, U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates will be taxed as though they received a distribution of some of our expenses.

A “publicly offered regulated investment company” is a RIC whose shares are either (i) continuously offered pursuant to a public offering, (ii) regularly traded on an established securities market or (iii) held by at least 500 persons at all times during the taxable year. Following this offering, we expect that our shares

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will be regularly traded on an established securities market and that we will therefore qualify as a publicly offered regulated investment company following this offering. No assurance can be provided that we will qualify as a publicly offered regulated investment company for any taxable year. For any period that we are not a publicly offered regulated investment company, for purposes of computing the taxable income of a non-corporate U.S. stockholder, (i) our earnings will be computed without taking into account such non-corporate U.S. stockholder’s allocable portion of our affected expenses, (ii) such non-corporate U.S. stockholder’s allocable portion of our affected expenses will be treated as an additional distribution to the stockholder, (iii) such non-corporate U.S. stockholder will be treated as having paid or incurred the allocable portion of our affected expenses for the calendar year, and (iv) such allocable portion of our affected expenses will be deductible by such stockholder only to the extent permitted under the limitations described below. For non-corporate U.S. stockholders, including individuals, trusts, and estates, significant limitations generally apply to the deductibility of certain affected expenses of a non-publicly offered regulated investment company. In particular, these expenses, which are treated as “miscellaneous itemized deductions,” are currently not deductible by individuals (and beginning in 2026, will be deductible only to the extent they exceed 2% of such a stockholder’s adjusted gross income), and are not deductible for alternative minimum tax purposes.

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

We intend to elect to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2020, and intend to qualify annually thereafter; however, no assurance can be given that we will be able to qualify for and maintain RIC status. To qualify for RIC tax treatment under the Code and to be relieved of U.S. federal taxes on income and gains distributed to our stockholders, we must meet certain requirements, including source-of-income, asset-diversification and annual distribution requirements. The annual distribution requirement applicable to RICs is satisfied if we timely distribute at least 90% of our net ordinary income and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, if any, to our stockholders on an annual basis. To the extent we use debt financing, we will be subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements under the 1940 Act and may be subject to financial covenants under loan and credit agreements, each of which could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making annual distributions necessary to receive RIC tax treatment. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify to be taxed as a RIC and, thus, may be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on our entire taxable income without regard to any distributions made by us. In order to be taxed as a RIC, we must also meet certain asset-diversification requirements at the end of each calendar quarter. Failure to meet these tests may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC status. Because most of our investments are in private or thinly traded public companies, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and may result in substantial losses. If we fail to be taxed as a RIC for any reason and become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distributions to stockholders and the amount of our distributions and the amount of funds available for new investments. Such a failure would have a material adverse effect on us and our stockholders.

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

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash. For example, since we will likely hold debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having OID (such as debt instruments with PIK, secondary market purchases of debt securities at a discount to par, interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or debt instruments that were issued with warrants), we must include in income each year a portion of the OID that accrues over the life of the obligation, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same taxable year. We may also have to include in income other amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as unrealized appreciation for foreign currency forward contracts and deferred loan origination fees that are paid after origination of the loan or are paid in non-cash compensation such as warrants or stock. Furthermore, we may invest in non-U.S. corporations (or other non-U.S. entities treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that could be treated under the Code and U.S. Treasury regulations as “passive foreign investment companies” and/or “controlled foreign corporations.” The rules relating to investment in these types of non-U.S. entities are designed to ensure

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that U.S. taxpayers are either, in effect, taxed currently (or on an accelerated basis with respect to corporate-level events) or taxed at increased tax rates at distribution or disposition. In certain circumstances this could require us to recognize income where we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash.

Unrealized appreciation on derivatives, such as foreign currency forward contracts, may be included in taxable income while the receipt of cash may occur in a subsequent period when the related contract expires. Any unrealized depreciation on investments that the foreign currency forward contracts are designed to hedge are not currently deductible for tax purposes. This can result in increased taxable income whereby we may not have sufficient cash to pay distributions or we may opt to retain such taxable income and pay a 4% U.S. federal excise tax. In such cases we could still rely upon the “spillback provisions” to maintain RIC tax treatment.

We anticipate that a portion of our income may constitute OID or other income required to be included in taxable income prior to receipt of cash. Further, we may elect to amortize market discounts with respect to debt securities acquired in the secondary market and include such amounts in our taxable income in the current year, instead of upon disposition, as an election not to do so would limit our ability to deduct interest expenses for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Because any OID or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the year of the accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our shareholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even if we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. As a result, we may have difficulty meeting the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code. We may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital, make a partial share distribution, or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, and choose not to make a qualifying share distribution, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax.

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

We may distribute taxable distributions that are payable in part in our stock. In accordance with certain applicable Treasury regulations and a revenue procedure issued by the IRS, a RIC may treat a distribution of its own stock as fulfilling its RIC distribution requirements if each stockholder may elect to receive his or her entire distribution in either cash or stock of the RIC, subject to a limitation that the aggregate amount of cash to be distributed to all stockholders must be at least 20% (which has been temporarily reduced to 10% for distributions declared on or after April 1, 2020, and on or before December 31, 2020) of the aggregate declared distribution. If too many stockholders elect to receive cash, the cash available for distribution must be allocated among the shareholders electing to receive cash (with the balance of the distribution paid in stock). In no event will any stockholder, electing to receive cash, receive the lesser of (a) the portion of the distribution such shareholder has elected to receive in cash or (b) an amount equal to his or her entire distribution times the percentage limitation on cash available for distribution. If these and certain other requirements are met, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the amount of the dividend paid in stock will be equal to the amount of cash that could have been received instead of stock. Taxable stockholders receiving such distributions will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income (or as long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income to the extent such distribution is properly reported as such) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

As a result of receiving distributions in the form of our common stock, a U.S. stockholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such distributions in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock such stockholder receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. federal tax with respect to such distributions, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in shares of our common stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on distributions, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of shares of our common stock.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, predictions, forecasts, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believes,” “can,” “could,” “may,” “predicts,” “potential,” “should,” “will,” “estimate,” “plans,” “projects,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expects,” “intends” and similar words or phrases. Accordingly, these statements are only predictions and involve estimates, known and unknown risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of several factors more fully described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus, including the following factors, among others:

•

our limited operating history as a BDC;

•

our future operating results, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic;

•

our dependence upon our management team and key investment professionals;

•

our ability to manage our business and future growth;

•

risks related to investments in growth stage companies, other venture capital-backed companies and generally U.S. companies;

•

the ability of our portfolio companies to achieve their objectives, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;

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the use of leverage;

•

risks related to the uncertainty of the value of our portfolio investments;

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changes in political, economic or industry conditions, the interest rate environment or conditions affecting the financial and capital markets, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;

•

uncertainty surrounding the financial and/or political stability of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, China and other countries, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;

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the dependence of our future success on the general economy and its impact on the industries in which we invest;

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risks related to changes in interest rates, our expenses and other general economic conditions and the effect on our net investment income;

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the effect of the decommissioning of LIBOR;

•

the effect of changes in tax laws and regulations and interpretations thereof;

•

the impact on our business of new or amended legislation or regulations;

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risks related to market volatility, including general price and volume fluctuations in stock markets;

•

our ability to make distributions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and

•

our ability to maintain our status as a BDC under the 1940 Act and qualify annually for tax treatment as a RIC under the Code.

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All forward-looking statements are necessarily only estimates of future results, and there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations, and, therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Because we are an investment company, the forward-looking statements and projections contained in this prospectus are excluded from the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act (the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995).

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds we will receive from this offering will be approximately $92.5 million (or approximately $108.0 million, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock), based on an offering price of $14.50 per share of common stock (the mid-point range of the estimated initial public offering price range), after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions paid by us and estimated offering expenses of approximately $1.5 million payable by us. Such estimate is subject to change and no assurances can be given that actual expenses will not exceed such amount.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to pay down a portion of our existing indebtedness outstanding under the Credit Agreement with Credit Suisse in an amount expected to be equal to approximately $65.0 million. The Credit Agreement with Credit Suisse has a maturity date of January 8, 2022 and generally bears interest at a rate of the three-month LIBOR plus 3.25%. We intend to use the remaining net proceeds from this offering to make investments in accordance with our investment objective and investment strategy and for general corporate purposes. Pending such investments, we will invest the net proceeds primarily in cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high-quality temporary investments that mature in one year or less from the date of investment. See “Regulation — Temporary Investments” for additional information about temporary investments we may make while waiting to make longer-term investments in pursuit of our investment objective.

We expect that it may take up to three to six months for us to substantially use the net proceeds from this offering in the manner described above, depending on market conditions and the availability of attractive investment opportunities. However, we can offer no assurance that we will be able to achieve this goal.

All of the Secondary Shares offered by the Selling Stockholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the Selling Stockholders for their own account. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sales of the Secondary Shares.

Pursuant to the Common Stock Registration Rights Agreement, we will pay the fees and expenses incurred in offering and in disposing of the Secondary Shares, including all registration and filing fees, any other regulatory fees, printing and delivery expenses, listing fees and expenses, fees and expenses of counsel, independent certified public accountants, and any special experts retained by us, and reasonable and documented fees and expenses of counsel to the Selling Stockholders in an amount not to exceed $75,000. The Selling Stockholders will be responsible for (i) all brokers’ and underwriters’ discounts and commissions, transfer taxes, and transfer fees relating to the sale or disposition of the Secondary Shares, and (ii) the fees and expenses of any counsel to the Selling Stockholders exceeding $75,000.

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of September 30, 2020:

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on an actual basis;

•

on an as adjusted basis to reflect the assumed sale of 6,900,000 shares of our common stock in this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase additional shares) at an assumed public offering price of $14.50 per share (the mid-point range of the estimated initial public offering price range) after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses of approximately $1.5 million payable by us and application of the net proceeds as discussed in more detail under “Use of Proceeds.”

You should read this table together with “Use of Proceeds” and the financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

	As of September 30, 2020
(dollars in millions, except per share data) (unaudited)	Actual			As Adjusted(1)(4)
Assets
Investments, at fair value		$	425.5		$	425.5
Cash and cash equivalents			36.3			63.9
Restricted cash(3)			16.3			16.3
Interest receivable			3.2			3.2
Other assets			1.1			1.1
Total assets		$	482.4			510.0
Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		$	5.1		$	5.1
2025 Notes, net			120.2			120.2
Credit Agreement, net(1)			112.4			47.4
Other liabilities			7.4			7.4
Total liabilities		$	245.1			180.1
Stockholders’ equity
Common stock, par value $0.001 per share; 200,000,000 shares authorized; 18,236,043 shares issued and outstanding, actual; 25,136,043 shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted(2)		$	0.0		$	0.0
Capital in excess of par value			273.0			373.1
Offering costs and expenses			(10.5)			(18.0)
Distributable earnings			(25.2)			(25.2)
Total stockholders’ equity		$	237.3			329.9
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity		$	482.4			510.0
Net Asset Value Per Share			13.01			13.12

(1)

As of September 30, 2020, we had approximately $115 million outstanding under the Credit Agreement. This table has been adjusted to reflect a partial repayment of approximately $65.0 million under the Credit Agreement from a portion of the net proceeds from this offering.

(2)

Excludes up to 1,132,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares and shares issued pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan subsequent to September 30, 2020.

(3)

(4)

This table has not been adjusted to reflect the issuance of $50 million in aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes on December 11, 2020. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Recent Developments.”

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DISTRIBUTIONS

Overview

We generally intend to make quarterly distributions and to distribute, out of assets legally available for distribution, substantially all of our available earnings, as determined by the Board in its sole discretion and in accordance with RIC requirements.

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

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

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

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

We may retain for investment some or all of our net capital gains (i.e., realized net long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses) and treat such amounts as deemed distributions to our stockholders. If we do this, you will be treated as if you received an actual distribution of the capital gains we retain and then reinvested the net after-tax proceeds in our common stock. You also may be eligible to claim a tax credit (or, in certain circumstances, a tax refund) equal to your allocable share of the tax we paid on the capital gains deemed distributed to you. Please refer to “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for further information regarding the consequences of our retention of net capital gains. We can offer no assurance that we will achieve results that will permit the payment of any cash distributions and, if we issue senior securities, we will be prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the 1940 Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of our borrowings. The distributions that we pay may represent a return of capital. A return of capital will (i) lower a stockholder’s tax basis in our shares and thereby increase the amount of capital gain (or decrease the amount of capital loss) realized upon a subsequent sale or redemption of such shares, and (ii) reduce the amount of funds we have for investment in portfolio companies. A distribution or return of capital does not necessarily reflect our investment performance, and should not be confused with yield or income. See “Regulation” and “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

Distributions Declared

On November 9, 2020, the Board declared a quarterly distribution of $0.27 per share, which was paid on December 4, 2020 to stockholders of record as of November 20, 2020.

On December 22, 2020, the Board declared a dividend of $0.27 per share, which was paid on January 15, 2021 to stockholders of record as of December 30, 2020.

The tax characteristics of all distributions paid are reported to stockholders on Form 1099 after the end of the applicable calendar year. We can offer no assurance that we will achieve investment returns that will permit us to make distributions or that the Board will declare any distributions in the future.

Distribution Reinvestment Plan

We have adopted an “opt out” distribution reinvestment plan for our stockholders. As a result, if we declare a dividend, then stockholders’ cash distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, unless they specifically “opt out” of the distribution reinvestment plan so as to receive cash distributions. See “Distribution Reinvestment Plan.” Stockholders who receive distributions in the form of shares of our common stock generally are subject to the same U.S. federal income tax consequences as are stockholders who elect to receive their distributions in cash.

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DILUTION

If you invest in our common stock, your interest will be diluted to the extent the initial public offering price per share of our common stock exceeds the pro forma net asset value per share of our common stock immediately after the completion of this offering. The net asset value per share is determined by dividing the value of (a) total assets minus liabilities by (b) the total number of shares outstanding.