UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from ____________________ to ____________________
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filingreflect the correctionof an error to previouslyissued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No
The aggregate market value of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant on June 30, 2022, the last business day of the Registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter was approximately $
As of March 20 2023, there were
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 2023 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2023 Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated. The 2023 Proxy Statement will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this report relates.
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Table of Contents
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Item 1. |
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Item 1A. |
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Item 1B. |
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Item 2. |
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Item 3. |
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Item 4. |
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Item 5. |
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Item 6. |
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Item 7. |
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
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Item 7A. |
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Item 8. |
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Item 9. |
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure |
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Item 9A. |
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Item 9B. |
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Item 9C. |
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections |
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Item 10. |
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Item 11. |
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Item 12. |
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters |
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Item 13. |
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence |
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Item 15. |
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Item 16. |
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This Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K") includes certain information regarding the historical performance of our specialized investment vehicles, which include specialized funds and customized separate accounts. An investment in shares of our Class A common stock is not an investment in our specialized investment vehicles. In considering the performance information relating to our specialized investment vehicles contained herein, prospective Class A common stockholders should bear in mind that the performance of our specialized investment vehicles is not indicative of the possible performance of shares of our Class A common stock and is also not necessarily indicative of the future results of our specialized investment vehicles, even if fund investments were in fact liquidated on the dates indicated, and there can be no assurance that our specialized investment vehicles will continue to achieve, or that future specialized investment vehicles will achieve comparable results.
We own or have rights to trademarks, service marks or trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business. In addition, our names, logos and website names and addresses are owned by us or licensed by us. We also own or have the rights to copyrights that protect the content of our solutions. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights referred to in this Form 10-K are listed without the ©,® and symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights.
This Form 10-K may include trademarks, service marks or tradenames of other companies. Our use or display of other parties’ trademarks, service marks, trade names or products is not intended to, and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, the trademark, service mark or tradename owners.
Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this Form 10-K concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate is based on information from independent industry and research organizations, other third- party sources (including industry publications, surveys and forecasts), and management estimates. Management estimates are derived from publicly available information released by independent industry analysts and third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, and are based on assumptions made by us upon reviewing such data and our knowledge of such industry and markets that we believe to be reasonable. Although we believe the data from these third-party sources is reliable, we have not independently verified any third-party information. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of the future performance of the industry in which we operate and our future performance are necessarily subject to uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements.” These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent parties and by us.
Our principal operating brands are RCP Advisors 2, LLC (“RCP 2”) and RCP Advisors 3, LLC (“RCP3”, and collectively with RCP 2, “RCP Advisors”), TrueBridge Capital Partners LLC (“TrueBridge”), Five Points Capital, Inc. (“Five Points”), Enhanced Capital Group, LLC (“ECG” or “Enhanced”), Bonaccord Capital Partners, LLC ("Bonaccord"), Hark Capital Advisors, LLC ("Hark"), P10 Advisors, LLC (“P10 Advisors”), and Westech Investment Advisors LLC (“WTI”).
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references in this Form 10-K to “we, ”“us,” “our,” the “Company,” “P10”and similar terms refer (i) for periods prior to giving effect to the reorganization transactions described under “Organizational Structure,” to P10 Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries and (ii) for periods beginning on the date of and after giving effect to such reorganization transactions, to P10, Inc. and its subsidiaries. As used in this Form 10-K, (i) the term “P10 Holdings” refers to P10 Holdings, Inc. for all periods and (ii) the term “P10, Inc.” refers solely to P10, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and not to any of its subsidiaries.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements, which reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and financial performance, our operations, strategies and expectations. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “plan” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K are based upon our historical performance and on our current plans, estimates and expectations. The inclusion of this or any forward-looking information
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should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the future plans, estimates or expectations contemplated by us will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including but not limited to global and domestic market and business conditions, our successful execution of business and growth strategies and regulatory factors relevant to our business, as well as assumptions relating to our operations, financial results, financial condition, business prospects, growth strategy and liquidity. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We believe these factors include, but are not limited to, those described under “Risk Factors.” These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this Form 10-K. We operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
SUMMARY RISK FACTORS
Investing in our Class A common stock involves numerous risks, including the risks described in “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report. Below are some of these risks, any one of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
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PART I
Item 1. Business.
Our Company
We are a leading multi-asset class private market solutions provider in the alternative asset management industry. Our mission is to provide our investors differentiated access to a broad set of investment solutions that address their diverse investment needs within private markets. We structure, manage and monitor portfolios of private market investments, which include specialized funds and customized separate accounts within primary investment funds, secondary investments, direct investments and co-investments, (collectively, “specialized investment vehicles”) across highly attractive asset classes and geographies in the middle and lower middle markets that generate superior risk-adjusted returns. Our existing portfolio of private solutions include Private Equity, Venture Capital, Impact Investing and Private Credit. Our deep industry relationships, differentiated investment access and structure, proprietary data analytics, and our portfolio monitoring and reporting capabilities provide our investors the ability to navigate the increasingly complex and difficult to access private markets investments.
Our revenue is composed almost entirely of recurring management and advisory fees, with the vast majority of fees earned on committed capital that is typically subject to ten to fifteen year lock up agreements. We have an attractive business model that is underpinned by highly recurring, diversified management and advisory fee revenues, and strong free cash flow. The nature of our solutions and the integral role that our solutions play in our investors’ investment decisions have translated into high revenue visibility and investor retention. As of December 31, 2022, we had FPAUM of $21.2 billion.
We are differentiated by the scale, depth, diversity and investment performance of our solutions, which are bolstered by the investment expertise of our investment team, our long-standing access to leading fund managers, our robust and constantly expanding data capabilities and our disciplined investment process. We market our solutions under well-established brands within the specialized markets in which we operate. These include RCP Advisors, Bonaccord Capital, and P10 Advisors, our Private Equity solutions; TrueBridge, our Venture Capital solution; Enhanced, our Impact Investing solution; and Five Points, Hark Capital, and WTI our Private Credit solutions (which Five Points also offers certain private equity solutions). We believe adding new asset class solutions will foster deeper manager relationships, enabling managers and portfolio companies alike to benefit from our offering and expect to expand within other asset classes and geographies through additional acquisitions and future planned organic growth by providing additional specialized investment vehicles within our existing investment asset class solutions. As of the date of this filing, we are pursuing additional acquisitions and are in discussions with certain target companies, however the Company does not currently have any agreements or commitments with respect to any acquisitions. Refer to “—Our Growth Strategy” for additional information.
Our success and growth have been driven by our long history of strong performance and our position in the private markets ecosystem. We believe our growing scale in the middle and lower-middle market provides us a competitive advantage with investors and fund managers. In addition, our senior investment professionals have developed strong and long-tenured relationships with leading middle and lower middle market private equity and venture capital firms, which we believe provides us with differentiated access to the relationship-driven middle and lower-middle market private equity and venture capital sectors. As we expand our offerings, our investors entrust us with additional capital, which strengthens our relationships with our fund managers, drives additional investment opportunities, sources more data, enables portfolio optimization and enhances returns, and in turn attracts new investors. We believe this powerful feedback process will continue to strengthen our position within the private markets ecosystem. In addition, our multi-asset class solutions are
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highly synergistic, and coupled with our vast network of general partners and portfolio companies, drive cross-solution sourcing opportunities.
Our global investor base includes some of the world’s largest institutional investors, including pension funds, endowments, foundations, corporate pensions and financial institutions. In addition, we have a strong footprint within some of the most prominent family offices and high net worth individuals. We have a significant presence within the middle and lower middle-market private markets industry in North America, where the majority of our capital is currently being deployed as we leverage our differentiated solutions to serve our global investors.
As of December 31, 2022, we had 234 employees, including 107 investment professionals across 11 offices located in 9 states. Over 100 of our employees have an equity interest in P10, collectively owning approximately 63% of the Company on a fully-diluted basis as of December 31, 2022.
We managed $21.2 billion in FPAUM from which we earn management and advisory fees as of December 31, 2022. In addition, our FPAUM has grown at a CAGR of 17% from December 31, 2018 to December 31, 2022, determined on a pro
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forma basis as if the acquisitions of Five Points, TrueBridge, Enhanced, Bonaccord, Hark, and WTI were completed as of January 1, 2018.
1. Organic FPAUM is calculated on a pro forma basis assuming the acquisitions of WTI, Five Points, TrueBridge, Enhanced, Bonaccord, and Hark were completed as of January 1, 2018.
2. Q4’22 organic FPAUM growth is the pro forma FPAUM growth from Q4’21 to Q4’22.
Note: “PF” refers to calculations made on a pro forma basis. “A” refers to calculations made on an actual basis.
Our Solutions
We operate and invest across private markets through a number of specialized investment solutions. We offer the following solutions to our investors:
Private Equity Solutions "PES"
Under PES, we make direct and indirect investments in middle and lower-middle market private equity across North America. PES also makes minority equity investments in a diversified portfolio of mid-sized managers across private equity, private credit, real estate and real assets. The PES investment team, which is comprised of 39 investment professionals with an average of 25+ years of experience, has deep and long-standing investor and fund manager relationships in the middle and lower-middle market which it has cultivated over the past 20 years, including over 1,900+ investors, 260+ fund managers, 490+ private market funds and 2,000+ portfolio companies. We have 48 active investment vehicles. PES occupies a differentiated position within the private markets ecosystem helping our investors access, perform due diligence, analyze and invest in what we believe are attractive middle and lower-middle market private equity opportunities. We are further differentiated by the scale, depth, diversity and accuracy of our constantly expanding proprietary private markets database
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that contains comprehensive information on more than 5,000 investment firms, 9,000 funds, 38,000 individual transactions, 30,000 private companies and 250,000 financial metrics. As of December 31, 2022, PES managed $10.8 billion of FPAUM.
Venture Capital Solutions "VCS"
Under VCS, we make investments in venture capital funds across North America and specialize in targeting high-performing, access-constrained opportunities. The VCS investment team, which is comprised of 15 investment professionals with an average of 22+ years of experience, has deep and long-standing investor and fund manager relationships in the venture market which it has cultivated over the past 14+ years, including over 1,000+ investors, 65+ fund managers, 74 direct investments, 300+ private market funds and 8,000+ portfolio companies. We have 18 active investment vehicles. Our VCS solution is differentiated by our innovative strategic partnerships and our vantage point within the venture capital and technology ecosystems, maximizing advantages for our investors. In addition, since 2011, we have partnered with Forbes to publish the Midas List, a ranking of the top value-creating venture capitalists. As of December 31, 2022, VCS managed $5.4 billion of FPAUM.
Impact Investing Solutions "IIS"
Under IIS, we make equity, tax equity, and debt investments in impact initiatives across North America. IIS primarily targets investments in renewable energy development and historic building renovation projects, as well as providing capital to small businesses that are women or minority owned or operating in underserved communities. The IIS investment team, which is comprised of 15 investment professionals with an average of 22+ years of experience, has deep and long-standing relationships in the impact market which it has cultivated over the past 20 years, including deploying capital on behalf of over 100 investors. We currently have 32 active investment vehicles. We are differentiated in both the breadth of impact areas served, the type of capital deployed and the duration of our track record. We have collectively deployed over $3.3 billion into 850+ projects and businesses across 39 states since 1999. We have invested $2.6 billion in Impact Assets across our Small Business Lending, Impact Real Estate and Climate Finance Strategies. Investments in solar assets have generated over 1.6 billion KWh of renewable energy over the lifetime of the portfolio. As of December 31, 2022, IIS managed $1.9 billion of FPAUM.
Private Credit Solutions "PCS"
Under PCS, we primarily make debt investments across North America, targeting lower middle market companies owned by leading financial sponsors and also offer certain private equity solutions. PCS also provides loans to mid-life, growth equity, venture and other funds backed by the unrealized investments at the fund level and provide financing for companies that would otherwise require equity. The PCS investment team, which is comprised of 38 investment professionals with an average of 24+ years of experience, has deep and long-standing relationships in the private credit market which it has cultivated over the past 22 years, including 300+ investors across 12 active investment vehicles and 1,600+ portfolio companies with over $9.7 billion capital deployed. Our PCS is differentiated by our relationship-driven sourcing approach providing capital solutions for growth-oriented companies. We are further synergistically strengthened by our PES network of fund managers, characterized by more than 520 credit opportunities annually. We currently maintain 50+ active sponsor relationships and have 45+ platform investments. As of December 31, 2022, PCS managed $3.1 billion of FPAUM.
Our Vehicles
We have a flexible business model whereby our investors engage us across multiple specialized private market solutions through different specialized investment vehicles. Our vehicles have traditional, stable fee structures that generate performance fees, which are not accrued to P10 due to our structure. P10’s revenue associated with the funds are from the management fees while employees of P10 receive the performance fees directly from the vehicles. Our average annual fee rates remain stable at approximately 1%. We offer the following vehicles for our investors:
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Primary Investment Funds
Primary investment funds refer to investment vehicles which target investments in new private markets funds, which in turn invest directly in portfolio companies. P10’s primary investment funds include both commingled investment vehicles with multiple investors, as well as our customized separate accounts, which typically include one investor. P10’s primary investments are made during a fundraising period in the form of capital commitments, which are called upon by the fund manager and utilized to finance its investments in portfolio companies during a predefined investment period. We receive a fee stream that is typically based on our investors’ committed, locked-in capital. Capital commitments typically average ten to fifteen years, though they may vary by fund and strategy. We offer primary investment funds across our private equity and venture capital solutions. Our primary funds comprise approximately $11.7 billion of our FPAUM as of December 31, 2022.
Direct and Co-Investment Funds
Direct and co-investments involve acquiring an equity interest in or making a loan to an operating company, project, property or asset, typically by co-investing alongside an investment by a fund manager or by investing directly in the underlying asset. P10’s direct and co-investment funds include both commingled investment vehicles with multiple investors as well as our customized separate accounts, which typically include one investor. Capital committed to direct investments and co-investments is typically invested immediately, thereby advancing the timing of expected returns on investment. We typically receive fees from investors based upon committed capital, with some funds receiving fees based on invested capital; capital commitments which typically average ten to fifteen years, though they may vary by fund. We offer direct and co-investment funds across our private equity, venture capital, impact investing and private credit solutions. Our direct investing platform comprises approximately $8.0 billion of our FPAUM as of December 31, 2022.
Secondaries
Secondaries refer to investments in existing private markets funds through the acquisition of an existing interest by one investor from another in a negotiated transaction. In so doing, the buyer agrees to take on future funding obligations in exchange for future returns and distributions. Because secondary investments are generally made when a primary investment fund is three to seven years into its investment period and has deployed a significant portion of its capital into portfolio companies, these investments are viewed as more mature. We typically receive fees from investors on committed capital for a decade, the typical life of the fund. We currently offer secondaries funds across our private equity solutions. Our secondary funds comprise approximately $1.5 billion of our FPAUM as of December 31, 2022.
Our Investors
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We believe our comprehensive value proposition across our private market solutions, vehicles offering, data analytics, portfolio monitoring and reporting has enabled us to build strong relationships with our existing investors and to attract new high-quality investors. We leverage our differentiated approach to serve a broad set of investors across multiple geographies. As of December 31, 2022, we have a global investor base of over 3,100 investors, across 50 states, 59 countries and 6 continents – including some of the world’s largest pension funds, endowments, foundations, corporate pensions and financial institutions. In addition, we have a strong footprint within some of the most prominent family offices and high net worth individuals.
The following chart illustrates the diversification of our investor base as of December 31, 2022:
Our Distribution and Marketing
We continuously seek to strengthen and expand our relationships with our current and prospective investors. We have a dedicated team of business development and investor relations professionals who maintain an active and transparent dialogue with an expansive list of existing and prospective investors and while we have a significant presence in North America, we have cultivated relationships with a number of international investors
Our business development and investor relations professionals frequent dialogue with existing and prospective investors, enable us to monitor investor preferences and tailor future product offerings to meet investor demand. Prospective investors that wish to learn more about us often visit our offices to conduct in-depth due diligence of our firm. Our business development and investor relations professionals lead this process, coordinate meetings, and continue to be the prospective investor’s principal point of contact throughout their decision-making process. Our business development and investor relations professionals are also responsible for being the principal points of contact for our existing investors, and for our customized separate accounts, we work with each investor to design and implement a specific strategic plan in accordance with the investment guidelines agreed to by us and the investor.
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Our Investment Performance
We believe our investment performance acts as a key retention mechanism for our existing investors and a primary attribute for prospective investors. We attribute our strong investment performance to several factors, including: our broad private market relationships and access, our diligent and responsible investment process, our tenured investing experience and our premier data capabilities. In concert, these factors enable us to purse attractive, risk-adjusted investment opportunities to meet our investors’ investment objectives.
The following table displays our Fund size as of December 31, 2022 and investment performance, which is presented from the inception date of each fund through September 30, 2022:
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For the purposes of the tables above:
When considering the data presented above, you should note that the historical results of our investments are not indicative of the future results you should expect from such investments, from any future funds we may raise or from your investment in our Class A common stock, in part because:
Net IRR reflects limited partner returns after allocation of management fees, general fund expenses, investment expenses, income earned on cash and cash equivalents, any carried interest to the general partner, and any other fees and expenses. Not all limited partners pay the same management fee or carried interest. Furthermore, limited partners’ IRRs may vary based on the dates of their admittance to the fund. There can be no assurance that unrealized investments will be realized at the valuations used to calculate the IRRs contained herein and additional fund expenses and investment related expenses to be incurred during the remainder of the fund’s term remain unknown and, therefore, are not factored into the calculations. Any anticipated carried interest reduces the net returns of unrealized investments. Calculations used herein which incorporate estimations of the net “unrealized value” of remaining investments represent valuation estimates made by the companies using the most recent valuation data provided by the general partners of the underlying funds. Such estimates are subject to numerous variables which change over time and therefore amounts actually realized in the future will vary (in some cases materially) from the estimated net “unrealized values” used in connection with calculations referenced herein.
Our History
P10’s mission is to be the premier private markets solutions provider focused on the middle and lower middle market. We provide global institutional investors differentiated access to a broad set of solutions and specialized investment vehicles across attractive asset classes and geographies generating competitive risk-adjusted returns. As of December 31, 2022, we
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have $21.2 billion in fee paying assets under management. We offer a comprehensive set of investment strategies to clients, including both commingled funds and customized separate accounts within our primary investment funds, secondary, direct investment, co-investment vehicles, and advisory solutions. Since October 2017, we have been focused on building best-in-class solutions aimed at growing our fee paying assets under management. Prior to October 2017, the Company took strategic actions designed to lay the foundation for what is now known as P10.
The Company's history began with founding P10 Holdings as a Texas corporation in 1992 and reincorporating in Delaware in 2000. On November 19, 2016, P10 Holdings completed the sale of substantially all of its assets and liabilities and operations and became a non-operating company focused on monetizing our retained intellectual property and acquiring profitable businesses and our business primarily consisted of cash, certain retained intellectual property assets and our net operating losses and other tax benefits. In March 2017, P10 Holdings filed for re-organization under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code, using a prepackaged plan of reorganization. In connection with the filing, P10 Holdings entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement with 210/P10 Investment LLC, as well as a Restructuring Support Agreement with the 2016 purchaser of our assets. P10 Holdings emerged from bankruptcy on May 3, 2017. A key feature of the Restructuring Support agreement included 210/P10 Investment LLC providing capital and management for the company post-bankruptcy.
Our entry into the alternative asset management industry originated with the acquisitions of RCP Advisors (RCP 2 and RCP 3). RCP Advisors was founded in 2001 and is a leading sponsor of private equity, funds-of-funds, secondary funds and co-investment funds. On October 5, 2017, we closed on the acquisition of RCP 2 and entered into a purchase agreement to acquire RCP 3 on January 2018. On January 3, 2018, we closed on the acquisition of RCP 3. RCP 2 and RCP 3 are registered investment advisors with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
On April 1, 2020, we completed the acquisition of Five Points Capital, Inc., a leading lower middle market alternative investment manager focused on providing equity and debt capital to private, growth-oriented companies and limited partner capital to other private equity funds. Five Points is focused exclusively in the U.S. lower middle market. Five Points is a registered investment advisor with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
On October 2, 2020, we completed the acquisition of TrueBridge, an investment firm focused on investing in venture capital through fund-of-funds, co-investments, and separate accounts. TrueBridge is a registered investment advisor with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
On December 14, 2020, the Company completed the acquisition of 100% of the equity interest in ECG, and a non-controlling interest in Enhanced Capital Partners, LLC (“ECP”, and collectively with ECG, “Enhanced”). Enhanced undertakes and manages equity and debt investments in impact initiatives across North America, targeting underserved areas and other socially responsible end markets including renewable energy, historic building renovations, and affordable housing. ECP is a registered investment advisor with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
On September 30, 2021, we completed the acquisitions of Hark Capital and Bonaccord Capital Partners. Hark provides loans to mid-life private equity, growth equity, venture and other funds. These loans are backed by the unrealized investments at the fund level and provide financing for companies that would otherwise require equity. Bonaccord acquires minority equity investments in a diversified portfolio of alternative markets asset managers with a focus on mid-sized managers across private equity, private credit and real assets.
During 2021, the Company began exploring the benefits of going public on a listed exchange and raising additional capital through an equity issuance. On October, 18, 2021, the Company announced an Initial Public Offering ("IPO") and corporate reorganization that would make P10 Holdings a wholly-owned subsidiary of P10, Inc. The IPO priced on October 20, 2021, and P10’s Class A common stock began trading on the NYSE on October 21, 2021 under the ticker “PX”. Investors purchased 23,000,000 Class A shares in conjunction with the IPO and the Company gained a top-tier set of institutional investors. The IPO process is described in more detail below.
In June 2022, the Company formed P10 Advisors, a fully consolidated subsidiary, to manage investment opportunities that are sourced across the P10 platform but do not fit within an existing investment mandate.
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On October 13, 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of WTI. WTI provides senior secured financing to early-stage and emerging stage life sciences and technology companies. WTI is a registered investment advisor with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Simultaneously with the acquisition of WTI, the Company completed a restructuring of P10 Intermediate and subsidiaries to LLC entities that are considered disregarded entities for federal income tax purposes. This allowed the WTI sellers to obtain a partnership interest in P10 Intermediate and all of its subsidiaries. As a result of the acquisition, the WTI sellers obtained 3,916,666 membership units of P10 Intermediate, which can be exchanged into 3,916,666 shares of P10 class A common stock, following applicable restrictive periods.
The results of WTI’s operations have been included in the consolidated financial statements effective October 13, 2022. The Company reports noncontrolling interest related to the partnership interests which are owned by the WTI sellers. This is recorded as noncontrolling interest on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Noncontrolling interest is allocated a share of income or loss in the respective consolidated subsidiaries in proportion to their relative ownership interest. Additionally, the Company makes periodic distributions to the WTI sellers for tax related and other agreed upon expenses as disclosed in the purchase agreement.
As we reflect on 2022, we are exceptionally proud of our accomplishments. We believe we have assembled a premier group of solutions that offer superior risk adjusted returns to global clients. We benefit from strong operating leverage driven by the quality and stability of our revenue base, the strong alignment we have with our respective investment teams, and the leveragability of our platform and back-office operations across our multiple solutions, which together allow us to generate strong contribution margins and free cash flow.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
We completed an offering in connection with our IPO and concurrent listing on the New York Stock Exchange. On October 21, 2021, we issued 11,500,000 shares of our Class A common stock to the purchasers in the offering and selling stockholders sold 8,500,000 shares of our Class A common stock. Pursuant to our issuance of Class A common stock, we received net proceeds of approximately $129.4 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions but before expenses based on the initial public offering price of $12.00 per share. On November 19, 2021, we announced that the underwriters of the public offering fully exercised their option to acquire an additional 3,000,000 shares of Class A common stock at the public offering price of $12 per share, less underwriting discounts and commissions. These shares were sold by certain stockholders of P10 and P10 did not receive any proceeds from the sale.
Simultaneously with the acquisition of WTI, the Company completed a restructuring of P10 Intermediate and subsidiaries to LLC entities that are considered disregarded entities for federal income tax purposes. This allowed the sellers to obtain a partnership interest in P10 Intermediate and all of its subsidiaries. As a result of the acquisition, the WTI sellers obtained 3,916,666 membership units of P10 Intermediate, which can be exchanged into 3,916,666 shares of P10 class A common stock, following applicable restrictive periods.
The diagram below illustrates our structure and does not include all unconsolidated entities in which we hold non-controlling equity method investments.
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Our Class B Common Stock
We have 73,008,374 outstanding shares of Class B common stock held of record by 2,930 stockholders as of December 31, 2022. Each share of our Class B common stock entitles its holder to ten votes per share until a Sunset ("Sunset") becomes effective. A Sunset is triggered by any of the earlier of the following (a) the Sunset Holders cease to maintain direct or indirect beneficial ownership of 10% of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (determined assuming all outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock have been converted into Class A Common Stock) (b) the Sunset Holders collectively cease to maintain direct or indirect beneficial ownership of at least 25% of the aggregate voting power of the outstanding shares of Common Stock and (c) upon the tenth anniversary of the effective date of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. After a Sunset becomes effective, each share of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock. In addition, each share of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock upon any transfer except to certain permitted holders. See “—Voting Rights of Class A and Class B Common Stock.”
Because a Sunset may not take place for some time, it is expected that the Class B common stock will continue to entitle its holders to ten votes per share, and the Class B Holders will continue to exercise voting control over the Company, for the near future. The Class B Holders have approximately 95% of the combined voting power of our common stock.
Upon any transfer, Class B common stock converts automatically on a one-for-one basis to shares of Class A common stock, except in the case of transfers to certain permitted transferees. In addition, holders of Class B common stock may elect to convert shares of Class B common stock on a one-for-one basis into Class A common stock at any time.
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Our current stockholders believe that the contributions of the current ownership group and management team have been critical in P10’s growth to date. We have a history of employee equity participation and believe that this practice has been instrumental in attracting and retaining a highly experienced team and will continue to be an important factor in maximizing long-term stockholder value. We believe that ensuring that our key decision-makers will continue to guide the direction of P10 results in a high degree of alignment with our stockholders, and that issuing to our continuing voting members the Class B common stock with ten votes per share will help maintain this continuity.
Our Class A Common Stock
The Class A common stock have one vote per share and share ratably with our Class B common stock in all distributions.
Stockholders Agreement and Registration Rights
P10, Inc. entered into a stockholders agreement (the “Stockholders Agreement”) with certain investors, including employees, pursuant to which the investors were granted piggyback and demand registration rights prior to the IPO.
NYSE Controlled Company Agreement
P10, Inc. entered into a controlled company agreement (the “Controlled Company Agreement”) on October 20, 2021, with principals of 210 Capital, L.L.C.(“210 Capital”) and certain of their affiliates (the “210 Group”), RCP Advisors and certain of their affiliates (the “RCP Group”) and TrueBridge and certain of their affiliates (the “TrueBridge Group”), granting each party certain board designation rights. So long as the 210 Group continues to collectively hold a combined voting power of (A) at least 10% of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately following the closing date of the IPO (the “Closing Date”), P10, Inc. shall include in its slate of nominees two (2) directors designated by the 210 Group and (B) less than 10% but at least 5% of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately following the Closing Date, one (1) director designated by the 210 Group. So long as the RCP Group and any of their permitted transferees who hold shares of common stock as of the applicable time continue to collectively hold a combined voting power of at least 5% of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately following the IPO, P10, Inc. shall include in its slate of nominees one (1) director designated by the RCP Stockholders. So long as TrueBridge and any of its permitted transferees who hold shares of common stock as of the applicable time continue to collectively hold a combined voting power of at least 5% of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately following the IPO, P10, Inc. shall include in its slate of nominees one (1) director designated by the TrueBridge Group.
The 210 Group, the RCP Group and TrueBridge Group have the right to designate two, one and one directors, respectively. In addition, the parties to our Controlled Company Agreement will agree to elect three directors who are not affiliated with any party to our Controlled Company Agreement and who satisfy the independence requirements applicable to audit committee members established pursuant to Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. These board designation rights are subject to certain limitations and exceptions.
The Controlled Company Agreement provides that, without the prior written consent of P10, Inc., the 210 Group, the RCP Group and the TrueBridge Group will not, and will not publicly disclose an intention to, during the period commencing on the date of the Controlled Company Agreement and ending three years after the date thereof (the “Restricted Period”), (a) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of common stock beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) by the 210 Group, RCP Group or the TrueBridge Group or any other Equity Securities (as defined therein) or (b) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Equity Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (a) or (b) above is to be settled by delivery of shares of common stock or any such other securities, in cash or otherwise. One-third of the original holdings of Equity Securities of each of the 210 Group, RCP Group and TrueBridge Group will be released from the Lock-Up Restrictions, on the first, second and third anniversary of the consummation of the public offering (the “Lock-Up Restrictions Release”).
Company Lock-Up Agreements
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Certain stockholders, including Messrs. Alpert, Webb and Souder, are subject to Lock-Up Restrictions pursuant to a separate agreement with us (the “Company Lock-Up Agreement”), which Lock-Up Restrictions shall be released in accordance with the Lock-Up Restrictions Release. Collectively, approximately 39.8% of our common stock outstanding are subject to such Lock-Up Restrictions pursuant to the Controlled Company Agreement and the Company Lock-Up Agreements.
Voting Rights of Class A and Class B Common Stock
Except as provided in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or by applicable law, holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class. Each share of our Class A common stock will entitle its holder to one vote per share. Each share of our Class B common stock will entitle its holder to ten votes until a Sunset becomes effective. After a Sunset becomes effective, each share of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock. In addition, each share of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock upon any transfer except to certain permitted holders.
A “Sunset” is triggered by the earlier of the following: (a) the Sunset Holders cease to maintain direct or indirect beneficial ownership of 10% of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (determined assuming all outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock have been converted into Class A Common Stock); (b) the Sunset Holders collectively cease to maintain direct or indirect beneficial ownership of at least 25% of the aggregate voting power of the outstanding shares of Common Stock; and (c) upon the tenth anniversary of the effective date of the amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our Class B common stockholders collectively hold approximately 95% of the combined voting power of our common stock.
Our Market Opportunity
We operate in the large and growing private markets industry, which we believe represents one of the most attractive segments within the broader asset management landscape. Specifically, we operate in the Private Equity, Venture Capital, Impact Investing and Private Credit markets, which we believe represent particularly attractive asset classes and puts us at the center of several favorable trends, including the following:
Accelerating Demand for Private Markets Solutions
We believe the composition of public markets is fundamentally shifting and will drive investment growth in private markets as fewer companies elect to become public corporations or return to being privately held. According to the 2021 Annual US PE Breakdown PitchBook Report, private equity capital raised has increased 376% from $63.3 billion to $301.3 billion from 2011 to 2021. The report states that elevated multiples in public markets mean many models are predicting significantly lower returns from public equities going forward, further reinforcing LPs’ shift to alternatives.
Furthermore, investors continue to increase their exposure to passive strategies in search of lower fee alternatives as relative returns in active public market strategies have compressed. We believe the continued move away from active public market strategies into passive strategies will support growth in private market solutions as investors seek higher risk-adjusted returns.
Attractive Historical Private Markets Growth
The private markets have exhibited robust growth. Since 2010, assets under management have grown by 3.1 times from $2.4 trillion in 2010 to $9.8 trillion in 2022, according to the 2022 McKinsey Report. While private markets saw record levels of fund-raising in 2021 and private markets in 2022 experienced a predictable pullback in their pace of growth, private markets have remained resilient, with about $3 trillion of dry powder available for deployment, a stable pool of locked-in capital, and an active market for secondaries, according to the 2022 McKinsey Report. From 2010 to 2020, the deal value in the lower middle markets has grown by 2.5 times, investments in venture capital have grown by 4.9 times and assets under
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management of PRI Signatories in impact growth has grown by 4.9 times, according to the 2021 PitchBook Middle Market Report, the 2021 PwC Report, and the Bain & Company Reports, respectively. In addition, capital targeted in private credit has grown by 2.5 times from January 2016 to July 2021, according to the 2021 Preqin Report. This private credit growth maintained into 2022, with $172 billion raised in the first three quarters of 2022 which is 80% of last year’s record amount, according to the 2022 Preqin report. According to the 2021 PitchBook Private Fund Strategy Report, fundraising has continued to remain strong with nearly a trillion dollars of total capital raised in 2020. According to the 2020 McKinsey Report, global private markets are expected to continue their strong growth trajectory. According to a recent Preqin Ltd. forecast, global private markets assets under management are expected to grow at an approximate 10% CAGR through 2027. This growth is underpinned by investors search for yield in a lower-for-longer rate environment, in which investors increasingly view allocations to private markets as essential for obtaining diversified exposure to global growth.
Favorable Middle / Lower Middle Market Dynamics
As more companies choose to remain private, we believe smaller companies will continue to dominate market supply, with significantly less capital in pursuit. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence Report for 2022; S&P Capital IQ Estimates and PitchBook Data Inc., only $124 billion of capital is available to U.S. Private Equity Funds between $250 million and $1 billion, versus the $589 billion available to Private Equity funds over $1 billion. In contrast, there are only approximately 11,000 companies with revenues greater than $250 million, versus the more than 151,000 companies with revenues between $10 million and $250 million. We believe this favorable middle and lower-middle market dynamic implies a larger pool of opportunities at compelling purchase price valuations with significant return potential. P10 has robust and proprietary data collected over a twenty-year history that is difficult to replicate that allows investment teams to efficiently scope and dimension out middle and lower middle market private equity fund managers.
Increasing Private Markets Investor Allocations
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We believe that alongside growth in the private markets in which we invest, long-term investor allocations are expected to significantly grow over the next several years, which will serve as a tailwind in growing our business. In a survey conducted by Preqin Ltd., 96% and 90% of long-term investors indicated that they were planning to maintain or increase their allocation to Private Equity and Private Credit, respectively. Additionally, according to the Global Impact Investing Network’s 2020 report 2020 Annual Impact Investor Survey, 64% of polled investors noted that they were expecting to increase their allocations to impact investing by more than 5%. Moreover, according to the Global Impact Investing Network 2022 report, the size of the impact investing market currently stands at $1.164 trillion in AUM – a significant psychological milestone for an industry still maturing and growing in sophistication. In combination with the broader growth in private markets we believe the increase in long-term investor allocations towards private market asset classes will further drive demand of private market solutions across the investor universe.
Democratization of Private Markets
According to a 2020 PwC Report, the growing wealth of high-net-worth and mass affluent individuals, and the shift in retirement savings from defined benefit to defined contribution plans, have propelled significant growth in the asset management industry over the last decade. At the same time, both high-net-worth and mass affluent investors continue to remain significantly under-allocated to the private markets in comparison with institutional investors.
As defined contribution plans in the United States continue to grow and become increasingly familiar with private markets, we believe defined contribution plans will be a significant driver of growth in private markets in the future. In addition, on June 3, 2020, the United States Department of Labor issued an information letter confirming that investments in private equity vehicles may be appropriate for 401(k) and other defined contribution plans as a component of the investment alternatives made available under these plans. These plans hold trillions of dollars of assets, and the guidance in the letter may help significantly expand the market for private equity investments over time.
Importance of Asset Class Access
The purview of private markets has meaningfully broadened over the last decade. As investors increase their allocations to private markets, we believe the demand for asset class diversification will rise. Furthermore, as part of this evolution we believe investors will seek out private market solutions providers with scale and an ability to deliver multiple asset classes and vehicle solutions to streamline relationships and pursue cost efficiency.
Proliferation of Private Market Choices
According to research and data from the SEC and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), from 2013 to 2021, the number of managers across private markets has increased dramatically. From 2013 to 2021, the number of Private Equity firms, Venture Capital firms, Impact Investing firms and Private Credit firms have more than doubled. We believe that the growing number of private markets focused fund managers increases the operational burden on investors and will lead to a greater reliance on highly trusted advisers to help investors navigate the complexity associated with multi-asset class manager selection.
Rise of ESG and Impact Investing in Private Markets
According to the PRI Annual Report, the total assets under management of PRI signatories, the cohort of asset managers that have committed to upholding ESG principles, a barometer for the ESG industry, has increased roughly five-fold since 2010, from $21 trillion to $121.3 trillion by March 31, 2022. According to the 2020 McKinsey Report, an ESG approach to private markets has been one of the most talked about developments of the past several years. According to the 2020 McKinsey Report, as public awareness of and activism relating to ESG driven investing have increased, many prominent investors in Private Equity have followed suit, often requiring general partners to pass an ESG screen as part of their diligence processes – demanding transparency into ESG policies, procedures and performance of portfolio assets. These trends have all held true as the McKinsey Report for the 2022 Annual Review of Private Market reemphasizes these movements. In response and in conjunction with regulatory influence, we believe the adoption of ESG and the growth of impact investing will continue to proliferate in private markets.
Investor Demand for Data, Analytics and Technology
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We believe many investors do not have an adequate technology and data infrastructure to respond to increasingly complex demands for private market investments. As a result, we believe investors will seek to partner with firms that not only have a proven track record, but also offer tech-enabled non-investment functions, including GP-level reports, enhanced portfolio monitoring, customized performance benchmarking and associated compliance, administrative and tax capabilities. According to the 2022 Global Private Equity Survey by Ernst & Young, 26% of the private equity fund managers surveyed reported middle- and back-office process enhancement as one of their top three priorities to support growth in assets and to meet the needs of new investors. In the same report, 43% of investors surveyed believe investments in digital infrastructure would be beneficial or required to support investors’ needs.
Our Competitive Strengths
Specialized Multi-Asset Class Solutions and Comprehensive Vehicle Offering
We believe our specialized multi-asset class solutions offering, distinct market access and wide-ranging relationships continue to be key competitive differentiators for our investors. Our solutions across private equity, venture capital, impact investing and private credit, coupled with our vehicle offerings across primaries, secondaries, direct and co-investments, we believe, provide our investors with a comprehensive framework to successfully navigate and gain exposure to private markets. Our value proposition and solutions offering continue to position us well to compete and win new investor relationships and mandates.
Distinct Middle and Lower-Middle Market Expertise
We believe the private markets exhibit compelling investment opportunities with significant return potential. Our investment expertise in private markets, coupled with our scale, distinctly positions our business within the private markets ecosystem. Our investment talent across our different private market solutions is led by senior investment professionals with sustained track records of successful private markets investing. Our investment team consists of 107 investment professionals with deep industry expertise across middle and lower middle market private equity, venture capital, impact investing and private credit. Our leadership team has an average of over 22 years of experience and our investment professionals across the different solutions have a long track record of working together.
Differentiated Access to Middle and Lower Middle Market Private Equity and Venture Capital Firms
We believe our investors increasingly seek exposure to the middle and lower-middle markets private equity and venture capital firms but may not have the necessary tools to analyze, diligence and gain access to opportunities offered. Due to our scale and tenure within middle and lower-middle market private equity and venture capital, we have cultivated long-standing relationships with leading middle and lower-middle market private equity and venture capital general partners. We have established relationships with over 265 general partners, which provides us with differentiated access to investment opportunities within private markets, benefiting our investors.
Highly Diversified Investor Base with High Quality Institutions and Deep High-Net-Worth Channel
We believe we are a leading provider of private market solutions for a highly diverse global investor base. Our investors include some of the world’s largest and most prominent public pension funds, family offices, wealth managers, endowments, foundations, corporate pensions and financial institutions. We believe our multi-asset class solutions have allowed our investors to increase and expand allocations across our various solutions and vehicles, thereby deepening existing and new investor relationships. Our business is well-positioned to continue to service and grow our investor base with a team of professionals dedicated to investor relations and business development.
Premier Data Analytics with Proprietary Database
Our premier data and analytic capabilities, driven by our proprietary database, supports our robust and disciplined sourcing criteria, which fuels our highly selective investment process. Our database stores and organizes a universe of managers and opportunities with powerful tracking metrics that we believe drive optimal portfolio management and monitoring and enable a portfolio grading system as well as repository of investment evaluation scorecards. In particular, our
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proprietary database offers our investors a highly transparent, versatile and informative platform through which they can track, monitor and diligence portfolios, and we believe the expansive data set within our proprietary database, harvested from our robust network of general partners, enables us to make more informed investment decisions and, in turn, drive strong investment performance. As of December 31, 2022, our database contains comprehensive information on more than 4,900 investment firms, 9,800 funds, 44,000 individual transactions, 29,000 private companies and 276,000 financial metrics.
Strong Investment Performance Track Record
We believe our investment performance track record is a key differentiator for our business relative to our competitors and acts as a key retention mechanism for our investors and selling tool for prospective investors. We attribute our strong investment performance track record to several factors, including: our broad private market relationships and access, our diligent and responsible investment process, our tenured investing experience and our premier data capabilities. In concert, these factors enable us to pursue attractive, risk-adjusted investment opportunities to meet our investors’ investment objectives.
Attractive, Recurring Fee-based Financial Profile
We believe our financial profile and revenue model have the following important attributes:
Highly Predictable Fee-based Revenue Model
Virtually all of our revenue is derived from management and advisory fees based on committed capital typically subject to multi-year commitment periods, usually between ten and fifteen years. As a result, we believe our revenue stream is contractual and highly predictable. The weighted average duration of remaining capital under management is 6.1 years as of December 31, 2022.
Well Diversified Revenue and Investor Base
As of December 31, 2022, we had 118 revenue generating vehicles across our solutions with over 3,100 investors across public pensions, family offices, wealth managers, endowments, foundations, corporate pension and financial institutions, across 50 states, 59 countries and 6 continents. We therefore believe our business model is highly diversified across both revenue and investor bases.
Attractive Profitability Profile and Operating Margin
We believe our scaled business model, differentiated solutions across middle and lower-middle markets as well as an efficient back-office model has allowed us to achieve a highly competitive profitability profile and operating margin.
Exceptional Management and Investing Teams with Proven M&A Track Records
Our biggest asset is our people and we therefore focus on recruiting, nurturing and retaining top talent, all of whom are proven leaders in their respective field. Our management team has a successful track record of sourcing and executing mergers and acquisitions and is supported by a deep bench of talent consisting of 107 investment professionals.
Ownership Structure Aligned with Investors
The alignment between our stockholders, investors and investment professionals is one of our core tenets and is, we believe, imperative for value creation. Our revenue is comprised almost entirely of recurring management and advisory fees is earned largely on committed capital, which is typically subject to ten to fifteen year lock up agreements. We believe this offers our investors an attractive, highly predictable revenue stream. Furthermore, we have structured carried interest to stay with investment professionals to maximize economic incentive for investment professionals to outperform on behalf of investors. Ultimately, we believe FPAUM follows investment performance and the more aligned our investment professionals are to the performance of investor capital, the better our company performance will be. Over 100 of our
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employees have an equity interest in us, collectively owning approximately 63% of the Company on a fully diluted basis as of December 31, 2022. In addition, our employees have committed separately to our investment vehicles as of December 31, 2022, as part of our General Partner commitment, which is typically 1% of total commitments of each fund.
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Our Growth Strategy
We aim to utilize our differentiated positioning and our core principles and values to continue to grow and expand our business. Our growth strategy includes the following key elements:
Maximize Investor Relationships
Enhance Existing Investor Mandates
We believe our current investor base presents a large opportunity for growth as we continue to expand our broad set of solutions and vehicles. As existing and prospective investors reduce the number of managers with whom they work across asset classes, we believe there are significant opportunities to have investors invest with a consistent, single-source multi-asset class private market solutions provider, positioning us to be a platform of choice. As such, our comprehensive solutions, we believe, will lend itself well to compelling cross-selling opportunities with existing investors. Furthermore, as our investors continue to grow their asset bases and expand utilization of our solutions and vehicles, the number of touchpoints with our investors will broaden, deepening our investor relationships even further.
Capture New Investors and Allocations to Private Markets
We believe we are well positioned to capitalize on the growth in private markets and capture additional investors and market share through our differentiated middle and lower-middle market sourcing capabilities, our attractive multi-asset class solutions and vehicles, and our strong investment performance track record. Our long-standing, established relationships across our broad set of solutions provide us extensive access to fund managers and investment opportunities across these asset classes and we remain highly committed to leveraging our best practices from serving our existing investors to similarly situated prospective investors that may benefit from our experience and broad set of private market solutions.
Expand Distribution Channels
We believe we are well positioned in some of the most sought-after segments of the private markets and we believe our differentiated private market solutions will continue to attract both new institutional and private wealth investors. In particular, investible assets of high-net-worth individuals are expected to increase significantly and compared to institutional investors, high-net-worth individuals tend to have lower private market allocations. Our investment platform is designed to
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provide high-net-worth investors access to private markets and we currently serve over 1,820 high-net-worth investors, which we believe positions us well to continue to capture increasing demand from private wealth investors.
Expand Asset Class Solutions, Broaden Geographic Reach and Grow Private Markets Network Effect
Expand Asset Class Solutions
Our scalable business model is well positioned to expand our multi-asset class offering and we have the capacity and desire to explore adjacent asset classes, broaden our private market solutions capabilities and diversify our business mix. For example, our business development team actively explores the launch of new specialized investment vehicles across both our Venture Capital and Impact Investing solutions to meet increasing investor demand to access middle and lower-middle market venture capital as well as to gain exposure to impact investing trends in private markets. By doing so, we believe we will be able to grow our footprint, continue to develop our position within the private markets ecosystem and further leverage our synergistic solutions offering with additional manager relationships and sourcing opportunities.
Broaden Geographic Reach
We have a significant presence in North America – where a majority of our capital is currently being deployed. We believe expanding our presence in Europe and Asia can be a significant growth driver for our business as investors continue to seek a geographically diverse private market exposure. We believe our global investor base will facilitate such potential market penetration and our robust investment process, existing relationships and proven investment capabilities will continue to be core tenets of an international growth strategy.
Grow Private Markets Network Effect
Expanding into additional asset class solutions will enable us to further enhance our integrated network effect across private markets. We believe adding new asset class solutions will foster deeper manager relationships, enabling managers and portfolio companies alike to benefit from our offerings. As an example, our PCS solution is able to capitalize on the sourcing advantages presented by PES’s expansive network of GPs and portfolio companies. Similarly, a portfolio company held by a manager in our PES solution may benefit directly from our IIS solution.
Leverage Data Capabilities
Our proprietary database provides access to valuable data and analytical tools that are the foundation of our investing process. We believe our experience and insights will be increasingly impactful to the decision making processes of our investment team and our investors. Moreover, we believe our differentiated data capabilities allow us to further support the private markets activities of our investors, enhance our investors experience and drive new innovative solutions.
Selectively Pursue Strategic Acquisitions and Relationships
We focus on growing organically but may complement our growth with selective strategic acquisition opportunities that expand our footprint, broaden our investor base, and further strengthen our solutions offering. Specifically, we target opportunities with a market leading differentiated platform, an established and committed investor base, strong margins with operating leverage, management and advisory fee-based revenue, strong investment performance and a proven management team. Our leadership team has a proven track record of identifying, acquiring and integrating companies to drive long-term value creation, and we will continue to maintain a highly disciplined approach to pursuing accretive acquisitions. In September 2021, Enhanced entered into a strategic relationship with Crossroads, parent company of CPF, to promote impact credit. See “Related Party Transactions—Strategic Relationship with Crossroads Systems, Inc.” On September 30, 2021, P10 Holdings closed on the purchases of Hark and Bonaccord from the global investment company and asset manager Aberdeen Capital Management LLC and certain related parties. The Bonaccord APA provided for the acquisition of certain assets related to the business of acquiring minority equity interests in alternative asset management companies focused on private market strategies which may include private equity, private credit, real estate and real assets strategies, for total consideration of approximately $56 million. In addition, the Bonaccord APA provides for potential earn-out payments of up to $20 million, during the 72-month period beginning on October 1, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of certain terms and conditions. The
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Hark APA provided for the acquisition of certain assets related to the business of making loans to portfolio companies that are owned or controlled by financial sponsors, such as private equity funds or venture capital funds, and which do not meet traditional direct lending underwriting criteria, but where the repayment of the loan by the portfolio company is guaranteed by its financial sponsor, for a purchase price of approximately $5 million. In addition, the Hark APA provides for potential earn-out payments of up to $5.4 million, during the 60-month period beginning on October 1, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of certain terms and conditions. We believe these acquisitions further strengthened our position as a premier private markets solutions provider and added approximately $900 million in FPAUM. The aggregate purchase price was paid using existing cash on balance sheet plus an additional draw on our credit facility of $35 million, plus potential future cash earn-outs based upon operating performance. Consistent with this strategy, we continue to evaluate ongoing opportunities, some of which may be significant. In October 2022, we acquired all of the outstanding membership interests of WTI through its subsidiary for total consideration of $105.2 million and an aggregate of 3,916,666 membership units of P10 Intermediate Holdings, LLC, which can be exchanged into 3,916,666 shares of P10 class A common stock, following applicable restrictive periods. Further, the purchase agreement includes additional earnout milestones as EBITDA grows, with a total of $70 million available in earnout payments, in the form of cash or shares of P10 common stock, if EBITDA builds to $25 million and if the eligible employees are still employed by the Company.
As a pioneer in venture debt, WTI has deployed $7.8 billion in loan commitments across more than 1,400 venture-backed companies since its founding in 1980. Many leading publicly traded technology companies, representing over $1 trillion in aggregate market capitalization, count WTI as an early lender and partner. Adding WTI to our solutions portfolio strengthens our market position by adding a strategy capable of delivering growth, and good fund performance, in various market cycles. Consistent with this strategy, we continue to evaluate ongoing opportunities, some of which may be significant.
Our Investment Process
We maintain rigorous investment, monitoring and risk management processes across each of our specialized private market solutions, all unified by a common philosophy and a focus on comprehensive analysis of fund managers and/or portfolio companies.
We believe our investment performance is attributable to a number of factors, including most notably our seasoned, dedicated investment teams and our methodical approach to investing that help us consistently source and analyze opportunities effectively. Our investment professionals are responsible for sourcing, selecting, evaluating, underwriting, diligencing, negotiating, executing, managing and exiting our investments. In addition, our investment professionals regularly develop new investor relationships and networks of industry insiders to proactively source new investments. Our ability to access top-tier, capacity constrained fund managers through a proactive and systematic sourcing process we believe is a significant differentiating factor for our investors.
Our investment committee members across our solutions have significant private markets experience and fully participate in the diligence process, which ensures consistent application of investment strategy, process, diversification and portfolio construction. In addition, the investment committees of our respective solutions review and evaluate investment opportunities through a comprehensive framework that includes both a qualitative and a quantitative assessment of the key risks of investments.
The details of our investment process are outlined below:
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Opportunities Tracked
As of December 31, 2022, we track thousands of potential investment opportunities across private markets, spanning primary investment funds, secondaries and direct and co-investments. Our attractive positioning within the private markets ecosystem, coupled with our synergistic network of general partners and extensive database has enabled us to cultivate a comprehensive funnel of what we believe are premier investment opportunities.
Initial Screen
Leveraging our extensive database, investment professionals submit investment opportunities for initial review, subject to delineated exceptions set forth in our funds’ investment committee charters or resolutions. To facilitate the initial review, the investment team summarizes the opportunity in a preliminary evaluation report and the opportunity is subsequently reviewed by senior members of the team for potential further consideration and investment.
Annual Due Diligence
For each potential investment opportunity, the responsible investment team gathers, analyzes and reviews available information on the underlying asset. The due diligence process is augmented further by our extensive database, which enables us to analyze and compare the investment opportunity to what we believe are precedent transactions. As part of the due diligence process, we also conduct operational due diligence and legal diligence, which evaluate the potential risks associated with the investment opportunity’s operational framework and legal standing. More specifically, our operational due diligence team focuses on legal, financial, IT and background checks, while our legal due diligence team focuses on review of legal documents, fund agreements and compliance.
Annual Investments Made
After our due diligence is completed, the responsible investment team works with the relevant Investment Committee to validate that each investment opportunity meets the investment objective of the portfolio at hand. The Investment Committee provides feedback on the general partner (and investment merits in the case of secondaries and direct and co-investments), risks and prospects of each investment opportunity. Provided that the opportunity meets the appropriate criteria, the investment committee issues an indicative approval to proceed with confirmatory due diligence. Upon successful confirmatory due diligence the Investment Committee will reconvene to review the investment for a final vote. Once final approval has been obtained, the investment team may proceed with commitments or funding.
Our Risk Management Process
Our risk management process includes risk identification, measurement, mitigation, monitoring and management/reporting, with particular risk assessments tailored by solution, vehicle and individual client. We apply our risk management framework across three distinct areas of our investment process: (a) the general partner, (b) the investment fund, and (c) the portfolio company. We seek to mitigate risk through prudent portfolio diversification and through comprehensive due diligence on general partners, investment funds and portfolio companies.
General Partner
We perform extensive, upfront due diligence on general partners prior to making an investment and all our current period partners are subject to our ongoing risk management framework. Key components of our ongoing risk management of general partners include monitoring the firm’s historical and current strategy, historical track record and anticipated performance, current team composition and remuneration, decision-making process, ability to add value, deal flow and fund terms. Furthermore, our risk management processes include reviewing information related to the general partners target asset classes, sector/sub-sectors, investment specialties, key personnel, and primary geographical regions in which the general partner invests.
Investment Fund
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Investment Funds are also subject to our due diligence and risk management framework. Key components of our ongoing risk management of investment funds include monitoring vintage year, fund size, currency, as well as measures of historical performance (including percent of commitments called, distributions to paid in capital, residual value to paid in capital, net total value multiple of invested capital, net internal rate of return, and the date performance results were last updated), historical investments and benchmarking.
Portfolio Company
Key components of our ongoing risk management of portfolio companies include monitoring cash flow details, financial and operating metrics, and other relevant performance measurements. Our investments in our portfolio companies include both debt and equity.
In addition to our distinct ongoing risk management processes we participate in board meetings, investment funds’ annual meetings, maintain membership on limited partnership boards and advisory boards and remain in frequent dialogue with portfolio companies in an effort to remain appraised of relevant developments in the investment funds. We are also recipients of monthly and quarterly performance reporting packages, annual audited financial statements, along with K-1 tax reporting packages and evaluations of the state of the market generally.
Our ongoing monitoring efforts culminate in annual summaries featuring extensive qualitative and quantitative information of each portfolio company. The annual summaries help us benchmark each general partner to ensure each portfolio we invest in to ensure each portfolio is performing as expected.
Our Responsible Investment Philosophy
Responsible investment, which encompasses environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) and impact investing considerations, is important to our operating and investment philosophies. We believe that integration of an ESG framework into both our investment process and internal operations may improve long-term, risk-adjusted returns for our clients. Certain of our subsidiaries have developed a responsible investment policy. In addition, two of our subsidiaries are a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (“UNPRI”). We aim to continually improve and evolve, and plan to review our policy annually.
Given our scale and position in the private markets ecosystem, we believe we are well positioned to help educate the broader investor and fund manager community on how best to integrate responsible investment considerations in their investment process and programs.
Our Fee-Paying AUM
Fee-Paying AUM (FPAUM)
FPAUM reflects the assets from which we currently earn management and advisory fees. Our vehicles typically earn management and advisory fees based on committed capital, and in certain cases, net invested capital, depending on the fee terms. Management and advisory fees based on committed capital are not affected by market appreciation or depreciation.
Our FPAUM has grown from approximately $9.9 billion as of December 31, 2018 to approximately $21.2 billion as of December 31, 2022 determined on a pro forma basis.
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1. Organic FPAUM is calculated on a pro forma basis assuming the acquisitions of WTI, Five Points, TrueBridge, Enhanced, Bonaccord, and Hark were completed as of January 1, 2018.
2. Q4’22 organic FPAUM growth is the pro forma FPAUM growth from Q4’21 to Q4’22.
Note: “PF” refers to calculations made on a pro forma basis. “A” refers to calculations made on an actual basis.
Our Fees and Other Key Contractual Terms
Specialized Investment Vehicles
While the terms of each fund may vary, we have outlined the key terms of the customized separate accounts and commingled funds within our specialized investment vehicles below:
Commingled Investment Vehicles
Capital Commitments
Investors in our investment funds generally make commitments to provide capital at the outset of a fund and deliver capital when called upon by us, as investment opportunities become available and to fund operational expenses and other obligations. The commitments are generally available for investment for 1 to 5 years, during what we call the commitment period. We typically have invested the capital committed to our funds, over a 3 to 5-year period.
Structure
Our investment funds are structured as limited partnerships organized by us accepting commitments or funds from our investors. Our investors become limited partners in our funds and a separate entity that we form and control acts as the general partner. Our capital commitment to the limited partnership is generally 1% of total capital commitments. Contingent upon the solution, each investment fund will have a designated “Manager,” which generally serves as the investment manager of the fund, responsible for all investment diligence, decision making and monitoring.
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Fees
We earn management and advisory fees based on a percentage of investors’ capital commitments to, in funds or deployed capital. Management and advisory fees during the commitment period are charged on capital commitments and after the commitment period (or a defined anniversary of the fund’s initial closing) is reduced by a percentage of the management and advisory fees for the preceding years or charged on net invested capital or NAV, in selected cases.
Duration and Termination
Our primary investment funds, secondaries funds and direct and co-investment funds are typically ten to fifteen years in duration, terminating either on a specific anniversary date, or after a determined number of years after the fund’s final close. Our funds are generally subject to extensions for up to 3 years at the discretion of the general partner and thereafter if consent of the requisite majority of investors, or in some cases, the fund’s advisory committee is obtained.
Separate Accounts
Capital Commitments
Investors in our separate accounts generally make commitments to provide capital at the outset of a fund and deliver capital when called upon by us, as investment opportunities become available and to fund operational expenses and other obligations. The commitments are generally available for investment for 4 to 5 years, during what we call the commitment period. We typically have invested the capital committed to our investment funds, over a 5-year period.
Structure
Most of our separate accounts are contractual arrangements involving an investment management agreement between us and our investor. Within agreed-upon investment guidelines, we generally have full discretion to buy, sell or otherwise effect investment transactions involving the assets in the account, in the name and on behalf of our investor, although in some cases certain investors have the right to veto investments. The discretion to invest committed capital generally is subject to investment guidelines established by our investors or by us in conjunction with our investors. In some cases, at the investor’s request, we establish a separate investment vehicle, generally a limited partnership with our investor as the sole limited partner and a wholly owned subsidiary as the general partner. Our capital commitment to the limited partnership is typically 1% of total capital commitments. We manage the limited partnership under an investment management agreement between our investor and us.
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Fees
We earn management and advisory fees based on a percentage of investors’ capital commitments to or, in selected cases, net invested capital in, or NAV of, our investment funds. These fees often decrease over the life of the contract due to built-in declines in contractual rates and/or as a result of lower net invested capital balances or NAV as capital is returned to investors.
Duration and Termination
Separate account contracts typically can be terminated by our investors for specified reasons, but specific terms vary significantly from investor to investor and certain contracts may be terminated for any reason, typically with 5 to 90 days’ notice.
Our Competition
We compete in all aspects of our business with a large number of asset management firms, commercial banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions. With respect to our investment strategies, we primarily compete with other private markets solutions providers within North America that specialize in private equity, venture capital, impact investing and private credit. We seek to maintain excellent relationships with general partners and managers of investment funds, including those in which we have previously made investments for our investors and those in which we may invest in the future, as well as sponsors of investments that might provide co-investment opportunities in portfolio companies alongside the sponsoring fund manager. However, because of the number of investors seeking to gain access to investment funds and co-investment opportunities managed or sponsored by the top performing fund managers, there can be no assurance that we will be able to secure the opportunity to invest on behalf of our investors in all or a substantial portion of the investments we select, or that the size of the investment opportunities available to us will be as large as we would desire. Access to secondary investment opportunities is also highly competitive and is often controlled by a limited number of general partners, fund managers and intermediaries. Our ability to continue to compete effectively will depend upon our ability to attract highly qualified investment professionals and retain existing employees.
In order to grow our business, we must maintain our existing investor base and attract new investors. Historically, we have competed principally on the basis of the factors listed below:
The asset management business is intensely competitive, and in addition to the above factors, our ability to continue to compete effectively will depend upon our ability to attract highly qualified investment professionals and retain existing employees.
Regulatory and Compliance Matters
Our business is subject to extensive regulation in the United States at both the federal and state level and, in certain circumstances, outside the United States. Under these laws and regulations, the SEC, relevant state securities authorities and other foreign regulatory agencies have broad administrative powers, including the power to limit, restrict or prohibit an
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investment advisor from carrying on its business if it fails to comply with such laws and regulations. Possible sanctions that may be imposed include the suspension of individual employees, limitations on engaging in certain lines of business for specified periods of time, revocation of investment advisor and other registrations, censures and fines.
SEC Regulation
Certain subsidiaries of P10 are registered as an investment adviser with the SEC. As a registered investment adviser, each is subject to the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act, and the rules promulgated thereunder, as well as to examination by the SEC’s staff. The Investment Advisers Act imposes substantive regulation on virtually all aspects of our business and our relationships with our investors and funds. Applicable requirements relate to, among other things, fiduciary duties to investors, engaging in transactions with investors, maintaining an effective compliance program, political contributions, personal trading, incentive fees, allocation of investments, conflicts of interest, custody, advertising, recordkeeping, reporting and disclosure requirements. The Investment Advisers Act also regulates the assignment of advisory contracts by the investment adviser. The SEC is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Investment Advisers Act, ranging from fines and censures to termination of an investment adviser’s registration. The failure of any Adviser to comply with the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act or the SEC could have a material adverse effect on us.
Our separate accounts and funds are not registered under the Investment Company Act because we generally only form separate accounts for, and offer interests in our funds to, persons who we reasonably believe to be “qualified purchasers” as defined in the Investment Company Act. In addition, certain funds are not registered under the Investment Company Act because we limit such funds to 100 or fewer “persons” as defined in the Investment Company Act. In addition, certain WTI funds are registered under the Investment Company Act and must comply with the reporting and governance requirements of the Investment Company Act. Compliance with the Investment Company Act can be complex and failure to comply can result in significant fines, penalties, loss to reputation and other material adverse effects on us.
ERISA-Related Regulation
Some of our funds are treated as holding “plan assets” as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), as a result of investments in those funds by benefit plan investors. By virtue of its role as investment manager of these funds, each Adviser is a “fiduciary” under ERISA with respect to such benefit plan investors. ERISA and the Code impose certain duties on persons that are fiduciaries under ERISA, prohibit certain transactions involving benefit plans and “parties in interest” or “disqualified persons” to those plans, and provide monetary penalties for violations of these prohibitions. With respect to these funds, each Adviser relies on particular statutory and administrative exemptions from certain ERISA prohibited transactions, which exemptions are highly complex and may in certain circumstances depend on compliance by third parties whom we do not control. The failure of any Adviser or us to comply with these various requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business.
In addition, with respect to other investment funds in which benefit plan investors have invested, but which are not treated as holding “plan assets,” each Adviser relies on certain rules under ERISA in conducting investment management activities. These rules are sometimes highly complex and may in certain circumstances depend on compliance by third parties that we do not control. If for any reason these rules were to become inapplicable, each Adviser could become subject to regulatory action or third-party claims that could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Foreign Regulation
We provide investment advisory and other services and raise funds in a number of countries and jurisdictions outside the United States. In many of these countries and jurisdictions, which include the European Union ("EU"), the European Economic Area ("EEA") , the individual member states of each of the EU and EEA, Central and South America, Australia and other countries in the South Pacific, we and our operations, and in some cases our personnel, are subject to regulatory oversight and requirements. In general, these requirements relate to registration, licenses for our personnel, periodic inspections, the provision and filing of periodic reports, and obtaining certifications and other approvals. Across the EU, we are subject to the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive ("AIFMD") requirements regarding, among other things, registration for marketing activities, the structure of remuneration for certain of our personnel and reporting obligations.
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Individual member states of the EU have imposed additional requirements that may include internal arrangements with respect to risk management, liquidity risks, asset valuations, and the establishment and security of depositary and custodial requirements.
It is expected that additional laws and regulations will come into force in the UK, the EEA, the EU, and other countries in which we operate over the coming years. There have also been significant legislative developments affecting the private equity industry in Europe and there continues to be discussion regarding enhancing governmental scrutiny and/or increasing regulation of the private equity industry.
SBA Regulations
Several of our Advisers provide investment advisory and other services to funds which operate as Small Business Investment Companies ("SBICs") and are licensed by the Small Business Administration ("SBA"). SBICs supply small businesses with financing in both the equity and debt arenas. There are various requirements that apply to SBICs under SBA rules and regulations. These rules and regulations are sometimes highly complex. The SBA is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of rules and regulations applicable to SIBCs, including forcing the liquidation of an SBIC. The failure of an Adviser to comply with the requirements of the SBA could have a material adverse effect on us.
Privacy and Cyber Security Regulation
Certain of our businesses are subject to laws and regulations enacted by U.S. federal and state governments, the E.U. or other non-U.S. jurisdictions and/or enacted by various regulatory organizations or exchanges relating to the privacy of the information of clients, employees or others, including the U.S. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, the EU’s GDPR and the Australian Privacy Act. The GDPR has heightened our privacy compliance obligations, impacted our businesses’ collection, processing and retention of personal data and imposed strict standards for reporting data breaches. The GDPR also provides for significant penalties for non-compliance. In addition, California and several other states have recently enacted, or are actively considering, consumer privacy laws that impose compliance obligations with regard to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. For more information, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Industry.”
Future Developments
The SEC and various self-regulatory organizations and state securities regulators have in recent years increased their regulatory activities, including regulation, examination and enforcement in respect of asset management firms.
As described above, certain of our businesses are subject to compliance with laws and regulations of U.S. federal and state governments, non-U.S. governments, their respective agencies and/or various self-regulatory organizations or exchanges, and any failure to comply with these regulations could expose us to liability and/or damage our reputation. Our businesses have operated for many years within a legal framework that requires us to monitor and comply with a broad range of legal and regulatory developments that affect our activities. However, additional legislation, changes in rules promulgated by financial regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations or changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules, either in the United States or elsewhere, may directly affect our mode of operation and profitability.
Compliance
Each Adviser has a Chief Compliance Officer. Certain Advisers also maintain in-house legal staff as well as additional compliance staff. Each Adviser generally engages outside counsel to review, analyze and negotiate the terms of the documents relating to impact, primary, secondary and direct/co-investments. Because most of our separate account investors and certain of our advisory investors rely on us to negotiate terms, including terms about which certain investors are particularly sensitive or which are investor-specific, our compliance and legal teams work closely with both the investors and outside counsel. Our compliance and legal teams also work closely with our investment teams during negotiations. Typically, outside counsel negotiates directly with fund managers and deal sponsors and their counsel the terms of all limited partnership agreements, subscription documents, side letters, purchase agreements and other documents relating to primary, secondary and direct co-investments. Our compliance and legal teams review and makes recommendations regarding
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amendments and requests for consents presented by the fund managers from time to time. In addition, our compliance and legal teams work with outside counsel as we deem necessary to prepare, review and negotiate all documents relating to the formation and operation of our funds.
Each Adviser’s compliance team is responsible for overseeing and enforcing our policies and procedures relating to compliance with the laws applicable to our business both U.S. and foreign. This includes our code of ethics and personal trading policies.
We have an outsourced Internal Audit group, which have disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, which are documented and assessed for design and operating effectiveness in accordance with the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Our Internal Audit group independently reports to an audit committee of our board of directors, operates with a global mandate and will be responsible for the examination and evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the organization’s governance and risk management processes and internal controls, as well as the quality of performance in carrying out assigned responsibilities to achieve the organization’s stated goals and objectives.
Legal Proceedings
In the normal course of business, we may be subject to various legal, judicial and administrative proceedings. Currently, there are no material proceedings pending or, to our knowledge, threatened against us.
Employees
As of December 31, 2022, we had 234 total employees, including 107 investment professionals. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good and have not experienced interruptions of operations due to labor disagreements.
Facilities
We lease our corporate headquarters and principal offices, which are located at 4514 Cole Avenue, Suite 1600, Dallas, Texas 75205. We also lease additional office space in Illinois, California, North Carolina, New York, Louisiana, Missouri, Maryland and Colorado. We do not own any real property. We believe our current facilities are adequate for our current needs and that suitable additional space will be available as and when needed.
Human Capital
The Company believes that a strong focus on human capital through the talent we hire and retain is critical to maintaining our competitiveness. As of December 31, 2022, we have 234 full-time equivalent employees, primarily located in the United States. Our employees are not represented by a collective bargaining group. We consider our employee relations to be strong.
Human Capital Objectives
Our business is built on strong, trusted and relationships with stakeholders: employees, limited partners, general partners, and our public stockholders. As such, attracting, recruiting, developing, and retaining diverse talent is vital to our success. The Company is focused on supporting our employees, and we consider talent management to be essential to the ongoing success of our business. Our Board of Directors and Committees provide oversight of our human capital management strategy.
Sustainability
The Company’s executive leadership team and Board recognize that ESG is a strategic and operational imperative and established an internal team that is tasked with driving progress. In partnership with our employees, we are committed to protecting the natural environment and our communities through sustainable practices. We emphasize a culture of accountability and conduct our business in a manner that is fair, ethical, and responsible to earn the trust of our employees.
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Employee Attraction, Recruitment, Development and Retention
We are also committed to pay equity and regularly review our compensation model to ensure fair and inclusive pay practices across our business. We offer competitive benefits packages that reflect the needs of our workforce. In the U.S., we provide all full-time employees medical, dental, and vision benefits, life and disability coverage, parental leave, education reimbursement, and paid time off. We provide retirement benefits including a 401(k)-match program. In addition to base salary, our employees participate in incentive plans that support our organizational philosophy of pay and performance. Our executive compensation program is designed to align incentives with achievement of the Company’s strategic plan and both short- and long-term operating objectives.
Health & Safety
We take the health and safety of our employees seriously. We expect each employee to follow our safety standards and protocols. We continue to utilize employee feedback and surveys to gather information to best serve our team members. Members of our human resource department annually review benefits to ensure we can meet the well-being of our employees and their families.
Diversity and Inclusion
Our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion "D&I" starts with our goal of developing a workforce that is diverse in background, knowledge, skill, and experience. We have implemented policies and training focused on non-discrimination and harassment prevention. We embrace diversity and inclusion, which we believe fosters leadership through new ideas and perspectives. In 2022, we continued the evolution of our D&I strategy and objectives and recognize it as an ongoing business imperative. As of December 31, 2022, approximately 39% of our total work force and 17% of our senior leaders were female, while approximately 17% of our total work force and none of our senior leaders were minorities.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
We maintain a website with the address https://ir.p10alts.com/. We are not including the information contained on our website as part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Form 10-K. Through our website, we make available free of charge our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports in a timely manner after we provide them to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
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Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Risks Related to Our Business
Our revenue in any given period is dependent on the number of fee-paying investors in such period. While most of our revenue is derived from management and advisory fees based on committed capital that is typically subject to multi-year lock up agreements, under certain limited circumstances, the committed capital can be withdrawn early, or we can be removed or terminated as the adviser or general partner to a particular client.
Our revenue is comprised virtually entirely of management and advisory fees from our registered investment adviser subsidiaries (each, an “Adviser”), with the vast majority of fees earned on committed capital that is typically subject to between 10 and 15 year lock up agreements, although in many cases, the contractual fees decline over the period, after the investment period of three to five years ends. Our investors engage us across multiple private market solutions through different vehicles, including primary investment funds, direct and co-investment funds and secondary funds. Primary investment funds and direct and co-investment funds include both commingled investment vehicles with multiple investors as well as customizable separate accounts, which typically include one customer. Our revenue in any given period is dependent on the number of fee-paying investors in such period. For our specialized, commingled funds, our fees may terminate if we are removed for certain cause events such as a key person event or without cause by a super majority of investors. Our customized separate account and advisory account business operates in a highly competitive environment. While investors of our separate account and advisory account businesses may have multi-year contracts, certain of these contracts only provide for fees to the extent a client elects to make an investment. In addition, the separate accounts and advisory contracts may be terminated by the client for cause or without cause upon advance notice to us. In connection with these terminable contracts, we may lose investors as a result of the sale or merger of an investor, a change in an investor’s senior management, competition from other financial advisors and financial institutions and other causes. Moreover, certain of our contracts with state government-sponsored investors are secured through such government’s request for proposal process, and can be subject to renewal. If multiple investors were to exercise their termination rights or fail to renew their existing contracts or investors removed us from managing a fund and we were unable to secure new investors, our fees would decline. In the case of any such events, the management fees and advisory fees we earn in connection with managing such account would immediately cease, which could result in an adverse effect on our revenues. If we experience a change of control (as defined under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Advisers Act”), or as otherwise set forth in the governing documents of our funds), continuation of the investment management agreements of our funds and our separate account clients would be subject to investor or client consent. We cannot assure you that required consents will be obtained if a change of control occurs.
If the investments we make on behalf of our specialized investment vehicles perform poorly, our ability to raise capital for future specialized investment vehicles may be materially and adversely affected.
Our revenue from our investment management business is derived from fees earned for our management of our specialized investment vehicles and advisory accounts and with respect to certain of our specialized investment vehicles. We have no economic interest, ownership in or beneficiary interest in the performance of the funds (except for a 5% carried interest in RCP FF Small Buyout Co-Investment Fund, LP). RCP 2 and RCP 3 serve as the advisors of the affiliated private equity funds, funds-of-funds, secondary funds and co-investment funds and receive management and advisory fees for the services performed. In the event that our specialized investment vehicles or individual investments perform poorly, the fund manager’s revenues and earnings derived from incentive fees will decline, which may result in a decrease in our management and advisory fee revenue and make it more difficult for us to raise capital for new specialized funds or gain new customized separate account investors in the future.
The historical performance of our investments should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our investments or our operations.
In considering the performance information contained in this Form 10-K, our stockholders should be aware that past performance of our specialized investment vehicles or the investments that we recommend to our investors is not necessarily indicative of future results or of the performance of our Class A common stock. An investment in our Class A common stock is not an investment in any of our specialized investment vehicles. In addition, the historical and potential future returns of specialized investment vehicles that we manage are not directly linked to returns on our Class A common stock. Therefore, you should not conclude that continued positive performance of our specialized investment vehicles or the investments that we recommend to our investors will necessarily result in positive returns on our Class A common stock. However, poor
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performance of our specialized investment vehicles could cause a decline in our ability to raise additional funds, and could therefore have a negative effect on our performance and on returns on our Class A common stock. The historical performance of our funds should not be considered indicative of the future performance of these funds or of any future funds we may raise, in part because:
The success of our business depends on the identification and availability of suitable investment opportunities for our investors.
Our success largely depends on the identification and availability of suitable investment opportunities for our investors, and in particular the success of funds in which our specialized investment vehicles and advisory accounts invest. The availability of investment opportunities will be subject to market conditions and other factors outside of our control and the control of the private markets and fund managers with which we invest.
Past returns of our specialized investment vehicles and advisory accounts have benefited from investment opportunities and general market conditions that may not continue or reoccur, including favorable borrowing conditions in the debt markets. There can be no assurance that our specialized investment vehicles, advisory accounts or the underlying funds in which we invest will be able to avail themselves of comparable opportunities and conditions.
Further, there can be no assurance that the private markets funds we select will be able to identify sufficient attractive investment opportunities to meet their investment objectives.
Competition for access to investment funds and other investments we make for our investors is intense.
We compete in all aspects of our business with a large number of asset management firms, commercial banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions. With respect to our investment strategies, we primarily compete with other private markets solutions providers within North America that specialize in private equity, venture capital, impact investing, NAV loans, GP stakes, and private credit. We seek to maintain excellent relationships with general partners and managers of investment funds, including those in which we have previously made investments for our investors and those in which we may invest in the future, as well as sponsors of investments that might provide co-investment opportunities in portfolio companies alongside the sponsoring fund manager. However, because of the number of investors seeking to gain access to investment funds and co-investment opportunities managed or sponsored by the top performing fund managers, there can be no assurance that we will be able to secure the opportunity to invest on behalf of our investors in all or a substantial portion of the investments we select, or that the size of the investment opportunities available to us will be as large as we would desire. Access to secondary investment opportunities is also highly competitive and is often controlled by a
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limited number of general partners, fund managers and intermediaries. Our ability to continue to compete effectively will depend upon our ability to attract highly qualified investment professionals and retain existing employees.
Our failure to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest could damage our reputation and materially and adversely affect our business.
As we expand the scope of our business, we increasingly confront potential conflicts of interest relating to our advisory and investment management businesses. For example, we may recommend that various of our advisory investors invest in specialized funds managed by our investment management business. It is possible that actual, potential or perceived conflicts could give rise to investor dissatisfaction, litigation or regulatory enforcement actions. Certain of our subsidiaries are registered investment advisors and they owe their investors a fiduciary duty and are required to provide disinterested advice. Appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and difficult and our reputation could be damaged if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with one or more potential or actual conflicts of interest. Regulatory scrutiny of, or litigation in connection with, conflicts of interest could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, which could materially and adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including an inability to raise additional funds and reluctance of our existing investors to continue to do business with us.
We have obligations to investors and may have obligations to other third parties that may conflict with interests of our stockholders.
Our subsidiaries that serve as the general partners of, or advisers to, our funds, or to our specialized investment vehicles have fiduciary and contractual obligations to the investors in those funds and accounts, and some of our subsidiaries may have contractual duties to other third parties. As a result, we may take actions with respect to the allocation of investments among our specialized investment vehicles or funds (including funds and accounts that have different fee structures), the purchase or sale of investments in our specialized investment vehicles or funds, the structuring of investment transactions for those specialized investment vehicles or funds, the advice we provide or other actions in order to comply with these fiduciary and contractual obligations.
Our ability to retain our senior leadership team and attract, retain and develop human capital in a highly competitive talent market is critical to our success.
Our success depends on our ability to retain our senior leadership team and to attract, retain, and develop additional qualified investment, sales and other professionals. However, we may not be successful in our efforts to retain our senior leadership team, as the market for investment professionals is extremely competitive. The individuals that comprise our senior leadership team possess substantial experience and expertise and, in many cases, have significant relationships with certain of our investors. Accordingly, the loss of any one of our senior leadership team could adversely affect certain investor relationships or limit our ability to successfully execute our investment strategies, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Competition for qualified, motivated, and highly-skilled executives, professionals and other key personnel in asset management firms is significant. Turnover and associated costs of rehiring, the loss of human capital through attrition, death, or disability and the reduced ability to attract talent could impair our ability to implement our growth strategy and maintain our standards of excellence. Our future success will depend upon our ability to find, attract, retain and motivate highly-skilled and highly-qualified individuals. We seek to provide our personnel with competitive benefits and compensation packages. However, our efforts may not be sufficient to enable us to attract, retain and motivate qualified individuals to support our growth. Moreover, if our personnel join competitors or form businesses that compete with ours, that could adversely affect our ability to raise new or successor funds. In addition, certain of our specialized funds have key person provisions that are triggered upon the loss of services of one or more specified employees and could, upon the occurrence of such event, provide the investors in these funds with certain rights such as rights providing for the termination or suspension of our funds’ investment periods and/or wind-down of our funds. Any change to our senior leadership team could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We intend to expand our business and may enter into new lines of business or geographic markets, which may result in additional risks and uncertainties in our business.
Virtually all of our revenue is derived from management and advisory fees based on committed capital that is typically subject to multi-year lock up agreements, typically between 10 and 15 years. We continue to grow our business by offering
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additional products and services, by entering into new lines of business and by entering into, or expanding our presence in, new geographic markets, including Europe and Asia. Introducing new types of investment structures, products and services could increase our operational costs and the complexities involved in managing such investments, including with respect to ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and the terms of the investment. To the extent we enter into new lines of business, we will face numerous risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with the possibility that we have insufficient expertise to engage in such activities profitably or without incurring inappropriate amounts of risk, the required investment of capital and other resources and the loss of investors due to the perception that we are no longer focusing on our core business. In addition, we may from time to time explore opportunities to grow our business via acquisitions, partnerships, investments or other strategic transactions. There can be no assurance that we will successfully identify, negotiate or complete such transactions, that any completed transactions will produce favorable financial results or that we will be able to successfully integrate an acquired business with ours.
Entry into certain lines of business or geographic markets or introduction of new types of products or services may subject us to new laws and regulations with which we are not familiar, or from which we are currently exempt, and may lead to increased litigation and regulatory risk. In addition, certain aspects of our cost structure, such as costs for compensation, occupancy and equipment rentals, communication and information technology services, and depreciation and amortization will be largely fixed, and we may not be able to timely adjust these costs to match fluctuations in revenue related to growing our business or entering into new lines of business. If a new business generates insufficient revenue or if we are unable to efficiently manage our expanded operations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Future transactions and recent acquisitions could pose risks.
We frequently evaluate strategic opportunities and tactical acquisitions. We expect from time to time to pursue additional business opportunities and may decide to eliminate or acquire certain businesses, products or services. Such acquisitions or dispositions could be material. There are various risks and uncertainties associated with potential acquisitions and divestitures, including: (1) availability of financing; (2) difficulties related to integrating previously separate businesses into a single unit, including product and service offerings, operational capabilities and business cultures; (3) general business disruption; (4) managing the integration process; (5) diversion of management’s attention from day-to-day operations; (6) assumption of costs and liabilities of an acquired business, including unforeseen or contingent liabilities or liabilities in excess of the amounts estimated; (7) failure to realize anticipated benefits and synergies, such as cost savings and revenue enhancements; (8) potentially substantial costs and expenses associated with acquisitions and dispositions; (9) failure to retain and motivate key employees; and (10) difficulties in applying our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures to an acquired business. Any or all of these risks and uncertainties, individually or collectively, could have material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Unforeseen liabilities may also arise from recent and future acquisition activity. We have operations in numerous states, and continue to review potential acquisitions in states throughout the United States, each of which has its own regulatory and compliance requirements. Each of our current and future businesses is required to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations. From time to time states may conduct inquiries or investigations as to compliance with such requirements. Any such inquiry or investigation could be for periods prior to or subsequent to our acquisition. In the event (i) it was determined that an acquisition or subsidiary was found to have violated an applicable law, rule or regulation, or other requirement, (ii) such violation was determined to be material and (iii) to the extent that we were liable for claims for which indemnification under our acquisition agreement or other coverage is not available, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our organic growth with selective strategic acquisitions in recent years may be difficult to sustain, as it may place significant demands on our resources and employees and may increase our expenses.
We have grown organically and further evolved by adding complementary solutions and integrating these solutions into our existing offerings to generate cross-selling opportunities across our existing investor base, as demonstrated by the recent acquisitions of Hark, Bonaccord, and WTI. The substantial growth of our business has placed, and if it continues, will continue to place, significant demands on our infrastructure, our investment team and other employees, and will increase our expenses. In addition, we are required to continuously develop our infrastructure as a result of becoming a public company and in response to the increasingly complex investment management industry and increasing sophistication of investors. Legal and regulatory developments also contribute to the level of our expenses. The future growth of our business will
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depend, among other things, on our ability to maintain the appropriate infrastructure and staffing levels to sufficiently address our growth and may require us to incur significant additional expenses and commit additional senior management and operational resources. We may face significant challenges in maintaining adequate financial and operational controls as well as implementing new or updated information and financial systems and procedures. Training, managing and appropriately sizing our work force and other components of our business on a timely and cost-effective basis may also pose challenges. In addition, our efforts to retain or attract qualified investment professionals may result in significant additional expenses. There can be no assurance that we will be able to manage our growing business effectively or that we will be able to continue to grow, and any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and control our expenses.
Acquired businesses may not perform as expected, leading to an adverse effect on our earnings and revenue growth.
Acquisitions involve a number of risks, including the following, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business and our earnings and revenue growth: (i) incurring costs in excess of what we anticipated; (ii) potential loss of key wealth management professionals or other team members of the predecessor firm; (iii) inability to generate sufficient revenue to offset transaction costs; (iv) inability to retain investors following an acquisition; (v) incurring expenses associated with the amortization or impairment of intangible assets, particularly for goodwill and other intangible assets; and (vi) payment of more than fair market value for the assets of the acquired business.
While we intend that our completed acquisitions will improve profitability, past or future acquisitions may not be accretive to earnings or otherwise meet operational or strategic expectations. The failure of any of our acquired businesses to perform as expected after acquisition may have an adverse effect on our earnings and revenue growth. These risks are present for our recent acquisitions, including the Hark, Bonaccord, and WTI acquisitions, as well as acquisitions we may enter into in the future.
The due diligence process that we undertake in connection with investments may not reveal all facts that may be relevant in connection with an investment.
Before making or recommending investments for our investors, we conduct due diligence that we deem reasonable and appropriate based on the facts and circumstances applicable to each investment. When conducting due diligence, we may be required to evaluate important and complex business, financial, tax, accounting, environmental and legal issues. Outside consultants, legal advisors and accountants may be involved in the due diligence process in varying degrees depending on the type of investment and the parties involved. Nevertheless, when conducting due diligence and making an assessment regarding an investment, we rely on the resources available to us, including information provided by the target of the investment and, in some circumstances, third-party investigations. The due diligence investigation that we will carry out with respect to any investment opportunity may not reveal or highlight all relevant facts that are necessary or helpful in evaluating such investment opportunity. Moreover, such an investigation will not necessarily result in the investment ultimately being successful. In addition, a substantial portion of our specialized funds are funds-of-funds, and therefore we are dependent on the due diligence investigation of the general partner or co-investment partner leading such investment. We have little or no control over their due diligence process, and any shortcomings in their due diligence could be reflected in the performance of the investment we make with them on behalf of our investors. Poor investment performance could lead investors to terminate their agreements with us and/or result in negative reputational effects, either of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our indebtedness and our future indebtedness may expose us to substantial risks.
We expect to continue to utilize debt to finance our operations and potential future acquisitions, which will expose us to the typical risks associated with the use of leverage. Significant future borrowings could make it more difficult for us to withstand adverse economic conditions or business plan variances, to take advantage of new business opportunities, or to make necessary capital expenditures. Any portion of our cash flow required for debt service would not be available for our operations, distributions, dividends or other purposes. Any substantial decrease in net operating cash flows or any substantial increase in expenses could make it difficult for us to meet our debt service requirements or force us to modify our operations.
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Restrictive covenants in agreements and instruments governing our debt may adversely affect our ability to operate our business.
The terms in our agreements and instruments governing our debt contain various provisions that limit our and our subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things:
The restrictions in the agreements and instruments governing our debt may prevent us from taking actions that we believe would be in the best interests of our business, and may make it difficult for us to successfully execute our business strategy or effectively compete with companies that are not similarly restricted. We also may incur future debt obligations that might subject us to additional restrictive covenants that could affect our financial and operational flexibility. Our ability to comply with these covenants in future periods will largely depend on our ability to successfully implement our overall business strategy. We cannot assure you that we will be granted waivers or amendments to these agreements or instruments if for any reason we are unable to comply with these agreements and instruments. The breach of any of these covenants and restrictions could result in a default under the agreements and instruments governing our debt which could result in an acceleration of our indebtedness.
Dependence on leverage by certain funds and portfolio companies subjects us to volatility and contractions in the debt financing markets and could adversely affect the ability of our specialized investment vehicles to achieve attractive rates of return on those investments.
Certain of the specialized funds we manage, the funds in which we invest and portfolio companies within our funds and customized separate accounts currently rely on leverage or may in the future rely on leverage. If our specialized funds or the companies in which our specialized investment vehicles invest raise capital in the structured credit, leveraged loan and high yield bond markets, the results of their operations may suffer if such markets experience dislocations, contractions or volatility, for instance due to future or worsening impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Any such events could adversely impact the availability of credit to businesses generally, the cost or terms on which lenders are willing to lend, or the strength of the overall economy.
The absence of available sources of sufficient credit and/or debt financing for extended periods of time or an increase in either the general levels of interest rates or in the risk spread demanded by sources of indebtedness would make it more expensive to finance those investments. Certain investments may also be financed through fund-level debt facilities, which may or may not be available for refinancing at the end of their respective terms. Finally, the interest payments on the indebtedness used to finance our specialized funds’ investments are generally deductible expenses for income tax purposes, subject to limitations under applicable tax law and policy. Any change in such tax law or policy to eliminate or substantially limit these income tax deductions, as has been discussed from time to time in various jurisdictions, would reduce the after-tax rates of return on the affected investments, which may have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Similarly, private markets fund portfolio companies regularly utilize the corporate debt markets to obtain additional financing for their operations. Leverage incurred by a portfolio company may cause the portfolio company to be vulnerable to increases in interest rates and may make it less able to cope with changes in business and economic conditions. Any adverse impact caused by the use of leverage by portfolio companies in which we directly or indirectly invest could in turn adversely affect the returns of our specialized investment vehicles and advisory accounts. If the investment returns achieved by our funds are reduced, it could result in negative reputational effects, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Defaults by investors in certain of our specialized funds could adversely affect that fund’s operations and performance.
Our business is exposed to the risk that investors that owe us money may not pay us. If investors in our specialized investment vehicles default on their obligations to us, there may be adverse consequences on the investment process, and we could incur losses and be unable to meet underlying capital calls. For example, investors in most of our specialized funds make capital commitments to those funds that we are entitled to call from those investors at any time during prescribed periods. We depend on investors fulfilling and honoring their commitments when we call capital from them for those funds to consummate investments and otherwise pay their obligations when due. Any investor that did not fund a capital call would be subject to several possible penalties, including having a meaningful amount of its existing investment forfeited in that fund. However, the impact of the penalty is directly correlated to the amount of capital previously invested by the investor in the fund.
If an investor has invested little or no capital, for instance early in the life of the fund, then the forfeiture penalty may not be as meaningful. Failure to fund capital calls may occur more frequently in the event of an economic slowdown. In addition, changes to asset allocation policies may restrict or prohibit investors from investing in new or successor funds or funding existing commitments. A failure of investors to honor a significant amount of capital calls for any particular fund or funds could have a material adverse effect on the operation and performance of those funds.
Our failure to comply with investment guidelines set by our investors could result in damage awards against us or a reduction in FPAUM, either of which would cause our earnings to decline and adversely affect our business.
When investors retain us to manage assets on their behalf, certain guidelines are agreed to regarding investment allocation and strategy that we are required to observe in the management of their portfolios. Our failure to comply with these guidelines and other limitations could result in investors causing the termination of the investment management agreement with us, as these agreements generally are terminable without cause on generally 90 days’ notice. Investors could also sue us for breach of contract and seek to recover damages from us. In addition, such guidelines may restrict our ability to pursue certain allocations and strategies on behalf of our investors that we believe are economically desirable, which could similarly result in losses to an investor account or termination of the account and a corresponding reduction in FPAUM. Even if we comply with all applicable investment guidelines, an investor may be dissatisfied with its investment performance or our services or fees and may terminate their customized separate accounts or advisory accounts or be unwilling to commit new capital to our specialized investment vehicles or advisory accounts. Any of these events could cause a reduction to FPAUM and consequently cause our earnings to decline and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Misconduct by our employees, advisors or third-party service providers could harm us by impairing our ability to attract and retain investors and subjecting us to significant legal liability and reputational harm.
There is a risk that our employees, advisors or third-party service providers could engage in misconduct that adversely affects our business. We are subject to a number of obligations and standards arising from our advisory and investment management businesses and our discretionary authority over the assets we manage. The violation of these obligations and standards by any of our employees, advisors or third-party service providers would adversely affect our investors and us. Our business often requires that we deal with confidential matters of great significance to companies and funds in which we may invest for our investors. If our employees, advisors or third-party service providers were to improperly use or disclose confidential information, we could be subject to legal or regulatory action and suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial position and current and future business relationships. It is not always possible to detect or deter employee, advisor or third-party service provider misconduct, and the extensive precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in all cases. If one of our employees, advisors or third-party service providers were to engage in misconduct or were to be accused of such misconduct, our business and our reputation could be materially and adversely affected.
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Valuation methodologies for certain assets in our specialized investment vehicles can be significantly subjective, and the values of assets established pursuant to such methodologies may never be realized, which could result in significant losses for our specialized investment vehicles.
There are no readily ascertainable market prices for a large number of the investments in our specialized investment vehicles, advisory accounts or the funds in which we invest. The value of the investments of our specialized investment vehicles is determined periodically by us based on the fair value of such investments as reported by the underlying fund managers. Our valuation of the funds in which we invest is largely dependent upon the processes employed by the managers of those funds. The fair value of investments is determined using a number of methodologies described in the particular funds’ valuation policies. These policies are based on a number of factors, including the nature of the investment, the expected cash flows from the investment, the length of time the investment has been held, restrictions on transfer and other recognized valuation methodologies. The methodologies we use in valuing individual investments are based on a variety of estimates and assumptions specific to the particular investments, and actual results related to the investment may vary materially as a result of the inaccuracy of such assumptions or estimates. In addition, because the illiquid investments held by our specialized investment vehicles, advisory accounts and the funds in which we invest may be in industries or sectors that are unstable, in distress, or undergoing some uncertainty, such investments are subject to rapid changes in value caused by sudden company-specific or industry-wide developments.
Because there is significant uncertainty in the valuation of, or in the stability of the value of, illiquid investments, the fair values of such investments as reflected in a fund’s net asset value do not necessarily reflect the prices that would actually be obtained if such investments were sold. Realizations at values significantly lower than the values at which investments have been reflected in fund net asset values could result in losses for the applicable fund and the loss of potential incentive fees by the fund’s manager and us. Also, a situation in which asset values turn out to be materially different from values reflected in fund net asset values could cause investors to lose confidence in us and may, in turn, result in difficulties in our ability to raise additional capital, retain investors or attract new investors.
Further, the SEC has highlighted valuation practices as one of its areas of focus in investment advisor examinations and has instituted enforcement actions against advisors for misleading investors about valuation. If the SEC were to investigate and find errors in our methodologies or procedures, we and/or members of our management could be subject to penalties and fines, which could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our investment management activities may involve investments in relatively illiquid assets, and we and our investors may lose some or all the amounts invested in these activities or fail to realize any profits from these activities for a considerable period of time.
The investments made by our specialized investment vehicles and recommended by our advisory services may include illiquid assets. The private markets funds in which we invest capital generally invest in securities that are not publicly traded. Even if such securities are publicly traded, many of these funds may be prohibited by contract or applicable securities laws from selling such securities for a period. Accordingly, the private markets funds in which we and our investors invest capital may not be able to sell investments when they desire and therefore may not be able to realize the full value of such investments. Particularly in the case of securities, such funds will generally not be able to sell these securities publicly unless their sale is registered under applicable securities laws, or unless an exemption from such registration requirements is available. Accordingly, the private markets funds in which we invest our investors’ capital may not be able to sell securities when they desire and therefore may not be able to realize the full value of such securities. The ability of private markets funds to dispose of investments is dependent in part on the public equity and debt markets, to the extent that the ability to dispose of an investment may depend upon the ability to complete an initial public offering of the portfolio company in which such investment is held or the ability of a prospective buyer of the portfolio company to raise debt financing to fund its purchase. Furthermore, large holdings of publicly traded equity securities can often be disposed of only over a substantial period, exposing the investment returns to risks of downward movement in market prices during the disposition period. Contributing capital to these funds is risky, and we may lose some or the entire amount of our specialized funds’ and our investors’ investments or the investment made by our funds. Poor investment performance could result in negative reputational effects, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, our specialized funds directly or indirectly invest in businesses with capital structures that have significant leverage. The leveraged capital structure of such businesses increases the exposure of the funds’ portfolio companies to
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adverse economic factors such as rising interest rates, downturns in the economy or deterioration in the condition of such business or its industry. If these portfolio companies default on their indebtedness, or otherwise seek or are forced to restructure their obligations or declare bankruptcy, we could lose some or all our investment and suffer reputational harm.
The portfolio companies in which private markets funds have invested or may invest will sometimes involve a high degree of business and financial risk. These companies may be in an early stage of development, may not have a proven operating history, may be operating at a loss or have significant variations in operating results, may be engaged in a rapidly changing business with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, may be subject to extensive regulatory oversight, may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position, may have a high level of leverage, or may otherwise have a weak financial condition. In addition, these portfolio companies may face intense competition, including competition from companies with greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing, and other capabilities, and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel. Portfolio companies in non-U.S. jurisdictions may be subject to additional risks, including changes in currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations, risks associated with different types (and lower quality) of available information, expropriation or confiscatory taxation and adverse political developments.
In addition, during periods of difficult market conditions, or slowdowns in a particular investment category, industry or region, portfolio companies may experience decreased revenues, financial losses, difficulty in obtaining access to financing and increased costs. During these periods, these companies may also have difficulty in expanding their businesses and operations and may be unable to pay their expenses as they become due. A general market downturn or a specific market dislocation may result in lower investment returns for the private markets funds or portfolio companies in which our specialized investment vehicles invest, which consequently would materially and adversely affect investment returns for our specialized investment vehicles.
Our specialized investment vehicles may face risks relating to undiversified investments.
We cannot give assurance as to the degree of diversification that will be achieved in any of our specialized investment vehicles. Difficult market conditions or slowdowns affecting a particular asset class, geographic region or other category of investment could have a significant adverse impact on a given specialized investment vehicle if its investments are concentrated in that area, which would result in lower investment returns. Accordingly, a lack of diversification on the part of a specialized investment vehicle could adversely affect its investment performance and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our specialized investment vehicles make investments in funds and companies that we do not control.
Investments by most of our specialized investment vehicles will include debt instruments and equity securities of companies that we do not control. Our specialized investment vehicles may invest through co-investment arrangements or acquire minority equity interests and may also dispose of a portion of their equity investments in portfolio companies over time in a manner that results in their retaining a minority investment. Consequently, the performance of our specialized investment vehicles will depend significantly on the investment and other decisions made by third parties, which could have a material adverse effect on the returns achieved by our specialized investment vehicles. Portfolio companies in which the investment is made may make business, financial or management decisions with which we do not agree. In addition, the majority stakeholders or our management may take risks or otherwise act in a manner that does not serve our interests. If any of the foregoing were to occur, the values of our investments and the investments we have made on behalf of investors could decrease and our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could suffer as a result.
Investments by our specialized investment vehicles or advisory accounts may in many cases rank junior to investments made by other investors.
In many cases, the companies in which our specialized investment vehicles invest have indebtedness or equity securities or may be permitted to incur indebtedness or to issue equity securities, that rank senior to our investors’ investments in our specialized investment vehicles or advisory accounts. By their terms, these instruments may provide that their holders are entitled to receive payments of dividends, interest or principal on or before the dates on which payments are to be made in respect of our investors’ investments. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a company in which one or more of our specialized investment vehicles or advisory accounts hold an investment, holders of securities ranking senior to our investors’ investments would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before distributions could be made in respect of our investors’ investments. After repaying senior security holders, the
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company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying amounts owed in respect of our investors’ investments. To the extent that any assets remain, holders of claims that rank equally with our investors’ investments would be entitled to share on an equal and ratable basis in distributions that are made from those assets. Also, during periods of financial distress or following an insolvency, our ability to influence a company’s affairs and to take actions to protect investments by our specialized investment vehicles or advisory accounts may be substantially less than that of those holding senior interests.
We may not be able to maintain our desired fee structure as a result of industry pressure from private markets investors to reduce fees, which could have a material adverse effect on our profit margins and results of operations.
We may not be able to maintain our current fee structure for our funds as a result of industry pressure from private markets investors to reduce fees. In order to maintain our desired fee structure in a competitive environment, we must be able to continue to provide investors with investment returns and service that incentivize our investors to pay our desired fee rates. While in our acquisitions, we typically do not purchase the incentive fees, or carried interest, from the owners, but rather only acquire the management and advisory fees, which provide a stable source of extended-term revenue, we cannot assure that we will succeed in providing investment returns and service that will allow us to maintain our desired fee structure. Fee reductions on existing or future new business could have a material adverse effect on our profit margins and results of operations.
Our risk management strategies and procedures may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risks.
Risk management applies to our investment management operations as well as to the investments we make for our specialized investment vehicles. We have developed and continue to update strategies and procedures specific to our business for managing risks, which include market risk, liquidity risk, operational risk and reputational risk. Management of these risks can be very complex. These strategies and procedures may fail under some circumstances, particularly if we are confronted with risks that we have underestimated or not identified. In addition, some of our methods for managing the risks related to our investors’ investments are based upon our analysis of historical private markets behavior. Statistical techniques are applied to these observations to arrive at quantifications of some of our risk exposures. Historical analysis of private markets returns requires reliance on valuations performed by fund managers, which may not be reliable measures of current valuations. These statistical methods may not accurately quantify our risk exposure if circumstances arise that were not observed in our historical data. In particular, as we enter new lines of business, our historical data may be incomplete. Failure of our risk management techniques could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, including the fund manager’s right to receive incentive fees, which may result in a decrease in our management and advisory fee revenue.
Restrictions on our ability to collect and analyze data regarding our investors’ investments could adversely affect our business.
Our proprietary database supports our robust and disciplined sourcing criteria, which fuels our highly selective investment process. We rely on our database to provide a highly transparent, versatile and informative platform through which investors can track, monitor and diligence portfolios. We depend on the continuation of our relationships with the fund managers and sponsors of the underlying funds and investments to maintain current data on these investments and private markets activity. The termination of such relationships by a critical mass of such fund managers and sponsors or the imposition of widespread restrictions on our ability to use the data we obtain for our reporting and monitoring services could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Operational risks, data security breaches, loss or leakage of data and other interruptions of our information technology systems or those of our third-party service providers may disrupt our business, compromise sensitive information related to our business, or prevent us from accessing critical information, which may result in losses or limit our growth.
We rely heavily on our financial, accounting, compliance, monitoring, reporting and other data processing systems. In the ordinary course of business, we collect, store and transmit confidential information including but not limited to intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information. It is critical that we do so in a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of such confidential information. A failure or interruption of our systems, including the loss of data, whether caused by fire, other natural disaster, power or telecommunications failure, service interruptions, system malfunction, computer viruses, acts of terrorism or war or otherwise, could result in a disruption of our business, liability to investors, regulatory intervention or reputational damage, and thus materially and adversely affect our
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business. Although we have back-up systems in place, including back-up data storage, our back-up procedures and capabilities in the event of a failure or interruption may not be adequate. In recent years, we have substantially upgraded and expanded the capabilities of our data processing systems and other operating technology, and we expect that we will need to continue to upgrade and expand these capabilities in the future to avoid disruption of, or constraints on, our operations. We may incur significant costs to further upgrade our data processing systems and other operating technology in the future.
We are dependent on the effectiveness of our information security policies, procedures and capabilities to protect our computer and telecommunications systems and the data such systems contain or transmit. An external information security breach, such as a “hacker attack,” a virus or worm, or an internal problem with information protection, including inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees such as failure to control access to sensitive systems, could materially interrupt our business operations or cause disclosure or modification of sensitive or confidential information. The risk of a security breach or disruption, particularly through cyberattacks or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, foreign governments, and cyber terrorists, has generally increased as the number, intensity, and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. We may not be able to anticipate all types of security threats, and we may not be able to implement preventive measures effective against all such security threats. The techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, may not be recognized until launched, and can originate from a wide variety of sources, including outside groups such as third-party service providers, organized crime affiliates, terrorist organizations, or hostile foreign governments or agencies. Any such failure or breach could result in material financial loss, regulatory actions, breach of investor contracts, reputational harm or legal liability. The costs related to significant security breaches or disruptions could be material and exceed the limits of the cybersecurity insurance we maintain against such risks.
As cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to comply with new cyber-related regulations, continue to enhance our information security measures or investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities. Our remediation efforts may not be successful and could result in interruptions, delays or cessation of service. This could also impact the cost and availability of cyber insurance to us. In the event we incur a cyber breach and it is advisable to disclose, such disclosure could cause harm to our operations.
Furthermore, significant disruptions of our information technology systems or security breaches could result in the loss, misappropriation, and/or unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of, or the prevention of access to, confidential information, which could result in financial, legal, business, and reputational harm to us. For example, any such event that leads to unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of personal information, including personal information regarding our investors or employees, could harm our reputation directly, compel us to comply with federal and/or state breach notification laws and foreign law equivalents, subject us to mandatory corrective action, and otherwise subject us to liability under laws and regulations that protect the privacy and security of personal information, which could result in significant legal and financial exposure and reputational damages that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Finally, we rely on third-party service providers for certain aspects of our business, including for certain information systems and technology and administration of our specialized funds. If the information technology systems of our third-party service providers become subject to disruptions or security breaches, we may have insufficient recourse against such third parties and we may have to expend significant resources to mitigate the impact of such an event, and to develop and implement protections to prevent future events of this nature from occurring. Any interruption or deterioration in the performance of these third parties or failures of their information systems and technology could impair the quality of the funds’ operations and could affect our reputation and hence adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may face damage to our professional reputation and legal liability if our services are not regarded as satisfactory or for other reasons.
As a leading provider of private market solutions, we depend to a large extent on our relationships with our investors and our reputation for integrity and high-caliber professional services to attract and retain investors. As a result, if an investor is not satisfied with our services, such dissatisfaction may be more damaging to our business than to other types of businesses. The importance of our reputation may increase as we seek to expand our investor base and into new private markets.
In recent years, the volume of claims and amount of damages claimed in litigation and regulatory proceedings against financial advisors has been increasing. Our asset management and advisory activities may subject us to the risk of significant
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legal liabilities to our investors and third parties, including our investors’ stockholders or beneficiaries, under securities or other laws and regulations for materially false or misleading statements made in connection with securities and other transactions. In our investment management business, we make investment decisions on behalf of our investors that could result in substantial losses. Any such losses also may subject us to the risk of legal and regulatory liabilities or actions alleging negligent misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty or breach of contract. These risks often may be difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude often remain unknown for substantial periods of time. We may incur significant legal expenses in defending litigation. In addition, litigation or regulatory action against us may tarnish our reputation and harm our ability to attract and retain investors. Substantial legal or regulatory liability could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations or cause significant reputational harm to us, which could seriously harm our business.
Our business depends on a strong and trusted brand, and any failure to maintain, protect, and enhance our brand would have an adverse impact on our business.
Investor and institutional recognition of the P10 trademark and related brands and the association of these brands with our products and services are an integral part of our business. The occurrence of any events or rumors that cause investors and/or institutions to no longer associate these brands with our products and services may materially adversely affect the value of our brand names and demand for our products and services.
In addition, trademarks or trade names that we own now or in the future may be challenged, infringed, declared generic, or determined to be infringing on or dilutive of other marks. We may not be able to protect our rights in these trademarks and trade names, which we need to build name recognition with potential investors. Moreover, third parties may file for registration of trademarks similar or identical to our trademarks; if they succeed in registering or developing common law rights in such trademarks, and if we are not successful in challenging such third-party rights, we may not be able to use these trademarks to develop brand recognition of our products and services. Furthermore, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement claims brought by owners of other registered trademarks or trademarks that incorporate variations of our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names. If we are unable to establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, we may not be able to compete effectively, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
International operations are subject to certain risks, which may affect our revenue.
We intend to grow our non-U.S. business, including growth into new regions with which we have less familiarity and experience, and this growth is important to our overall success. While we have a significant presence within the middle and lower middle-market private markets industry in North America, where the majority of our capital is currently being deployed, we intend to leverage our differentiated solutions to serve our global investors. Our international operations, presently in existence or which we may establish in the future, carry special financial and business risks, which could include the following:
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As part of our day-to-day operations outside the United States, we would be required to create compensation programs, employment policies, compliance policies and procedures and other administrative programs that comply with the laws of multiple countries. We would also be required to communicate and monitor standards and directives across our global operations. Our failure to successfully manage and grow our geographically diverse operations could impair our ability to react quickly to changing business and market conditions and to enforce compliance with non-U.S. standards and procedures.
Any payment of distributions, loans or advances to and from our subsidiaries could be subject to restrictions on or taxation of dividends or repatriation of earnings under applicable local law, monetary transfer restrictions, foreign currency exchange regulations in the jurisdictions in which our subsidiaries operate or other restrictions imposed by current or future agreements, including debt instruments, to which our non-U.S. subsidiaries may be a party. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted, possibly materially, if we are unable to successfully manage these and other risks of international operations in a volatile environment. If our international business increases relative to our total business, these factors could have a more pronounced effect on our operating results or growth prospects.
We are subject to risks in using custodians, counterparties, administrators and other agents.
Many of our funds depend on the services of custodians, counterparties, administrators and other agents to carry out certain securities and derivatives transactions and other administrative services. We are subject to risks of errors and mistakes made by these third parties, which may be attributed to us and subject us or our investors to reputational damage, penalties or losses. The terms of the contracts with these third-party service providers are often customized and complex, and many of these arrangements occur in markets or relate to products that are not subject to regulatory oversight. We may be unsuccessful in seeking reimbursement or indemnification from these third-party service providers.
Our funds are subject to the risk that the counterparty to one or more of these contracts defaults, either voluntarily or involuntarily, on its performance under the contract. Any such default may occur suddenly and without notice to us. Moreover, if a counterparty defaults, we may be unable to take action to cover our exposure, either because we lack contractual recourse or because market conditions make it difficult to take effective action. This inability could occur in times of market stress, which is when defaults are most likely to occur. In addition, our risk-management models may not accurately anticipate the effects of market stress or counterparty financial condition, and as a result, we may not have taken sufficient action to reduce our risks effectively. Default risk may arise from events or circumstances that are difficult to detect, foresee or evaluate. In addition, concerns about, or a default by, one large participant could lead to significant liquidity problems for other participants, which may in turn expose us to significant losses.
In the event of a counterparty default, particularly a default by a major investment bank or a default by a counterparty to a significant number of our contracts, one or more of our funds may have outstanding trades that they cannot settle or are delayed in settling. As a result, these funds could incur material losses and the resulting market impact of a major counterparty default could harm our business, financial condition and results of operation.
In the event of the insolvency of a custodian, counterparty or any other party that is holding assets of our funds as collateral, our funds might not be able to recover equivalent assets in full as they will rank among the custodian’s or counterparty’s unsecured creditors in relation to the assets held as collateral. In addition, our funds’ cash held with a custodian or counterparty generally will not be segregated from the custodian’s or counterparty’s own cash, and our funds may therefore rank as unsecured creditors in relation thereto.
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as actual events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our current and projected business operations and financial condition and results of operations.
Events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. Most recently, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance
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Corporation (“FDIC”) as receiver. Similarly, on March 12, 2023, Signature Bank and Silvergate Capital Corp. were each swept into receivership. Although a statement by the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC indicated that all depositors of SVB would have access to all of their money after only one business day of closure, including funds held in uninsured deposit accounts, borrowers under credit agreements, letters of credit and certain other financial instruments with SVB, Signature Bank or any other financial institution that is placed into receivership by the FDIC may be unable to access undrawn amounts thereunder. Access to funding sources and other credit arrangements by us, investors in our funds, and our co-investors could be significantly impaired by factors that affect the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry.
In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us, investors in our funds or our co-investors to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any decline in available funding or access to our cash and liquidity resources could, among other risks, adversely impact our ability to meet our financial or other obligations. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting from the factors described above or other related or similar factors, could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity and our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We may not be able to fully utilize our net operating loss (“NOL”) and other tax carryforwards which may have the effect of devaluing significant deferred tax assets of the company.
As of December 31, 2022, we had $177 million of federal NOL carryforwards, a portion of which will expire each year if not used to reduce taxable income. Our ability to utilize NOLs and other tax carryforwards to reduce taxable income in future years could be limited for various reasons, including if we had one or more ownership changes under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (“Section 382”), if future taxable income is insufficient to recognize the full benefit of such NOL carryforwards prior to their expiration and/or if the IRS successfully asserts that a transaction or transactions were concluded with the principal purpose of evasion or avoidance of U.S. federal income tax. There can be no assurance that we will have sufficient taxable income in later years to enable us to use the NOLs before they expire, or that the IRS will not successfully challenge the use of all or any portion of the NOLs.
Section 382 subjects us to limitations in the use of NOLs if we experience an “ownership change.” For the purposes of Section 382, an ownership occurs if the owner shift, as calculated under Section 382 is greater than 50%. We are uncertain if subsequent offerings will increase the owner shift to be greater than 50%.
If an owner shift as calculated under Section 382 greater than 50% occurs, we will be limited in our ability to realize a tax benefit from the use of our deferred tax assets, whether or not we are profitable in future years. These consequences include, without limitation, limiting the amount of federal NOL that can be used to offset taxable income to the Section 382 annual limitation. Generally, the annual limitation equals the product of (i) the fair market value of all of our outstanding equity immediately prior to the ownership change, multiplied by (ii) the applicable federal long-term, tax-exempt rate.
In addition, if we have a net unrealized built-in gain (generally determined by comparing market capitalization plus total liabilities to the adjusted tax basis of assets) at the time of the ownership change, certain built-in gains recognized within five years after the ownership change (the “recognition period”) may increase the amount of the otherwise available annual limitation. Any such recognized built-in gains that are unused may be carried forward to later post-change years. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Notice 2003-65 provides an approach which treats built-in gain assets of our Company as generating recognized built-in gain each year without regard to whether such assets are not disposed of at a gain during the recognition period. However, in September 2019 the IRS released proposed Section 382 regulations that would eliminate the beneficial provisions of IRS Notice 2003-65. If finalized as proposed, these regulations would limit the increase in the annual Section 382 limitation for recognized built-in gains to those gains that are actually realized through the disposition of built-in gain assets. These regulations have not been finalized but provide for an effective date of 30 days after the final regulations are published. For transactions that have been announced to the public or for which a binding commitment has been entered into when the final regulations are published, the provisions of IRS Notice 2003-65 should still be available.
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The unused portion of the recognized built-in gain carries forward to later post-change years. We have not calculated any recognized built-in gain with respect to the potential ownership change but we expect to do so subsequent to such ownership change and would expect to apply for such recognition.
The collectability of revenue under the Advisory Services Agreement is dependent on future cash flows of Enhanced PC. While we expect Enhanced PC’s cash flows to be sufficient such that it is probable that we will collect all of the promised consideration to which we will be entitled in exchange for the services that will be transferred to Enhanced PC, we cannot assure you that the cash flows will be sufficient and we may not collect all of the promised consideration.
Upon the closing of P10’s acquisition of ECG and non-controlling interest in Enhanced PC (as defined below), the Advisory Services Agreement between ECG and Enhanced PC immediately became effective. Under this agreement, ECG provides advisory services to Enhanced PC related to the assets and operations of the subsidiaries owned by Enhanced PC, which consists of the entities contributed by both ECG and ECP. In exchange for those services, ECG receives advisory fees from Enhanced PC based on a fixed fee schedule under which annual fees decline between $1.0 million and $4.0 million each year, totaling $76.0 million over 7 years. The services contemplated under the Advisory Services Agreement did not previously generate revenues when the Permanent Capital Subsidiaries (as defined below) were owned by ECG. We have assessed the collectability of these revenues in light of the observed losses associated with the Permanent Capital Subsidiaries which were contributed to Enhanced PC and will represent substantially all of the operations of Enhanced PC. We have evaluated the expected future cash flows of Enhanced PC, which are expected to be sufficient such that it is probable that we will collect all of the promised consideration to which we will be entitled in exchange for the services that will be transferred to Enhanced PC. However, there can be no assurance that Enhanced PC will achieve the expected future cash flows and would result in us not collecting all of the promised consideration to which we will be entitled in exchange for the services that will be transferred to Enhanced PC.
Rising interest rates could have a substantial adverse effect on our business.
Rising interest rates could have a dampening effect on overall economic activity, the financial condition of our investors and the financial condition of the end customers who ultimately create demand for the capital we supply, all of which could negatively affect demand for our capital. Additionally, an increase in interest rates could make it difficult for us to obtain financing at attractive rates, impacting our ability to execute on our growth strategies or future acquisitions.
Risks Related to Our Industry
The investment management and investment advisory business is intensely competitive.
The investment management and investment advisory business is intensely competitive, with competition based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, the quality of service provided to investors, brand recognition and business reputation. We compete with a variety of traditional and alternative asset management firms, commercial banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Several factors serve to increase our competitive risks:
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This competitive pressure could adversely affect our ability to make successful investments and restrict our ability to raise future funds, either of which would materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Difficult market conditions can adversely affect our business by reducing the market value of the assets we manage or causing our customized separate account investors to reduce their investments in private markets.
The future global market and economic climate may deteriorate because of many factors beyond our control, including rising interest rates or inflation, reduced availability of credit, changes in laws and regulation, terrorism or political uncertainty and severe public health events such as, for example, the recent global COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, volatility and disruption in the equity and credit markets can adversely affect the portfolio companies in which private markets funds invest and adversely affect the investment performance of our funds and advisory accounts. We may not be able to or may choose not to manage our exposure to these market conditions. Market deterioration could cause us, the specialized investment vehicles we manage or the funds in which they invest to experience tightening of liquidity, reduced earnings and cash flow, and impairment charges, as well as challenges in raising additional capital, obtaining investment financing and making investments on attractive terms. These market conditions can also have an impact on our ability and the ability of funds in which we and our investors invest to liquidate positions in a timely and efficient manner. More costly and restrictive financing also may adversely impact the returns of our co-investments in leveraged buyout transactions and therefore, adversely affect the results of operations and financial condition of our co-investment funds.
Our business could generate lower revenue in a general economic downturn or a tightening of global credit markets. These conditions may result in reduced opportunities to find suitable investments and make it more difficult for us, or for the funds in which we and our investors invest, to exit and realize value from existing investments, potentially resulting in a decline in the value of the investments held in our investors’ portfolios. Such a decline could cause our revenue and net income to decline by causing some of our investors to reduce their investments in private markets in favor of investments they perceive as offering greater opportunity or lower risk, which would result in lower fees being paid to us.
A general economic downturn, prolonged periods of inflation, increased interest rates or a tightening of global credit markets may also reduce the commitments our investors are able to devote to alternative investments generally and make it more difficult for the funds in which we invest to obtain funding for additional investments at attractive rates, which would further reduce our profitability.
While our financial profile features a highly predictable, recurring revenue stream of virtually all management and advisory fees, earned primarily on committed capital from long-term, contractually locked up funds, our profitability may be adversely affected by our fixed costs and the possibility that we would be unable to scale back other costs within a time frame sufficient to match any decreases in revenue relating to changes in market and economic conditions. If our revenue declines without a commensurate reduction in our expenses, our net income will be reduced. Accordingly, difficult market conditions could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Increased government regulation, compliance failures and changes in law or regulation could adversely affect us.
Governmental authorities around the world in recent years have called for or implemented financial system and participant regulatory reform in reaction to volatility and disruption in the global financial markets, financial institution failures and financial frauds. Such reform includes, among other things, additional regulation of investment funds, as well as their managers and activities, including compliance and risk management oversight; restrictions on specific types of investments and the provision and use of leverage; implementation of capital requirements; limitations on compensation to managers; and books and records, reporting and disclosure requirements. We cannot predict with certainty the impact on us, our funds or separate accounts, or on private markets funds generally, of any such reforms. Any of these regulatory reform measures could have an adverse effect on our funds’ and separate accounts’ investment strategies or our business model. We may incur significant expense to comply with such reform measures. Additionally, legislation, including proposed legislation regarding executive compensation and taxation of carried interest, may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain key personnel.
Our advisory and investment management businesses are subject to regulation in the United States, including by the SEC, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and other regulatory agencies, pursuant to, among other laws, the Investment Advisers Act, the Securities Act, the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the “Code”), the Commodity Exchange Act, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Any change in such regulation or oversight may have a material adverse impact on our operating results. Our failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations could result in fines, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including revocation of our registration as an investment adviser. Even if a sanction imposed against us or our personnel is small in monetary amount, the adverse publicity arising from the imposition of sanctions against us by regulators could harm our reputation and cause us to lose existing investors or fail to gain new investors. We also may rely on third-party service providers for certain aspects of compliance. Any failure, interruption or deterioration of the services of such third-party service providers could materially adversely affect our ability to provide services to our clients, harm our reputation, business or results of operations or result in regulatory intervention.
As a result of highly publicized financial scandals, investors have exhibited concerns over the integrity of the U.S. financial markets, and the regulatory environment in which we operate is subject to further regulation in addition to those rules already promulgated. For example, there are a significant number of regulations that may affect our business under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd- Frank Act”) and other recent SEC proposed or adopted rules. The SEC recently proposed rules that would overhaul the regulation of the private fund industry, to significantly increase disclosure requirements and impose substantive requirements and prohibitions on fund advisory contracts, and if these rules are adopted as proposed, will increase our investment advisors’ compliance monitoring and reporting obligations, resulting in increased costs of compliance, and may require certain changes to our practices. The SEC recently proposed rules that would significantly change how investment advisers manage and safeguard client assets by expanding the custody rule to apply to all client assets held in its advisory account, and if adopted as proposed, will introduce new challenges and costs to our investment advisory business. In January and August 2022, the SEC proposed rules to significantly increase the amount of information required to be included in private fund reporting, and if adopted as proposed, could significantly increase compliance costs associated with our reporting requirements. The SEC has increased its regulation of the asset management and private equity industries in recent years, focusing on the private equity industry’s fees, allocation of expenses to funds, valuation practices, allocation of fund investment opportunities, marketing and advertising, disclosures to fund investors, the allocation of broken-deal expenses and general conflicts of interest disclosures. The SEC has also heightened its focus on the valuation processes employed by investment advisers. The lack of readily ascertainable market prices for many of the investments made by our funds or separate accounts or the funds in which we invest could subject our valuation policies and processes to increased scrutiny by the SEC. We may be adversely affected because of new or revised legislation or regulations imposed by the SEC, other U.S. or foreign governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets. Following the exit of the United Kingdom (“UK”) from the EU we can no longer rely on “passporting” privileges that allow issuers approved in the UK to raise capital in EU jurisdictions without restrictions. If we intend to raise capital in any EU jurisdiction, we may become subject to new and increased regulations and we may also be adversely affected by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules by EU state governmental authorities and self-regulatory organizations.
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In addition, global climate change and global climate change transitions could lead to new or enhanced regulation, which may be difficult or costly to comply with, or impact assets that we invest in, which may result in realized and unrealized losses in future periods that could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and/or financial position. It is not possible to foresee the impacts of potential future climate regulation, or which, if any, assets, industries or markets may be materially and adversely affected by global climate change and global climate change transitions, nor is it possible to foresee the magnitude of such effects. The SEC has recently proposed rules that would require substantial standardized climate-related disclosure, and if adopted as proposed, could increase our costs for compliance.
To the extent that one or more Advisers is a “fiduciary” under ERISA, with respect to benefit plan investors, it is subject to ERISA, and to regulations promulgated thereunder. ERISA and applicable provisions of the Code impose certain duties on persons who are fiduciaries under ERISA, prohibit certain transactions involving ERISA plan investors and provide monetary penalties for violations of these prohibitions. Our failure to comply with these requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, a court could find that one of our co-investment funds has formed a partnership-in-fact conducting a trade or business and would therefore be jointly and severally liable for the portfolio company’s unfunded pension liabilities.
Certain subsidiaries of P10 are registered as an investment adviser with the SEC and are subject to the requirements and regulations of the Investment Advisers Act. Such requirements relate to, among other things, restrictions on entering transactions with investors, maintaining an effective compliance program, incentive fees, solicitation arrangements, allocation of investments, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, disclosure requirements, limitations on agency cross and principal transactions between an adviser and their advisory investors, as well as general anti-fraud prohibitions. As a registered investment adviser, each Adviser has fiduciary duties to its investors. A failure to comply with the obligations imposed by the Advisers Act, including recordkeeping, advertising and operating requirements, disclosure obligations and prohibitions on fraudulent activities, could result in investigations, sanctions and reputational damage, and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Several of the Advisers provide investment advisory and other services to funds which operate as Small Business Investment Companies (“SBICs”) and are licensed by the SBA. SBICs supply small businesses with financing in both the equity and debt arenas. There are various requirements that apply to SBICs under SBA rules and regulations. These rules and regulations are sometimes highly complex. The SBA is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of rules and regulations applicable to SBICs, including forcing the liquidation of an SBIC. The failure of an Adviser to comply with the requirements of the SBA could have a material adverse effect on us.
Many of our separate accounts and funds are not registered under the Investment Company Act because we generally only form separate accounts for, and offer interests in our funds to, persons who we reasonably believe to be “qualified purchasers” as defined in the Investment Company Act. In addition, certain funds are not registered under the Investment Company Act because we limit such funds to 100 or fewer "persons" as defined in the Investment Company Act. Certain WTI funds are registered under the Investment Company Act and must comply with the reporting and governance requirements of the Investment Company Act. Compliance with the Investment Company Act can be complex and failure to comply can result in significant fines, penalties, loss to reputation and other material adverse effects on us.
We are subject to stringent and changing obligations related to data privacy and protection. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to regulatory investigations and actions; litigation; fines and penalties; disruptions to our business operations; reputational harm; loss of revenue and profits; and other adverse business impacts.
We are subject to numerous data privacy and protection obligations such as various federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations and guidance; industry standards; external and internal privacy notices and policies; contracts; and other obligations that apply to the collection, transmission, storage, use and other processing of personal information by us and on our behalf. These obligations may change, are subject to differing interpretations and may be inconsistent among relevant jurisdictions in which we operate or from which we collect personal information. The data privacy and protection landscape continues to evolve in jurisdictions worldwide, and there has been an increasing focus on data privacy and protection issues with the potential to impact our business. This evolution may create uncertainty in our business; affect us or our collaborators’, service providers’, and others’ ability to operate in certain jurisdictions or to collect, store, transfer, use, share and otherwise process personal information; necessitate the acceptance of more onerous obligations in our contracts; cause us to modify our business operations; result in liabilities; or otherwise impose additional compliance costs on us. The cost of compliance with these obligations is high and is likely to increase in the future. Although we endeavor to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection obligations, we may at times fail to do so or may be perceived to have failed to do so.
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Moreover, despite our efforts, we may not be successful in achieving compliance if our personnel or third parties upon whom we rely fail to comply with such obligations. For example, any failure by a service provider to comply with applicable data privacy or protection law, regulations, contractual or other obligations could result in adverse impacts against us. If we fail, or are perceived to have failed, to address or comply with data privacy and protection obligations, we could face significant consequences. These consequences may include, but are not limited to, government enforcement actions (e.g., investigations, fines, penalties, audits, inspections and similar activities); litigation (including class-related claims); additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; bans on processing personal information; orders to destroy or not use personal information; imprisonment of company officials; public censure; damage to our reputation; loss of revenue and profits; loss of goodwill; and other adverse business impacts, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In the United States, there are numerous U.S. federal and state laws and regulations relating to personal information privacy and protection. For example, at a federal level, we may be subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) that applies to financial institutions and requires regulated entities to implement and maintain certain data privacy and security safeguards. At the state level, certain states have enacted comprehensive laws governing personal information of consumers, employees and business representatives. For example, we may be subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), as amended. The CCPA, similar to other state privacy laws, imposes obligations that include, but are not limited to, providing specific disclosures in privacy notices and affording residents certain rights related to their personal information. The CCPA allows for statutory fines for noncompliance (up to $7,500 per violation) and provides that a new government agency may implement and enforce the CCPA which could increase the risk of an enforcement action. While the CCPA and other state privacy laws (such as that of Virginia) may contain limited exceptions for financial institutions subject to, for example, the GLBA, these laws’ implementation standards and enforcement practices are likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. If we are or may become subject to state data privacy laws, the risk of enforcement actions against us could increase because we may be subject to additional obligations, and the number of individuals or entities that can initiate actions against us may increase (including individuals via a private right of action and state actors). Further, certain state laws may be more stringent or broader in scope, or offer greater individual rights, with respect to personal information than federal, foreign or other state laws, and such laws may differ from each other, which may complicate our compliance efforts.
In addition, 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and certain other foreign jurisdictions have enacted data breach notification laws that may require us to notify investors, employees, regulators and others in the event of a security breach (for example, unauthorized access to or disclosure of personal information experienced by us or our service providers). These laws may not be consistent, and compliance in the event of a widespread data breach may be difficult and costly. We may also be contractually required or otherwise obligated to notify investors and others of a security breach. Although we may have contractual protections against our service providers should they experience a security breach, any actual or perceived security breach could harm our reputation and brand, expose us to potential liability and require us to expend significant resources on data security as well as in responding to any such actual or perceived breach. Any contractual protections we may have against relevant counterparties may not be sufficient to protect adequately us from any such liabilities and losses, and we may be unable to enforce any such contractual protections.
Internationally, many jurisdictions have established their own data privacy and protection legal frameworks with which we may need to comply. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“EU GDPR”) imposes strict requirements on the processing of personal information. Under the EU GDPR, government regulators may impose temporary or definitive bans on personal information processing. Potential monetary fines for noncompliance with the EU GDPR are significant — up to the greater of €20 million or 4% of global turnover. The EU GDPR provides that European Union (“EU”) member states may introduce further conditions, including limitations, to make their own further laws and regulations limiting the processing of personal information which could limit our ability to collect, use and share European personal information, or could cause our compliance costs to increase, ultimately having an adverse impact on our business, and harm our business and financial condition.
Certain jurisdictions, including the EU, UK and China, have enacted data localization laws and cross-border personal information transfer laws, which may make it more difficult to transfer personal information across jurisdictions (such as transferring or receiving personal information that originates in the EU or in other foreign jurisdictions). Existing mechanisms that facilitate cross-border personal information transfers may change or be invalidated. If we cannot implement and maintain valid compliance mechanisms for cross-border personal information transfers, we may face increased exposure to regulatory actions, substantial fines and injunctions against processing or transferring personal information from Europe or elsewhere. We may have to implement different personal information processing activities to address these data localization
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and cross-border personal information transfer laws. As we expand into countries and jurisdictions outside the U.S., we may be subject to additional data privacy and protection laws and regulations that may affect how we conduct business.
Evolving laws and government regulations could adversely affect us.
Governmental regulation of the global financial markets and financial institutions is intense and is continually evolving. This includes regulation of investment funds, as well as their managers and activities, through the implementation of compliance, risk management and anti-money laundering procedures; restrictions on specific types of investments and the provision and use of leverage; capital requirements; limitations on compensation to fund managers; and books and records, reporting and disclosure requirements. The effects on us, our funds, or on private markets funds generally, of future regulation, or of changes in the interpretation and enforcement of existing regulation, could have an adverse effect on our funds’ investment strategies or our business model. Policy changes and regulatory reform by the U.S. federal government may create regulatory uncertainty for our funds’ portfolio companies and our investment strategies and adversely affect the profitability of our funds’ portfolio companies.
Ongoing political developments could adversely impact our investment management and investment advisory businesses. The financial services industry is currently experiencing an uncertain political and regulatory environment. The U.S. federal government has recently been pursuing deregulatory measures, including changes to the Volcker Rule, the U.S. Risk Retention Rules, capital and liquidity requirements, the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s authority and other aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act. Various proposals focused on deregulation of the U.S. financial services industry may have the effect of increasing competition for our businesses. For example, increased competition from banks and other financial institutions in the credit markets could have the effect of reducing credit spreads, which may adversely affect the revenues we receive from our credit and other funds whose strategies include the provision of credit to borrowers. On the other hand, it is also possible that the financial services industry may face an increasingly difficult political and regulatory environment. U.S. politicians have expressed support for policies that call for greater regulatory oversight of the financial services industry, including the private equity industry. If these proposals were to become policy such developments could potentially have a material adverse effect on our business and the business of the funds in which our funds and our other investors invest.
Governmental policy changes and regulatory or tax reform could also have a material effect on our funds. For example, regulatory or tax reform in jurisdictions where we may be conducting business and jurisdictions in which our investors in our funds are located may increase administrative costs, increase taxes borne by our funds or our investors, or otherwise adversely affect our funds or our ability to successfully fundraise on behalf of our funds. A prolonged environment of regulatory uncertainty may make the identification of attractive investment opportunities and the deployment of capital more challenging. In addition, our ability to identify business and other risks associated with new investments depends in part on our ability to anticipate and accurately assess regulatory and other changes that may have a material effect on the businesses in which we choose to invest. The failure to accurately predict the possible outcome of policy changes and regulatory reform could have a material adverse effect on the returns generated from our funds’ investments and our revenues.
In recent years, the United States has imposed tariffs on various products imported into the United States. These tariffs have resulted in, and may continue to trigger, retaliatory actions by affected countries, including the imposition of tariffs on the United States by other countries. Certain foreign governments have instituted or are considering imposing trade sanctions on certain U.S. goods and denying U.S. companies access to critical raw materials. Governmental actions related to the imposition of tariffs or other trade barriers or changes to international trade agreements or policies, could increase costs, decrease margins, reduce the competitiveness of products and services offered by current and future portfolio companies and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of companies whose businesses rely on goods imported from outside of the United States. In addition, if we fail to monitor and adapt to changes in policy and the regulations to which we are or may become subject, we could be subject to enforcement actions, which may materially and adversely affect our businesses, financial condition and results of operations.
The IRS could challenge the amount, timing and/or use of our NOL carryforwards, and new information could also impact the usability of our NOL carryforwards.
The amount of our NOL carryforwards has not been audited or otherwise validated by the IRS. Among other things, the IRS could challenge the amount, the timing and/or our use of our NOLs. Any such challenge, if successful, could significantly limit our ability to utilize a portion or all our NOL carryforwards. In addition, calculating whether an ownership change has occurred within the meaning of Section 382 is subject to inherent uncertainty, both because of the complexity of applying Section 382 and because of limitations on a publicly traded and over-the-counter traded company’s knowledge as to
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the ownership of, and transactions in, its securities. Moreover, future offerings may result in an ownership change under Section 382, as discussed above, depending on the amount of stock we issue. Therefore, the calculation of the amount of our utilizable NOL carryforwards could be changed as a result of a successful challenge by the IRS or as a result of new information about the ownership of, and transactions in, our securities.
Possible changes in legislation could negatively affect our ability to use the tax benefits associated with our NOL carryforwards.
The rules relating to U.S. federal income taxation are periodically under review by persons involved in the legislative and administrative rulemaking processes, by the IRS and by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, resulting in revisions of regulations and revised interpretations of established concepts as well as statutory changes, including decreases in the tax rate. Future revisions in U.S. federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could adversely impact our ability to use some or all of the tax benefits associated with our NOL carryforwards, even if these carryforwards are not otherwise subject to limitation, as described above, or in addition to such other limitations.
Changes in tax laws may adversely affect us, and the IRS or a court may disagree with tax positions taken by us, which may result in adverse effects on our financial condition or the value of our common stock.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the TCJA, enacted on December 22, 2017, significantly affected U.S. tax law, including by changing how the U.S. imposes tax on certain types of income of corporations and by reducing the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate to 21%. It also imposed new limitations on several tax benefits, including deductions for business interest, use of net operating loss carryforwards, taxation of foreign income, and the foreign tax credit, among others.
The CARES Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, further amended the U.S. federal tax code, including in respect of certain changes that were made by the TCJA, generally on a temporary basis. There can be no assurance that future tax law changes will not increase the rate of the corporate income tax significantly, impose new limitations on deductions, credits or other tax benefits, or make other changes that may adversely affect our business, cash flows or financial performance. In addition, the IRS has yet to issue guidance on a few important issues regarding the changes made by the TCJA and the CARES Act. In the absence of such guidance, we will take positions with respect to several unsettled issues. There is no assurance that the IRS or a court will agree with the positions taken by us, in which case tax penalties and interest may be imposed that could adversely affect our business, cash flows or financial performance.
Other future changes in tax laws or regulations, or the interpretation thereof, tax policy initiatives and reforms under consideration and the practices of tax authorities could adversely affect us. Such changes may include (but are not limited to) the tax rate applicable to operating income, investment income, dividends received or (in the specific context of withholding tax) dividends paid, or the taxation of partnerships and other passthrough entities. For example, in August 2022, the United States enacted a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks by public companies and a 15% alternative minimum tax on adjusted financial statement income as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. We are unable to predict what tax reform may be proposed or enacted in the future or what effect such changes would have on our business, but such changes could affect our financial position and overall or effective tax rates in the future, reduce after-tax returns to our stockholders, and increase the complexity, burden and cost of tax compliance. If our effective tax rate increases, our operating results and cash flow could be adversely affected. Our effective income tax rate can vary significantly between periods due to a few complex factors including, but not limited to, projected levels of taxable income, tax audits conducted and settled by tax authorities, and adjustments to income taxes upon finalization of income tax returns.
Federal, state and foreign anti-corruption and sanctions laws create the potential for significant liabilities and penalties and reputational harm.
We are also subject to several laws and regulations governing payments and contributions to political persons or other third parties, including restrictions imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) as well as trade sanctions and export control laws administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State. The FCPA is intended to prohibit bribery of foreign governments and their officials and political parties and requires public companies and investment advisers in the United States to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect those companies’ transactions. OFAC, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State administer and enforce various export control laws and regulations, including economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign states, organizations and
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individuals. These laws and regulations relate to a few aspects of our business, including servicing existing fund investors, finding new fund investors, and sourcing new investments, as well as activities by the portfolio companies in our investment portfolio or other controlled investments.
Similar laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions, such as EU sanctions or the U.K. Bribery Act, as well as other applicable anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, or sanction or other export control laws in the U.S. and abroad, may also impose stricter or more onerous requirements than the FCPA, OFAC, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State, and implementing them may disrupt our business or cause us to incur significantly more costs to comply with those laws. Different laws may also contain conflicting provisions, making compliance with all laws more difficult. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could be exposed to claims for damages, civil or criminal financial penalties, reputational harm, incarceration of our employees, restrictions on our operations and other liabilities, which could negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, we may be subject to successor liability for FCPA violations or other acts of bribery, or violations of applicable sanctions or other export control laws committed by companies in which we or our funds invest or which we or our funds acquire. While we have developed and implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure strict compliance by us and our personnel with the FCPA and other anti-corruption, sanctions and export control laws in jurisdictions in which we operate, such policies and procedures may not be effective in all instances to prevent violations. Any determination that we have violated the FCPA or other applicable anti-corruption, sanctions or export control laws could subject us to, among other things, civil and criminal penalties, material fines, profit disgorgement, injunctions on future conduct, securities litigation and a general loss of investor confidence, any one of which could adversely affect our business prospects, financial condition, results of operations or the market value of our Class A common stock.
Regulation of investment advisors outside the United States could adversely affect our ability to operate our business.
While the majority of our capital deployment is in the United States, we provide investment advisory and other services and raise funds in a number of countries and jurisdictions outside the United States. In many of these countries and jurisdictions, which include the European Union and the Cayman Islands, we and our operations, and in some cases our personnel, are subject to regulatory oversight and requirements. In general, these requirements relate to registration, licenses for our personnel, periodic inspections, the provision and filing of periodic reports, and obtaining certifications and other approvals. Across the EU, we are subject to the European Union Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”), under which we are subject to regulatory requirements regarding, among other things, registration for marketing activities, the structure of remuneration for certain of our personnel and reporting obligations. Individual member states of the EU have imposed additional requirements that may include internal arrangements with respect to risk management, liquidity risks, asset valuations, and the establishment and security of depository and custodial requirements. Because some EEA countries have not yet incorporated the AIFMD into their agreement with the EU, we may undertake marketing activities and provide services in those EEA countries only in compliance with applicable local laws. Outside the EEA, the regulations to which we are subject primarily to registration and reporting obligations.
It is expected that additional laws and regulations will come into force in the EEA, the EU and other countries in which we operate over the coming years. These laws and regulations may affect our costs and manner of conducting business in one or more markets, the risks of doing business, the assets that we manage or advise, and our ability to raise capital from investors. Any failure by us to comply with either existing or new laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to increasing scrutiny from institutional investors with respect to ESG costs of investments made by our funds, which may constrain investment opportunities for our funds and adversely affect our ability to raise capital from such investors.
In recent years, certain institutional investors have placed increasing importance on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) implications of investments made by private equity and other funds to which they commit capital. Certain investors have also demonstrated increased activism with respect to existing investments, including by urging asset managers to take certain actions that could adversely affect the value of an investment, or refrain from taking certain actions that could improve the value of an investment. At times, investors have conditioned future capital commitments on the taking or refraining from taking of such actions. Investors’ increased focus and activism related to ESG and similar matters may constrain our investment opportunities. In addition, institutional investors may decide to not commit capital to future fundraises as a result of their assessment of our approach to and consideration of the ESG cost of investments made by us. To
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the extent our access to capital from such investors is impaired, we may not be able to maintain or increase the size of our funds or raise sufficient capital for new funds, which may adversely affect our revenues.
The effect of global climate change may impact the operations of our products’ investments.
There is evidence of global climate change. Climate change creates physical and financial risk and some of our products and their investments may be adversely affected by climate change. For example, the needs of customers of energy companies vary with weather conditions, primarily temperature and humidity. To the extent weather conditions are affected by climate change, energy use could increase or decrease depending on the duration and magnitude of any changes. Increases in the cost of energy could adversely affect the cost of operations of our investments if the use of energy products or services is material to their business. A decrease in energy use due to weather changes may affect some of our investments’ financial condition through, for example, decreased revenues. Extreme weather conditions in general require more system backup, adding to costs, and can contribute to increased system stresses, including service interruptions.
Volatile market, political and economic conditions can adversely affect investments made by our specialized investment vehicles and advisory accounts.
Since 2008, there has been continued volatility and disruption in the global financial markets. Volatility and disruption in the equity and credit markets could adversely affect the portfolio companies in which the private markets funds invest, which, in turn, would adversely affect the performance of our specialized investment vehicles and advisory accounts. For example, the lack of available credit or the increased cost of credit may materially and adversely affect the performance of funds that rely heavily on leverage such as leveraged buyout funds. Disruptions in the debt and equity markets may make it more difficult for funds to exit and realize value from their investments, because potential buyers of portfolio companies may not be able to finance acquisitions and the equity markets may become unfavorable for initial public offerings. In addition, the volatility will directly affect the market prices of securities issued by many companies for reasons unrelated to their operating performance and may adversely affect the valuation of the investments of our specialized investment vehicles and advisory accounts. Any or all of these factors may result in lower investment returns. Governmental authorities have undertaken, and may continue to undertake, a variety of initiatives designed to strengthen and stabilize the economy and the financial markets. However, there can be no assurance that these initiatives will be successful, and there is no way to predict the ultimate impact of the disruption or the effect that these initiatives will have on the performance of our specialized investment vehicles or advisory accounts.
Investments in many industries have experienced significant volatility over the last several years. The ability to realize investments depends not only on our investments and the investments made by the private markets funds and portfolio companies in which we invest and their respective results and prospects, but also on political and economic conditions, which are out of our control. Continued volatility in political or economic conditions, including an outbreak or escalation of major hostilities, declarations of war, terrorist actions or other substantial national or international calamities or emergencies, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure
A change of control of our company, including the occurrence of a “Sunset,” could result in an assignment of our investment advisory agreements.
Under the Investment Advisers Act, each of the investment advisory agreements for the funds and other accounts we manage must provide that it may not be assigned without the consent of the particular fund or other investor. An assignment may occur under the Investment Advisers Act if, among other things, an Adviser undergoes a change of control. After a “Sunset” becomes effective, the Class B common stock will convert into Class A common stock that is one vote per share instead of ten votes per share, and the Controlled Company Agreement will expire, meaning that the Class B Holders party thereto will no longer control the appointment of directors or be able to direct the vote on all matters that are submitted to our stockholders for a vote. These events could be deemed a change of control of an Adviser, and thus an assignment. If such a deemed assignment occurs, we cannot be certain that each Adviser will be able to obtain the necessary consents from its funds and other investors, which could cause us to lose the management fees and advisory fees we earn from such funds and other investors.
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If we were deemed an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as a result of our ownership of our subsidiaries, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
An issuer will generally be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the Investment Company Act if:
We believe that we are engaged primarily in the business of providing alternative asset management investment services and not in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. We also believe that the primary source of income from each of our businesses is properly characterized as income earned in exchange for the provision of services. We hold ourselves out as an alternative asset management investment firm and do not propose to engage primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Accordingly, we do not believe that either P10 or any subsidiary is or will be, an “orthodox” investment company as defined in section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act and described in the first bullet point above. Further, P10 does not have significant assets other than its equity interests in certain wholly owned subsidiaries and voting interests of certain general partner entities for our sponsored funds. The general partner entities hold no underlying assets other than being parties to the investment management agreements with our Advisors for their respective funds and serve to allocate carried interest to employees of the Advisors. We do not believe the equity interests of P10 in its wholly owned subsidiaries or the voting interests in the general partners of these subsidiaries are investment securities. As a result, we believe that less than 40% of P10’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis comprises assets that could be considered investment securities. Accordingly, we do not believe P10 is an inadvertent investment company by virtue of the 40% test in section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act as described in the second bullet point above. In addition, we believe P10 is not an investment company under section 3(b)(1) of the Investment Company Act because it is primarily engaged in a non-investment company business.
The Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder contain detailed parameters for the organization and operations of investment companies. Among other things, the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder limit or prohibit transactions with affiliates, impose limitations on the issuance of debt and equity securities, prohibit the issuance of stock options, and impose certain governance requirements. We intend to conduct our operations so that P10 will not be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. However, if anything were to happen that would cause P10 to be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, requirements imposed by the Investment Company Act, including limitations on our capital structure, ability to transact business with affiliates (including us) and ability to compensate key employees, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as currently conducted, impair the agreements and arrangements between and among the Advisors, the general partners, the funds, us or our senior leadership team, or any combination thereof and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The protective provision contained in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which is intended to help preserve the value of certain income tax assets, primarily tax net operating loss carryforwards, may have unintended negative effects. We also have a shareholder rights plan to provide similar protection.
Pursuant to Code Sections 382 and 383, use of our NOLs may be limited by an “ownership change” as defined under Section 382 of the Code, and the Treasury Regulations thereunder. In order to protect the Company’s significant NOLs, we included a provision to protect our NOLs in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Protective Provision”).
The Protective Provision is designed to assist the Company in protecting the long-term value of its accumulated NOLs by limiting certain transfers of the Company’s common stock. The Protective Provision’s transfer restrictions generally restrict any direct or indirect transfers of the common stock if the effect would be to increase the direct or indirect ownership of the common stock by any person from less than 4.99% to 4.99% or more of the common stock, or increase the percentage of the common stock owned directly or indirectly by a person owning or deemed to own 4.99% or more of the common stock (with percentage ownership determined under applicable U.S. federal income tax rules). Any direct or indirect transfer
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attempted in violation of the Protective Provision will be void as of the date of the prohibited transfer as to the purported transferee.
The Protective Provision also requires any person attempting to become a holder of 4.99% or more of our common stock to seek the approval of our Board. We also have a shareholder rights plan that prohibits anyone becoming a holder of 4.99% or more of our common stock (as determined for tax purposes) without prior board of directors’ approval.
The Protective Provision and shareholder rights plan may have an unintended “anti-takeover” effect because our Board may be able to prevent any future takeover. Similarly, any limits on the amount of stock that a shareholder may own could have the effect of making it more difficult for shareholders to replace current management. Additionally, because the Protective Provision may have the effect of restricting a shareholder’s ability to dispose of or acquire our common stock, the liquidity and market value of our common stock might suffer.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, and the federal district courts as the exclusive forum for Securities Act claims, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain what such stockholders believe to be a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, other employees, or agents.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we, in writing, select or consent to the selection of an alternative forum, all complaints asserting any internal corporate claims (defined as claims, including claims in the right of our company: (i) that are based upon a violation of a duty by a current or former director, officer, employee, or stockholder in such capacity; or (ii) as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction upon the Court of Chancery), to the fullest extent permitted by law, and subject to applicable jurisdictional requirements, shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have, or declines to accept, subject matter jurisdiction, another state court or a federal court located within the State of Delaware). Further, unless we select or consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Our choice-of-forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. These choice-of-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and such persons. It is possible that a court may find these provisions of our certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, in which case we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
General Risk Factors
The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted the global financial markets and business climate and may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Beginning in March 2020, the global financial markets and business climate have been adversely affected by the global outbreak of COVID-19. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world led many countries to institute a variety of measures, including stay-at-home orders, restrictions on travel, bans on public gatherings, the closing of nonessential businesses or limiting their hours of operation, and other restrictions on businesses and their operations, to contain viral spread. These measures in turn caused reductions in demand for certain goods and services, reductions in business activity and financial transactions, supply chain interruptions and overall economic and significant financial market volatility. While many of the initial restrictions have been relaxed or lifted to generate more economic activity, the risk of future COVID-19 outbreaks remains, and restrictions have been and may continue to be imposed to mitigate risks to public health in jurisdictions where additional outbreaks have been detected. Moreover, even where restrictions are and remain lifted, the availability of viable treatment options could lead people to continue to self-isolate and not participate in the economy at prepandemic levels for a prolonged period, potentially further delaying global economic recovery. As a result, we are unable to predict the ultimate duration and adverse impact of COVID-19 on our business, financial condition and results of operations. COVID-19 has impacted, and may further impact, our business in various ways.
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We believe COVID-19’s future adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations will be
significantly driven by a number of factors that we are unable to predict or control, including, for example: the severity and duration of the pandemic, including the availability of a treatment for COVID-19; the pandemic’s impact on global financial markets and business conditions; the timing, scope and effectiveness of additional governmental responses to the pandemic; the timing and path of economic recovery; and the negative impact on our investors, third-party fund managers, counterparties, investee portfolio companies, vendors and other business partners that may indirectly adversely affect us.
Fulfilling our public company financial reporting and other regulatory obligations is expensive and time consuming.
As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. For example, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and are required to comply with the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC and the NYSE, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting and implementation of public company corporate governance practices. We expect that compliance with these requirements will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time consuming and costly. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. We may need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur as a result of becoming a public company or the timing of such costs.
Changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as regulatory and governing bodies provide new guidance. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We will continue to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
As a result of disclosure of information as a public company, our business and financial condition will become more visible, which may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If the claims are successful, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and adversely affect our business operations and financial results. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified colleagues, executive officers and members of our board of directors.
We also expect that operating as a public company will make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance on desired terms. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified people to serve on our board of directors or our board committees or to serve as executive officers.
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We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE listing standards and, as a result, we qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
So long as no Sunset has occurred, the Class B stockholders who are party to the Controlled Company Agreement hold approximately 60% of the Company’s outstanding voting power and thereby control the outcome of matters submitted to a stockholder vote. As a result of the voting power held by those Class B stockholders who are party to the Controlled Company Agreement, we qualify as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE. Under these rules, a listed company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirement that (i) a majority of our board of directors consist of independent directors, (ii) director nominees be selected or recommended to the board by independent directors and (iii) we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors.
Our internal controls over financial reporting do not currently meet all of the standards contemplated by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“Section 404”) that we will eventually be required to meet as a public company.
Section 404 defines the requirements for attestation of internal controls over financial reporting. Section 404(a) requires management to provide an annual attestation of the adequacy of design and operating effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Section 404(b) adds the requirement to obtain an opinion over the design and effectiveness of controls from a company’s independent registered public accounting firm. Emerging growth companies are exempt from this requirement for a period of five years, or until it no longer qualifies as an emerging growth company, whichever occurs first. We maintain internal control procedures to satisfy the requirements of Section 404(a), which requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. At such time as we are to acquire an attestation, confidence in the reliability of our financial statements is likely to suffer if our independent registered public accounting firm reports a material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting. This could materially and adversely affect us and lead to a decline in the price of our Class A common stock. In addition, we will incur incremental costs in order to improve our internal control over financial reporting and comply with Section 404, including increased auditing and legal fees and costs associated with hiring additional accounting, operational and administrative staff. We may need to hire additional personnel to design and apply controls to areas of significant complex transactions and technical accounting matters once we are a public company.
As an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) until the later of either the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC or the date we are no longer an emerging growth company. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating.
The disparity in the voting rights among the classes of our common stock and inability of the holders of our Class A common stock to influence decisions submitted to a vote of our stockholders may have an adverse effect on the price of our Class A common stock.
Holders of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on almost all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. Shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock entitle the respective holders to identical non-economic rights, except that each share of our Class A common stock will entitle its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by stockholders generally, while each share of our Class B common stock will entitle its holder to ten votes until a Sunset becomes effective. After a Sunset becomes effective, each share of our Class B common stock will convert into Class A common stock. As of December 31, 2022, the Class B Holders have approximately 95% of the combined voting power of our common stock. Because this concentrated control could discourage others from initiating any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transaction that may otherwise be beneficial to our businesses, the market price of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected. The difference in voting rights could adversely affect the value of our Class A common stock to the extent that investors view, or any potential future purchaser of our company views, the superior voting rights and implicit control of the Class B common stock to have value.
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Our dual class structure may depress the trading price of our Class A common stock.
Our dual class structure may result in a lower or more volatile market price of our Class A common stock or in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers restrict inclusion of companies with dual or multiple class share structures in certain of their indexes, including the S&P 500. In addition, several stockholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of dual or multiple class structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our common stock may prevent the inclusion of our Class A common stock in certain indices and may cause stockholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for our Class A common stock. Any actions or publications by stockholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of our Class A common stock.
We are an emerging growth company, and reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our Class A common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an emerging growth company and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to continue to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, not being required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years following the completion of our initial public offering. We will cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest of: (i) the end of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering, (ii) the first fiscal year after our annual gross revenues are $1.07 billion or more, (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities or (iv) the end of any fiscal year in which the market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year. We cannot predict if investors will find our Class A common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Class A common stock less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A common stock, and the price of our Class A common stock may be more volatile.
We may pay dividends to our stockholders, but our ability to do so is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and may be limited by our holding company structure and applicable provisions of Delaware law.
We may pay cash dividends to our stockholders. Our board of directors may, in its discretion, decrease the level of dividends or discontinue the payment of dividends entirely. Our ability to declare and pay dividends to our stockholders is subject to Delaware law (which may limit the amount of funds available for dividends). If, as a consequence of these various limitations and restrictions, we are unable to generate sufficient distributions from our business, we may not be able to make, or may be required to reduce or eliminate, the payment of dividends on our Class A common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and may negatively affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws include provisions that:
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These and other provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, we will be a Delaware corporation and governed by the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). Section 203 of the DGCL generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder, in particular those owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock, for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an “interested” stockholder. While we have elected in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that have similar effects as Section 203 of the DGCL, except that they provide that the Sunset Holders, their affiliates, groups that include the Sunset Holders and certain of their direct and indirect transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly will not be subject to such restrictions.
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
Not applicable.
Item 2. Properties.
Not applicable.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
In the ordinary course of business, we may be subject to various legal, regulatory and/or administrative proceedings from time to time. Although there can be no assurance of the outcome of such proceedings, our management does not believe it is probable that any pending or, to our knowledge, threatened legal proceeding or claim would individually or in the aggregate materially affect our consolidated financial statements.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchase of Equity Securities.
Market Information for Common Stock
Our Class A common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "PX". There is no established public trading market for our Class B common stock.
Holders of Record
As of December 31, 2022, there were 3,104 stockholders of record of our Class A common stock and there were 2,930 stockholders of record of our Class B common stock. The actual number of stockholders is greater than this number of record holders and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners but whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees.
Dividend Policy
We declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share of our common stock to record holders in each fiscal quarter of 2022.
The declaration and payment by us of any future dividends to holders of our common stock is at the sole discretion of our board of directors. Our board intends to cause us to continue to pay a comparable cash dividend on a quarterly basis. Subject to funds being legally available, we intend to cause P10 Intermediate to make pro rata distributions to its members, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to allow us to pay all applicable taxes and to pay our corporate and other overhead expenses, including dividend payments to our stockholders.
Issure Purchases of Equity Securities
The following table provides information about our repurchase activity with respect to shares of our common stock for the quarter ended December 31, 2022:
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|
||||
October 1 - 31, 2022 |
|
192,654 |
|
$ |
10.30 |
|
|
192,654 |
|
|
|
|
November 1 - 30, 2022 |
|
994,950 |
|
$ |
9.45 |
|
|
994,950 |
|
|
|
|
December 1 - 31, 2022 |
|
759,161 |
|
$ |
9.68 |
|
|
759,161 |
|
$ |
19,787,024 |
|
Total |
|
1,946,765 |
|
$ |
9.62 |
|
|
1,946,765 |
|
|
|
(1) On May 12, 2022, we announced that our Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase outstanding shares of our Class A and Class B common stock as of the date of authorization, not to exceed $20 million (the "Stock Repurchase Program"). On December 27, 2022, we announced that our Board of Directors authorized an additional $20 million for repurchases under the Stock Repurchase Program. The authorization provides us the flexibility to repurchase shares in the open market, in block trades, in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, and/or through other legally permissible means, in privately negotiated transactions, from time to time, based on market conditions and other factors. The Stock Repurchase Program does not obligate P10 to acquire any particular amount of common stock and it may be terminated or amended by the Board of Directors at any time.
Stock Performance Graph
The following graph and table depict the total return to stockholders from the closing price on October 21, 2021 (the date our Class A common stock began trading on NYSE) through December 31, 2022, relative to the performance of the S&P 500 Index and Dow Jones U.S. Asset Managers Index. The graph and table assume $100 invested on October 21, 2021, and dividends reinvested in the security or index.
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The performance graph and table are not intended to be indicative of future performance. The performance graph and table shall not be deemed "soliciting material" or to be "filed" with the SEC for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that Section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any of the Company's filings under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
Item 6. [Reserved].
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Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis relates to the activities and operations of P10. As used in this section, “P10,” the “Company”, “we” or “our” includes P10 and only its consolidated subsidiaries. The following information should be read in conjunction with our selected financial and operating data and the accompanying consolidated financial statements and related notes contained elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K. Our historical results discussed below, and the way we evaluate our results, may differ significantly from the descriptions of our business and key metrics used elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K due to the effects of acquisitions which occurred during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, but may not have had a material impact on our statements of operations due to the limited period of time which they were included in our consolidated results. This annual report reflects the historical results of operations and financial position of P10 Holdings, our predecessor for accounting purposes, prior to the Reorganization and IPO. The following discussion may contain forward-looking statements that reflects our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K, particularly in "Risk Factors", the "Summary of Risk Factors" and the "Forward-Looking Information." Unless otherwise indicated, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to fiscal 2022, fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020 are to our fiscal years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Business Overview
We are a leading multi-asset class private market solutions provider in the alternative asset management industry. Our mission is to provide our investors differentiated access to a broad set of solutions and investment vehicles across highly attractive asset classes and geographies that generate superior risk-adjusted returns. Our success and growth have been driven by our position in the private markets’ ecosystem, providing investors with specialized private market solutions across a comprehensive set of investment strategies, including primary investment funds, secondary investment, direct investment and co-investments and advisory solutions. As investors entrust us with additional capital, our relationships with our fund managers are strengthened, which drives additional investment opportunities, sources more data, enables portfolio optimization and enhances returns, and in turn attracts new investors.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we completed several acquisitions to expand the private market solutions available to our investors. On April 1, 2020, we completed our acquisition of Five Points to serve as our Private Credit solution (which also offers certain private equity solutions). Five Points’ results are included in our Consolidated Statements of Operations beginning with the period from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 and forward. On October 2, 2020, we completed our acquisition of TrueBridge Capital Partners, LLC (TrueBridge) to serve as our Venture Capital solution. TrueBridge’s results are included in our Consolidated Statements of Operations beginning with the period from October 2, 2020 through December 31, 2020 and forward. On December 14, 2020, we completed our acquisition of 100% of the equity interest in ECG to serve as our Impact Investing solution. ECG’s results are included in our Consolidated Statements of Operations beginning with the period from December 14, 2020 through December 31, 2020 and forward. These acquisitions were accounted for as business combinations, and these entities are reported as consolidated subsidiaries of P10. Additionally, on December 14, 2020, we completed our acquisition of approximately 49% of the voting interests and 50% of the economic interests in ECP, which is a related party of ECG. As we only acquired a non-controlling interest in ECP, it is reported as an equity method investment in accordance with ASC 323, Equity Method and Joint Ventures ("ASC 323").
On September 30, 2021, we completed the acquisitions of Hark Capital Advisors, LLC ("Hark") and Bonaccord Capital Advisors, LLC ("Bonaccord") to further expand on solutions available to our investors. The effect of these acquisitions is reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2021 and 2022 and the Consolidated Statement of Operations beginning with the period from September 30, 2021 to December 31, 2021 and forward. These acquisitions were accounted for as business combinations and are reported as consolidated subsidiaries of P10.
On October 20, 2021, P10 Holdings, in connection with its Initial Public Offering ("IPO"), completed a reorganization and restructure. In connection with the reorganization, P10, Inc. ("P10") became the parent company and all of the existing equity of P10 Holdings, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of P10, and its consolidated subsidiaries, including the convertible preferred units of P10 Intermediate were converted into common stock of P10. The offering and reorganization included a reverse stock split of P10 Holdings common stock on a 0.7-for-1 basis pursuant to which every outstanding share of common stock decreased to 0.7 shares. Net proceeds from the sale of our Class A common stock, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions but before expenses was approximately $129.4 million. Of the proceeds, $86.8 million was used to paydown the outstanding term loan balance, $12.4 million was used to pay off the RCP Seller Notes, $1.1 million cash settled certain option awards, $1.0 million funded the dividend on P10 Intermediate's preferred stock and $4.5 million was used to pay expenses incurred in connection with the offering.
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Following the reorganization and IPO, P10 has two classes of common stock, Class A common stock and Class B common stock. Each share of Class B common stock is entitled to ten votes while each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote.
On December 22, 2021, P10 entered into a $250 million credit agreement with a syndicate of banks, including JP Morgan Chase Bank and Texas Capital Bank as joint lead arrangers and bookrunners, which provided for a term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $125 million (the "term loan") and revolving commitments in an aggregate principal amount of $125 million (the "revolver") with a four year term and an additional $125 million accordion feature. The variable interest rate is 210 basis points over the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"). Borrowings were used to pay down the outstanding balance under the previous credit facility with HPS and related transaction expenses, pay off Seller's Notes related to the RCP acquisition and to finance working capital needs and for general corporate purposes. The facility includes the option to exercise a $125.0 million accordion feature. The accordion feature was exercised in order to complete the acquisition of Western Technology Investment LLC ("WTI") on October 13, 2022. The outstanding balance as of December 31, 2022 was $293.4 million.
On October 13, 2022, we completed the acquisition of WTI that again further expanded on solutions available to our investors by entering into the venture debt space. The effect of this acquisition is reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2022 and Consolidated Statement of Operations from October 13, 2022 to December 31, 2022. The acquisition was accounted for as a business combination and WTI is reported as a consolidated subsidiary of P10.
During the 2022, the Board approved up to $40.0 million to repurchase stock. These shares may be repurchased from time to time in the open market at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, in block trades, in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 trading plans and/or through other legally permissible means. The timing and amount of any repurchases pursuant to the program will depend on various factors including, the market price of its Class A Common Stock, trading volume, ongoing assessment of P10’s working capital needs, general market conditions, and other factors. For the year ended December 31, 2022, $19.8 million has been spent to buy back shares under this program.
As of December 31, 2022, our private market solutions were comprised of the following: