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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for future operations.operations and which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. Any such forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, which involve assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend"“may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “intend” or "project"“project” or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and we cannot assure you that the projections included in these forward-looking statements will come to pass. Our actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, without limitation, the factors discussed in Item 1A entitled "Risk Factors"“Risk Factors” in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.10-K and in other filings we may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) from time to time. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include changes in the economy and future changes in laws or regulations and conditions in our operating areas.

We have based the forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K on information available to us on the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements, unless we are required to do so by applicable law. However, you are advised to refer to any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we in the future may file with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"),SEC, including subsequent annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

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PART I

Item 1. BusinessBusiness

ORGANIZATION

Main Street Capital Corporation ("MSCC"(“MSCC”) is a principal investment firm primarily focused on providing customized debt and equity financing to lower middle market ("LMM"(“LMM”) companies and debt capital to middle market ("(“Middle Market"Market”) companies. The portfolio investments of MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries are typically made to support management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings, refinancings and acquisitions of companies that operate in a variety of industry sectors. MSCC seeks to partner with entrepreneurs, business owners and management teams and generally provides "one stop"“one stop” financing alternatives within its LMM portfolio. MSCC and its consolidated subsidiaries invest primarily in secured debt investments, equity investments, warrants and other securities of LMM companies based in the United States and in secured debt investments of Middle Market companies generally headquartered in the United States.

MSCC was formed in March 2007 to operate as an internally managed business development company ("BDC"(“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"“1940 Act”). MSCC wholly owns several investment funds, including Main Street Mezzanine Fund, LP ("MSMF"), Main Street Capital II, LP ("MSC II"(“MSMF”) and Main Street Capital III, LP ("(“MSC III"III” and, collectivelytogether with MSMF, and MSC II, the "Funds"“Funds”), and each of their general partners. The Funds are each licensed as a Small Business Investment Company ("SBIC"(“SBIC”) by the United States Small Business Administration ("SBA"(“SBA”). Because MSCC is internally managed, all of the executive officers and other employees are employed by MSCC. Therefore, MSCC does not pay any external investment advisory fees, but instead directly incurs the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals.

MSC Adviser I, LLC (the "External“External Investment Manager"Manager”) was formed in November 2013 as a wholly owned subsidiary of MSCC to provide investment management and other services to parties other than MSCC and its subsidiaries or their portfolio companies ("(“External Parties"Parties”) and receives fee income for such services. MSCC has been granted no-action relief by the SEC to allow the External Investment Manager to

The following diagram depicts our organizational structure:

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Other Holding Companies includes the Taxable Subsidiaries and other entities formed for operational purposes. Each of these companies is directly or indirectly wholly owned by MSCC.

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The External Investment Manager is accounted for as a portfolio investment at fair value, as opposed to a consolidated subsidiary, and is indirectly wholly owned by MSCC.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Our principal executive offices are located at 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, 8^th Floor, Houston, Texas 77056. We maintain a Web sitewebsite on the Internet atwww.mainstcapital.com. We make available free of charge on our Web sitewebsite our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Information contained on our Web sitewebsite is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and you should not consider that information to be part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports and other public filings are also available free of charge on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Web siteSEC’s website atwww.sec.gov.

OVERVIEW OF OUR BUSINESS

Our principal investment objective is to maximize our portfolio'sportfolio’s total return by generating current income from our debt investments and current income and capital appreciation from our equity and equity-related investments,

We seek to fill the financing gap for LMM businesses, which, historically, have had limited access to financing from commercial banks and other traditional sources. The underserved nature of the LMM creates the opportunity for us to meet the financing needs of LMM companies while also negotiating favorable transaction terms and equity participations. Our ability to invest across a company'scompany’s capital structure, from secured loans to equity securities, allows us to offer portfolio companies a comprehensive suite of financing options, or a "one stop"“one stop” financing solution. Providing customized, "one stop"“one stop” financing solutions is important to LMM portfolio companies. We generally seek to partner directly with entrepreneurs, management teams and business owners in making our investments. Our LMM portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between five and seven years from the original investment date.

       Our Middle Market portfolio investments primarily consist of direct investments in or secondary purchases of interest-bearing debt securities in privately held companies that are generally larger in size than the companies included in our LMM portfolio. Our Middle Market portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have an expected duration of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

       Our Private Loan portfolio investments are primarily debt securities in privately held companies whichconsist generally of loans that have been originated directly by us or through strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis and are often referred to in the debt markets as "club“club deals."” Private Loan investments are typically similar in size, structure, terms and conditions to investments we hold in our LMM portfolio and Middle Market portfolio. Our Private Loan portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

Our Middle Market portfolio investments primarily consist of direct investments in or secondary purchases of interest-bearing syndicated loans or debt securities in privately held companies based in the United States that are generally larger in size than the companies included in our LMM portfolio. Our Middle Market portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have an expected duration of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

Our other portfolio ("(“Other Portfolio"Portfolio”) investments primarily consist of investments whichthat are not consistent with the typical profiles for our LMM, Private Loan or Middle Market or Private Loan portfolio investments, including investments which may be managed by third parties. In our Other Portfolio, we may incur indirect fees and expenses in connection with investments managed by third parties, such as investments in other investment companies or private funds.

Subject to changes in our cash and overall liquidity, our Investment Portfolio (as defined below) may also include short-term portfolio investments that are atypical of our LMM, Middle Market and Private Loan portfolio investments in that they are intended to be a short-term deployment of capital. These assets are typically expected to be liquidated in one year or less and are not expected to be a significant portion of the overall Investment Portfolio.

Our external asset management business is conducted through the External Investment Manager. The External Investment Manager earns management fees based on the assets of the funds under management and may earn incentive fees, or a carried interest, based on the performance of the funds managed. We have entered into an agreement with the External Investment Manager to share employees in connection with its asset management business generally, and specifically for its relationship with HMS Income Fund, Inc. ("HMS Income"). Through this agreement, we share employees with the External Investment Manager, including their related infrastructure, business relationships, management expertise and capital raising capabilities.

Our portfolio investments are generally made through MSCC, the Taxable Subsidiaries and the Funds. MSCC, the Taxable Subsidiaries and the Funds share the same investment strategies and criteria, although they are subject to different regulatory regimes (see "Regulation"“Regulation”). An investor'sinvestor’s return in MSCC will depend, in part, on the Funds'Taxable Subsidiaries’ and the Funds’ investment returns as they are wholly owned subsidiaries of MSCC.

Because we are internally managed, we do not pay any external investment advisory fees, but instead directly incur the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals. We believe that our internally managed structure provides us with a better alignment of interests between our management team and our employees and our shareholders and a beneficial operating expense structure when compared to other publicly traded and privately held investment firms which are externally managed, and our internally managed structure allows us the opportunity to leverage our non-interest operating expenses as we grow our Investment Portfolio.Portfolio (as defined below). For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the ratio of our total operating expenses, excluding interest expense, as a percentage of our quarterly average total assets was 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively. The ratio of our total operating expenses, including interest expense, as a percentage of our quarterly average total assets was 3.4% and 3.2%, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. For further information on our expense ratio refer to Note F to the consolidated financial statements included in “Item 8.– Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

       During May 2012,Through the External Investment Manager, we serve as the sole investment adviser and administrator to MSC Income pursuant to an Investment Advisory and Administrative Services Agreement entered into between the External Investment Manager and MSC Income (the “Advisory Agreement”). Under the Advisory Agreement, the External Investment Manager earns a 1.75% annual base management fee and a 20% incentive fee on MSC Income’s pre-investment fee net investment income above a specified hurdle rate in exchange for providing advisory services to MSC Income.

Additionally, the External Investment Manager has entered into an Investment Management Agreement with MS Private Loan Fund I, LP, a private investment sub-advisory agreementfund with HMS Adviser, LP ("HMS Adviser"a strategy to co-invest with Main Street in Private Loan portfolio investments (the “Private Loan Fund”), pursuant to which is the investment advisor to HMS Income, a non-listed BDC, to provide certainExternal Investment Manager provides investment advisory and management services to HMS Adviser. In December 2013, after obtaining required no-action relief from the SECPrivate Loan Fund in exchange for an asset-based fee and certain incentive fees.

The External Investment Manager earns management fees based on the assets of the funds and accounts under management and may earn incentive fees, or a carried interest, based on the performance of the funds and accounts managed. The total contribution of the External Investment Manager to allow us to own a registeredour net investment adviser, we assignedincome consists of the sub-advisory agreementcombination of the expenses allocated to the External Investment Manager sinceand the fees receiveddividend income earned from such arrangement could otherwise have negative consequences on our ability to meet the source-of-income requirement necessary for us to maintain our RIC tax treatment. UnderExternal Investment Manager. For the investment sub-advisory agreement,years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the total contribution of the External Investment Manager is entitled to 50% ofour net investment income was $16.5 million, $9.9 million and $11.7 million, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the External Investment Manager earned $17.7 million in base management fee income and the$0.6 million in incentive fees earned by HMS Adviser under itscompared to $10.7 million of base management fees and no incentive fees in 2020 and $11.1 million of base management fees and $2.0 million in incentive fees in 2019 for the investment advisory services provided to MSC Income, the Private Loan Fund and other clients.

We have entered into an agreement with HMS Income.the External Investment Manager to share employees in connection with its asset management business generally, and specifically for its relationship with MSC Income and its other clients. Through this agreement, we share employees with the External Investment Manager, including their related infrastructure, business relationships, management expertise and capital raising capabilities, and we allocate the related expenses to the External Investment Manager pursuant to the sharing agreement. Our total expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 are net of expenses allocated to the External Investment Manager of $10.3 million, $7.4 million and $6.7 million, respectively.

       During April 2014, weWe have received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting co-investments among us, MSC Income and other funds and clients advised by us and HMS Incomethe External Investment Manager in certain negotiated transactions where co-investing would otherwise be prohibited under the 1940 Act. We have made co-investments with, and in the future intend to continue to make such co-investments with HMSMSC Income, the Private Loan Fund and other clients advised by the External Investment Manager, in accordance with the conditions of the order. The order requires, among other things, that we and the External Investment Manager consider whether each such investment opportunity is appropriate for HMS Incomeus and the External Investment Manager’s advised clients, as applicable, and if it is appropriate, to propose an allocation of the investment opportunity between us and HMS Income.such parties. Because the External Investment Manager may receive performance-based fee compensation from HMS Income,funds and clients advised by the External Investment Manager, this may provide itthe

Company and the External Investment Manager an incentive to allocate opportunities to HMS Incomeother participating funds and clients instead of us. However, both we and the External Investment Manager have policies and procedures in place to manage this conflict.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

       In January 2019, we led a new portfolio investment to facilitateconflict, including oversight by the minority recapitalization of Centre Technologies, Inc. ("Centre"), a premier provider of IT hardware, software and service solutions. We, along with our co-investors, partnered with Centre's founder and Chief Executive Officer and management team to facilitate the transaction, with us funding $18.1 million in a combination of first-lien, senior secured term debt and a direct equity investment. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 2006, Centre has established itself as a mission critical IT solutions provider offering a full suite of solutions including managed and hosted services, value-added sourcing and integration, and project services.

       In January 2019, we led a new portfolio investment to facilitate the management buyout of CompareNetworks Inc. ("CompareNetworks"), a leading provider of media, marketing and technology

INVESTMENT CRITERIA

Our investment team has identified the following investment criteria that it believes are important in evaluating prospective portfolio companies. Our investment team uses these criteria in evaluating investment opportunities. However, not all of these criteria have been, or will be, met in connection with each of our investments:

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Proven Management Team with Meaningful Equity Stake. We look for operationally-oriented management with direct industry experience and a successful track record. In addition, we expect the management team of each LMM portfolio company to have meaningful equity ownership in the portfolio company to better align our respective economic interests. We believe management teams with these attributes are more likely to manage the companies in a manner that both protects our debt investment and enhances the value of our equity investment.

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Established Companies with Positive Cash Flow. We seek to invest in established companies with sound historical financial performance. We typically focus on LMM companies that have historically generated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) of $3 million to $20 million and commensurate levels of free cash flow. We also pursue investments in debt securities of Middle Market companies that are generally established companies with sound historical financial performance that are generally larger in size than LMM companies. We generally do not invest in start-up companies or companies with speculative business plans.

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO

The Investment Portfolio,“Investment Portfolio”, as used herein, refers to all of our investments in LMM portfolio companies, Private Loan portfolio investments, investments in Middle Market portfolio companies, Private Loan portfolio investments, Other Portfolio investments and theour investment in the External Investment Manager. Our LMM portfolio investments primarily consist of secured debt, equity warrants and direct equity investments and equity warrants in privately held, LMM

afford us the additional opportunity for income and gains through PIK interest and equity warrants and other similar equity instruments issued in conjunction with these mezzanine loans. These loans typically will have interest-only payments in the early years, with amortization of principal deferred to the later years of the mezzanine loan term. Typically, our mezzanine loans will have maturities of three to five years. We will generally target interest rates of 12% to 14%, payable currently in cash, for our mezzanine loan investments with higher targeted total returns from equity warrants or PIK interest.

Our Private Loan portfolio investments primarily consist of investments in interest-bearing debt securities in companies that are consistent with the size of companies in our LMM portfolio or our Middle Market portfolio, but are investments which have been originated directly by Main Street or through strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis. Our Private Loan portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first priority lien and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

We also pursue debt investments in Middle Market companies. Our Middle Market portfolio investments primarily consist of direct investments or secondary purchases of interest-bearing debt securities in privately held companies based in the United States that are generally larger in size than the companies included in our LMM portfolio. Our Middle Market portfolio debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date. The debt investments in our Middle Market portfolio have rights and protections that are similar to those in our LMM debt investments, which may include affirmative

Deal Generation/Origination

Deal generation and origination is maximized through long-standing and extensive relationships with industry contacts, brokers, commercial and investment bankers, entrepreneurs, service providers such as lawyers, financial advisors and accountants, and current and former portfolio companies and investors. Our investment team has focused its deal generation and origination efforts on LMM, Private Loan and Middle Market companies,investments, and we have developed a reputation as a knowledgeable, reliable and active source of capital and assistance in these markets.

Screening

During the screening process, if a transaction initially meets our investment criteria, we will perform preliminary due diligence, taking into consideration some or all of the following information:

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a comprehensive financial model based on quantitative analysis of historical financial performance, projections and pro forma adjustments to determine the estimated internal rate of return;



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a brief industry and market analysis;



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direct industry expertise imported from other portfolio companies or investors;



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preliminary qualitative analysis of the management team's competencies and backgrounds;



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potential investment structures and pricing terms; and



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regulatory compliance.

Upon successful screening of a proposed LMM transaction, the investment team makes a recommendation to our investment committee. If our investment committee concurs with moving forward on the proposed LMM transaction, we typically issue a non-binding term sheet or letter of intent to the company. Upon successful screening of a proposed Private Loan transaction, the investment team makes a recommendation to our investment committee. If our investment committee concurs with moving forward on the proposed Private Loan transaction, we typically issue a non-binding term sheet to the company. For Middle Market portfolio investments, the initial term sheet is typically issued by the borrower, through the syndicating bank, and is screened by the investment team which makes a recommendation to our creditinvestment committee.

Term Sheet

For proposed LMM transactions, the non-binding term sheet or letter of intent will include the key economic terms based upon our analysis performed during the screening process, as well as a proposed timeline and our qualitative expectation for the transaction. While the term sheet or letter of intent for LMM investments is non-binding, we typically receive an expense deposit in order to move the transaction to the due diligence phase. Upon execution of a term sheet, we begin our formal due diligence process.

For proposed Private Loan transactions, the non-binding term sheet will include the key economic terms based upon our analysis performed during the screening process, as well as a proposed timeline and our qualitative expectation for the transaction. Upon execution of a term sheet, we begin our formal due diligence process.

For proposed Middle Market transactions, the initial term sheet will include key economic terms and other conditions proposed by the borrower and its representatives and the proposed timeline for the investment, which are reviewed by our investment team to determine if such terms and conditions are in agreement with our investment objectives.

Due Diligence

Due diligence on a proposed LMM investment is performed by a minimum of twothree of our investment professionals, whom we refer to collectively as the investment team, and certain external resources, who together conduct due diligence to understand the relationships among the prospective portfolio company's

Upon completion of a satisfactory due diligence review of a proposed Private Loan or Middle Market portfolio investment, the investment team presents the findings and a recommendation to our creditinvestment committee. The presentation contains information which can include, but is not limited to, the following:

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company history and overview;



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transaction overview, history and rationale, including an analysis of transaction strengths and risks;



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analysis of key customers and suppliers;



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an analysis of the company's business strategy;



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investment structure and expected returns;



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anticipated sources of repayment and potential exit strategies;



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pro forma capitalization and ownership;



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regulatory compliance analysis findings; and



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an analysis of historical financial results and key financial ratios.

If any adjustments to the transaction terms or structures are proposed by the investment committee, or credit committee, as applicable, such changes are made and applicable analyses are updated prior to approval of the transaction. Approval for the transaction must be made by the affirmative vote from a majority of the members of the investment committee, or credit committee, as applicable, with the committee

member managing the transaction, if any, abstaining from the vote. Upon receipt of transaction approval, the investment team will re-confirm regulatory compliance, process and finalize all required legal documents, and fund the investment.

Post-Investment

We continuously monitor the status and progress of the portfolio companies. We generally offer managerial assistance to our portfolio companies, giving them access to our investment experience, direct industry expertise and contacts. The same investment team that was involved in the investment process will continue its involvement in the portfolio company post-investment. This provides for continuity of knowledge and allows the investment team to maintain a strong business relationship with key management of our portfolio companies for post-investment assistance and monitoring purposes.

As part of the monitoring process of LMM portfolio investments, the investment team will analyze monthly and quarterly financial statements versus the previous periods and year, review financial projections, meet and discuss issues or opportunities with management, attend board meetings and review all compliance certificates and covenants. While we maintain limited involvement in the ordinary course operations of our LMM portfolio companies, we maintain a higher level of involvement in non-ordinary course financing or strategic activities and any non-performing scenarios. We also monitor

As part of the performancemonitoring process of our Private Loan and Middle Market portfolio investments;investments, the investment team will analyze monthly and quarterly financial statements versus the previous periods and year, review financial projections and review all compliance certificates and covenants. Depending upon the nature of our Private Loan portfolio investments, our investment team may also attend board meetings, and meet and discuss issues or opportunities with the portfolio company’s management team or private equity owners, however, due to the larger size and higher sophistication levelnature of our “lender only” relationship with these Private Loan and Middle Market companies in comparison to our LMM portfolio companies, it is not necessary or practical to have as much direct management interface.

We utilize an internally developed investment rating system to rate the performance of each LMM portfolio company and to monitor our expected level of returns on each of our LMM investments in relation to our expectations for the portfolio company. The investment rating system takes into consideration various factors, including, but not limited to, each investment'sinvestment’s expected level of returns, the collectability of our debt investments and the ability to receive a return of the invested capital in our equity investments, comparisons to competitors and other industry participants, the portfolio company'scompany’s future outlook and other factors that are deemed to be significant to the portfolio company.

Table of Contents

Exit Strategies/Refinancing

While we generally exit most investments through the refinancing or repayment of our debt and redemption or sale of our equity positions, we typically assist our LMM portfolio companies in developing and planning exit opportunities, including any sale or merger of our portfolio companies. We may also assist in the structure, timing, execution and transition of the exit strategy. The refinancing or repayment of Private Loan investments and Middle Market debt investments typically doesdo not require our assistance due to the additional resources available to these larger Private Loan and Middle Market companies.

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE AND INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO VALUATION PROCESS

We determine the net asset value per share of our common stock on a quarterly basis. The net asset value per share is equal to our total assets minus total liabilities divided by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding.

We are required to report our investments at fair value. As a result, the most significant determination inherent in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements is the valuation of our Investment Portfolio and the related amounts of unrealized appreciation and depreciation. We follow the provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC"(“ASC”) 820,Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (" (“ASC 820"820”). ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, establishes a fair value hierarchy based on the

quality of inputs used to measure fair value and enhances disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. ASC 820 requires us to assume that the portfolio investment is to be sold in the principal market to independent market participants, which may be a hypothetical market. Market participants are defined as buyers and sellers in the principal market that are independent, knowledgeable and willing and able to transact.

We determine in good faith the fair value of our Investment Portfolio pursuant to a valuation policy in accordance with ASC 820 and a valuation process approved by our Board of Directors and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Our valuation policies and processes are intended to provide a consistent basis for determining the fair value of our Investment Portfolio. See "Note“Note B.1. — Valuation of the Investment Portfolio"Portfolio” in the notes to consolidated financial statements for a detailed discussion of our investment portfolio valuation process and procedures.

Due to the inherent uncertainty in the valuation process, our determination of fair value for our Investment Portfolio may differ materially from the values that would have been determined had a ready market for the securities existed. In addition, changes in the market environment, portfolio company performance and other events that may occur over the lives of the investments may cause the gains or losses ultimately realized on these investments to be materially different than the valuations currently assigned. We determine the fair value of each individual investment and record changes in fair value as unrealized appreciation or depreciation.

       As described below,The 1940 Act requires valuation of a portfolio security at “market value” if market quotations for the security are “readily available.” Portfolio securities for which market quotations are not readily available must be valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the board of directors. In December 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, which sets forth the specific requirements for determining fair value in good faith. Specifically, Rule 2a-5, among other things, permits a BDC’s board of directors to designate its executive officers or investment adviser as a valuation designee to determine the fair value for its investment portfolio, subject to the active oversight of the board.

Our Board of Directors adopted policies and procedures pursuant to Rule 2a-5 (the “Valuation Procedures”) and designated a group of our executive officers to serve as the Board’s valuation designee thereunder (the “Valuation Committee”) effective April 1, 2021. Pursuant to Valuation Procedures we undertake a multi-step valuation process each quarter in connection with determining the fair value of our investments, with our Board of Directors having final responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our determination of the fair value for our Investment Portfolio andinvestments.

The following outlines our valuation procedures, consistent with 1940 Act requirements. In addition,process as established under the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors periodically evaluates the performance and methodologies of the financial advisory services firm that we consult in connection with valuing our LMM and Private Loan portfolio company investments.Valuation Procedures:

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Our quarterly valuation process begins with each LMM and Private Loan portfolio company investment being initially valued by the investment team responsible for monitoring the portfolio investment;



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The fair value determination for our Middle Market and Other Portfolio debt and equity investments and our investment in the External Investment Manager consists of unobservable and observable inputs

which are initially reviewed by the investment professionals responsible for monitoring the portfolio investment;

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Preliminary valuation conclusions are then reviewed by and discussed with senior management, and the investment team considers and assesses, as appropriate, any changes that may be required to the preliminary valuations to address any comments provided by senior management;

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A nationally recognized independent financial advisory services firm analyzes and provides observations, recommendations and an assurance certification regarding the Company's determinations of the fair value for its LMM and Private Loan portfolio companies;

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The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors reviews management's valuations, and the investment team and senior management consider and assess, as appropriate, any changes that may be required to management's valuations to address any comments provided by the Audit Committee; and

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The Board of Directors assesses the valuations and ultimately approves the fair value of each investment in our portfolio in good faith.

Determination of fair value involves subjective judgments and estimates. The notes to our consolidated financial statements refer to the uncertainty with respect to the possible effect of such valuations, and any change in such valuations, on our financial results and financial condition.

COMPETITION

We compete for investments with a number of investment funds (including private equity funds, mezzanine funds, BDCs, and SBICs), as well as traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and other sources of financing. Many of the entities that compete with us are larger and have more resources available to them. We believe we are able to be competitive with these entities primarily on the basis of our focus toward the underserved LMM, the experience and contacts of our management team, our responsive and efficient investment analysis and decision-making processes, our comprehensive suite of customized financing solutions and the investment terms we offer.

We believe that some of our competitors make senior secured loans, junior secured loans and subordinated debt investments with interest rates and returns that are comparable to or lower than the rates and returns that we target. Therefore, we do not seek to compete primarily on the interest rates and returns that we offer to potential portfolio companies. For additional information concerning the competitive risks we face, see "Risk“Risk Factors — Risks RelatingRelated to Our Business and Structure — We may face increasing competition for investment opportunities."”

EMPLOYEESHUMAN CAPITAL

Our employees are vital to our success as a principal investment firm. As a human-capital intensive business, the long-term success of our company depends on our people. We strive to attract, develop and retain our employees by offering unique employment opportunities, superior advancement and promotion opportunities, attractive compensation and benefit structures and a close-knit culture. The departure of our key investment and other personnel could cause our operating results to suffer.

Our LMM business segment depends heavily on the business owners and management teams of our portfolio companies and their respective employees, contractors and service providers. In our investment process for LMM portfolio investments, the analysis of these individuals is a critical part of our overall investment underwriting process and as a result we carefully review the qualifications and experience of the portfolio company’s business owners and management team and their employment practices. We strive to partner with business owners and management teams whose business practices reflect our core values.

We strive to recruit talented and driven individuals who share our values. We have competitive programs dedicated to attracting and retaining new talent and enhancing the skills of our employees. Our recruiting efforts utilize strong relationships with a variety of sources from which we recruit. Among other opportunities, we offer selected students investment analyst internships, which are expected to lead to permanent roles for high performing and high potential interns. Through our internship program, individuals who want to become investment analysts have the opportunity to see the full investment process from origination to closing, as well as post-closing portfolio management activities. We routinely recruit from within, promoting current employees who have shown the technical ability, attitude, interest and the initiative to take on greater responsibility.

We have designed a compensation structure, including an array of benefit plans and programs, that we believe is attractive to our current and prospective employees. We also offer formal and informal training and mentorship programs that provide employees with access to senior level executives. Through our annual goal setting and performance review processes, our employees are annually evaluated by supervisors and our senior management team to ensure employees continue to develop and advance as expected. We are committed to having a diverse workforce, and an inclusive work environment is a natural extension of our culture. We also maintain a Women’s Initiative that provides employees with opportunities to network internally at Main Street and externally with other women in the financial

services industry. Our employees have access to several programs designed to enable our employees to balance work, family and family-related situations including flexible working arrangements and parental leave for birth and adoption placement. We are committed to creating and maintaining an atmosphere where all employees feel welcomed, valued, respected and heard so that they feel motivated and encouraged to contribute fully to their careers, our company and our communities.

We seek to maintain a close-knit culture, which we believe is an important factor in employee retention, which is reinforced by our Community Building Committee. Our Community Building Committee, which is composed of a substantial cross section of employees across our organization, develops programs and initiatives that promote an open and inclusive atmosphere and encourage employee outreach with our community, in each case based upon feedback received from our employees. Initiatives generated by our Community Building Committee include employee wellbeing and engagement activities along with volunteer and donation opportunities with local charitable organizations. We encourage you to visit our website for more information about charitable organizations receiving our ongoing support. Nothing on our website, however, shall be deemed incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We monitor and evaluate various turnover and attrition metrics throughout our management team. Our annualized voluntary turnover is relatively low, a record which we attribute to our strong corporate culture, commitment to career development and attractive compensation and benefit programs.

As of December 31, 2018,2021, we had 66 employees. Theseapproximately 80 employees, include46 of whom we characterize as investment and portfolio management professionals, and the others include operations professionals and administrative staff. None of our employees are represented by a collective bargaining agreement. As necessary, we will hire additional investment professionals and administrative personnel. All but two of our employees are located in our Houston, Texas office.

REGULATION

Regulation as a Business Development Company

We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDCs and their affiliates, principal underwriters and affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters. The 1940 Act requires that a majority of the members of the board of directors of a BDC be persons other than "interested“interested persons,"” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. In addition, the 1940 Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by a majority of our outstanding voting securities.

In addition, a BDC must have been organized and have its principal place of business in the United States and must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of securities described in (1), (2) or (3) above.

An eligible portfolio company is defined in the 1940 Act as any issuer which:

(a)

is organized under the laws of, and has its principal place of business in, the United States;



(b)

is not an investment company (other than a small business investment company wholly owned by the BDC) or a company that would be an investment company but for certain exclusions under the 1940 Act; and



(c)

satisfies any of the following:



(i)

does not have any class of securities that is traded on a national securities exchange or has a class of securities listed on a national securities exchange but has an aggregate market value of outstanding voting and non-voting common equity of less than $250 million;



(ii)

is controlled by a BDC or a group of companies including a BDC and the BDC has an affiliated person who is a director of the eligible portfolio company; or



(iii)

is a small and solvent company having total assets of not more than $4 million and capital and surplus of not less than $2 million.

Temporary Investments

Pending investment in "qualifying“qualifying assets,"” as described above, our investments may consist of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from time of investment therein, so that 70% of our assets are qualifying assets.

Senior Securities

Under the provisions of the 1940 Act, we are permitted, as a BDC, to issue senior securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% of all debt and/or senior stock immediately after each such issuance. However, recent2018 legislation has modified the 1940 Act by allowing a BDC to increase the maximum amount of leverage it may incur from an asset coverage ratio of 200% to an asset coverage ratio of 150%, if certain requirements are met. We are permitted to increase our leverage capacity if stockholders representing at least a majority of the votes cast, when quorum is met, approve a proposal to do so. If we receive such stockholder approval, we would be permitted to increase our leverage capacity on the first day after such approval. Alternatively, we may increase the maximum amount of leverage we may incur to an asset coverage ratio of 150% if the "required majority"“required majority” of our independent directors as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act approve such increase with such approval becoming effective after one year. In either case, weOn February 23, 2022, our Board of Directors unanimously approved the application of the modified asset coverage requirements set described above. As a result, our asset coverage requirement for senior securities will be changed from 200% to 150%, effective February 23, 2023. The Board has also recommended that a proposal to approve the application of the 150% minimum asset coverage requirement be submitted for approval at our 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. If stockholders approve this proposal, the Company would become subject to the 150% minimum asset coverage ratio the day after the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

We have received exemptive relief from the SEC to permit us to exclude the SBA-guaranteed debentures of the Funds from our 200% asset coverage test under the 1940 Act. As such, our ratio of total consolidated assets to outstanding indebtedness may be required to make certain disclosures onless than 200%. This provides us with increased investment flexibility but also increases our website and in SEC filings regarding, among other things, the receipt of approval to increase our leverage, our leverage capacity and usage, and risks related to leverage.

In addition, while any senior securities remain outstanding (other than senior securities representing indebtedness issued in consideration of a privately arranged loan which is not intended to be publicly distributed), we must makegenerally include provisions in the documents governing new senior securities to prohibit any cash distribution to our stockholders or the repurchase of such securities or shares unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of the distribution or repurchase. We may also borrow amounts up to 5% of the value of our total assets for temporary or emergency purposes without regard to asset coverage. For a discussion of the risks associated with leverage, see "Risk“Risk Factors — Risks RelatingRelated to Our Business and Structure,"Leverage,” including, without limitation, "—“— Because we borrow money, the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in us is magnified and may increase the risk of investing in us."”

       We have previously received an exemptive order from the SEC to exclude debt securities issued by MSMF and any other wholly owned subsidiaries of ours which operate as SBICs from the asset coverage requirements of the 1940 Act as applicable to Main Street. The exemptive order provides for the exclusion of all debt securities issued by the Funds, including the $345.8 million of outstanding debt as of December 31, 2018, issued pursuant to the SBIC program. This exemptive order provides us with expanded capacity and flexibility in obtaining future sources of capital for our investment and operational objectives.

Common Stock

We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the current net asset value of the common stock if our Board of Directors determines that such sale is

shares of our common stock in one or more offerings at prices below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock or issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of our common stock."”

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a code of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act that establishes procedures for personal investments and restricts certain personal securities transactions. Personnel subject to the code may invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by us, so long as such investments are made in accordance with the code'scode’s requirements. In addition, theThe code of ethics is available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Web siteSEC’s website athttp://www.sec.gov.www.sec.gov.

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

We vote proxies relating to our portfolio securities in a manner in which we believe is consistent with the best interest of our stockholders. We review on a case-by-case basis each proposal submitted to a stockholder vote to determine its impact on the portfolio securities held by us. Although we generally vote against proposals that we expect would have a negative impact on our portfolio securities, we may vote for such a proposal if there exists compelling long-term reasons to do so.

Our proxy voting decisions are made by the investment team which is responsible for monitoring each of our investments. To ensure that our vote is not the product of a conflict of interest, we require that anyone involved in the decision-making process discloses to our chief compliance officer any potential conflict regarding a proxy vote of which he or she is aware.

Stockholders may obtain information, without charge, regarding how we voted proxies with respect to our portfolio securities by making a written request for proxy voting information to: Chief Compliance Officer, 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, 8th8^th Floor, Houston, Texas 77056.

Other 1940 Act Regulations

We are also prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly participating in certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of our Board of Directors who are not interested persons and, in some cases, prior approval by the SEC.

We are required to provide and maintain a bond issued by a reputable fidelity insurance company to protect us against larceny and embezzlement. Furthermore, as a BDC, we are prohibited from protecting any director or officer against any liability to us or our stockholders arising from willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person'sperson’s office.

We are required to adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the federal securities laws, review these policies and procedures no less frequently than annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation, and to designate a chief compliance officer to be responsible for administering the policies and procedures.

We may be periodically examined by the SEC for compliance with the 1940 Act.

provide them with consulting and advisory services. Each of the Funds has typically invested in secured debt, acquired warrants and/or made equity investments in qualifying small businesses.

The Funds are subject to regulation and oversight by the SBA, including requirements with respect to reporting financial information, such as the extent of capital impairment if applicable, on a regular basis and annual examinations conducted by the SBA. The SBA, as a creditor, will have a superior claim to the Funds'Funds’ assets over our securities holders in the event the Funds are liquidated or the SBA exercises its remedies under the SBA-guaranteed debentures issued by the Funds upon an event of default.

       We have received exemptive relief from the SEC to permit us to exclude the SBA-guaranteed debentures of the Funds from our 200% asset coverage test under the 1940 Act. As such, our ratio of total consolidated assets to outstanding indebtedness may be less than 200%. This provides us with increased investment flexibility but also increases our risks related to leverage. See "Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Business and Structure — Because we borrow money, the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in us is magnified and may increase the risk of investing in us."

Under present SBIC regulations, eligible small businesses generally include businesses that (together with their affiliates) have a tangible net worth not exceeding $19.5 million or have average annual net income after U.S. federal income taxes not exceeding $6.5 million (average net income to be computed without benefit of any carryover loss) for the two most recent fiscal years. In addition, an SBIC must devote 25% of its investment activity to "smaller"“smaller” enterprises as defined by the SBA. A smaller enterprise generally includes businesses that have a tangible net worth not exceeding $6 million and have average annual net income after U.S. federal income taxes not exceeding $2 million (average net income to be computed without benefit of any net carryover loss) for the two most recent fiscal years. SBIC regulations also provide alternative size standard criteria to determine eligibility for designation as an eligible small business or smaller enterprise, which criteria depend on the primary industry in which the business is engaged and are based on such factors as the number of employees and gross revenue. However, once an SBIC has invested in a company, it generally may continue to make follow-on investments in the company, regardless of the size of the portfolio company at the time of the follow-on investment, up to the time of the portfolio company'scompany’s initial public offering.

The SBA prohibits an SBIC from providing funds to small businesses for certain purposes, such as relending and investment outside the United States, to businesses engaged in certain prohibited industries, and to certain "passive"“passive” (non-operating) companies. In addition, without prior SBA approval, an SBIC may not invest an amount equal to more than approximately 30% of the SBIC'sSBIC’s regulatory capital, as defined by the SBA, in any one portfolio company and its affiliates.

The SBA places certain limitations on the financing terms of investments by SBICs in portfolio companies (such as limiting the permissible interest rate on debt securities held by an SBIC in a portfolio company). Included in such limitations are SBASBIC regulations which allow an SBIC to exercise control over a small business for a period of seven years from the date on which the SBIC initially acquires its control position. This control period may be extended for an additional period of time with the SBA'sSBA’s prior written approval.

The SBA restricts the ability of an SBIC to lend money to any of its officers, directors and employees or to invest in affiliates thereof. The SBA also prohibits, without prior SBA approval, a "change“change of control"control” of an SBIC or transfers that would result in any person (or a group of persons acting in concert) owning 10% or more of a class of equity of a licensed SBIC. A "change“change of control"control” is any event which would result in the

underlying the repurchase obligations must be direct obligations of or guaranteed by the federal government); (iii) certificates of deposit with a maturity of one year or less, issued by a federally insured institution; (iv) a deposit account in a federally insured institution that is subject to a withdrawal restriction of one year or less; (v) a checking account in a federally insured institution; or (vi) a reasonable petty cash fund.

SBICs are periodically examined and audited by the SBA'sSBA’s staff to determine their compliance with SBIC regulations and are periodically required to file certain financial information and other documents with the SBA.

Neither the SBA nor the U.S. government or any of its agencies or officers has approved any ownership interest to be issued by us or any obligation that we or any of our subsidiaries may incur.

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance

We are subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"“Exchange Act”), including the filing of quarterly, annual and current reports, proxy statements and other required items. In addition, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which imposes a wide variety of regulatory requirements on publicly-held companies and their insiders. For example:

•

pursuant to Rule 13a-14 of the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are required to certify the accuracy of the consolidated financial statements contained in our periodic reports;



•

pursuant to Item 307 of Regulation S-K, our periodic reports are required to disclose our conclusions about the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures;



•

pursuant to Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act, our management is required to prepare a report regarding its assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, and our independent registered public accounting firm separately audits our internal control over financial reporting; and



•

pursuant to Item 308 of Regulation S-K and Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act, our periodic reports must disclose whether there were significant changes in our internal control over financial reporting or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

●

pursuant to Rule 13a-14 of the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are required to certify the accuracy of the consolidated financial statements contained in our periodic reports;

●

pursuant to Item 307 of Regulation S-K, our periodic reports are required to disclose our conclusions about the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures;

●

pursuant to Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act, our management is required to prepare a report regarding its assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, and our independent registered public accounting firm separately audits our internal control over financial reporting; and

●

pursuant to Item 308 of Regulation S-K and Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act, our periodic reports must disclose whether there were significant changes in our internal control over financial reporting or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

The New York Stock Exchange Corporate Governance Regulations

The New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"(“NYSE”) has adopted corporate governance regulations that listed companies must comply with. We believe we are in compliance with such corporate governance listing

U.S. federal income taxes on any income that we distribute to our stockholders as dividends. To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements (as described below). In addition, in order to obtain RIC tax treatment, we must distribute to our stockholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of our "investment“investment company taxable income,"” which is generally our net ordinary taxable income plus the excess of realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses, and 90% of our tax-exempt income (the "Annual“Annual Distribution Requirement"Requirement”). As part of maintaining RIC status, undistributed taxable income (subject to a 4% non-deductible U.S. federal excise tax) pertaining to a given fiscal year may be distributed up to 12 months subsequent to the end of that fiscal year, provided such dividends are declared on or prior to the later of (i) filing of the U.S. federal income tax return for the applicable fiscal year or (ii) the fifteenth day of the ninth month following the close of the year in which such taxable income was generated.

For any taxable year in which we qualify as a RIC and satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, we will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of our income or capital gains we distribute (or are deemed to distribute) to stockholders. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rates on any income or capital gains not distributed (or deemed distributed) to our stockholders.

We are subject to a 4% non-deductible U.S. federal excise tax on certain undistributed income unless we distribute in a timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our net ordinary taxable income for each calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income for the one-year period ending December 31 in that calendar year and (3) any taxable income recognized, but not distributed, in preceding years on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax (the "Excise“Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement"Requirement”). Dividends declared and paid by us in a year will generally differ from taxable income for that year as such dividends may include the distribution of current year taxable income, exclude amounts carried over into the following year, and include the distribution of prior year taxable income carried over into and distributed in the current year. For amounts we carry over into the following year, we will be required to pay the 4% U.S. federal excise tax on the excess of 98% of our annual investment company taxable income and 98.2% of our capital gain net income over our distributions for the year.

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

•

continue to qualify as a BDC under the 1940 Act at all times during each taxable year;



•

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

to qualify as a RIC and, therefore, cause us to incur significant U.S. federal income taxes. The Taxable Subsidiaries are consolidated with Main Street for generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("(“U.S. GAAP"GAAP”) purposes and are included in our consolidated financial statements, and the portfolio investments held by the Taxable Subsidiaries are included in our consolidated financial statements. The Taxable Subsidiaries are not consolidated with Main StreetMSCC for income tax purposes and may generate income tax expense, or benefit, as a result of their ownership of the portfolio investments. The income tax expense, or benefit, if any, and any related tax assets and liabilities, are reflected in our consolidated financial statements.

The External Investment Manager is accounted for as a portfolio investment for U.S. GAAP purposes and is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of MSCC, owned through a Taxable Subsidiary. The External Investment Manager is owned by a Taxable Subsidiary in order to comply with the 90% Income Test, since the External Investment Manager'sManager’s income would likely not consist of income derived from securities, such as dividends and interest, and as result, it could jeopardize our ability to qualify as a RIC and, therefore, cause us to incur significant U.S. federal income taxes. As a result of its ownership by a Taxable Subsidiary, the External Investment Manager is a disregarded entity for tax purposes. The External Investment Manager has also entered into a tax sharing agreement with its Taxable Subsidiary owner. Since the External Investment Manager is accounted for as a portfolio investment of MSCC and is not included as a consolidated subsidiary of MSCC in MSCC'sMSCC’s consolidated financial statements, and as a result of the tax sharing agreement with its Taxable Subsidiary owner, for its stand-alone financial reporting purposes the External Investment Manager is treated as if it is taxed at normal corporate tax rates based on its taxable income and, as a result of its activities, may generate income tax expense or benefit. The income tax expense, or benefit, if any, and the related tax assets and liabilities, of the External Investment Manager are reflected in the External Investment Manager'sManager’s separate financial statements.

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

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Although we do not presently expect to do so, we are authorized to borrow funds and to sell assets in order to satisfy distribution requirements. However, under the 1940 Act, we are not permitted to make distributions to our stockholders in certain circumstances while our debt obligations and other senior securities are outstanding unless certain "asset coverage"“asset coverage” tests are met. See "Regulation“Regulation — Regulation as a Business Development Company — Senior Securities."” Moreover, our ability to dispose of assets to meet our distribution requirements may be limited by (1) the illiquid nature of our portfolio and/or (2) other requirements relating to our status as a RIC, including the Diversification Tests. If we dispose of assets in order to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement, we may make such dispositions at times that, from an investment standpoint, are not advantageous.

We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our stock. Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the U.S. Department of the Treasury ("Treasury"(“Treasury”) regulations, distributions payable by us in cash or in shares of stock (at the stockholders election) would satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement. The Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance indicating that this rule will apply even where the total amount of cash that may be distributed is limited to no more than 20% of the total distribution. According to this guidance, if too many stockholders elect to receive their distributions in cash, each such stockholder would receive a pro rata share of the total cash to be distributed and would receive the remainder of their distribution in shares of stock. Taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend (whether received in cash, our stock, or a combination thereof) as (i) ordinary income (including any qualified dividend income that, in the case of a noncorporate stockholder, may be eligible for the same reduced maximum tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains to the extent such distribution is properly reported by us as qualified dividend income and such stockholder satisfies certain minimum

holding period requirements with respect to our stock) or (ii) long-term capital gain (to the extent such distribution is properly reported as a capital gain dividend), to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. stockholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock it receives in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our stock.

Failure to Qualify as a RIC

If we fail to satisfy the 90% Income Test or the Diversification Tests for any taxable year, we may nevertheless continue to qualify as a RIC for such year if certain relief provisions are applicable (which may, among other things, require us to pay certain corporate-level U.S. federal taxes or to dispose of certain assets).

If we were unable to qualify for treatment as a RIC and the foregoing relief provisions are not applicable, we would be subject to tax on all of our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We would not be able to deduct distributions to stockholders, nor would they be required to be made. If we were subject to tax on all of our taxable income at regular corporate rates, then distributions we make after being subject to such tax would be taxable to our stockholders and, provided certain holding period and other requirements were met, could qualify for treatment as "qualified“qualified dividend income"income” eligible for the maximum 20% rate (plus a 3.8% Medicare surtax, if applicable) applicable to qualified dividends to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. Subject to certain limitations under the Code, corporate taxpayers would be eligible for a dividends-received deduction on distributions they receive. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a return of capital to the extent of the stockholder'sstockholder’s tax basis, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain. To requalify as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, we would be required to satisfy the RIC qualification requirements for that year and dispose of any earnings and profits from any year in which we failed to qualify as a RIC. Subject to a

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market, the failureRisks Related to our Investments

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Risks Related to Leverage

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Risks Related to our Investment Management Activities

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Risks Related to BDCs

Risks Related to our Securities

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Risks Related to leave the European Union (the so called "Brexit") could lead to further market disruptions and currency volatility, potentially weakening consumer, corporate and financial confidence and resulting in lower economic growth for companies that rely significantly on Europe for their business activities and revenues. We may in the future have difficulty accessing debt and equity capital markets, and a severe disruption in the global financial markets, deterioration in credit and financing conditions or uncertainty regarding U.S. government spending and deficit levels, Brexit or other global economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.SBIC Funds

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Federal Income Tax Risks

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General Risk Factors

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RISKS RELATINGRELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND STRUCTURE

OurBecause our Investment Portfolio is and will continue to be recorded at fair value, with our Board of Directors having final responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our determination of fair value and, as a result, there is and will continue to be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or, if there is no readily available market value, at fair value as determined by us withpursuant to procedures established and overseen by our Board of Directors having final responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our determination of fair value and our valuation procedures.Directors. Typically, there is not a public market for the securities of the privately held LMM or Private Loan companies in which we have invested and will generally continue to invest. As a result, we value these securities quarterly at fair value based on inputs from management and a nationally recognized independent financial advisory services firm (on a rotational basis) and our audit committee with the oversight, review and approval ofpursuant to Valuation Procedures approved by our Board of Directors. In addition, the market for investments in Middle Market companies is generally not a liquid market, and therefore, we primarily use a combination of observable inputs in non-active markets for which sufficient observable inputs were not available to determine the fair value of these investments and unobservable inputs, which are reviewed bypursuant to our audit committee with the oversight, review and approval of our Board of Directors.Valuation Procedures. See "Note“Note B.1. — Valuation of the Investment Portfolio"Portfolio” in the notes to consolidated financial statements for a more detailed description of our investment portfolio valuation process and procedures.

The determination of fair value and consequently, the amount of unrealized gains and losses in our portfolio, are to a certain degree, subjective and dependent on a valuation process approved by our Board of Directors. Certain factors that may be considered in determining the fair value of our investments include external events, such as private mergers, sales and acquisitions involving comparable companies. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of securities in privately held companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these securities existed. Due to this uncertainty, our fair value determinations may cause our net asset value on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that we may ultimately realize on one or more of our investments. As a result, investors purchasing our securities based on an overstated net asset value would pay a higher price than the value of our investments might warrant. Conversely, investors selling our securities during a period in which the net asset value understates the value of our investments may receive a lower price for their securities than the value of our investments might warrant.

team’s ability to identify, evaluate and monitor, and our ability to finance and invest in, companies that meet our investment criteria.

Accomplishing our investment objective on a cost-effective basis is largely a function of our investment team'steam’s handling of the investment process, its ability to provide competent, attentive and efficient services and our access to investments offering acceptable terms. In addition to monitoring the performance of our existing investments, members of our investment team are also called upon, from time to time, to provide managerial assistance to some of our portfolio companies. These demands on their time may distract them or slow the rate of investment.

Even if we are able to grow and build upon our investment operations, any failure to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The results of our operations will depend on many factors, including the availability of opportunities for investment, readily accessible short and long-term funding alternatives in the financial markets and economic conditions. Furthermore, if we cannot successfully operate our business or implement our investment policies and strategies as described herein, it could negatively impact our ability to pay dividends.

We may face increasing competition for investment opportunities.

We compete for investments with other investment funds (including private equity funds, debt funds, mezzanine funds, collateralized loan obligation funds, or CLOs, BDCs and SBICs), as well as traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and other sources of funding. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments than we have. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than we are able to do. We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors'competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. If we are forced to match our competitors'competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we may not be able to achieve acceptable returns on our investments or may bear substantial risk of capital loss. A significant part of our competitive advantage stems from the fact that the market for investments in LMM companies is underserved by traditional commercial banks and other financing sources. A significant increase in the number and/or the size of our competitors in this target market could force us to accept less attractive investment terms. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC.

We are dependent upon our key investment personnel for our future success.

We depend on the members of our investment team, particularly Dwayne L. Hyzak, David L. Magdol, Vincent D. Foster, Curtis L. Hartman,Jesse E. Morris, K. Colton Braud, III, NicholasDamian T. Meserve,Burke, Samuel A. Cashiola, Diego Fernandez and Watt R. Matthews,Nicholas T. Meserve for the identification, review, final selection, structuring, closing and monitoring of our investments. These employees have significant investment expertise and relationships that we rely on to implement our business plan. Although we have entered into a non-compete agreement with Mr. Foster and non-compete arrangements with all of our executive officers and other key employees, in connection with their restricted stock grants, we have nocannot guarantee that he or any other employees will remain employed with us. If

The competitive environment for qualified personnel may require us to take certain measures to ensure that we are able to attract and retain experienced personnel. Such measures may include increasing the attractiveness of our overall compensation packages, altering the structure of our compensation packages through the use of additional forms of compensation, or other steps. The inability to attract and retain experienced personnel would have a material adverse effect on our business.

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

We expect that members of our management team will maintain their relationships with intermediaries, financial institutions, investment bankers, commercial bankers, financial advisors, attorneys, accountants, consultants and other individuals within our network, and we will rely to a significant extent upon these relationships to provide us with potential investment opportunities. If our management team fails to maintain its existing relationships or develop new relationships with sources of investment opportunities, we will not be able to grow our Investment Portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom members of our management team have relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities, and, therefore, there is no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us.

Our executive officers and employees, through the External Investment Manager, may manage other investment funds, including HMS Income, that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, which may result in significant conflicts of interest.

       Our executive officers and employees, through the External Investment Manager, may manage other investment funds that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do. Accordingly, they may have obligations to such other entities, the fulfillment of which obligations may not be in the best interests of us or our stockholders. During May 2012, we entered into an investment sub-advisory agreement with HMS Adviser, which is the investment advisor to HMS Income, a non-listed BDC, to provide certain investment advisory services to HMS Adviser. In December 2013, after obtaining required no-action relief from the SEC to allow us to own a registered investment adviser, we assigned the sub-advisory agreement to the External Investment Manager since the fees received from such arrangement could otherwise have negative consequences on our ability to meet the source-of-income requirement necessary for us to maintain our RIC tax treatment. Under the investment sub-advisory agreement, the External Investment Manager is entitled to 50% of the base management fee and the incentive fees earned by HMS Adviser under its advisory agreement with HMS Income. The sub-advisory relationship requires us to commit resources to achieving HMS Income's investment objective, while such resources were previously solely devoted to achieving our investment objective. Our investment objective and investment strategies are very similar to those of HMS Income and it is likely that an investment appropriate for us or HMS Income would be appropriate for the other entity. As a result, we and HMS Income requested an exemptive order from the SEC permitting co-investments by us and HMS Income in certain negotiated transactions where our co-investing would otherwise be prohibited under the 1940 Act. The SEC granted the exemptive order in April 2014, and we have made, and in the future intend to continue to make, such co-investments with HMS Income in

added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term; (iii) contractual preferred dividends, which represents contractual dividends added to the preferred stock and due at the end of the preferred stock term, subject to adequate profitability at the portfolio company; or (iv) amortization of market discount, which is associated with loans purchased in the secondary market at a discount to par value. Such amortization of original issue discounts, increases in loan balances as a result of contractual PIK arrangements, cumulative preferred dividends, or amortization of market discount will be included in income before we receive the corresponding cash payments. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts before we receive such amounts in cash. Investments structured with these features may represent a higher level of credit risk compared to investments generating income which must be paid in cash on a current basis. For the year ended December 31, 2018, (i) approximately 1.0%value of our total investment income was attributable to PIK income not paid currently in cash, (ii) approximately 0.5%brand, the cost of our total investment income was attributable to amortization of original issue discount, (iii) approximately 1.0% of our total investment income was attributable to cumulative dividend income not paid currently in cash,operations and (iv) approximately 2.5% of our total investment income was attributable to amortization of market discount on loans purchased in the secondary market at a discount.

       Since, in certain cases, we may recognize taxable income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code. Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax. For additional discussion regarding the tax implications of a RIC, please see "Business — Regulation — Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company."

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

       We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our stock. Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations, distributions payable by us in cash or in shares of stock (at the stockholders election) would satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement. The Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance providing that a dividend payable in stock or in cash at the election of the stockholders will be treated as a taxable dividend eligible for the dividends paid deduction provided that at least 20% of the total dividend is payable in cash and certain other requirements are satisfied. Taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income (or as long-term capital gain to the extent such dividend is properly reported as a capital gain dividend) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. stockholder may be required to pay taxrelationships with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our stock.

Each of the Funds, as an SBIC, may be unable to make distributions to us that will enable us to meet or maintain RIC status, which could result in the imposition of an entity-level tax.

       In order for us to continue to qualify for RIC tax treatment and to minimize corporate-level U.S. federal taxes, we will be required to distribute substantiallyinvestors, all of our net ordinary taxable income and net capital gain income, including taxable income from certain of our subsidiaries, which includes the income from the Funds. We will be partially dependent on the Funds for cash distributions to enable us to meet the RIC

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

We generally invest in companies whose securities are not publicly traded and whose securities will be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of these investments may make it difficult for us to sell these investments when desired. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded these investments. As a result, we do not expect to achieve liquidity in our investments in the near-term. Our investments are usually subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale or are otherwise illiquid because there is usually no established trading market for such investments. The illiquidity of most of our investments may make it difficult for us to dispose of them at a favorable price and, as a result, we may suffer losses.

We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies.

We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies. After our initial investment in a portfolio company, we may be called upon from time to time to provide additional funds to such company or have the opportunity to increase our investment through the extension of additional loans, the exercise of a warrant to purchase equity securities, or the funding of additional equity investments. There is no assurance that we will make, or will have sufficient funds to make, follow-on investments. Any decisions not to make a follow-on investment or any inability on our part to make such an investment may have a negative impact on a portfolio company in need of such an investment, may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation, may reduce our ability to protect an existing investment or may reduce the expected yield on the investment.

subordination defined by case law have generally indicated that a claim may be subordinated only if its holder is guilty of misconduct or where the senior loan is re-characterized as an equity investment and the senior lender has actually provided significant managerial assistance to the bankrupt debtor. We may also be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by us with respect to a borrower'sborrower’s business or instances where we exercise control over the borrower. It is possible that we could become subject to a lender liability claim, including as a result of actions taken in rendering significant managerial assistance or actions to compel and collect payments from the borrower outside the ordinary course of business.

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

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

This could result in realized losses in the future and ultimately in reductions of our income and gains available for distribution in future periods.

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Prepayments of our debt investments by our portfolio companies could adversely impact our results of operations and reduce our return on equity.

We are subject to the risk that the investments we make in our portfolio companies may be repaid prior to maturity. When this occurs, we will generally reinvest these proceeds in temporary investments, pending their future investment in new portfolio companies. These temporary investments will typically have substantially lower yields than the debt being prepaid and we could experience significant delays in reinvesting these amounts. Any future investment in a new portfolio company may also be at lower yields than the debt that was repaid. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our portfolio companies elect to prepay amounts owed to us. Additionally, prepayments could negatively impact our return on equity, which could result in a decline in the market price of our securities.

Changes relating to the LIBOR calculation process, the phase-out of LIBOR and the use of replacement rates for LIBOR may adversely affect the value of our portfolio securities.

On March 5, 2021, the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority publicly announced that all U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings will either cease to be provided by any administrator or no longer be representative (i) immediately after December 31, 2021 for one-week and two-month U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings and (ii) immediately after June 30, 2023 for the remaining U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings. In addition, as a result of supervisory guidance from U.S. regulators, some U.S. regulated entities will cease to enter into new LIBOR contracts after January 1, 2022. At this time, no consensus exists as to what rate or rates will become accepted alternatives to LIBOR, although the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee convened by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, has recommended the use of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, SOFR. There are many uncertainties regarding a transition from LIBOR to SOFR or any other alternative benchmark rate that may be established, including, but not limited to, the timing of any such transition, the need to amend all contracts with LIBOR as the referenced rate and, given the inherent differences between LIBOR and SOFR or any other alternative benchmark rate, how any transition may impact the cost and performance of impacted securities, variable rate debt and derivative financial instruments. In addition, SOFR or another alternative benchmark rate may fail to gain market acceptance, which could adversely affect the return on, value of and market for securities, variable rate debt and derivative financial instruments linked to such rates.

As such, if LIBOR in its current form does not survive and a replacement rate is not widely agreed upon or if a replacement rate is significantly different from LIBOR, it could cause a disruption in the credit markets generally. Such a disruption could also negatively impact the market value and/or transferability of our portfolio company investments. We could also be materially and adversely impacted to the extent we are unable to successfully implement an acceptable replacement rate in leverage utilized by us or if there is a prolonged period of mismatch on the interest rates on the interest rates payable on our leverage and our portfolio investments as a result of the continued publication of LIBOR. The transition from LIBOR to SOFR or other alternative reference rates may also introduce operational risks in our accounting, financial reporting, loan servicing, liability management and other aspects or our business. Further, if LIBOR does not survive and a replacement rate is not widely agreed upon, the mismatch on the interest rates payable by any leverage incurred by us and the interest rate payable on the portfolio company investments could result in a decrease in our net investment income and distributions we are able to pay to our stockholders.

We are subject to risks associated with the current interest rate environment and changes in interest rates maywill affect our cost of capital, net investment income and the value of our investments.

       SomeTo the extent we borrow money or issue debt securities or preferred stock to make investments, our net investment income will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds or pay interest or dividends on such debt securities or preferred stock and the rate at which we invest these funds. In addition, many of our debt investments and borrowings have floating interest rates that reset on a periodic basis, and many of our investments are subject to interest rate floors. As a result, a change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on

our net investment income, in particular with respect to increases from current levels to the level of the interest rate floors on certain investments. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds will increase because the interest rates on the amounts borrowed under our credit facility are floating and are not subject to interest rate floors, which could reduce our net investment income to the extent any debt investments have either fixed interest rates, or floating interest rates subject to an interest rate floor above current levels, and as a result such interest rates on these debt investments will not increase until interest rates exceed the applicable floor.

Some of our portfolio companies have debt investments which bear interest at variable rates and may be negatively affected by changes in market interest rates. An increase in market interest rates would increase the interest costs and reduce the cash flows of our portfolio companies that have variable rate debt instruments, a situation which could reduce the value of the investment.our investments in these portfolio companies. The value of our investmentssecurities could also be reduced from an increase in market interest rates as rates available to investors could make an investment in our securities less attractive than alternative investments. In addition, an increase in interest rates would make it more expensive for us to use debt to finance our investments. As a result, a significant increase in market interest rates could increase our cost of capital, which would reduce our net investment income. Conversely, decreases in market interest rates could negatively impact the interest income from our variable rate debt investments. A decrease in market interest rates may also have an adverse impact on our returns by requiring us to accept lower yields on our debt investments and by increasing the risk that our portfolio companies will prepay our debt investments, resulting in the need to redeploy capital at potentially lower rates. See further discussion and analysis at "Item“Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk"Risk”.

We may be subject to risks associated with “covenant-lite” loans.

Some of the loans in which we invest may be “covenant-lite” loans, which means the loans contain fewer maintenance covenants than other loans (in some cases, none) and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. Generally, “covenant-lite” loans provide borrower companies more freedom to negatively impact lenders because their covenants are incurrence-based, which means they are only tested and can only be breached following an affirmative action of the borrower, rather than by a deterioration in the borrower’s financial condition. To the extent we invest in covenant-lite loans, we may have fewer rights against a borrower and may have a greater risk of loss on such investments as compared to investments in loans with finance maintenance covenants.

We may not realize gains from our equity investments.

Certain investments that we have made in the past and may make in the future include warrants or other equity securities. Investments in equity securities involve a number of significant risks, including the risk of further dilution as a result of additional issuances, inability to access additional capital and failure to pay current distributions. Investments in preferred securities involve special risks, such as the risk of deferred distributions, credit risk, illiquidity and limited voting rights. In addition, we may from time to time make non-control, equity investments in portfolio companies. Our goal is ultimately to realize gains upon our disposition of such equity interests. However, the equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience. We also may be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We often seek puts or similar rights to give us the right to sell our equity securities back to the portfolio company issuer; however, we may be unable to exercise these put rights for the consideration provided in our investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

Our investments in foreign securities may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.

Our investment strategy contemplates potential investments in debt securities of foreign companies. Investing in foreign companies may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. companies. These risks include changes in exchange control regulations, political and social instability, expropriation, imposition of foreign taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than is generally the case in the U.S., higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and

difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility.

Although most of our investments will be U.S. dollar denominated, any investments denominated in a foreign currency will be subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency will change in relation to one or more other currencies. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation, and political developments.

RISKS RELATINGRELATED TO LEVERAGE

Because we borrow money, the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in us is magnified and may increase the risk of investing in us.

Borrowings, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for loss on investments in our indebtedness and gain or loss on investments in our equity capital. As we use leverage to partially finance our investments, you will experience increased risks of investing in our securities. Accordingly, any event that adversely affects the value of an investment would be magnified to the extent we use leverage. Such events could result in a substantial loss to us, which would be greater than if leverage had not been used. In addition, our investment objectives are dependent on the continued availability of leverage at attractive relative interest rates.

We may also borrow from banks and other lenders and may issue debt securities or enter into other types of borrowing arrangements in the future. Lenders of these senior securities will have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common stockholders, and we would expect such lenders to seek recovery against our assets in the event of a default. We have the ability to pledge up to 100% of our assets and can grant a security interest in all of our assets under the terms of any debt instruments we could enter into with lenders. The terms of our existing indebtedness require us to comply with certain financial and operational covenants, and we expect similar covenants in future debt instruments. Failure to comply with such covenants could result in a default under the applicable credit facility or debt instrument if we are unable to obtain a waiver from the applicable lender or holder, and such lender or holder could accelerate repayment under such indebtedness and negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, under the terms of any credit facility or other debt instrument we enter into, in the event of a default, we are likely to be required by its terms to use the net proceeds of any investments that we sell to repay a portion of the amount borrowed under such facility or instrument before applying such net proceeds to any other uses. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Capital Resources” for a discussion regarding our outstanding indebtedness.

If the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged our business. Similarly, any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged our business. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to pay common stock dividends, scheduled debt payments or other payments related to our securities.

Illustration. The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing below.

Our ability to achieve our investment objective may depend in part on our ability to access additional leverage on favorable terms and there can be no assurance that such additional leverage can in fact be achieved. If we are unable to obtain leverage or if the interest rates of such leverage are not attractive, we could experience diminished returns. The number of leverage providers and the total amount of financing available could decrease or remain static.

All of our assets are subject to security interests under our senior securities and if we default on our obligations under our senior securities, we may suffer adverse consequences, including foreclosure on our assets.

Substantially all of our assets are currently pledged as collateral under our senior securities, including any credit facilities or notes. If we default on our obligations under our senior securities, our lenders may have the right to foreclose upon and sell, or otherwise transfer, the collateral subject to their security interests or their superior claim. In such event, we may be forced to sell our investments to raise funds to repay our outstanding borrowings in order to avoid foreclosure and these forced sales may be at times and at prices we would not consider advantageous. Moreover, such deleveraging of our company could significantly impair our ability to effectively operate our business in the manner in which we have historically operated. As a result, we could be forced to curtail or cease new investment activities and lower or eliminate the dividends that we have historically paid to our stockholders. In addition, if the lenders exercise their right to sell the assets pledged under our senior securities, such sales may be completed at distressed sale prices, thereby diminishing or potentially eliminating the amount of cash available to us after repayment of the amounts outstanding under the senior securities.

If our operating performance declines and we are not able to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt obligations, we may in the future need to refinance or restructure our debt, sell assets, reduce or delay capital investments, seek to raise additional capital or seek to obtain waivers from the required lenders under our senior securities to avoid being in default. If we are unable to implement one or more of these alternatives, we may not be able to meet our payment obligations under our senior securities. If we breach our covenants under our senior securities and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders or debt holders. If this occurs, we would be in default under our senior securities, the lenders or debt holders could exercise their rights as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. If we are unable to repay debt, lenders having secured obligations could proceed against the collateral securing the debt. Because certain of our senior securities have customary cross-default provisions, if the indebtedness under our senior securities is accelerated, we may be unable to repay or finance the amounts due.

We have received Board approval that will allow us to incur additional leverage, which could increase the risk of investing in our securities.

The 1940 Act generally prohibits us from incurring indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage for total borrowings of at least 200% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 50% of the value of our assets). However, legislation passed in March 2018 modified the 1940 Act by allowing a BDC to increase the maximum amount of leverage it may incur by lowering the required asset coverage ratio of 200% to an asset coverage ratio of 150% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 662/3% of the value of our assets), if certain requirements are met.

On February 23, 2022, our Board of Directors unanimously approved the application of the modified asset coverage requirements set described above. As a result, our asset coverage requirement for senior securities will be changed from 200% to 150%, effective February 23, 2023. The Board has also recommended that a proposal to approve the application of the 150% minimum asset coverage requirement be submitted for approval at our 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. If stockholders approve this proposal, the Company would become subject to the 150% minimum asset coverage ratio the day after the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Board values the opinions of our stockholders and will reconvene to reconsider its approval of the modified asset coverage requirements if this proposal is not approved by stockholders. There can be no assurance that the Board would rescind its approval if this proposal is not

approved by stockholders. If this proposal is not approved by the stockholders and the Board does not rescind its approval, we will be subject to the 150% asset coverage ratio, beginning February 23, 2023.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR SECURITIESINVESTMENT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Our executive officers and employees, through the External Investment Manager, may manage other investment funds that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, and may invest in such funds, which may result in significant conflicts of interest.

Our executive officers and employees, through the External Investment Manager, may manage other investment funds or assets for other clients that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, and which funds may be invested in by us and/or our executive officers and employees. Accordingly, they may have obligations to, or pecuniary interests in, such other entities, and the fulfillment of such obligations may not be in the best interests of us or our stockholders and may create conflicts of interest.

We have made and, in the future, intend to make co-investments with other funds or clients advised by the External Investment Manager in accordance with the conditions of an exemptive relief order from the SEC permitting such co-investment transactions. The order requires, among other things, that we and the External Investment Manager consider whether each such investment opportunity is appropriate for us and the External Investment Manager’s advised clients and, if it is appropriate, to propose an allocation of the investment opportunity between such other parties. As a consequence, it may be more difficult for us to maintain or increase the size of our Investment Portfolio in the future. Although we will endeavor to allocate investment opportunities in a fair and equitable manner, including in accordance with the conditions set forth in the order issued by the SEC when relying on such order, we may face conflicts in allocating investment opportunities between us and other funds and accounts managed by the External Investment Manager. Because the External Investment Manager may receive performance-based fee compensation from other funds and accounts it manages, this may provide the Company and the External Investment Manager an incentive to allocate opportunities to other funds and accounts the External Investment Manager manages, instead of us. We and the External Investment Manager have implemented an allocation policy to ensure the equitable distribution of investment opportunities and, as a result, may be unable to participate in certain investments based upon such allocation policy.

We, through the External Investment Manager, derive revenues from managing third-party funds pursuant to management agreements that may be terminated.

The External Investment Manager earns management fees based on the assets of the funds or other clients under management and may earn incentive fees, or a carried interest, based on the performance of the funds or accounts managed. The terms of fund investment management agreements generally give the manager of the fund and the fund itself the right to terminate the management agreement in certain circumstances. With respect to funds that are not exempt from regulation under the 1940 Act, the fund’s investment management agreement must be approved annually by (a) such fund’s board of directors or by the vote of a majority of such fund’s stockholders and (b) the majority of the independent members of such fund’s board of directors and, in certain cases, by its stockholders, as required by law. The funds’ investment management agreements can also be terminated by the majority of such fund’s stockholders. Termination of any such management agreements would reduce the fees we earn from the relevant funds or other clients through the External Investment Manager, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

RISKS RELATED TO BDCs

Failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations and changes in laws or regulations governing our operations may adversely affect our business or cause us to alter our business strategy.

We, the Funds, and our portfolio companies are subject to applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations. Failure to comply with any applicable local, state or federal law or regulation could negatively impact our reputation and our business results. New legislation may also be enacted or new interpretations, rulings or regulations could be adopted, including those governing the types of investments we are permitted to make, any of which could harm us and our stockholders, potentially with retroactive effect. Additionally, any changes to the laws and regulations

governing our operations relating to permitted investments may cause us to alter our investment strategy in order to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities. Such changes could result in material differences to the strategies and plans set forth herein and may result in our investment focus shifting from the areas of expertise of our investment team to other types of investments in which our investment team may have less expertise or little or no experience. Thus, any such changes, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

Failure to maintain our status as a BDC would reduce our operating flexibility.

If we do not remain a BDC, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions under the 1940 Act and correspondingly decrease our operating flexibility.

Operating under the constraints imposed on us as a BDC and RIC may hinder the achievement of our investment objectives.

The 1940 Act and the Code impose numerous constraints on the operations of BDCs and RICs that do not apply to certain of the other investment vehicles that we may compete with. BDCs are required, for example, to invest at least 70% of their total assets in certain qualifying assets, including U.S. private or thinly traded public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high-quality debt instruments that mature in one year or less from the date of investment. Moreover, qualification for taxation as a RIC requires satisfaction of source-of-income, asset diversification and distribution requirements. Operating under these constraints may hinder our ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and to achieve our investment objective. Any failure to do so could subject us to enforcement action by the SEC, cause us to fail to satisfy the requirements associated with RIC status and subject us to entity-level corporate income taxation, cause us to fail the 70% test described above or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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

Our business will require capital to operate and grow. We may acquire such additional capital from the following sources:

Senior Securities. We may issue debt securities or preferred stock and/or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as senior securities. As a result of issuing senior securities, we will be exposed to additional risks, including the following:

Additional Common Stock. We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the current net asset value of the common stock if our Board of Directors determines that such sale is in the best interests of our stockholders, and our stockholders approve such sale. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to our Securities — Stockholders may incur dilution if we sell shares of our common stock in one or more offerings at prices below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock or issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of our common stock” for a discussion of the risks related to us issuing shares of our common stock below net asset value. Our stockholders have authorized us to issue warrants, options or rights to subscribe for, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock at a price per share below the net asset value per share, subject to the applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. There is no expiration date on our ability to issue such warrants, options, rights or convertible securities based on this stockholder approval. If we raise additional funds by issuing more common stock or senior securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, the percentage ownership of our stockholders at that time would decrease, and they may experience dilution. Moreover, we can offer no assurance that we will be able to issue and sell additional equity securities in the future, on favorable terms or at all.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR SECURITIES

Investing in our securities may involve a high degree of risk.

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

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, may trade at a discount to their net asset value.

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, may trade at a discount to net asset value. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies and BDCs is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. We cannot predict whether our common stock will trade at, above or below net asset value. In addition, if our common stock trades below our net asset value per share, we will generally not be able to issue additional common stock at the market price unless our stockholders approve such a sale and our Board of Directors makes certain determinations. See "Risk“Risk Factors — Risks RelatingRelated to Our Business and Structureour Securities — Stockholders may incur dilution if we sell shares of our common stock in one or more offerings at prices below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock or issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of our common stock"stock” for a discussion related to us issuing shares of our common stock below net asset value.

Investing in our securities may involve a high degree of risk.

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

The market price of our securities may be volatile and fluctuate significantly.

Fluctuations in the trading prices of our securities may adversely affect the liquidity of the trading market for our securities and, if we seek to raise capital through future securities offerings, our ability to raise such capital. The market price and liquidity of the market for our securities may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include:

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significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities of BDCs or other companies in our sector, which are not necessarily related to the operating performance of these companies;



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



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the exclusion of BDC common stock from certain market indices, such as what happened with respect to the Russell indices and the Standard and Poor's

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significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities of BDCs or other companies in our sector, which are not necessarily related to the operating performance of these companies;

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changes in regulatory policies, accounting pronouncements or tax guidelines;

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the exclusion of BDC common stock from certain market indices, such as what happened with respect to the Russell indices and the Standard and Poor’s indices, could reduce the ability of certain investment funds to own our common stock and limit the number of owners of our common stock and otherwise negatively impact the market price of our common stock;

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inability to obtain any exemptive relief that may be required by us in the future from the SEC;

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loss of our BDC or RIC status or any of the Funds’ status as an SBIC;

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changes in our earnings or variations in our operating results;

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changes in the value of our portfolio of investments;

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any shortfall in our investment income or net investment income or any increase in losses from levels expected by investors or securities analysts;

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loss of a major funding source;

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fluctuations in interest rates;

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the operating performance of companies comparable to us;

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departure of our key personnel;

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proposed, or completed, offerings of our securities, including classes other than our common stock;

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global or national credit market changes; and

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general economic trends and other external factors.

Stockholders may incur dilution if we sell shares of our common stock in one or more offerings at prices below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock or issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of our common stock.

The 1940 Act prohibits us from selling shares of our common stock at a price below the current net asset value per share of such stock, with certain exceptions. One such exception is prior stockholder approval of issuances below net asset value provided that our Board of Directors makes certain determinations. We did not seek stockholder authorization to sell shares of our common stock below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock at our 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and have not sought such authorization since 2012, because our common stock price per share had been trading significantly above the net asset value per share of our common stock since 2011. We may, however, seek such authorization at future annual or special meetings of stockholders. Our stockholders have previously approved a proposal to authorize us to issue securities to subscribe to, convert to, or purchase shares of our

common stock in one or more offerings. Any decision to sell shares of our common stock below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock or securities to subscribe to, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock would be subject to the determination by our Board of Directors that such issuance is in our and our stockholders’ best interests.

If we were to sell shares of our common stock below net asset value per share, such sales would result in an immediate dilution to the net asset value per share. This dilution would occur as a result of the sale of shares at a price below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock and otherwise negatively impacta proportionately greater decrease in a stockholder’s interest in our earnings and assets and voting interest in us than the market priceincrease in our assets resulting from such issuance. In addition, if we issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of common stock, the exercise or conversion of such securities would increase the number of outstanding shares of our common stock;

price below its NAV per share.

​
​	Prior to Sale Below NAV	Following Sale Below NAV	Percentage Change
Reduction to NAV	​	​	​
Total Shares Outstanding	1,000,000	1,040,000	4.0%
NAV per share	$10.00	$9.98	(0.2)%
Dilution to Existing Stockholder	​	​	​
Shares Held by Stockholder A	10,000	10,000(1)	0.0%
Percentage Held by Stockholder A	1.00%	0.96%	(3.8)%
Total Interest of Stockholder A in NAV	$100,000	$99,808	(0.2)%

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(1)

Assumes that Stockholder A does not purchase additional shares in the sale of shares below NAV.

Provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law and our articles of incorporation and bylaws could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.