Fundrise Growth Tech Fund, LLC
Common Shares
PROSPECTUS
August 1, 2023
as Revised September 12, 2023
The Fund. Fundrise Growth Tech Fund, LLC (the “Fund”) is a Delaware limited liability company that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund continuously offers its common shares of limited liability company interests (“Shares” or “Common Shares”) at net asset value (“NAV”). The Fund intends to elect to be taxed as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
The Mission. Rise Companies Corp. (“Rise Companies”), the Fund’s sponsor, owns and operates through its subsidiary Fundrise, LLC, an investment platform available both online at www.fundrise.com and through various mobile applications sponsored by Rise Companies (collectively referred to herein along with the Fund’s website, www.fundrisegrowthtechfund.com, the “Fundrise Platform”). Rise Companies believes in leveraging technology to build a better financial system for the individual. With technology, Rise Companies can create a more efficient mechanism than the conventional financial system to invest in alternative assets. Rise Companies develops software to consume ever more of the value chain of the private investment industry. This pattern is an old story in other industries, but the broader financial system has managed to escape true disruption to date, and Rise Companies is focused on a way to democratize and reimagine private markets altogether.
Please see “Plan of Distribution” for more information on Rise Companies’ mission to make alternative asset investing easier and more efficient for retail investors.
Investment Objective. The Fund’s investment objective is to provide total return primarily through long-term capital appreciation. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) without approval of the Fund’s shareholders (“Shareholders”). There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Investment Strategies. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in the securities of technology and technology-related companies (referred to herein as “technology companies”) and other investments (including derivatives) that have economic characteristics similar to investments in technology companies. For this purpose, securities technology companies include equity and debt securities of private and public companies operating in the information technology and telecommunication
services sectors as well as technology-related companies in other sectors and industries, including: advertising (AdTech); sales and marketing technology; media; biotechnology (BioTech); health care equipment and supplies; health care technology; pharmaceuticals; artificial intelligence; data and analytics; design tech; education technology (EdTech); financial services technology (FinTech); real estate technology (PropTech); gaming; internet services; manufacturing technology; entertainment; mapping; payments; privacy & security; science and engineering; energy and sustainability technology; energy equipment and services; technology hardware, storage and peripherals; software; electronic equipment, instruments and components; communications equipment; semiconductors and semiconductor equipment; agriculture; transportation; commercial services and supplies; chemicals; synthetic materials; aerospace and defense; and nanotechnology.
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in private and public technology companies, directly or indirectly, with a primary focus on the equity securities (e.g., common stock, preferred stock, and convertible debt) of certain privately held, mid-to-late-stage, growth companies (“Portfolio Companies”), or other investments (including derivatives, exvhange-traded funds and other pooled investment vehicles) that have economic characteristics similar to investments in technology companies. Earlier mid-stage growth companies are privately held companies that typically have met certain key development milestones (for example, first customer orders or first revenue shipments) and have some product or service revenue, but are still operating at a loss. Later mid-stage growth companies are privately held companies that typically have product or service revenue and have recently achieved breakthrough measures of financial success, such as operating profitability or break-even or positive cash flows. Late-stage companies are publicly and privately held companies that have typically demonstrated sustainable business operations and generally have a well-known product or service with a strong market presence. Late-stage companies have generally reached a point of meaningful revenue generation from their core business operations with strong financial indicators of product-market fit. Late-stage companies that are privately held may also be referred to as “pre-IPO companies” (i.e., companies that are typically in their last few financing rounds before an initial public offering (“IPO”) or an exit event such as a sale or merger) and have previously been funded primarily by private institutional investors through pooled investment vehicles (commonly referred to as venture capital funds) and other institutional investment groups (“venture-backed companies”).
The ability to invest in privately held, mid-to- late-stage technology companies can offer the potential to capture more upside potential than investments in the securities of technology companies that are already publicly traded. The Fund’s portfolio management team seeks to capture this value accretion, or what may be referred to as a private-public valuation arbitrage, by investing primarily in Portfolio Companies that they believe have high growth potential.
The Fund generally seeks to invest in primary and secondary offerings of Portfolio Companies with the goal of remaining invested until a liquidity event occurs, including but not limited to a public offering of the Portfolio Company’s shares, another round of private fund raising, or a sale or merger of the Portfolio Company. Upon the occurrence of a liquidity event with respect to a Portfolio Company, such as an initial public offering or a merger or acquisition transaction, the Fund may or may not choose to sell its investment in the Portfolio Company. Notwithstanding the occurrence of such a liquidity event, the Fund may continue to hold securities of Portfolio Companies after those companies have gone public. This investment strategy is generally referred to as “Buy and Hold.”
Notwithstanding the foregoing, investments in mid-to-late-stage companies involve a considerable amount of risk given their shorter operating history relative to established public companies, the businesses’ need for additional capital to maintain growth, and the general illiquidity of their securities. The Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations with their existing working capital, which may lead to equity financings that dilute the Fund’s holdings, bankruptcy or liquidation, and consequently the reduction or loss of the value of the Fund’s portfolio investment. Additionally, because Portfolio Companies are privately owned, there is usually little publicly available information about these businesses, and the Adviser, as defined below, may not be able to obtain all of the material information that would be generally available for public company investments. Private companies are generally not subject to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reporting requirements, are not required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of the private companies in which the Fund invests may not be available. Investors in the Fund need to understand that such companies carry a high degree of investment risk because many of these firms may fail or not achieve their performance or financial objectives. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investments in Portfolio Companies will increase in value, and the market value of the Fund’s investments may decline substantially before the Fund is able to sell them, resulting in significant losses to the Fund and its shareholders.
The Fund expects that many of its investments will be made in U.S. domestic Portfolio Companies, but it is not prohibited from investing in foreign Portfolio Companies. The Fund will make investments in the securities of Portfolio Companies the Fund reasonably believes it can readily fair value. The Fund’s holdings of equity and debt securities in Portfolio Companies may require several years to appreciate in value, and there is no assurance that such appreciation will occur. Due to the illiquid nature of certain of the Fund’s equity investments and transfer restrictions that private equity securities are typically subject to, the Fund may not be able to sell these securities at times when the Adviser deems it necessary to do so (e.g., to fund repurchases of the Fund’s shares or to come back into compliance with portfolio limitations), or at all. The equity securities in Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests will often be subject to drag-along rights, which permit a majority stockholder in the company to force minority stockholders to join a company sale (which may be at a price per share lower than the Fund’s cost basis in the securities). In addition, the Fund’s investments in Portfolio Companies will often be subject to lock-up provisions that prohibit the Fund from selling its equity investments into the public market for specified periods of time after IPOs of the Portfolio Company, typically 180 days. As a result, the market price of securities held by the Fund may decline substantially before the Fund is able to sell the securities following an IPO.
The Fund expects to invest in Portfolio Companies by purchasing call options or acquiring warrants or rights (including those acquired in units or attached to other securities) that entitle the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time, and/or by entering into equity forward contracts, which are customizable derivative contracts between two parties to buy or sell a specific number of underlying equities, a basket of equities or equities comprising an index at a specified price on a future date. The Fund also may invest in other derivative instruments, including but not limited to options contracts (including options on securities, bonds, currencies, interest rates, indices or swaps), futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, indexed
securities, credit linked notes, caps, collars, floors, and swaps (including interest rate, credit default, equity index and total return swaps) for other investment, hedging and risk management purposes.
For a complete discussion of the risks involved with the Fund’s investments, please read the section entitled “Risk Factors.”
Non-Listed Closed-End Fund. An investment in the Fund is subject to, among others, the following risks:
| ● | Shares are not listed on any securities exchange and it is not anticipated that a secondary market for Shares will develop. Shares are subject to substantial restrictions on transferability and resale and may not be transferred or resold except as permitted under the Fund’s Limited Liability Company Agreement (the “LLC Agreement”). Although the Fund may offer to repurchase Shares from time to time, Shares will not be redeemable at a Shareholder’s option nor will they be exchangeable for Shares or shares of any other fund. As a result, an investor may not be able to sell or otherwise liquidate his or her Shares. Shares are appropriate only for those investors who can tolerate a high degree of risk and do not require a liquid investment and for whom an investment in the Fund does not constitute a complete investment program. |
| ● | If a Shareholder is able to sell its Shares outside the repurchase process, the Shareholder likely will receive less than the then-current NAV per Share. |
| ● | There is no assurance that distributions paid by the Fund will be maintained at a certain level or that dividends will be paid at all. |
| ● | The Fund’s distributions may be funded from unlimited amounts of offering proceeds or borrowings, which may constitute a return of capital and reduce the amount of capital available to the Fund for investment. Any capital returned to Shareholders through distributions will be distributed after payment of fees and expenses. |
| ● | A return of capital to Shareholders is a return of a portion of their original investment in the Fund, thereby reducing the tax basis of their investment. As a result of such reduction in tax basis, Shareholders may be subject to tax in connection with the sale of Shares, even if such Shares are sold at a loss relative to the Shareholder’s original investment. |
Investing in Shares is speculative and involves substantial risks. You should purchase Shares of the Fund only if you can afford a complete loss of your investment. Prospective investors should refer to the risk factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” prior to making an investment in the Fund.
Repurchases of Shares. The Fund is not a liquid investment. No Shareholder will have the right to require the Fund to redeem its Shares. The Fund from time to time may offer to repurchase Shares pursuant to written tenders by the Shareholders. The Fund intends, but is not obligated, to conduct quarterly repurchase offers in the sole discretion of the Board; provided, that it is not expected that such repurchase offers will be for more than 5% of the Fund’s net assets. Any repurchases of Shares will be made to all holders of Shares, at such times and on such terms as may be determined by the Board from time to time in its sole discretion. The Adviser will not recommend to the Board that the Fund conduct a repurchase offer during any period of time when the Adviser believes that conducting such a repurchase offer would not be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders, and there may be extended periods of time when the Fund does not conduct a repurchase offer.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no assurance can be given that these repurchases will occur as contemplated or at all.
Leverage. The Fund may use leverage to provide additional funds to support its investment activities. The Fund may incur entity level debt, including unsecured and secured credit facilities from certain
financial institutions and other forms of borrowing (collectively, “Borrowings”) and is limited to 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets (i.e., for every dollar of indebtedness from Borrowings, the Fund is required to have at least three dollars of assets). In addition, the Fund may enter into investment management techniques (including reverse repurchase agreements and derivative transactions) that have similar effects as leverage. Furthermore, the Fund may add leverage to its portfolio through the issuance of preferred shares of limited liability company interests (“Preferred Shares”) in an aggregate amount of up to 50% of the Fund’s total assets immediately after such issuance (i.e., for every dollar of Preferred Shares outstanding, the Fund is required to have at least two dollars of assets). Currently, the Fund has no intention to issue Preferred Shares. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to the Fund’s Financing Strategy.”
The Adviser. The investment adviser to the Fund is Fundrise Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), an investment adviser registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). Subject to the supervision of the Board, the Adviser is responsible for directing the management of the Fund’s business and affairs, managing the Fund’s day-to-day affairs, and implementing the Fund’s investment strategy. The Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Rise Companies, the Fund’s sponsor, which owns and operates the Fundrise Platform. As of June 30, 2023, the Adviser had approximately $3.3 billion in assets under management.
Securities Offered. The Fund is offering its Shares on a continuous basis at NAV. The minimum initial investment for Shares of the Fund is $1,000. Subsequent investments may be made in any amount. The Fund reserves the right to modify or waive the minimum purchase requirement at any time. Shares are being offered by the Fund at an offering price equal to the Fund’s then- current NAV per Share. Shares are not subject to sales charges. The Fund is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of the Fund’s Shares, but will use its “best efforts” to sell the Shares. No arrangements have been made to place proceeds in an escrow, trust, or similar account. The Fund intends to distribute its shares primarily through the Fundrise Platform. The Fund will not pay Fundrise, LLC, the owner of the Fundrise Platform, any sales commissions or other remuneration for hosting the offering on the Fundrise Platform. The Fund is currently offering one class of Shares on a continuous basis. The Fund may offer additional classes of Shares in the future. The Fund may apply for exemptive relief from the SEC that would permit the Fund to issue multiple classes of Shares; there is no assurance, however, that the relief would be granted. Until such exemptive order is granted and the Fund registers a new Share class, the Fund will only offer one class of Shares.
| Per Share | Total(1) |
Public Offering Price | Current NAV | $1,000,000,000 |
Sales Charge (Load)(1) | None | None |
Proceeds to the Fund (Before Expenses)(2) | Amount invested at current NAV | $1,000,000,000 |
(1) | Shares are being offered by the Fund at an offering price equal to the Fund’s then-current NAV per Share. Shares are not subject to sales charges. |
(2) | Assumes all amounts currently registered are sold in the continuous offering. The Fund’s estimated organization and offering costs to date and for the initial 12-month period of investment operations are $400,000, or $0.02 per Share. All organization and offering costs of the Fund paid by the Adviser shall be subject to reimbursement pursuant to an Expense Limitation Agreement between the Fund and the Adviser. See “Fund Expenses.” |
This Prospectus provides information that a prospective investor should know about the Fund before investing. Investors are advised to read this Prospectus carefully and to retain it for future reference.
Additional information about the Fund, including a statement of additional information about the Fund, dated August 1, 2023 (the “SAI”), has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this Prospectus. The SAI, the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports and other information filed with the SEC, can be obtained upon request and without charge by writing to the Fund at Fundrise Growth Tech Fund, LLC, Attn: Investor Relations, 11 Dupont Circle NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, by calling (202) 584-0550, or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.fundrisegrowthtechfund.com. In addition, the contact information provided above may be used to request additional information about the Fund and to make Shareholder inquiries. The SAI, other material incorporated by reference into this Prospectus and other information about the Fund is also available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The address of the SEC’s website is provided solely for the information of prospective investors and is not intended to be an active link.
If you purchase Shares of the Fund, you will become bound by the terms and conditions of the LLC Agreement. A copy of the LLC Agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the Fund’s registration statement with the SEC.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
You should not construe the contents of this Prospectus as legal, tax or financial advice. You should consult your own professional advisers as to legal, tax, financial or other matters relevant to the suitability of an investment in the Fund.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY | 8 |
SUMMARY OF FUND EXPENSES | 25 |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | 27 |
THE FUND | 28 |
USE OF PROCEEDS | 28 |
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE, STRATEGIES AND POLICIES | 28 |
LEVERAGE | 32 |
RISK FACTORS | 35 |
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND | 59 |
FUND EXPENSES | 61 |
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE | 64 |
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST | 67 |
REPURCHASE OFFERS | 68 |
DISTRIBUTION POLICY | 73 |
DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN | 74 |
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS | 75 |
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS | 77 |
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE AND SHARES | 78 |
ANTI-TAKEOVER PROVISIONS | 80 |
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION | 81 |
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS | 87 |
ADMINISTRATOR | 87 |
CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT | 87 |
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM | 87 |
LEGAL COUNSEL | 87 |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION | 87 |
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary does not contain all of the information that a prospective investor should consider before investing in the Fund. Before investing, a prospective investor should carefully read the more detailed information contained or incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and the SAI, particularly the risks of investing in the Fund, as discussed under “Investment Objective, Strategies and Policies – Risk Factors.”
The Fund
Fundrise Growth Tech Fund, LLC (the “Fund”) is organized as a Delaware limited liability company that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund continuously offers its common shares of limited liability company interests (“Shares” or “Common Shares”) at net asset value (“NAV”). The Fund intends to elect to be taxed as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
Investment Objective
The Fund’s investment objective is to provide total return primarily through long-term capital appreciation. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) without approval of the Fund’s shareholders (“Shareholders”). There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in the securities of technology and technology-related companies (referred to herein as “technology companies”) and other investments (including derivatives) that have economic characteristics similar to investments in technology companies. For this purpose, securities of technology companies include equity and debt securities of private and public companies operating in the information technology and telecommunication services sectors as well as technology-related companies in other sectors and industries, including: advertising (AdTech); sales and marketing technology; media; biotechnology (BioTech); health care equipment and supplies; health care technology; pharmaceuticals; artificial intelligence; data and analytics; design tech; education technology (EdTech); financial services technology (FinTech); real estate technology (PropTech); gaming; internet services; manufacturing technology; entertainment; mapping; payments; privacy & security; science and engineering; energy and sustainability technology; energy equipment and services; technology hardware, storage and peripherals; software; electronic equipment, instruments and components; communications equipment; semiconductors and semiconductor equipment; agriculture; transportation; commercial services and supplies; chemicals; synthetic materials; aerospace and defense; and nanotechnology.
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in private and public technology companies directly or indirectly, with a primary focus on the equity securities (e.g., common stock, preferred stock and convertible debt) of certain privately held, mid-to-late-stage, growth companies (“Portfolio Companies”), or other investments (including derivatives, exchange-traded funds and other pooled investment vehicles) that have economic characteristics similar to investments in technology companies. Earlier mid-stage growth companies are privately held companies that typically have met certain key development milestones (for example, first customer orders or first revenue shipments) and have some product or service revenue, but are still operating at a loss. Later mid-stage growth companies are privately held companies that typically have product or service revenue and have recently achieved breakthrough measures of financial success,
such as operating profitability or break-even or positive cash flows. Late-stage companies are publicly and privately held companies that have typically demonstrated sustainable business operations and generally have a well-known product or service with a strong market presence. Late-stage companies have generally reached a point of meaningful revenue generation from their core business operations with strong financial indicators of product-market fit. Late-stage companies that are privately held may also be referred to as “pre-IPO companies” (i.e., companies that are typically in their last few financing rounds before an initial public offering (“IPO”) or an exit event such as a sale or merger) and have previously been funded primarily by private institutional investors through pooled investment vehicles (commonly referred to as venture capital funds) and other institutional investment groups (“venture-backed companies”).
The ability to invest in privately held, mid-to-late-stage technology companies can offer the potential to capture more upside potential than investments in the securities of technology companies that are already publicly traded. The Fund’s portfolio management team seeks to capture this value accretion, or what may be referred to as a private-public valuation arbitrage, by investing primarily in Portfolio Companies that they believe have high growth potential.
The Fund generally seeks to invest in primary and secondary offerings of Portfolio Companies with the goal of remaining invested until a liquidity event occurs, including but not limited to a public offering of the Portfolio Company’s shares, another round of private fund raising, or a sale or merger of the Portfolio Company. Upon the occurrence of a liquidity event with respect to a Portfolio Company, such as an initial public offering or a merger or acquisition transaction, the Fund may or may not choose to sell its investment in the Portfolio Company. Notwithstanding the occurrence of such a liquidity event, the Fund may continue to hold securities of Portfolio Companies after those companies have gone public. This investment strategy is generally referred to as “Buy and Hold.”
Notwithstanding the foregoing, investments in mid-to-late-stage companies involve a considerable amount of risk given their shorter operating history relative to established public companies, the businesses’ need for additional capital to maintain growth, and the general illiquidity of their securities. The Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations with their existing working capital, which may lead to equity financings that dilute the Fund’s holdings, bankruptcy or liquidation, and consequently the reduction or loss of the value of the Fund’s portfolio investment. Additionally, because Portfolio Companies are privately owned, there is usually little publicly available information about these businesses, and the Adviser may not be able to obtain all of the material information that would be generally available for public company investments. Private companies are generally not subject to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reporting requirements, are not required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of the private companies in which the Fund invests may not be available. Investors in the Fund need to understand that such companies carry a high degree of investment risk because many of these firms may fail or not achieve their performance or financial objectives. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investments in Portfolio Companies will increase in value, and the market value of the Fund’s investments may decline substantially before the Fund is able to sell them, resulting in significant losses to the Fund and its shareholders.
The Fund expects that many of its investments will be made in U.S. domestic Portfolio Companies, but it is not prohibited from investing in foreign Portfolio Companies. The Fund will make investments in the securities of Portfolio Companies the Fund reasonably believes it can readily fair value. The Fund’s holdings of equity and debt securities in Portfolio Companies may require several years to appreciate in value, and there is no assurance that such appreciation will occur. Due to the illiquid nature of certain of the Fund’s equity investments and transfer restrictions that private equity securities are typically subject to, the Fund
may not be able to sell these securities at times when the Adviser deems it necessary to do so (e.g., to fund repurchases of the Fund’s shares or to come back into compliance with portfolio limitations), or at all. The equity securities in Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests will often be subject to drag-along rights, which permit a majority stockholder in the company to force minority stockholders to join a company sale (which may be at a price per share lower than the Fund’s cost basis in the securities). In addition, the Fund’s investments in Portfolio Companies will often be subject to lock-up provisions that prohibit the Fund from selling its equity investments into the public market for specified periods of time after IPOs of the Portfolio Company, typically 180 days. As a result, the market price of securities held by the Fund may decline substantially before the Fund is able to sell the securities following an IPO. For a complete discussion of the risks involved with the Fund’s investments, please read the section entitled “Risk Factors.”
The Fund expects to invest in Portfolio Companies by purchasing call options or acquiring warrants or rights (including those acquired in units or attached to other securities) that entitle the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time and/or by entering into equity forward contracts, which are customizable derivative contracts between two parties to buy or sell a specific number of underlying equities, a basket of equities or equities comprising an index at a specified price on a future date. The Fund also may invest in other derivative instruments, including but not limited to options contracts (including options on securities, bonds, currencies, interest rates, indices or swaps), futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, indexed securities, credit linked notes, caps, collars, floors, and swaps (including interest rate, credit default, equity index and total return swaps) for other investment, hedging and risk management purposes. The Fund may invest in securities of any credit quality, maturity and duration to enhance its income and capital appreciation potential and to provide liquidity to the overall portfolio. This may include securities that are rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. Below investment grade securities, which are often referred to as “high yield” securities or “junk bonds,” may have speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal.
The Fund invests in illiquid securities, including restricted securities (i.e., securities not readily marketable without registration under the Securities Act) and other securities that are not readily marketable. These may include restricted securities that can be offered and sold only to “qualified institutional buyers” under Rule 144A of the Securities Act. There is no limit to the percentage of the Fund’s net assets that may be invested in illiquid securities.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in the equity or debt securities of companies that are not technology companies. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to seek to achieve its investment objective. During temporary defensive periods or in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, including during the period when the net proceeds of this offering are first being invested, the Fund may deviate from its investment objective and policies. During such periods, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in cash, cash equivalents (highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less), short-term investments and short-, intermediate-, or long-term U.S. Treasury Bonds. There can be no assurance that such strategies will be implemented timely (or at all) or, if implemented, will be successful.
For a further discussion of the Fund’s principal investment strategies, see “Investment Objectives, Policies and Strategies.”
Principal Risks
Investing in the Fund involves risks, including the risk that a Shareholder may receive little or no return on his or her investment or that a Shareholder may lose part or all of his or her investment. Below is a summary of the principal risks of investing in the Fund. For a more complete discussion of the risks of investing in the Fund, see “Risk Factors.” You should carefully consider the following principal risks before investing in the Fund.
Risks of Investing in Portfolio Companies. The Portfolio Companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations with their existing working capital, which may lead to equity financings, possibly at discounted valuations, in which the Fund’s holdings could be substantially diluted if the Fund does not or cannot participate, bankruptcy or liquidation and consequently the reduction or loss of the Fund’s investment. The Adviser expects that the Fund’s holdings of Portfolio Companies may require several years to appreciate, and the Adviser can offer no assurance that such appreciation will occur. Portfolio Companies typically have limited operating histories, less established and comprehensive product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions, market conditions and consumer sentiment in respect of their products or services, as well as general economic downturns.
Because Portfolio Companies are privately owned, there is usually little publicly available information about these businesses. Therefore, the Adviser may not be able to obtain all of the material information that would be generally available for public company investments, including financial information, current performance metrics, operational details and other information regarding the Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests. Portfolio Companies are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons. Therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on a Portfolio Company and, in turn, on the Fund. Portfolio Companies generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position. Portfolio Companies may have substantial debt loads. In such cases, the Fund would typically be last in line behind any creditors in a bankruptcy or liquidation and would likely experience a complete loss on its investment.
Private companies are generally not subject to SEC reporting requirements, are not required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of the private companies in which the Fund invests may not be available. Private companies in which the Fund may invest may have limited financial resources, shorter operating histories, more asset concentration risk, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render such private companies more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market circumstances, as well as general economic downturns. These companies generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position. These companies may have difficulty accessing the capital markets to meet future capital needs, which may limit their ability to grow or to repay their outstanding indebtedness upon maturity.
Investment Focus Risk. The Fund may focus its investments in a limited number of issuers. Focusing the Fund’s portfolio in this manner could subject the Fund to a greater degree of risk with respect to the failure of one or a few investments and the Fund’s portfolio will be more susceptible to fluctuations in value resulting
from poor performance of a limited number of its investments. As a result, the Fund’s aggregate return may be volatile and may be affected substantially by the performance of only one or a few holdings.
Technology Sector (Concentration) Risk. The Fund’s portfolio will be concentrated in securities issued by technology companies and other investments that provide economic exposure to technology companies and as such, it may be subject to more risks than if it were broadly diversified across additional sectors and industries of the economy. The market prices of technology stocks historically have exhibited a greater degree of market risk and price volatility than other types of investments. These stocks may fall in and out of favor with investors rapidly, which may cause sudden selling and dramatically lower market prices. These stocks also may be affected adversely by changes in technology, consumer and business purchasing patterns, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, government regulation, lack of standardization or compatibility with existing technologies, intense competition, aggressive pricing, dependence on copyright and/or patent protection and/or obsolete products or services. Certain technology companies may face special risks that their products or services may not prove to be commercially successful. Technology companies are also strongly affected by worldwide scientific or technological developments, and as a result, their products may rapidly become obsolete. In addition, because of rapid technological change, the average selling prices of products and some services provided by technology-related sectors have historically decreased over their productive lives. As a result, the average selling prices of products and services offered by the companies that operate in technology-related sectors may decrease over time, which could adversely affect their operating results. Technology companies are also often subject to governmental regulation and may, therefore, be adversely affected by governmental policies. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect technology companies. In such an environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies’ market prices. Further, technology companies seeking to finance their expansion would have increased borrowing costs, which may negatively impact their earnings. Technology companies are often smaller companies with less experienced management teams and they may be subject to greater risks than larger companies, such as limited product lines, markets and financial and managerial resources. These risks may be heightened for technology companies in foreign markets. The foregoing factors may negatively impact the value of any equity securities that the Fund may hold, which could in turn materially adversely affect the Fund’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
PropTech Company Risk. Investing in PropTech means investing in companies that are focused on optimizing the way people research, rent, buy, sell and manage real estate properties through technological innovations. PropTech companies typically use automation, artificial intelligence, or other forms of technology developed for the property industry. These companies may be adversely impacted by government regulations, economic conditions and deterioration in real estate markets generally. Real estate is highly illiquid and substantial in terms of capital required to develop, operate or buy. Real estate-related transactions are expensive, and there can be a vast bid-offer spread (gap between what buyers will offer and sellers will accept) associated with purchases and sales of real estate. Research and due diligence costs are significant. Additionally, the products or solutions offered by PropTech companies may face technical limitations related to connectivity, compatibility, and longevity, with many different technologies competing to become the standard. As a result, PropTech companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. Furthermore, the customers and/or suppliers of PropTech companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region or industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these countries, regions or industries could have a negative impact on PropTech companies. PropTech companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology. PropTech companies often struggle to gain market share to a degree that enables them to be sustainable.
FinTech Company Risk. Investing in FinTech means investing in companies that research, develop, produce and distribute technologies that are used for advancing the Finance sector. FinTech companies may be
adversely impacted by government regulations, economic conditions and deterioration in credit markets. These companies may have significant exposure to consumers and businesses (especially small businesses) in the form of loans and other financial products or services. FinTech companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. Many FinTech companies currently operate under less regulatory scrutiny than traditional financial services companies and banks, but there is significant risk that regulatory oversight could increase in the future. Higher levels of regulation could increase costs and adversely impact the current business models of some FinTech companies. FinTech companies involved in alternative currencies may face slow adoption rates and be subject to higher levels of regulatory scrutiny in the future, which could severely impact the viability of these companies. FinTech companies, especially smaller and/or newer companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology. The customers and/or suppliers of FinTech companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region or industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these countries, regions or industries could have a negative impact on FinTech companies.
Cybersecurity Risks of PropTech and FinTech Companies. Many PropTech and FinTech companies store sensitive consumer information and could be the target of cybersecurity attacks and other types of theft, which could have a negative impact on these companies. These companies could be negatively impacted by disruptions in service caused by hardware or software failure, or by interruptions or delays in service by third-party data center hosting facilities and maintenance providers.
Illiquid Investment Risk. The Fund invests primarily in private company securities that are thinly traded and less liquid than other investments. Because private company securities are thinly traded, such securities may display especially volatile or erratic price movements, sometimes in response to relatively small changes in investor supply or demand or other market conditions. In addition, the inability to sell one or more portfolio positions can adversely affect the Fund’s value or prevent the Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. If the Fund is forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions, such sales may also adversely affect the Fund’s NAV. These securities may also be subject to “lock-up agreements” restricting their sale once the security is registered for public sale. As a result, upon or subsequent to a liquidation event of a Portfolio Company, the Fund may not be able to sell an investment, or a portion of an investment, when the Adviser believes that doing so would maximize returns.
Private Markets Trading Risks. The Fund is dependent upon the relationships and contacts of the senior investment professionals of the Adviser and its affiliates to obtain information to perform research and due diligence on the Portfolio Companies the Fund acquires through private markets, and to monitor the Fund’s investments after they are made. There can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to acquire adequate information on which to make its investment decision with respect to any private market purchases, or that the information it is able to obtain is accurate or complete. Any failure to obtain full and complete information regarding the Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests could cause it to lose part or all of its investment in such companies, which would have a material and adverse effect on the Fund’s NAV and results of operations.
In addition, there can be no assurance that Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests through private markets will have or maintain active trading markets, and the prices of those securities may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Wide swings in market prices, which are typical of irregularly traded securities, could cause significant and unexpected declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments.
Investments in private companies, including through private markets, also entail additional legal and regulatory risks which expose participants to the risk of liability due to the imbalance of information among participants and participant qualification and other transactional requirements applicable to private securities
transactions. Failure to comply with such requirements could result in rescission rights and monetary and other sanctions.
Risk of Complex Capital Structures. Private companies in which the Fund invests frequently have much more complex capital structures than traditional publicly-traded companies, and may have multiple classes of equity securities with differing rights, including rights with respect to voting and distributions. In addition, it is often difficult to obtain information with respect to private companies’ capital structures, and even where the Adviser is able to obtain such information, there can be no assurance that it is complete or accurate. In certain cases, such private companies may also have preferred stock or senior debt outstanding, which may heighten the risk of investing in the underlying equity of such private companies, particularly in circumstances when the Adviser has limited information with respect to such capital structures. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to adequately evaluate the relative risks and benefits of investing in a particular class of Portfolio Companies equity securities. Any failure on the Adviser’s part to properly evaluate the relative rights and value of a class of securities in which the Fund invests could cause it to lose part or all of its investment, which in turn could have a material and adverse effect on NAV and results of operations.
Risks of Venture-Backed Companies. The venture-backed companies in which the Fund invests may involve a high degree of business and financial risk because many have short operating histories and involve novel technology, products, or services. Many venture-backed companies fail to become profitable and the capital invested in them, including the Fund’s investments, is often unsecured. Additionally, the return on investment in venture-backed companies depends on the company’s ability to have a timely exit event, such as an IPO or merger or sale. A failure to obtain such an exit could result in substantial losses to the company’s equity holders, including the Fund. Thus, the Fund is subject to the risk of loss of all or substantially all its investments.
Risks of Drag-Along Rights. The private company securities the Fund acquires (or into which they are convertible) may be subject to drag-along rights, a standard term in a stock purchase agreement that permits a majority stockholder in the company to force minority stockholders to join in the sale of a company on the same price, terms, and conditions as any other seller in the sale. Such drag-along rights could permit other stockholders, under certain circumstances, to force the Fund to liquidate its position in a Portfolio Company at a specified price, which could be, in the Adviser’s opinion, inadequate or undesirable or even below the appropriate cost basis. In this event, the Fund could realize a loss or fail to realize gain in an amount that the Adviser deems appropriate on the investment. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to realize gains from its investments, and any gains that the Fund does realize on the disposition of any investments may not be sufficient to offset any other losses it experiences.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. The Adviser and each individual investment professional may not be successful in selecting the best investments or investment techniques, and the Fund’s performance may lag behind that of similar funds. Prior to the launch of the Fund, the Adviser’s primary experience was in managing real estate investments. The Adviser’s limited experience in managing the Fund’s investment strategy may hinder the Fund’s ability to secure attractive investment opportunities and, as a result, may limit the profitability of the Fund and detract from the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. Moreover, if the Adviser fails to retain its key personnel, the Fund may not be able to achieve its anticipated level of growth and its business could suffer. Rise Companies, the Adviser’s parent company, is a development stage company and, as a company in the early stages of development, Rise Companies faces increased risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties that could have an effect on the Adviser’s ability to manage the Fund.
Competition Risk. Identifying, completing and realizing attractive portfolio investments is extremely competitive. In acquiring its target assets, the Fund will compete with a variety of other institutional
investors, including public and private funds, investment banking firms, commercial banks, specialty finance companies, online investment platforms and other financial institutions, many of which have greater resources, lower costs of funding, and less regulatory restrictions than the Fund. To the extent that the Fund encounters competition for investments, returns to its investors may vary.
Investment and Market Risk. An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire amount that you invest. The value of the Fund’s investments may move up or down due to adverse market conditions, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. At any point in time, your Shares may be worth less than your original investment, even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund dividends and distributions. Market risk also includes the risk that geopolitical and other events, such as war, terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes, diplomatic developments or the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures, public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious diseases, pandemics and epidemics) and natural/environmental disasters negatively impact the securities markets, which may adversely affect the Fund’s business, results of operations and financial condition and cause the Fund to lose value.
Common Stock Risk. Common stock of an issuer in the Fund’s portfolio may be volatile, and prices may fluctuate based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic circumstances. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed income securities over the long-term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and, in certain periods, have significantly under-performed relative to fixed income securities.
Preferred Securities Risk. Preferred securities are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than more senior debt instruments.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, including interest rate risk and management risk. The performance of derivatives depends largely on the performance of the underlying reference instruments to which the derivatives relate. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. Derivative instruments can be volatile and illiquid. They may disproportionately increase losses, and may have a potentially large impact on Fund performance. Derivatives also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, interest rate or index to which the derivative relates. Suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions generally or in any particular kind of derivative, if the Adviser elects not to do so due to availability, cost or other factors.
Warrants and Rights Risk. Warrants and rights are subject to the same market risks as common stocks, but are more volatile in price. Warrants and rights do not carry the right to dividends or voting rights with respect to their underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. An investment in warrants or rights may be considered speculative. In addition, the value of a warrant or right does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying security and a warrant or right ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date. The purchase of warrants or rights involves the risk that the Fund could lose the purchase value of a warrant or right if the right to subscribe for additional shares is not exercised prior to the warrants’ or rights’ expiration. Also, the purchase of warrants and rights involves the risk that the effective price paid for the warrant or right added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the price of the underlying security.
Options Risk. The Fund’s options investments involve certain risks, including general risks related to derivative instruments. When purchasing options, the Fund risks losing the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised, plus any related transaction costs. When trading options in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market, many of the protections afforded to exchange participants will not be available. If a counterparty fails to make delivery of the security underlying an OTC option it has entered into with the Fund or fails to make a cash settlement payment due in accordance with the terms of that option, the Fund will lose any premium it paid for the option as well as any anticipated benefit of the transaction. Additionally, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and the Fund may have difficulty effecting closing transactions in particular options. Therefore, the Fund would have to exercise the options it purchased in order to realize any profit, thus taking or making delivery of the underlying reference instrument when not desired. The Fund could then incur transaction costs upon the sale of the underlying reference instruments.
Forward Contracts Risk. A forward contract is an over-the-counter derivative transaction between two parties to buy or sell a specified amount of an underlying reference asset at a specified price (or rate) on a specified date in the future. Forward contracts are negotiated on an individual basis and are not standardized or traded on exchanges. The market for forward contracts is substantially unregulated and can experience lengthy periods of illiquidity, unusually high trading volume and other negative impacts, such as political intervention, which may result in volatility or disruptions in such markets. Forward contracts can increase the Fund’s risk exposure to underlying references and their attendant risks, such as credit risk, market risk, foreign currency risk and interest rate risk, while also exposing the Fund to the risks associated with derivatives generally, including correlation risk, counterparty risk, leverage risk, liquidity risk, pricing risk and volatility risk. The Fund anticipates that the equity forward contracts it will enter into will be prepaid forwards, which entail an upfront payment of the purchase price by the purchasing party (in this case, the Fund). Where the Fund enters into prepaid forwards, it is subject to the risk of losing its entire purchase price in the event of counterparty default.
Issuer-Specific Risk. A security issued by a particular issuer may be impacted by factors that are unique to that issuer and thus may cause that security’s return to differ from that of the market. As a result, investments impacted by such factors may result in underperformance. This risk will be greater if an account concentrates its investments.
Smaller Company Risk. Stocks of smaller companies may trade less frequently, may trade in smaller volumes and may fluctuate more sharply in price than stocks of larger companies and the purchase or sale of more than a limited number of shares of smaller companies may affect their stock prices. Smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks. In addition, smaller companies tend to have fewer key suppliers and customers, limited product lines, markets, distribution channels or financial resources, and management of such companies may be dependent upon one or a few key people. Changes in suppliers, customers, business lines or personnel, therefore, may have a greater impact on a smaller company’s stock price than on a larger company. The market movements of equity securities issued by companies with smaller capitalizations may be more abrupt or erratic than the market movements of equity securities of larger, more established companies or the stock market in general.
New Issues Risk. “New Issues” are initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities. There is no assurance that the Fund will have access to profitable IPOs. The investment performance of the Fund during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when the Fund is able to do so. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the initial public offering. When an initial public offering is
brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or, if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like.
Restricted and Illiquid Securities Risk. Illiquid securities are securities that are not readily marketable. These securities may include restricted securities, which cannot be resold to the public without an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), or, if they are unregistered, may be sold only in a privately negotiated transaction or pursuant to an exemption from registration. Many private company securities may be restricted securities and/or considered illiquid. The Fund may not be able to readily dispose of such securities at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such securities if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. Limited liquidity can also affect the market price of securities, thereby adversely affecting the Fund’s net asset value and ability to make dividend distributions. The financial markets in general have in recent years experienced periods of extreme secondary market supply and demand imbalance, resulting in a loss of liquidity during which market prices were suddenly and substantially below traditional measures of intrinsic value. During such periods, some securities could be sold only at arbitrary prices and with substantial losses. Periods of such market dislocation may occur again at any time. Privately issued debt securities are often of below investment grade quality, frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as investing in below investment grade public debt securities.
Rule 144A Securities Risk. The Fund may purchase Rule 144A securities for which there is a secondary market of qualified institutional buyers, as defined in Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act. Rule 144A provides an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for the resale of certain restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers. To the extent that liquid Rule 144A securities that the Fund holds become illiquid, due to the lack of sufficient qualified institutional buyers or market or other conditions, the percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in illiquid assets would increase.
Non-Diversification Risk. As a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of a single issuer. Therefore, the Fund may be more susceptible than a diversified fund to being adversely affected by events impacting a single borrower, geographic location, security or investment type.
Interest Rate Risk. Changes in interest rates, including changes in expected interest rates or “yield curves,” may affect the Fund’s business in a number of ways. Changes in the general level of interest rates can affect the Fund’s net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income earned on the Fund’s interest-earning assets and the interest expense incurred in connection with its interest-bearing borrowings and hedges.
Below Investment Grade (High Yield or Junk) Securities Risk. The Fund may have exposure to investments that are rated below investment grade or that are unrated but are judged by the Adviser to be of credit quality comparable to securities rated below investment grade by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization. Lower grade securities may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns and are inherently speculative. Because of the substantial risks associated with investments in lower grade securities, you could lose money on your investment in Shares, both in the short-term and the long-term.
Foreign Companies Risk. Investing in foreign companies, and particularly those in emerging markets, may expose the Fund to additional risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These risks include changes in exchange control regulations, political and social instability, expropriation, nationalization of companies by foreign governments, imposition of foreign taxes (including withholding taxes) at potentially
confiscatory levels, less liquid markets and less available information than is generally the case in the United States, higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility. Further, the Fund may have difficulty enforcing its rights as an equity holder in foreign jurisdictions. In addition, to the extent the Fund invests in non-U.S. companies, it may face greater exposure to foreign economic developments.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may use leverage for both investment and hedging purposes. Leverage may result in greater volatility of the NAV of, and distributions on, the Shares because changes in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments, including investments purchased with the proceeds from borrowings or the issuance of Preferred Shares, if any, are borne entirely by holders of Shares.
Valuation Risk. The Fund is subject to valuation risk, which is the risk that one or more of the assets in which the Fund invests are priced incorrectly, due to factors such as incomplete data, market instability or human error. If the Fund ascribes a higher value to assets and their value subsequently drops or fails to rise because of market factors, returns on the Fund’s investment may be lower than expected and could experience losses. The Fund’s portfolio investments are generally privately traded securities (unless one of the Portfolio Companies goes public and then only to the extent the Fund has not yet liquidated its securities holdings therein) that are fair valued by the Adviser in accordance with the Fund’s valuation procedures. Valuations of the Portfolio Companies are inherently uncertain and may be based on estimates, and the Fund’s determinations of fair market value may differ materially from the values that would be assessed if a readily available market for these securities existed. This risk is particularly exaggerated for mid-stage growth Portfolio Companies, given their limited history and significant change in cash flow generation over time.
Delay in Use of Proceeds Risk. Although the Fund currently intends to invest the proceeds from any sale of the Shares offered hereby as soon as practicable, such investments may be delayed if suitable investments are unavailable at the time. Delays the Fund encounters in the selection, due diligence and origination or acquisition of investments would likely limit its ability to pay distributions and lower overall returns.
Non-Listed Closed-End Fund; Liquidity Risk. The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company designed primarily for long-term investors. Closed-end funds differ from open-end management investment companies (commonly known as mutual funds) because investors in a closed-end fund do not have the right to redeem their shares on a daily basis. Unlike most closed-end funds, which typically list their shares on a securities exchange, the Fund does not currently intend to list the Shares for trading on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not expect any secondary market to develop for the Shares in the foreseeable future. Therefore, an investment in the Fund is not a liquid investment. The Fund is not intended to be a typical traded investment. Shareholders are also subject to transfer restrictions and there is no guarantee that they will be able to sell their Shares. If a secondary market were to develop for the Shares in the future, and a Shareholder is able to sell his or her Shares, the Shareholder will likely receive less than the purchase price and the then-current NAV per Share.
The Fund from time to time may offer to repurchase Shares pursuant to written tenders by the Shareholders. The Fund intends, but is not obligated, to conduct quarterly repurchase offers in the sole discretion of the Board; provided, that it is not expected that such repurchase offers will be for Shares in the amount of more than 5% of the Fund’s net assets. Any repurchases of Shares will be made to all holders of Shares, at such times and on such terms as may be determined by the Board from time to time in its sole discretion. The Adviser will not recommend to the Board that the Fund conduct a repurchase offer during any period of time when the Adviser believes that conducting such a repurchase offer would not be in the best interests of the
Fund and its shareholders, and there may be extended periods of time when the Fund does not conduct a repurchase offer. No Shareholder will have the right to require the Fund to repurchase its Shares.
In connection with any repurchase offer, the number of Shares tendered for repurchase may exceed the number of Shares the Fund has offered to repurchase, in which case not all of your Shares tendered in that offer will be repurchased. Hence, you may not be able to sell your Shares when or in the amount that you desire.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no assurance can be given that these repurchases will occur as contemplated or at all.
Repurchase Offers Risk. The repurchase of Shares by the Fund decreases the assets of the Fund and, therefore, may have the effect of increasing the Fund’s expense ratio. Repurchase offers and the need to fund repurchase obligations may also affect the ability of the Fund to be fully invested or force the Fund to maintain a higher percentage of its assets in liquid investments, which may harm the Fund’s investment performance. Moreover, diminution in the size of the Fund through repurchases may result in untimely sales of portfolio securities and may limit the ability of the Fund to participate in new investment opportunities or to achieve its investment objective. If the Fund uses leverage, repurchases of Shares may compound the adverse effects of leverage in a declining market. In addition, if the Fund borrows money to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect Shareholders who do not tender their Shares by increasing Fund expenses and reducing any net investment income.
If a repurchase offer is oversubscribed and the Fund determines not to repurchase additional Shares beyond the repurchase offer amount, or if Shareholders tender an amount of Shares greater than that which the Fund is entitled to purchase, the Fund will repurchase the Shares tendered on a pro rata basis, and Shareholders may have to wait until the next repurchase offer to make another repurchase request. Shareholders will be subject to the risk of NAV fluctuations during that period. Thus, there is also a risk that some Shareholders, in anticipation of proration, may tender more Shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarter, thereby increasing the likelihood that proration will occur. The NAV of Shares tendered in a repurchase offer may fluctuate between the date a Shareholder submits a repurchase request and the expiration of the repurchase offer (the “Expiration Date”), and to the extent there is any delay between the Expiration Date and the Valuation Date (defined below). The NAV on the Expiration Date or the Valuation Date may be higher or lower than on the date a Shareholder submits a repurchase request.
Corporate Debt Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in corporate debt securities generally, including corporate bonds of technology-related companies. Corporate bonds include a wide variety of debt obligations of varying maturities issued by U.S. and foreign corporations (including banks) and other business entities. Bonds are fixed or variable rate debt obligations, including bills, notes, debentures and similar instruments and securities. The Fund may invest in corporate bonds denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies. The value of corporate bonds may be affected by factors directly relating to their issuers, including but not limited to investor and market perceptions, creditworthiness, financial performance, capital structure, management of the issuer and demand for the issuer’s goods or services. The Fund has the flexibility to invest in corporate bonds that are below investment grade quality. Corporate bonds may also be subject to interest rate, liquidity and valuation risks.
Convertible Securities and Synthetic Convertible Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock or other equity security of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors also may have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. Convertible
securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible securities. Synthetic convertible securities differ from convertible securities in certain respects. Unlike a true convertible security, which is a single security having a unitary market value, a synthetic convertible comprises two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the “market value” of a synthetic convertible security is the sum of the values of its debt component and its convertibility component. For this reason, the values of a synthetic convertible and a true convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations.
Pooled Investment Vehicles Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in other pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies, exchange-traded funds, money market funds and private funds), the Fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performance of such entities in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund invests therein. Further, shareholders will incur a proportionate share of the expenses of the other pooled investment vehicles held by the Fund (including applicable organizational and operating costs and investment management fees) in addition to the expenses of the Fund.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently-organized closed-end management investment company with limited operating history. As a result, the Fund’s performance may not reflect how the Fund may be expected to perform over the long term. In addition, prospective investors have a limited track record and history on which to base their investment decision.
Distributions Risk. The Fund is required to make distributions sufficient to satisfy the requirements for qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve investment results that will allow the Fund to make a specified level of cash distributions or maintain certain levels of cash distributions. Additionally, a portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could reduce the basis of a Shareholder’s investment in the Fund’s Shares and may trigger taxable gain.
Cyber Security Risk. Cyber security failures or breaches may result in financial losses to the Fund and its Shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with a Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with Shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; additional compliance and cyber security risk management costs and other adverse consequences. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.
Investment Adviser
Fundrise Advisors, LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Fund (the “Adviser”). The Adviser was formed in 2014 and is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). Subject to the supervision of the Board, the Adviser is responsible for directing the management of the Fund’s business and affairs, managing the Fund’s day-to-day affairs, and implementing the Fund’s investment strategy. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Adviser also performs certain administrative, fund accounting and shareholder services for the Fund. The Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Rise Companies Corp. (“Rise Companies”), the Fund’s sponsor, which owns and operates, through its subsidiary Fundrise, LLC, an investment platform available both online at www.fundrise.com and through various mobile applications sponsored by Rise Companies (collectively referred to herein along with the Fund’s website www.fundrisegrowthtechfund.com, the “Fundrise Platform”) that allows individuals to become investors in equity or debt holders in alternative investments that may have been historically difficult to access for some investors. Specifically, through the Fundrise Platform, investors can invest in a variety
of real estate investment opportunities using REITs (each, an “eREIT(R)”), a real estate investment fund program (the “eFundTM”) and other real estate-focused investment vehicles sponsored by Rise Companies that are managed by the Adviser, without any brokers or selling commissions. The Adviser also serves as the investment adviser to one or more registered closed-end management investment companies sponsored by Rise Companies that invest primarily in real estate-related investments. The Fund is now included among the investment vehicles made available through the Fundrise Platform. As of June 30, 2023, the Adviser had approximately $3.3 billion in assets under management.
Management Fee
Pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement between the Fund and the Adviser, and in consideration of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund, the Adviser is entitled to a management fee (the “Management Fee”) equal to 1.85% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.
Expense Limitation
The Adviser and the Fund have entered into an Expense Limitation Agreement pursuant to which the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its Management Fee and/or pay or reimburse the ordinary annual operating expenses of the Fund (including organization and offering costs, but excluding interest payments, taxes, brokerage commissions, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Fund’s compliance with rules and regulations related to maintaining the Fund’s tax status as a RIC, fees and expenses incurred by the Fund’s use of leverage, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary or non-routine expenses, including with respect to reorganizations or litigation affecting the Fund) (the “Operating Expenses”) to the extent necessary to limit the Fund’s Operating Expenses to 3.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. For the period from August 1, 2023 to September 12, 2023, the Adviser voluntarily waived the portion of its Management Fee attributable to Fund assets that were invested in cash. The Adviser is permitted to seek recoupment from the Fund of any contractual or voluntary fee waivers or expense reimbursements for a period ending three years after the date of the waiver, payment or reimbursement, subject to the limitation that a recoupment by the Adviser will not cause the Fund’s Operating Expenses to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation amount in effect at the time such fees were waived or expenses paid or reimbursed, or (b) the expense limitation amount in effect at the time of the recoupment. The Expense Limitation Agreement will remain in effect at least through July 31, 2024, unless and until the Board approves its modification or termination.
Closed-End Fund Structure
The Fund is organized as a continuously offered, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company under the 1940 Act. Closed-end funds differ from open-end funds (commonly known as mutual funds) in that the shareholders of closed-end funds do not have the right to redeem their shares on a daily basis. Unlike most closed-end funds, which typically list their shares on a securities exchange, the Fund does not currently intend to list the Shares for trading on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not expect any secondary market to develop for the Shares in the foreseeable future. Therefore, an investment in the Fund should not be considered to be a liquid investment.
The Fund from time to time may offer to repurchase Shares pursuant to written tenders by the Shareholders, as discussed below under “Repurchase Offers.” The Fund, similar to a mutual fund, is subject to continuous asset in-flows (purchases), although not subject to continuous out-flows (redemptions).
The Fund believes that a closed-end structure is most appropriate in light of the long-term nature of the Fund’s strategy and the characteristics of its portfolio because, among other things, certain features of open-end funds (such as daily redemptions, which can necessitate the premature sale of investments) could diminish the Fund’s ability to execute its investment strategy. Accordingly, an a closed-end structure is expected to help the Fund achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s NAV per Share may be volatile. As the Shares are
not traded, investors will not be able to dispose of their investment in the Fund, except through repurchases, or, in limited circumstances, as a result of transfers of Shares pursuant to the provisions of the Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Fund (the “LLC Agreement”), no matter how the Fund performs.
Investor Suitability
An investment in the Fund involves substantial risks and may not be suitable for all investors. An investment in the Fund is suitable only for investors who can bear the risks associated with the limited liquidity of the Fund’s Shares and should be viewed as a long-term investment. Before making an investment decision, prospective investors and their financial advisors should (i) consider the suitability of an investment in the Fund with respect to the investor’s investment objective and personal situation, and (ii) consider factors such as personal net worth, income, age, risk tolerance and liquidity needs. An investment in the Fund should not be viewed as a complete investment program.
Repurchase Offers
The Fund from time to time may offer to repurchase Shares pursuant to written tenders by the Shareholders. The Fund intends, but is not obligated, to conduct quarterly repurchase offers in the sole discretion of the Board; provided, that it is not expected that such repurchase offers will be for Shares in an amount of more than 5% of the Fund’s net assets. Any repurchases of Shares will be made to all holders of Shares, at such times and on such terms as may be determined by the Board from time to time in its sole discretion. The Adviser will not recommend to the Board that the Fund conduct a repurchase offer during any period of time when the Adviser believes that conducting such a repurchase offer would not be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders, and there may be extended periods of time when the Fund does not conduct a repurchase offer. No Shareholder will have the right to require the Fund to repurchase its Shares.
In connection with any repurchase offer, the number of Shares tendered for repurchase may exceed the number of Shares the Fund has offered to repurchase, in which case not all of your Shares tendered in that offer will be repurchased. Hence, you may not be able to sell your Shares when or in the amount that you desire.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no assurance can be given that these repurchases will occur as contemplated or at all.
In determining whether the Fund should offer to repurchase Shares thereof from its Shareholders pursuant to written requests, the Board will consider the recommendation of the Adviser. The Board also may consider the following factors, among others, in determining whether to repurchase Shares and the number of Shares to be repurchased:
| ● | whether any Shareholders of the Fund have requested to tender Shares to the Fund; |
| ● | the working capital and liquidity requirements of the Fund; |
| ● | the relative sizes of the repurchase requests and the Fund; |
| ● | the past practice of the Fund in repurchasing Shares in the Fund; |
| ● | the Adviser’s assessment of current market conditions relating to the Fund’s specific investments, in light of the Adviser’s future outlook for those markets and investments; |
| ● | the Adviser’s assessment of the condition of the securities markets and the economy generally, as well as political, national or international developments or current affairs; |
| ● | the anticipated U.S. federal income tax consequences of any proposed repurchases of Shares in the Fund; and |
| ● | the Fund’s investment plans, the liquidity of its assets (including fees and costs associated with liquidating Fund Investments), and the availability of information as to the value of its interests in underlying Portfolio Companies and other investments. |
As noted above, in certain circumstances the Board may determine not to conduct a repurchase offer, or to conduct a repurchase offer of less than 5% of the Fund’s net assets. In particular, during periods of financial market stress, the Board may determine that some or all of the Fund’s investments cannot be liquidated at their fair value, making a determination not to conduct repurchase offers more likely.
The Fund’s Shares are not listed on any securities exchange, and the Fund anticipates that no secondary market will develop for its Shares. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell Shares when and/or in the amount that you desire. Thus, the Shares are appropriate only as a long-term investment. If a repurchase offer is oversubscribed and the Fund determines not to repurchase additional Shares beyond the repurchase offer amount, or if Shareholders tender an amount of Shares greater than that which the Fund is entitled to purchase, the Fund will repurchase the Shares tendered on a pro rata basis, and Shareholders may have to wait until the next repurchase offer to make another repurchase request, or take any other action permitted by the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and described in the written tender offer notice to Shareholders. Each tender offer will be made and Shareholders will be notified in accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the 1940 Act, either by publication or mailing or both. The tender offer documents will contain information prescribed by such laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. In addition, the Fund’s repurchase offers may subject the Fund and Shareholders to special risks.
Procedures for Repurchases
The Board will determine that the Fund will offer to repurchase Shares pursuant to written tenders only on terms that the Board determines to be fair to the Fund and Shareholders. The amount due to any Shareholder whose Shares are repurchased will be equal to the value of the Shareholder’s Shares being repurchased, based on the Fund’s NAV per Share as of the Valuation Date (as defined below). If the Board determines that the Fund will offer to repurchase Shares, written notice will be provided to Shareholders that describes the commencement date of the repurchase offer, specifies the date on which repurchase requests must be received by the Fund, and contains other terms and information Shareholders should consider in deciding whether and how to participate in such repurchase opportunity. The expiration date of the repurchase offer (the “Expiration Date”) will be a date set by the Board occurring no sooner than 20 business days after the commencement date of the repurchase offer, provided that such Expiration Date may be extended by the Board in its sole discretion. The Fund generally will not accept any repurchase request received by it or its designated agent after the Expiration Date.
The value of Shares being repurchased will be determined as of a date, determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, which is approximately one to seven days after the Expiration Date (the “Valuation Date”), and any such repurchase will be effected as of the Valuation Date (the “Repurchase Date”).
The repurchase of Shares is subject to regulatory requirements imposed by the SEC. The Fund’s repurchase procedures are intended to comply with such requirements. However, in the event that the Board determines that modification of the repurchase procedures described above is required or appropriate, the Board will adopt revised repurchase procedures as necessary to ensure the Fund’s compliance with applicable regulations or as the Board in its sole discretion deems appropriate. Following the commencement of an offer to repurchase Shares, the Fund may suspend, postpone or terminate such offer in certain circumstances upon the determination of a majority of the Board, including a majority of the directors who are not “interested
persons” of the Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (“Independent Directors”), that such suspension, postponement or termination is advisable for the Fund and its Shareholders, including, without limitation, circumstances as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of its investments or to determine its NAV, and other unusual circumstances.
The Fund does not currently charge a repurchase fee, and it does not currently expect to impose a repurchase fee. However, the Fund may in the future charge a repurchase fee of up to 2.00%, subject to the discretion of the Adviser, which the Fund would retain to help offset non-de minimis estimated direct or indirect costs incurred by the Fund in connection with the repurchase of Shares, thus allocating estimated transaction costs to the Shareholder whose Shares are being repurchased. The Fund may introduce, or modify the amount of, a repurchase fee at any time. The Fund may waive or reduce a repurchase fee if the Adviser determines that the repurchase is offset by a corresponding purchase or if for other reasons the Fund will not incur transaction costs or will incur reduced transaction costs. If you invest in the Fund through a financial intermediary, your financial intermediary may charge service fees for handling Share repurchases. In such cases, there may be fees imposed by the intermediary on different terms (and subject to different exceptions) than those set forth above. Please consult your financial intermediary for details. See “Transactions Through Your Financial Intermediary” below.
In the event that the Adviser or any of its affiliates holds Shares in its capacity as a Shareholder, such Shares may be tendered for repurchase in connection with any repurchase offer made by the Fund, without notice to the other Shareholders.
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
The Fund’s distributions are taxable, and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Withdrawals from such tax-advantaged arrangements may be subject to tax.
Distribution Policy
The Fund intends to make distributions necessary to maintain its qualification for taxation as a RIC. The Fund does not expect to declare any distributions until the proceeds from the Fund’s initial offering are invested and generating operating cash flow. Once the Fund begins to make distributions, the Fund expects that it will declare and make them on a quarterly basis, or more or less frequently as determined by the Board, in arrears. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is likely that many of the Portfolio Companies in whose securities the Fund invests will not pay any dividends, and this, together with the Fund’s expenses, means that there can be no assurance the Fund will have substantial income or pay dividends. The Fund is not a suitable investment for any investor who requires dividend income.
The Board may authorize distributions in stock or in excess of those required for the Fund to maintain RIC tax status depending on the Fund’s financial condition and such other factors as the Board may deem relevant. The distribution rate may be modified by the Board from time to time. The Board reserves the right to change or suspend the distribution policy from time to time. See “Distribution Policy.”
Dividend Reinvestment Plan
Unless a Shareholder elects to participate in the Fund’s dividend reinvestment plan, any dividends and other distributions paid to the Shareholder by the Fund will not be reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund under the plan. Shareholders who do not participate in the Fund’s dividend reinvestment plan will receive all dividends and other distributions in cash. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”
SUMMARY OF FUND EXPENSES
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following tables are intended to assist investors in understanding the various costs and expenses directly or indirectly associated with investing in the Fund.
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES | |
Maximum Sales Load (As a Percentage of Offering Price) | None |
Dividend Reinvestments and Cash Purchase Plan Fees | None |
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (as a percentage of the Fund’s net assets) | |
Management Fee | 1.85% |
Interest on Borrowed Funds1 | None |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses2 | 0.04% |
Other Expenses | 2.54% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 4.43% |
Less Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement3 | (1.39%) |
Total Annual Fund Net Operating Expenses4 | 3.04% |
| 1 | The table assumes the Fund’s use of leverage in an amount equal to 0% of the Fund’s total assets (less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by 1940 Act leverage). The Fund’s actual interest costs associated with leverage may differ from the estimates above. Although the Fund does not anticipate any interest payments on borrowed funds, the Fund’s unconsolidated operating entities may use borrowings, the costs of which will be indirectly borne by shareholders. |
| 2 | Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (“AFFE”) are fees and expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with its investments in other investment companies. |
| 3 | The Adviser and the Fund have entered into an Expense Limitation Agreement pursuant to which the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fee and/or pay or reimburse the ordinary annual operating expenses of the Fund (including organization and offering costs, but excluding interest payments, taxes, brokerage commissions, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Fund’s compliance with rules and regulations related to maintaining the Fund’s tax status as a RIC, fees and expenses incurred by the Fund’s use of leverage, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary or non-routine expenses, including with respect to reorganizations or litigation affecting the Fund) (the “Operating Expenses”) to the extent necessary to limit the Fund’s Operating Expenses to 3.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The Adviser is permitted to seek recoupment from the Fund of any contractual or voluntary fee waivers or expense reimbursements for a period ending three years after the date of the waiver, payment or reimbursement, subject to the limitation that a recoupment by the Adviser will not cause the Fund’s Operating Expenses to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation amount in effect at the time such fees were waived or expenses paid or reimbursed, or (b) the expense limitation amount in effect at the time of the recoupment. The Expense Limitation Agreement will remain in effect at least through July 31, 2024, unless and until the Board approves its modification or termination. |
| 4 | Total Annual Net Operating Expenses differ from the ratio of net expenses to average net assets contained in the Fund’s Financial Highlights because such ratio does not include acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenses have been restated to reflect current fiscal year fees and expenses, and the expiration of an arrangement whereby the Adviser had voluntarily agreed to waive certain fees during the first year of the Fund’s operations. |
Example
The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $1,000 in the Fund’s Shares for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that all dividends and distributions are reinvested at NAV, and that the Fund’s Operating Expenses (as described above, except for adjustments to remove organizational and offering costs in years two through ten) remain the same. The Example reflects adjustments made to the Fund’s Operating Expenses due to the Expense Limitation Agreement for the duration of the one-year period only. Based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
$31 | $122 | $213 | $448 |
The Example above should not be considered a representation of the Fund’s future expenses, and actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown. While the Example assumes a 5.0% annual return, as required by the SEC, the Fund’s performance will vary and may result in a return greater or less than 5.0%. For a more complete description of the various fees and expenses borne directly and indirectly by the Fund, see “Fund Expenses” and “Management of the Fund – Management Fee.”
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance since its inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions.
This information for the period July 25, 2022 (commencement of investment operations) through March 31, 2023 has been audited by KPMG LLP, the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, are included in the annual report dated March 31, 2023, which is available upon request.
These financial highlights reflect selected data for a share outstanding throughout each period.
| | For the Period July 25, 2022(1) to March 31, 2023 | |
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period | | $ | 10.00 | |
| | | | |
Income from Investment Operations | | | | |
Net investment income(2) | | | 0.05 | |
Net realized and unrealized gain on investments | | | 0.00 | (3) |
Total Income from Investment Operations | | | 0.05 | |
Net Asset Value, End of Period | | $ | 10.05 | |
| | | | |
Total Investment Return Based on Net Asset Value(4) | | | 0.50 | %(5) |
| | | | |
Ratios and Supplemental Data | | | | |
Net assets, end of period (thousands) | | $ | 73,132 | |
Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets(6)(7) | | | 6.18 | %(8) |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets(6) | | | 2.74 | %(8) |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | | | 0.68 | %(8) |
Portfolio turnover rate | | | – | %(5) |
(1) | Commencement of investment operations. |
(2) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(3) | Less than $0.01 per share. |
(4) | Total investment returns for the period ended March 31, 2023 would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived or borne by the Adviser during the period. The Expense Limitation Agreement remains in effect through June 2023. |
(6) | Excludes acquired fund fees and expenses of underlying investment company investments. |
(7) | Reflects the expense ratio excluding any waivers and/or reimbursements. |
THE FUND
The Fund organized as a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that is registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund continuously offers its Common Shares NAV. The Fund was organized as a Delaware limited liability company on June 7, 2021, and commenced investment operations on July 25, 2022. Prior to July 25, 2022, the Fund had no investment operating history. The Fund’s principal office is located at 11 Dupont Circle NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036 and its telephone number is (202) 584-0550.
USE OF PROCEEDS
The proceeds from the sale of Shares are invested by the Fund to pursue its investment program and strategies. The Fund currently intends to fully invest all or substantially all of the net proceeds of its continuous offering in accordance with its investment objective and policies, subject to the availability of investments consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies, and except to the extent proceeds are held in cash to pay dividends or expenses, satisfy repurchase offers or for temporary defensive purposes. Pending investment of the net proceeds, the Fund may invest in short-term, highly liquid or other authorized investments.
There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to sell all the Shares it is offering. If the Fund sells only a portion of the Shares it is offering, the Fund may be unable to achieve its investment objective.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE, STRATEGIES AND POLICIES
Investment Objective
The Fund’s investment objective is to provide total return primarily through capital appreciation. The Fund cannot assure you that it will achieve its investment objective.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in the securities of technology and technology-related companies (referred to herein as “technology companies”) and other investments, including derivatives that have economic characteristics similar to investments in technology companies. For this purpose, securities of technology companies include equity and debt securities of private and public companies operating in the information technology and telecommunication services sectors as well as technology-related companies in other sectors and industries, including: advertising (AdTech); sales and marketing technology; media; biotechnology (BioTech); health care equipment and supplies; health care technology; pharmaceuticals; artificial intelligence; data and analytics; design tech; education technology (EdTech); financial services technology (FinTech); real estate technology (PropTech); gaming; internet services; manufacturing technology; entertainment; mapping; payments; privacy & security; science and engineering; energy and sustainability technology; energy equipment and services; technology hardware, storage and peripherals; software; electronic equipment, instruments and components; communications equipment; semiconductors and semiconductor equipment; agriculture; transportation; commercial services and supplies; chemicals; synthetic materials; aerospace and defense; and nanotechnology.
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in private and public technology companies directly or indirectly, with a primary focus on the equity securities (e.g., common stock, preferred stock or convertible debt) of certain Portfolio Companies, or other investments (including derivatives, exchange-traded funds and other pooled investment vehicles) that have economic characteristics similar to investments in technology companies. Earlier mid-stage growth companies are privately held companies that typically have met certain key development milestones (for example, first customer orders or first revenue shipments)
and have some product or service revenue, but are still operating at a loss. Later mid-stage growth companies are privately held companies that typically have product or service revenue and have recently achieved breakthrough measures of financial success, such as operating profitability or break-even or positive cash flows. Late-stage companies are publicly and privately held companies that have typically demonstrated sustainable business operations and generally have a well-known product or service with a strong market presence. Late-stage companies have generally reached a point of meaningful revenue generation from their core business operations with strong financial indicators of product-market fit. Late-stage companies that are privately held may also be referred to as “pre-IPO companies” (i.e., companies that are typically in their last few financing rounds before an IPO or an exit event such as a sale or merger) and have previously been funded primarily by venture-backed companies.
The ability to invest in privately held, mid-to-late-stage technology companies can offer the potential to capture more upside potential than investments in the securities of technology companies that are already publicly traded. The Fund’s portfolio management team seeks to capture this value accretion, or what may be referred to as a private-public valuation arbitrage, by investing primarily in Portfolio Companies that they believe have high growth potential.
The Fund generally seeks to invest in primary and secondary offerings of Portfolio Companies with the goal of remaining invested until a liquidity event occurs, including but not limited to a public offering of the Portfolio Company’s shares, another round of private fund raising, or a sale or merger of the Portfolio Company. Upon the occurrence of a liquidity event with respect to a Portfolio Company, such as an initial public offering or a merger or acquisition transaction, the Fund may or may not choose to sell its investment in the Portfolio Company. Notwithstanding the occurrence of such a liquidity event, the Fund may continue to hold securities of Portfolio Companies after those companies have gone public. This investment strategy is generally referred to as “Buy and Hold.”
Notwithstanding the foregoing, investments in mid-to-late-stage companies involve a considerable amount of risk given their shorter operating history relative to established public companies, the businesses’ need for additional capital to maintain growth, and the general illiquidity of their securities. The Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations with their existing working capital, which may lead to equity financings that dilute the Fund’s holdings, bankruptcy or liquidation, and consequently the reduction or loss of the value of the Fund’s portfolio investment. Additionally, because Portfolio Companies are privately owned, there is usually little publicly available information about these businesses, and the Adviser may not be able to obtain all of the material information that would be generally available for public company investments. Private companies are generally not subject to SEC reporting requirements, are not required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of the private companies in which the Fund invests may not be available. Investors in the Fund need to understand that such companies carry a high degree of investment risk because many of these firms may fail or not achieve their performance or financial objectives. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investments in Portfolio Companies will increase in value, and the market value of the Fund’s investments may decline substantially before the Fund is able to sell them, resulting in significant losses to the Fund and its shareholders.
The Fund expects that many of its investments will be made in U.S. domestic Portfolio Companies, but it is not prohibited from investing in foreign Portfolio Companies. The Fund will make investments in the securities of Portfolio Companies the Fund reasonably believes it can readily fair value. The Fund’s holdings of equity and debt securities in Portfolio Companies may require several years to appreciate in value, and there is no assurance that such appreciation will occur. Due to the illiquid nature of certain of the Fund’s
equity investments and transfer restrictions that private and equity securities are typically subject to, the Fund may not be able to sell these securities at times when the Adviser deems it necessary to do so (e.g., to fund repurchases of the Fund’s shares or to come back into compliance with portfolio limitations), or at all. The equity securities in Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests will often be subject to drag-along rights, which permit a majority stockholder in the company to force minority stockholders to join a company sale (which may be at a price per share lower than the Fund’s cost basis in the securities). In addition, the Fund’s investments in Portfolio Companies will often be subject to lock-up provisions that prohibit the Fund from selling its equity investments into the public market for specified periods of time after IPOs of the Portfolio Company, typically 180 days. As a result, the market price of securities held by the Fund may decline substantially before the Fund is able to sell the securities following an IPO. For a complete discussion of the risks involved with the Fund’s investments, please read the section entitled “Risk Factors.”
The Fund expects to invest in Portfolio Companies by purchasing call options or acquiring warrants or rights (including those acquired in units or attached to other securities) that entitle the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time and/or by entering into equity forward contracts, which are customizable derivative contracts between two parties to buy or sell a specific number of underlying equities, a basket of equities or equities comprising an index at a specified price on a future date. The Fund also may invest in other derivative instruments, including but not limited to options contracts (including options on securities, bonds, currencies, interest rates, indices or swaps), futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, indexed securities, credit linked notes, caps, collars, floors, and swaps (including interest rate, credit default, equity index and total return swaps) for other investment, hedging and risk management purposes. The Fund may invest in securities of any credit quality, maturity and duration to enhance its income and capital appreciation potential and to provide liquidity to the overall portfolio. This may include securities that are rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. Below investment grade securities, which are often referred to as “high yield” securities or “junk bonds,” may have speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal.
The Fund invests in illiquid securities, including restricted securities (i.e., securities not readily marketable without registration under the Securities Act) and other securities that are not readily marketable. These may include restricted securities that can be offered and sold only to “qualified institutional buyers” under Rule 144A of the Securities Act. There is no limit to the percentage of the Fund’s net assets that may be invested in illiquid securities.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in the equity or debt securities of companies that are not technology companies. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to seek to achieve its investment objective. During temporary defensive periods or in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, including during the period when the net proceeds of this offering are first being invested, the Fund may deviate from its investment objective and policies. During such periods, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in cash, cash equivalents (highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less), short-term investments and short-, intermediate-, or long-term U.S. Treasury Bonds. There can be no assurance that such strategies will be implemented timely (or at all) or, if implemented, will be successful.
Investment Process Overview
The Adviser has the authority to make all the decisions regarding the Fund’s investments consistent with the investment guidelines and borrowing policies approved by the investment committee established to review the Fund’s investments (the “Investment Committee”) and subject to the limitations in the LLC Agreement
and the direction and oversight of the Investment Committee. The Investment Committee must approve all investments other than investments in the securities of technology and technology-related companies that adhere to the investment guidelines. With respect to investments in the securities of technology and technology-related companies, the Investment Committee has adopted investment guidelines that the Adviser must follow when acquiring such assets on the Fund’s behalf without the approval of the Investment Committee. The Investment Committee will formally review at a duly called meeting the Fund’s investment guidelines on an annual basis and the Fund’s investment portfolio on a quarterly basis or, in each case, more often as they deem appropriate. Changes to the Fund’s investment guidelines must be approved by the Investment Committee.
Derivatives
Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to individual debt or equity instruments, interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates and related indexes. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will be exposed to the effect of interest rate changes, price changes and currency fluctuations and may seek to limit these risks by following established risk management policies and procedures including the use of derivatives. To mitigate exposure to variability in interest rates, derivatives may be used primarily to fix the rate on debt based on floating-rate indices and manage the cost of borrowing obligations.
For purposes of the Fund’s 80% investment policy, the Fund may also invest in Treasury futures, Eurodollar futures, swaps (including total return swaps, equity swaps, credit default swaps and interest rate swaps), swaptions or similar instruments and combinations thereof. For purposes of the Fund’s 80% policy, derivative instruments will be valued at their market value, or in cases where market value is not available, at fair value, as determined in accordance with the Fund’s valuation procedures adopted by the Board. The Fund will engage in derivative transactions only to the extent such transactions are consistent with the requirements of the Code for maintaining its qualification as a RIC for federal income tax purposes. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”
Ramp-Up Period
The Adviser does not expect to be able to achieve its target allocations until the Fund has raised substantial proceeds in this offering and acquired a broad portfolio of investments. Due to the economic conditions affecting technology companies and the broader markets in which the Fund invests, the Fund has assumed a defensive investment position and anticipates continued delay of fully investing the net proceeds in a broad portfolio of investments for a potentially extended period following the Fund’s commencement of operations (the “ramp-up period”). Prior to the end of the ramp-up period, the Adviser will balance the goal of achieving the Fund’s portfolio allocation targets with the goal of carefully evaluating and selecting investment opportunities to seek to maximize risk-adjusted returns. During the ramp-up period or at any other time where any portion of the net proceeds are not invested, or is subject to delay before investing, the potential return of the Fund may be diminished. Following the end of the ramp-up period, the Adviser believes that the size of the Fund’s portfolio of investments should be sufficient for the Fund to adhere more closely to its allocation targets, although the Adviser cannot predict how long the ramp-up period will last and cannot provide assurances that the Fund will be able to raise sufficient proceeds in this offering or to identify sufficient investment opportunities appropriate for the Fund to accomplish this objective. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the actual percentage of the Fund’s portfolio that is invested in each investment type may from time to time be outside the target levels provided in this Prospectus due to factors such as a large inflow of capital over a short period of time, the Adviser’s assessment of the relative attractiveness of opportunities, or an increase in anticipated cash requirements or repurchase requests and subject to any limitations or requirements relating to the Fund’s intention to be treated as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Additional Information Regarding Investment Strategies
The Fund may, from time to time, take defensive positions that are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategy in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. During such times, the Adviser may determine that the Fund should invest up to 100% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including money market instruments, prime commercial paper, repurchase agreements, Treasury bills and other short-term obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. In these and in other cases, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective. The Adviser may invest the Fund’s cash balances in any investments it deems appropriate. The Adviser expects that such investments will be made, without limitation and as permitted under the 1940 Act, in money market funds, repurchase agreements, U.S. Treasury and U.S. agency securities, municipal bonds and bank accounts. Any income earned from such investments is ordinarily reinvested by the Fund in accordance with its investment program. Many of the considerations entering into recommendations and decisions of the Adviser and the Fund’s portfolio managers are subjective.
Exclusion of Adviser from Commodity Pool Operator Status
With respect to the Fund, the Adviser has claimed an exclusion from the definition of “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”) under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) and the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and, therefore, is not subject to CFTC registration or regulation as a CPO. In addition, with respect to the Fund, the Adviser is relying upon a related exclusion from the definition of “commodity trading advisor” (“CTA”) under the CEA and the rules of the CFTC.
The terms of the CPO exclusion require the Fund, among other things, to adhere to certain limits on its investments in commodity futures, commodity options and swaps, which in turn include non-deliverable currency forward contracts. Because the Adviser and the Fund intend to comply with the terms of the CPO exclusion, the Fund may, in the future, need to adjust its investment strategies, consistent with its investment goal, to limit its investments in these types of instruments. The Fund is not intended as a vehicle for trading in the commodity futures, commodity options, or swaps markets. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved the investment manager’s reliance on these exclusions, or the Fund, its investment strategies or this prospectus.
LEVERAGE
The Fund may use leverage to provide additional funds to support its investment activities, including through the use of unsecured and secured credit facilities from certain financial institutions and other forms of borrowing (collectively, “Borrowings”) and is limited to 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets (less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by 1940 Act leverage) immediately after such Borrowings (i.e., for every dollar of indebtedness from Borrowings, the Fund is required to have at least three dollars of assets). In addition, the Fund may enter into derivatives or other transactions that may provide leverage subject to the requirements of Rule 18f-a under the 1940 Act.
Furthermore, the Fund may add leverage to its portfolio through the issuance of Preferred Shares in an aggregate amount of up to 50% of the Fund’s total assets (i.e., for every dollar of Preferred Shares outstanding, the Fund is required to have at least two dollars of assets). Currently, the Fund has no intention to issue Preferred Shares. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to the Fund’s Financing Strategy.”
The Fund may not use leverage at all times and the amount of leverage may vary depending upon a number of factors, including the Adviser’s outlook for the market and the costs that the Fund would incur as a result of such leverage. Any Borrowings and Preferred Shares would have seniority over the Shares. There is no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategy will be successful.
Any Borrowings and Preferred Shares (if issued) leverage your investment in Shares. Holders of Shares bear the costs associated with any Borrowings, and if the Fund issues Preferred Shares, holders of Shares bear the offering costs of the Preferred Share issuance. The Board may authorize the use of leverage through Borrowings and Preferred Shares without the approval of the holders of Shares.
Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately thereafter the total asset value of the Fund’s portfolio is at least 300% of the aggregate amount of outstanding indebtedness (i.e., the aggregate amount of outstanding debt may not exceed 331⁄3% of the Fund’s total assets (less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by 1940 Act leverage)). In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash distribution on its Shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the NAV of the Fund’s portfolio (determined deducting the amount of such distribution) is at least 300% of the aggregate amount of such outstanding indebtedness. If the Fund borrows money, the Fund intends, to the extent possible, to retire outstanding debt from time to time to maintain coverage of any outstanding indebtedness of at least 300%. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may only issue one class of senior securities representing indebtedness.
The Fund may be required to prepay outstanding amounts or incur a penalty rate of interest upon the occurrence of certain events of default. The Fund’s future credit facilities may contain customary covenants that, among other things, limit the Fund’s ability to pay distributions in certain circumstances, incur additional debt, change its fundamental investment policies and engage in certain transactions, including mergers and consolidations, and require asset coverage ratios in addition to those required by the 1940 Act. In connection with any new credit facility, the Fund may be required to pledge some or all of its assets and to maintain a portion of its assets in cash or high-grade securities as a reserve against interest or principal payments and expenses. The Fund’s custodian will retain all assets, including those that are pledged, but the lenders of such credit facility may have the ability to foreclose on such assets in the event of a default under the credit facility pursuant to a tri-party arrangement among the Fund, its custodian and such lenders. The Fund’s custodian is not an affiliate of the Fund, as such term is defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund expects that any such credit facility would have customary covenant, negative covenant and default provisions. There can be no assurance that the Fund will enter into an agreement for any new credit facility on terms and conditions representative of the foregoing, or that additional material terms will not apply. In addition, if entered into, the credit facility may in the future be replaced or refinanced by one or more credit facilities having substantially different terms or by the issuance of Preferred Shares or debt securities.
Changes in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments, including costs attributable to Borrowings or Preferred Shares, are borne entirely by the holders of the Shares. If there is a net decrease (or increase) in the value of the Fund’s investment portfolio, the leverage decreases (or increases) the NAV per share of Shares to a greater extent than if the Fund were not leveraged.
Utilization of leverage is a speculative investment technique and involves certain risks to holders of Shares. These include the possibility of higher volatility of the NAV of the Shares. So long as the Fund is able to realize a higher net return on its investment portfolio than the then-current cost of any leverage together with other related expenses, the effect of the leverage is to cause holders of Shares to realize a higher rate of return than if the Fund were not so leveraged. On the other hand, to the extent that the then-current cost of any leverage, together with other related expenses, approaches the net return on the Fund’s investment portfolio, the benefit of leverage to holders of Shares is reduced, and if the then-current cost of any leverage together with related expenses were to exceed the net return on the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund’s leveraged capital structure would result in a lower rate of return to holders of Shares than if the Fund were not so leveraged.
Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue Preferred Shares unless immediately after such issuance the value of the Fund’s asset coverage is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the outstanding Preferred Shares (i.e., such liquidation value may not exceed 50% of the Fund’s assets less all liabilities other
than Borrowings and outstanding Preferred Shares). Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may only issue one class of Preferred Shares.
In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its Shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the value of the Fund’s assets less liabilities other than Borrowings and outstanding Preferred Shares satisfies the above-referenced 200% coverage requirement. If Preferred Shares are issued, the Fund intends, to the extent possible, to purchase or redeem Preferred Shares from time to time to the extent necessary in order to maintain coverage of at least 200%.
If Preferred Shares are outstanding, two of the Fund’s Directors will be elected by the holders of Preferred Shares, voting separately as a class. The remaining Directors of the Fund will be elected by holders of Common Shares and Preferred Shares voting together as a single class. In the event that the Fund fails to pay dividends on the Preferred Shares for two years, holders of Preferred Shares would be entitled to elect a majority of the Directors of the Fund.
The Fund may be subject to certain restrictions imposed either by guidelines of a lender, if the Fund borrows from a lender, or by one or more rating agencies which may issue ratings for Preferred Shares. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed on the Fund by the 1940 Act. It is not anticipated that these covenants or guidelines will impede the Adviser from managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies. In addition to other considerations, to the extent that the Fund believes that the covenants and guidelines required by the rating agencies would impede its ability to meet its investment objective, or if the Fund is unable to obtain its desired rating on Preferred Shares, the Fund will not issue Preferred Shares.
Effects of Leverage
The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on Common Shares total return, assuming investment portfolio total returns (comprised of income and changes in the value of securities held in the Fund’s portfolio) of -10%, -5%, 0%, 5% and 10%. These assumed investment portfolio returns are hypothetical figures and are not necessarily indicative of the investment portfolio returns experienced or expected to be experienced by the Fund.
The table further reflects the issuance of leverage representing 10% of the Fund’s total assets (less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by 1940 Act leverage), net of expenses and the Fund’s currently projected annual interest on its leverage of 7.3%. To cover interest payments on such leverage, the Fund would need to achieve a 0.73% annual return.
Assumed Portfolio Total Return (Net of Expenses) | (10)% | (5)% | 0% | 5% | 10% |
Common Shares Total Return | (11.92)% | (6.37)% | (0.81)% | 4.74% | 10.30% |
Common Shares total return is composed of two elements: the Common Shares dividends and distributions paid by the Fund (the amount of which is largely determined by the net investment income of the Fund after paying interest on its leverage) and gains or losses on the value of the securities the Fund owns. As required by SEC rules, the table above assumes that the Fund is more likely to suffer capital losses than to enjoy capital appreciation. For example, to assume a total return of 0% the Fund must assume that the return it receives on its investments is entirely offset by losses in the value of those investments.
The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company designed primarily as a long-term investment and not as a trading vehicle. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program and, due to the uncertainty inherent in all investments, there can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve
its investment objective. Your securities at any point in time may be worth less than you invested, even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund dividends, distributions or interest payments, as applicable.
RISK FACTORS
An investment in the Fund’s Shares is subject to risks. The value of the Fund’s investments will increase or decrease based on changes in the prices of the investments it holds. This will cause the value of the Fund’s Shares to increase or decrease. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. By itself, the Fund does not constitute a complete investment program. Before investing in the Fund you should consider carefully the following risks of investing in the Fund. There may be additional risks that the Fund does not currently foresee or consider material. You may wish to consult with your legal or tax advisors before deciding whether to invest in the Fund.
Risks of Investing in the Portfolio Companies
The Portfolio Companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations with their existing working capital, which may lead to equity financings, possibly at discounted valuations, in which the Fund’s holdings could be substantially diluted if the Fund does not or cannot participate, bankruptcy or liquidation and consequently the reduction or loss of the Fund’s investment. The Adviser expects that the Fund’s holdings of Portfolio Companies may require several years to appreciate, and the Adviser can offer no assurance that such appreciation will occur. Portfolio Companies typically have limited operating histories, less established and comprehensive product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions, market conditions and consumer sentiment in respect of their products or services, as well as general economic downturns.
Because Portfolio Companies are privately owned, there is usually little publicly available information about these businesses. Therefore, the Adviser may not be able to obtain all of the material information that would be generally available for public company investments, including financial information, current performance metrics, operational details and other information regarding the Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests. Portfolio Companies are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons. Therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on a Portfolio Company and, in turn, on the Fund. Portfolio Companies generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position. Portfolio Companies may have substantial debt loads. In such cases, the Fund would typically be last in line behind any creditors in a bankruptcy or liquidation and would likely experience a complete loss on its investment.
Private companies are generally not subject to SEC reporting requirements, are not required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of the private companies in which the Fund invests may not be available. Private companies in which the Fund may invest may have limited financial resources, shorter operating histories, more asset concentration risk, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render such private companies more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market circumstances, as well as general economic downturns. These companies generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position. These
companies may have difficulty accessing the capital markets to meet future capital needs, which may limit their ability to grow or to repay their outstanding indebtedness upon maturity.
Investment Focus Risk
The Fund may focus its investments in a limited number of issuers. Focusing the Fund’s portfolio in this manner could subject the Fund to a greater degree of risk with respect to the failure of one or a few investments and the Fund’s portfolio will be more susceptible to fluctuations in value resulting from poor performance of a limited number of its investments. As a result, the Fund’s aggregate return may be volatile and may be affected substantially by the performance of only one or a few holdings.
Technology Sector (Concentration) Risk
The Fund’s portfolio will be concentrated in securities issued by technology companies and other investments with economic characteristics similar to investments in technology companies and as such, it may be subject to more risks than if it were broadly diversified across additional sectors and industries of the economy. General changes in market sentiment towards technology companies may adversely affect the Fund, and the performance of technology companies may lag behind the broader market as a whole. Risks associated with technology companies include, but are not limited to, the following:
Technology Companies Risk. The technology companies in which the Fund invests are subject to many risks, including volatility, intense competition, decreasing life cycles, product obsolescence, changing consumer preferences and periodic downturns. The market prices of technology stocks historically have exhibited a greater degree of market risk and price volatility than other types of investments. These stocks may fall in and out of favor with investors rapidly, which may cause sudden selling and dramatically lower market prices. These stocks also may be affected adversely by changes in technology, consumer and business purchasing patterns, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, government regulation, lack of standardization or compatibility with existing technologies, intense competition, aggressive pricing, dependence on copyright and/or patent protection and/or obsolete products or services. Certain technology companies may face special risks that their products or services may not prove to be commercially successful. Technology companies are also strongly affected by worldwide scientific or technological developments, and as a result, their products may rapidly become obsolete. In addition, because of rapid technological change, the average selling prices of products and some services provided by technology-related sectors have historically decreased over their productive lives. As a result, the average selling prices of products and services offered by companies that operate in technology-related sectors may decrease over time, which could adversely affect their operating results. Technology companies are also often subject to governmental regulation and may, therefore, be adversely affected by governmental policies. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect technology companies. In such an environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies’ market prices. Further, technology companies seeking to finance their expansion would have increased borrowing costs, which may negatively impact their earnings. Technology companies are often smaller companies with less experienced management teams and they may be subject to greater risks than larger companies, such as limited product lines, markets and financial and managerial resources. These risks may be heightened for technology companies in foreign markets. The foregoing factors may negatively impact the value of any equity securities that the Fund may hold, which could in turn materially adversely affect the Fund’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Telecommunications Companies Risk. Companies that distribute telephone services and provide access to the telephone networks still comprise the greatest portion of this segment, but non-regulated activities such as wireless telephone services, data transmission and processing, equipment retailing, computer software and hardware and internet services are becoming increasingly significant components as well. In particular, wireless and internet telephone services continue to gain market share at the expense of traditional telephone companies. Increasing competition, technological innovations and other structural changes could adversely affect the profitability of such companies and the growth rate of their dividends. Telecommunications companies can be adversely affected by, among other things, changes in government regulation, intense competition, dependency on patent protection, significant capital expenditures, heavy debt burdens and rapid obsolescence of products and services due to product compatibility or changing consumer preferences, among other things.
Internet Industry Concentration Risks. Investing a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets in the Internet industry carries the risk that Internet-related securities will decline in price due to Internet developments. Companies that conduct business on the Internet or derive a substantial portion of their revenues from Internet-related activities in general are subject to a rate of change in technology and competition which is generally higher than that of other industries.
Consumer Discretionary Companies Risk. Consumer discretionary companies deliver non-essential products and services whose demand tends to increase as consumers’ disposable income increases. These companies may include, for example, internet and catalog retailers; specialty retailers of electronics; manufacturers of consumer electronic products; and TV and cable companies. The consumer discretionary industries can be significantly affected by the performance of the overall economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success can depend heavily on disposable household income, consumer spending, and changes in demographics and consumer tastes.
Health Care Companies Risk. The Fund’s investments in health care companies are subject to a number of risks that may adversely affect their value, including the adverse impact of government regulations and legislative actions. These actions and regulations can affect the approval process for patents, medical devices and drugs, the funding of research and medical care programs, and the operation and licensing of facilities and personnel. Obtaining government approvals may be a lengthy, expensive process with an uncertain outcome. In addition, health care companies are subject to risks of rapid technological change and obsolescence, product liability litigation, and intense competitive pressures. The success of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies is highly dependent on the development, procurement or marketing of drugs. The values of such companies are also dependent on the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights and other proprietary information.
Biotech Industry Risk. The Fund expects to invest in the Biotechnology Industry. The Fund is therefore subject to the risks associated with that Industry. The Biotechnology Industry includes companies primarily engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and/or marketing of products based on genetic analysis and genetic engineering. The prices of the securities of companies in the Biotechnology Industry may fluctuate widely due to patent considerations, intense competition, rapid technological change and obsolescence, and regulatory requirements of the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, state and local governments, and foreign regulatory authorities. Legislative or regulatory changes and increased government supervision also may affect companies in the Biotechnology Industry. The Biotechnology Industry is a separate industry within the Health Care Sector.
Industrial Products, Services and Equipment Companies Risk. Industrial products, services and equipment companies may include manufacturers of aerospace and defense equipment, home improvement products and equipment, civil engineering firms and large-scale contractors, companies producing electrical components or equipment, manufacturers of industrial products, providers of commercial printing services, and transportation companies. Industrial products, services and equipment companies can be significantly affected by general economic trends, changes in consumer sentiment, commodity prices, technological obsolescence, labor relations, legislation, government regulations and spending, import controls, and worldwide competition, and can be subject to liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control.
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry Risk. As a result of the Fund’s concentration in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with that Industry. The Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry includes manufacturers of semiconductor equipment, semiconductors and related products, including equipment used in the solar power industry and manufacturers of solar modules and cells. Companies in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry rely heavily on technology. The prices of the securities of companies in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment Industry may fluctuate widely due to competitive pressures, increased sensitivity to short product cycles and aggressive pricing, heavy expenses incurred for research and development of products or services that prove unsuccessful, problems related to bringing products to market, and rapid obsolescence of products. Legislative or regulatory changes and increased government supervision also may negatively impact the industry.
Software Services Industry Risk. Companies that develop and implement software used in advertising and market can face risks associated with low barriers to entry, competition, especially in software development, deployment and delivery, and also due to product obsolescence or saturation, changes in regulation especially with respect to consumer or customer data, and technology risk.
PropTech Company Risk. Investing in PropTech means investing in companies that are focused on optimizing the way people research, rent, buy, sell and manage real estate properties through technological innovations. PropTech companies typically use automation, artificial intelligence, or other forms of technology developed for the property industry. These companies may be adversely impacted by government regulations, economic conditions and deterioration in real estate markets generally. Real estate is highly illiquid and substantial in terms of capital required to develop, operate or buy. Real estate-related transactions are expensive, and there can be a vast bid-offer spread (gap between what buyers will offer and sellers will accept) associated with purchases and sales of real estate. Research and due diligence costs are significant. Additionally, the products or solutions offered by PropTech companies may face technical limitations related to connectivity, compatibility, and longevity, with many different technologies competing to become the standard. As a result, PropTech companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. Furthermore, the customers and/or suppliers of PropTech companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region or industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these countries, regions or industries could have a negative impact on PropTech companies. PropTech companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology. PropTech companies often struggle to gain market share to a degree that enables them to be sustainable.
FinTech Company Risk. Investing in FinTech means investing in companies that research, develop, produce and distribute technologies that are used for advancing the Finance sector. FinTech companies may be adversely impacted by government regulations, economic conditions and deterioration in credit markets. These companies may have significant exposure to consumers and businesses
(especially small businesses) in the form of loans and other financial products or services. FinTech companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. Many FinTech companies currently operate under less regulatory scrutiny than traditional financial services companies and banks, but there is significant risk that regulatory oversight could increase in the future. Higher levels of regulation could increase costs and adversely impact the current business models of some FinTech companies. FinTech companies involved in alternative currencies may face slow adoption rates and be subject to higher levels of regulatory scrutiny in the future, which could severely impact the viability of these companies. FinTech companies, especially smaller and/or newer companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology. The customers and/or suppliers of FinTech companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region or industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these countries, regions or industries could have a negative impact on FinTech companies.
Cybersecurity Risks of PropTech and FinTech Companies Risk. Many PropTech and FinTech companies store sensitive consumer information and could be the target of cybersecurity attacks and other types of theft, which could have a negative impact on these companies. These companies could be negatively impacted by disruptions in service caused by hardware or software failure, or by interruptions or delays in service by third-party data center hosting facilities and maintenance providers.
Aerospace and Defense Companies Risk
Aerospace and defense companies can be significantly affected by government aerospace and defense regulation and spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. (and other) government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by governmental defense spending policies which are typically under pressure from efforts to control the U.S. (and other) government budgets.
Energy Sector Risk
The Fund’s investments are exposed to issuers conducting business in the Energy Sector. The Energy Sector includes companies operating in the exploration & production, refining & marketing, and storage & transportation of oil & gas and coal & consumable fuels. It also includes companies that offer oil & gas equipment and services. The Fund is subject to the risk that the securities of such issuers will underperform the market as a whole due to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the Energy Sector. The performance of companies operating in the Energy Sector is closely tied to the price and supply of energy fuels and international political events.
Pharmaceutical Sector Risk.
The success of companies in the pharmaceutical sector is highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of drugs. The values of pharmaceutical companies are also dependent on the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights and other proprietary information, and the profitability of pharmaceutical companies may be significantly affected by such things as the expiration of patents or the loss of, or the inability to enforce, intellectual property rights. The research and other costs associated with developing or procuring new drugs and the related intellectual property rights can be significant, and the results of such research and expenditures are unpredictable. The Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the pharmaceutical sector. In addition, pharmaceutical companies may be susceptible to product obsolescence. Many pharmaceutical companies face intense competition from new products and less costly generic products. Moreover, the process for
obtaining regulatory approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or other governmental regulatory authorities is long and costly and there can be no assurance that the necessary approvals will be obtained or maintained. Companies in the pharmaceutical sector may also be subject to expenses and losses from extensive litigation based on intellectual property, product liability and similar claims. Companies in the pharmaceutical sector may be adversely affected by government regulation and changes in reimbursement rates. The ability of many pharmaceutical companies to commercialize current and any future products depends in part on the extent to which reimbursement for the cost of such products and related treatments are available from third party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid and other government sponsored programs, private health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations. The international operations of many pharmaceutical companies expose them to risks associated with instability and changes in economic and political conditions, foreign currency fluctuations, changes in foreign regulations and other risks inherent to international business. Such companies also may be characterized by thin capitalization and limited markets, financial resources or personnel, as well as dependence on wholesale distributors. A pharmaceutical company’s valuation can be adversely affected if one of its products proves unsafe, ineffective or unprofitable. The stock prices of companies in the pharmaceutical sector have been and will likely continue to be extremely volatile, in part due to the prevalence of merger and acquisition activity in the pharmaceutical sector. Some of the companies in the Pharmaceutical Index are engaged in other lines of business unrelated to pharmaceuticals, and they may experience problems with these lines of business which could adversely affect their operating results. The operating results of these companies may fluctuate as a result of these additional risks and events in the other lines of business. In addition, a company’s ability to engage in new activities may expose it to business risks with which it has less experience than it has with the business risks associated with its traditional businesses. Despite a company’s possible success in traditional pharmaceutical activities, there can be no assurance that the other lines of business in which these companies are engaged will not have an adverse effect on a company’s business or financial condition.
Chemicals Industry Risk
As a result of the Fund’s expected investment in the Chemicals Industry, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with that Industry. The Chemicals Industry includes companies that manufacture and produce industrial and basic chemicals (e.g., plastics, synthetic fibers and films), fertilizers, pesticides and other agricultural chemicals, industrial gases, specialty chemicals (e.g., advanced polymers and adhesives) and other diversified chemicals. The prices of securities of companies in the Chemicals Industry may fluctuate widely due to intense competition, product obsolescence, and raw materials prices. In addition, companies in the Chemicals Industry may be subject to risks associated with the production, handling, and disposal of hazardous chemicals. Legislative or regulatory changes and increased government supervision also may affect companies in the Chemicals Industry. The Chemicals Industry is a separate industry within the Materials Sector.
Illiquid Investment Risk
Many of the Fund’s investments will be illiquid. The Fund’s investments are generally in non-publicly traded securities (unless one of the Fund’s Portfolio Companies goes public and then only to the extent the Fund has not yet liquidated its securities holdings therein). Although the Fund expects that most of its equity investments will trade on private secondary marketplaces, certain of the securities the Fund holds may be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or may otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. In addition, while some Portfolio Companies may trade on private secondary marketplaces, the Fund can provide no assurance that such a trading market will continue or remain active, or that the Fund will be able to sell its position in any Portfolio Company at the time it desires to do so and at the price the Adviser anticipates. Illiquid investments may also be difficult to value and their pricing may be more volatile than more liquid investments, which could adversely affect the price at which the Fund is able to sell such instruments. The
illiquidity of the Fund’s investments, including those that are traded on private secondary marketplaces, may make it difficult for the Fund to sell such investments if the need arises (e.g., to fund repurchases of Shares). Also, if the Fund is required to liquidate all or a portion of its portfolio quickly, it may realize significantly less than the carrying value of its investments. The Fund has no limitation on the portion of its portfolio that may be invested in illiquid securities, and a substantial portion or all of the Fund’s portfolio may be invested in such illiquid securities from time to time.
In addition, because the Fund deploys its capital to invest primarily in equity securities of private companies, it expects that its holdings of securities may require several years to appreciate in value, and the Fund can offer no assurance that such appreciation will occur. Even if such appreciation does occur, it is likely that purchasers of Shares could wait for an extended period of time before any appreciation or sale of the Fund’s investments, and any attendant distributions of gains, may be realized.
Private Markets Trading Risks
The Fund intends to utilize private markets to acquire interests in Portfolio Companies. The Fund may invest in Portfolio Companies by purchasing securities directly from such Portfolio Companies, including through simple agreements for future equity (“SAFEs”). SAFEs represent a contractual right to future equity of a company, in exchange for which the holder of the SAFE contributes capital to the company. SAFEs enable investors to convert their investment to equity upon the occurrence of triggering events set forth in the applicable SAFE. The Fund may also invest in Portfolio Companies through transactions with existing shareholders of the Portfolio Companies, either by purchasing equity interests held by such shareholders or through the use of forward contracts. The Fund will generally have little or no direct access to financial or other information from the Portfolio Companies in which it invests through such private markets. As a result, the Fund is dependent upon the relationships and contacts of the Adviser’s senior investment professionals to obtain the information for the Adviser to perform research and due diligence, and to monitor the Fund’s investments after they are made, under the oversight of the Board of Directors. The Fund makes investments in the securities of Portfolio Companies the Adviser reasonably believes can be fair valued in accordance with the Fund’s Valuation Procedures. However, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to acquire adequate information on which to make its investment decision with respect to any private market purchases, or that the information it is able to obtain is accurate or complete. Any failure to obtain full and complete information regarding the Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests could cause it to lose part or all of its investment in such companies, which would have a material and adverse effect on the Fund’s NAV and results of operations.
In addition, there can be no assurance that Portfolio Companies in which the Fund invests through private markets will have or maintain active trading markets, and the prices of those securities may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Wide swings in market prices, which are typical of irregularly traded securities, could cause significant and unexpected declines in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments. Further, prices on private markets, where limited information is available, may not accurately reflect the true value of a Portfolio Company, and may in certain cases overstate a Portfolio Company’s actual value, which may cause the Fund to realize future capital losses on its investment in that Portfolio Company. If any of the foregoing were to occur, it would likely have a material and adverse effect on the Fund’s NAV and results of operations.
Investments in private companies, including through private markets, also entail additional legal and regulatory risks which expose participants to the risk of liability due to the imbalance of information among participants and participant qualification and other transactional requirements applicable to private securities transactions. Failure to comply with such requirements could result in rescission rights and monetary and other sanctions. The application of these laws within the context of private markets and related market practices are
still evolving, and, despite the Fund’s efforts to comply with applicable laws, it could be exposed to liability. The regulation of private markets is also evolving. Additional state or federal regulation of these markets could result in limits on the operation of or activity on those markets. Conversely, deregulation of these markets could make it easier for investors to invest directly in private companies and affect the attractiveness of the Fund as an access vehicle for investment in private shares. Private companies may also increasingly seek to limit trading in their stock, through such methods as contractual transfer restrictions and employment policies. To the extent that these or other developments result in reduced trading activity and/or availability of private company shares, the Fund’s ability to find investment opportunities and to liquidate its investments could be adversely affected.
Risks of Complex Capital Structures
A primary feature of the Fund’s investment objective is to invest in private, operating, late-stage, growth companies, either through private secondary transactions or direct investments in such companies, and to hold such securities until a liquidity event with respect to such Portfolio Company occurs, such as an initial public offering or a merger or acquisition transaction. Such private companies frequently have much more complex capital structures than traditional publicly-traded companies, and may have multiple classes of equity securities with differing rights, including rights with respect to voting and distributions. In addition, it is often difficult to obtain information with respect to private companies’ capital structures, and even where the Adviser is able to obtain such information, there can be no assurance that it is complete or accurate. In certain cases, such private companies may also have preferred stock or senior debt outstanding, which may heighten the risk of investing in the underlying equity of such private companies, particularly in circumstances when the Adviser has limited information with respect to such capital structures. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to adequately evaluate the relative risks and benefits of investing in a particular class of a Portfolio Company’s equity securities. Any failure on the Adviser’s part to properly evaluate the relative rights and value of a class of securities in which the Fund invests could cause it to lose part or all of its investment, which in turn could have a material and adverse effect on NAV and results of operations.
Risks of Venture-Backed Companies
The venture-backed companies in which the Fund invests may involve a high degree of business and financial risk because many have short operating histories and involve novel technology, products, or services. These companies, in some cases, may have significant variations in operating results, may be engaged in a rapidly changing business environment with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, may require significant additional capital to support their operations, or may otherwise have a weak financial condition. Many venture-backed companies fail to become profitable and the capital invested in them, including the Fund’s investments, is often unsecured. Therefore, if a company fails to become profitable the Fund’s entire investment may be lost. Additionally, a venture-backed company’s success is often dependent on its management team, which may not have prior experience running a high-growth company or may suffer from turnover of key personnel. Ventured-backed companies often rely on market trends, which may not be sustainable, or on a competitive advantage that may be lost as competitors move into the marketplace. Further, venture-backed firms may be subject to high barriers of success that are dependent on large amounts of future capital investments, government approval of products or services, protecting intellectual property, and economic conditions. An issue with any of these barriers could cause the company to fold. Finally, the return on investment in venture-backed companies depends on the company’s ability to have a timely exit event, such as an IPO or merger or sale. A failure to obtain such an exit could result in substantial losses to the company’s equity holders, including the Fund. Thus, the Fund is subject to the risk of loss of all or substantially all its investments.
Risk of Drag-Along Rights
The private company securities the Fund acquires (or into which they are convertible) may be subject to drag-along rights, a standard term in a stock purchase agreement that permits a majority stockholder in the company to force minority stockholders to join in the sale of a company on the same price, terms, and conditions as any other seller in the sale. Such drag-along rights could permit other stockholders, under certain circumstances, to force the Fund to liquidate its position in a Portfolio Company at a specified price, which could be, in the Adviser’s opinion, inadequate or undesirable or even below the appropriate cost basis. In this event, the Fund could realize a loss or fail to realize gain in an amount that the Adviser deems appropriate on the investment. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to realize gains from its investments, and any gains that the Fund does realize on the disposition of any investments may not be sufficient to offset any other losses it experiences.
Management Risk
The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. The Adviser and each individual investment professional may not be successful in selecting the best investments or investment techniques, and the Fund’s performance may lag behind that of similar funds. If the investment strategies do not perform as expected, if opportunities to implement those strategies do not arise, or if the team does not implement its investment strategies successfully, an investment portfolio may underperform or suffer significant losses. Prior to the launch of the Fund, the Adviser’s primary experience was in managing real estate investments. The Adviser’s limited experience in managing the Fund’s investment strategy may hinder the Fund’s ability to secure attractive investment opportunities and, as a result, may limit the profitability of the Fund and detract from the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. There is no assurance that a manager’s investment strategies will be successful, or that previously successful strategies will continue to be successful in the future.
Rise Companies is a development stage company and, as a company in the early stages of development, Rise Companies faces increased risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties.
In order for the Fund to be successful, the volume of investments and financings originated through the Fundrise Platform will need to increase, which will require Rise Companies to increase its facilities, personnel and infrastructure to accommodate the greater obligations and demands on the Fundrise Platform. The Fundrise Platform is dependent upon the website to maintain current listings and transactions in real estate-related and alternative assets. Rise Companies also expects to constantly update its software and website, expand its customer support services and retain an appropriate number of employees to maintain the operations of the Fundrise Platform. If the Fund’s business grows substantially, Rise Companies may need to make significant new investments in personnel and infrastructure to support that growth. If Rise Companies is unable to increase the capacity of the Fundrise Platform and maintain the necessary infrastructure, or if Rise Companies is unable to make significant investments on a timely basis or at reasonable costs, Shareholders may experience delays in receipt of distributions on the Fund’s Shares, periodic downtime of the Fundrise Platform or other disruptions to Fund’s business and operations.
In addition, to continue the development of the Fundrise Platform, Rise Companies will require substantial additional funds. To meet such financing requirements in the future, Rise Companies may raise funds through equity offerings, debt financings or strategic alliances. Raising additional funds may involve agreements or covenants that restrict Rise Companies’ business activities and options. Additional funding may not be available to it on favorable terms, or at all. If Rise Companies is unable to obtain additional funds for the operation of the Fundrise Platform, it may be forced to reduce or terminate its operations, which may adversely affect the Fund’s business and results of operations.
If the security of Shareholders’ confidential information stored in Rise Companies’ systems is breached or otherwise subjected to unauthorized access, Shareholders’ secure information may be stolen.
The Fundrise Platform may store investors’ bank information and other personally-identifiable sensitive data. The Fundrise Platform is hosted in data centers that are compliant with payment card industry security standards and the website uses daily security monitoring services provided by Symantec Corporation. However, any accidental or willful security breach or other unauthorized access could cause Shareholders’ secure information to be stolen and used for criminal purposes, and Shareholders would be subject to increased risk of fraud or identity theft. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until they are launched against a target, the Fundrise Platform and its third-party hosting facilities may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Security breach, whether actual or perceived, would harm the Fund’s reputation, resulting in the potential loss of investors and adverse effect on the value of a Shareholder’s investment in the Fund.
Any significant disruption in service on the Fundrise Platform or in its computer systems could reduce the attractiveness of the Fundrise Platform and result in a loss of users.
If a catastrophic event resulted in a platform outage and physical data loss, the Fundrise Platform’s ability to perform its functions would be adversely affected. The satisfactory performance, reliability, and availability of Rise Companies’ technology and its underlying hosting services infrastructure are critical to Rise Companies’ operations, level of customer service, reputation and ability to attract new users and retain existing users. Rise Companies’ hosting services infrastructure is provided by a third party hosting provider (the “Hosting Provider”). Rise Companies also maintains a backup system at a separate location that is owned and operated by a third party. The Hosting Provider does not guarantee that users’ access to the Fundrise Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure. Rise Companies’ operations depend on the Hosting Provider’s ability to protect its and Rise Companies’ systems in its facilities against damage or interruption from natural disasters, power or telecommunications failures, air quality, temperature, humidity and other environmental concerns, computer viruses or other attempts to harm the Fund’s systems, criminal acts and similar events. If Rise Companies’ arrangement with the Hosting Provider is terminated, or there is a lapse of service or damage to its facilities, Rise Companies could experience interruptions in its service as well as delays and additional expense in arranging new facilities. Any interruptions or delays in Rise Companies’ service, whether as a result of an error by the Hosting Provider or other third-party error, Rise Companies’ own error, natural disasters or security breaches, whether accidental or willful, could harm the Fund’s ability to perform any services for corresponding project investments or maintain accurate accounts, and could harm Rise Companies’ relationships with users of the Fundrise Platform and Rise Companies’ reputation. Additionally, in the event of damage or interruption, Rise Companies’ insurance policies may not adequately compensate Rise Companies for any losses that the Fund may incur. Rise Companies’ disaster recovery plan has not been tested under actual disaster conditions, and it may not have sufficient capacity to recover all data and services in the event of an outage at a facility operated by the Hosting Provider. These factors could prevent the Fund from processing or posting payments on the corresponding investments, damage Rise Companies’ brand and reputation, divert Rise Companies’ employees’ attention, and cause users to abandon the Fundrise Platform.
The Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy is dependent, in part, upon its ability to successfully conduct the offering through the Fundrise Platform, which makes an investment in the Fund more speculative.
The Fund will conduct the offering primarily through the Fundrise Platform, which is owned by Fundrise, LLC. The success of this offering, and the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy, is dependent upon the Fund’s ability to sell its Shares to investors through the Fundrise Platform. If the Fund is not successful in selling its Shares through the Fundrise Platform, the Fund’s ability to raise proceeds through
this offering will be limited and the Fund may not have adequate capital to implement its investment strategy. If the Fund is unsuccessful in implementing its investment strategy, a Shareholder could lose all or a part of his or her investment.
The Fund relies on third-party banks and on third-party computer hardware and software. If the Fund is unable to continue utilizing these services, the Fund’s business and ability to service the corresponding project loans may be adversely affected.
The Fund and the Fundrise Platform rely on third-party and FDIC-insured depository institutions to process the Fund’s transactions, including payments of corresponding loans, processing of subscriptions under this offering and distributions to Shareholders. Under the Automated Clearing House (ACH) rules, if the Fund experiences a high rate of reversed transactions (known as “chargebacks”), the Fund may be subject to sanctions and potentially disqualified from using the system to process payments. The Fundrise Platform also relies on computer hardware purchased and software licensed from third parties. This purchased or licensed hardware and software may be physically located off-site, as is often the case with “cloud services.” This purchased or licensed hardware and software may not continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If the Fundrise Platform cannot continue to obtain such services elsewhere, or if it cannot transition to another processor quickly, the Fund’s ability to process payments will suffer and Shareholders’ ability to receive distributions will be delayed or impaired.
If the Adviser fails to retain its key personnel, the Fund may not be able to achieve its anticipated level of growth and its business could suffer.
The Fund’s future depends, in part, on the Adviser’s ability to attract and retain key personnel. The Fund’s future also depends on the continued contributions of the executive officers and other key personnel of the Adviser, each of whom would be difficult to replace. In particular, the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Rise Companies, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, is critical to the management of the Fund’s business and operations and the development of the Fund’s strategic direction. The loss of the services of the Chief Executive Officer or other executive officers or key personnel of the Adviser and the process to replace any of the Adviser’s key personnel would involve significant time and expense and may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of the Fund’s business objectives.
If the Fund’s techniques for managing risk are ineffective, the Fund may be exposed to unanticipated losses.
In order to manage the significant risks inherent in the Fund’s business, the Fund must maintain effective policies, procedures and systems that enable the Fund to identify, monitor and control the Fund’s exposure to market, operational, legal and reputational risks. The Fund’s risk management methods may prove to be ineffective due to their design or implementation or as a result of the lack of adequate, accurate or timely information. If the Fund’s risk management efforts are ineffective, the Fund could suffer losses or face litigation, particularly from the Fund’s clients, and sanctions or fines from regulators. The Fund’s techniques for managing risks may not fully mitigate the risk exposure in all economic or market environments, or against all types of risk, including risks that the Fund might fail to identify or anticipate. Any failures in the Fund’s risk management techniques and strategies to accurately quantify such risk exposure could limit the Fund’s ability to manage risks or to seek positive, risk-adjusted returns. In addition, any risk management failures could cause fund losses to be significantly greater than historical measures predict. The Fund’s more qualitative approach to managing those risks could prove insufficient, exposing the Fund to unanticipated losses in the Fund’s NAV and therefore a reduction in the Fund’s revenues.
The Fund may not be successful in allocating among its targeted Portfolio Companies, and there is no assurance that the Fund’s asset allocation will achieve the Fund’s investment objective or deliver positive returns.
The Fund may not allocate effectively among its targeted Portfolio Companies, and its allocations may be unsuccessful in achieving its investment objective. The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective depends, in part, on the ability of the Adviser to allocate effectively among the Fund’s target investments. There can be no assurance that the actual allocations will be effective in achieving the Fund’s investment objective or delivering positive returns.
Competition Risk
The securities industry and the varied strategies and techniques to be engaged in by the Adviser are extremely competitive and each involves a degree of risk. The Fund expects competition to persist and intensify in the future, which could harm the Fund’s ability to locate an adequate number of attractive investment opportunities.
The Fund’s principal competitors include private equity and venture capital funds, secondary market funds, other equity and non-equity based investment funds, investment banking firms, and other sources of financing, including traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and specialty finance companies, as well as online lending platforms that compete with the Fundrise Platform. In addition, in the future the Fund and the Fundrise Platform may experience new competition from more established internet companies possessing large, existing customer bases, substantial financial resources and established distribution channels.
Many of the Fund’s current or potential competitors have significantly more financial, technical, marketing and other resources than the Fund does and may be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion, sale and support of their platforms and distribution channels. The Fund’s potential competitors may also have longer operating histories, more extensive customer bases, greater brand recognition and broader customer relationships than the Fund has. Some of the Fund’s competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments. These competitors may be better able to develop new products, to respond quickly to new technologies and to undertake more extensive marketing campaigns. Furthermore, many of the Fund’s competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the Investment Company Act imposes on the Fund as a RIC. There can be no assurance that the competitive pressures the Fund faces will not have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, because of this competition, the Fund may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, and the Fund can offer no assurance that it will be able to identify and make direct equity investments that are consistent with its investment objective.
Investment and Market Risk
Economic recessions or downturns may result in a prolonged period of market illiquidity, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Unfavorable economic conditions also could reduce investments on the Fundrise Platform by investors. Periods of economic slowdown or recession, significantly rising interest rates, declining employment levels or other negative economic conditions could have a negative impact on the availability and liquidity of investment opportunities. These events could adversely affect the Fund’s demand among investors, which will impact the Fund’s results of operations.
Recent U.S. debt ceiling and budget deficit concerns have increased the possibility of additional credit rating downgrades and economic slowdowns, or a recession in the United States. Although U.S. lawmakers passed legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling on multiple occasions, ratings agencies have lowered or threatened to lower the long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States. The impact of this or any further downgrades to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness could adversely affect the
United States and global financial markets and economic conditions. With the improvement of the U.S. economy, the Federal Reserve may continue to raise interest rates, which would increase borrowing costs and may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. In addition, disagreement over the federal budget has caused the U.S. federal government to essentially shut down for periods of time. Continued adverse political and economic conditions could have an adverse effect on Fund’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
The current worldwide financial market situation, various social and political tensions in the United States and around the world, and the recent public health crisis caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) may continue to contribute to increased market volatility, may have long-term effects on the United States and worldwide financial markets, and may cause further economic uncertainties or deterioration in the United States and worldwide. The issuers in which the Fund invests could be significantly impacted by emerging events and uncertainty of this type and the Fund will be negatively impacted if the value of its portfolio holdings decrease as a result of such events and the uncertainty they cause. Since 2010, several European Union, or EU, countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, have faced budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. Additionally, the precise details and the resulting impact of the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit,” remain uncertain at this point. The effect on the United Kingdom’s economy will likely depend on the nature of trade relations with the EU following its exit, a matter to be negotiated. The decision may cause increased volatility and have a significant adverse impact on world financial markets, other international trade agreements, and the United Kingdom and European economies, as well as the broader global economy for some time. Further, there is continued concern about national-level support for the Euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy among European Economic and Monetary Union member countries. In addition, the fiscal policy of foreign nations, such as China, may have a severe impact on the worldwide and United States financial markets. Finally, public health crises, pandemics and epidemics, such as those caused by new strains of viruses such as H5N1 (avian flu), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and, most recently, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), are expected to increase as international travel continues to rise and could adversely impact the Fund’s business by interrupting business, supply chains and transactional activities, disrupting travel, and negatively impacting local, national or global economies. The Fund does not know how long the financial markets will continue to be affected by these events and cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the United States economy and securities markets or on the Fund’s investments. As a result of these factors, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to successfully monitor developments and manage the Fund’s investments in a manner consistent with achieving the Fund’s investment objective.
In addition, public health concerns (such as the spread of infectious diseases, pandemics and epidemics), natural/environmental disasters, acts of God, political or social unrest, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, political changes or diplomatic developments, fire, wars and occupation, terrorism and related geopolitical risks have led, and may in the future lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on local, U.S. and world economies and markets generally. The Fund does not know how long the U.S. economy and financial markets may be affected by these events and cannot predict the effects of these events or similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and financial markets. Those events also could have an acute effect on individual issuers or groups of issuers. These risks also could adversely affect individual investments, interest rates, secondary trading, credit risk, inflation, deflation and other factors that could adversely affect the Fund’s investments and cause the Fund to lose value.
Common Stock Risk
Common stock of an issuer in the Fund’s portfolio may be volatile, and prices may fluctuate based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic circumstances. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed income securities over the long-term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and, in certain periods, have significantly under-performed relative to fixed income securities. Common stock in which the Fund may invest is structurally subordinated as to a company’s income and residual value to preferred stock, bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred stock or debt instruments of such issuers.
Preferred Securities Risk
Preferred securities are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than more senior debt instruments. The market value of preferred securities may be affected by favorable and unfavorable changes impacting companies in the utilities and financial services sectors, which are prominent issuers of preferred securities, and by actual and anticipated changes in tax laws, such as changes in corporate income tax rates or the dividends received deduction. Because the claim on an issuer’s earnings represented by preferred securities may become onerous when interest rates fall below the rate payable on such securities, the issuer may redeem the securities.
Derivatives Risk
A derivative is a financial contract whose value depends on changes in the value of one or more underlying assets or reference rates. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this prospectus, including interest rate risk and management risk. The performance of derivatives depends largely on the performance of the underlying assets, interest rates or indices to which the derivatives relate. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. Changes in the credit quality of the companies that serve as the Fund’s counterparties with respect to its derivative transactions will affect the value of those instruments. By using derivatives that expose the Fund to counterparties, the Fund assumes the risk that its counterparties could experience financial hardships that could call into question their continued ability to perform their obligations. In addition, in the event of the insolvency of a counterparty to a derivative transaction, the derivative transaction would typically be terminated at its fair market value. If the Fund is owed this fair market value in the termination of the derivative transaction and its claim is unsecured, the Fund will be treated as a general creditor of such counterparty, and will not have any claim with respect to the underlying security. As a result, concentrations of such derivatives in any one counterparty would subject the Fund to an additional degree of risk with respect to defaults by such counterparty. Derivatives also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, interest rate or index to which the derivative relates. Suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions generally or in any particular kind of derivative, if the Adviser elects not to do so due to availability, cost or other factors. If the Fund invests in a derivative instrument, it could lose more than the principal amount invested. Derivative instruments can be volatile and illiquid. They may disproportionately increase losses, and may have a potentially large impact on Fund performance.
Warrants and Rights Risk
Warrants and rights are subject to the same market risks as common stocks, but are more volatile in price. Warrants and rights do not carry the right to dividends or voting rights with respect to their underlying
securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. An investment in warrants or rights may be considered speculative. In addition, the value of a warrant or right does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying security and a warrant or right ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date. The purchase of warrants or rights involves the risk that the Fund could lose the purchase value of a warrant or right if the right to subscribe for additional shares is not exercised prior to the warrants’ or rights’ expiration. Also, the purchase of warrants and rights involves the risk that the effective price paid for the warrant or right added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the price of the underlying security.
Options Risk
The Fund’s options investments involve certain risks, including general risks related to derivative instruments. When purchasing options, the Fund risks losing the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised, plus any related transaction costs. When trading options in the OTC market, many of the protections afforded to exchange participants will not be available. If a counterparty fails to make delivery of the security underlying an OTC option it has entered into with the Fund or fails to make a cash settlement payment due in accordance with the terms of that option, the Fund will lose any premium it paid for the option as well as any anticipated benefit of the transaction. Additionally, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and the Fund may have difficulty effecting closing transactions in particular options. Therefore, the Fund would have to exercise the options it purchased in order to realize any profit, thus taking or making delivery of the underlying reference instrument when not desired. The Fund could then incur transaction costs upon the sale of the underlying reference instruments.
Forward Contracts Risk
A forward contract is an over-the-counter derivative transaction between two parties to buy or sell a specified amount of an underlying reference asset at a specified price (or rate) on a specified date in the future. Forward contracts are negotiated on an individual basis and are not standardized or traded on exchanges. The market for forward contracts is substantially unregulated and can experience lengthy periods of illiquidity, unusually high trading volume and other negative impacts, such as political intervention, which may result in volatility or disruptions in such markets. Forward contracts can increase the Fund’s risk exposure to underlying references and their attendant risks, such as credit risk, market risk, foreign currency risk and interest rate risk, while also exposing the Fund to the risks associated with derivatives generally, including correlation risk, counterparty risk, leverage risk, liquidity risk, pricing risk and volatility risk. The Fund anticipates that the equity forward contracts it will enter into will be prepaid forwards, which entail an upfront payment of the purchase price by the purchasing party (in this case, the Fund). Where the Fund enters into prepaid forwards, it is subject to the risk of losing its entire purchase price in the event of counterparty default.
Issuer-Specific Risk
A security issued by a particular issuer may be impacted by factors that are unique to that issuer and thus may cause that security’s return to differ from that of the market. As a result, investments impacted by such factors may result in underperformance. This risk will be greater if an account concentrates its investments.
Smaller Company Risk
Stocks of smaller companies may trade less frequently, may trade in smaller volumes and may fluctuate more sharply in price than stocks of larger companies and the purchase or sale of more than a limited number of shares of smaller companies may affect their stock prices. Smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks. In addition, smaller companies
tend to have fewer key suppliers and customers, limited product lines, markets, distribution channels or financial resources, and management of such companies may be dependent upon one or a few key people. Changes in suppliers, customers, business lines or personnel, therefore, may have a greater impact on a smaller company’s stock price than on a larger company. The market movements of equity securities issued by companies with smaller capitalizations may be more abrupt or erratic than the market movements of equity securities of larger, more established companies or the stock market in general.
New Issues Risk
“New Issues” are initial public offerings of equity securities. There is no assurance that the Fund will have access to profitable IPOs. The investment performance of the Fund during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when the Fund is able to do so. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the initial public offering. When an initial public offering is brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or, if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like.
Restricted and Illiquid Securities Risk
Illiquid securities are securities that are not readily marketable. These securities may include restricted securities, which cannot be resold to the public without an effective registration statement under the 1933 Act, or, if they are unregistered, may be sold only in a privately negotiated transaction or pursuant to an exemption from registration. Many private company securities may be restricted securities and/or considered illiquid. The Fund may not be able to readily dispose of such securities at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such securities if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. Limited liquidity can also affect the market price of securities, thereby adversely affecting the Fund’s net asset value and ability to make dividend distributions. The financial markets in general have in recent years experienced periods of extreme secondary market supply and demand imbalance, resulting in a loss of liquidity during which market prices were suddenly and substantially below traditional measures of intrinsic value. During such periods, some securities could be sold only at arbitrary prices and with substantial losses. Periods of such market dislocation may occur again at any time. Privately issued debt securities are often of below investment grade quality, frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as investing in below investment grade public debt securities.
Rule 144A Securities Risk
The Fund may purchase Rule 144A securities for which there is a secondary market of qualified institutional buyers, as defined in Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act. Rule 144A provides an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for the resale of certain restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers. The Board has determined that Rule 144A securities may be considered liquid securities if so determined by the Adviser. The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures for the purpose of determining whether securities that are eligible for resales under Rule 144A are liquid or illiquid. Pursuant to those policies and procedures, the Adviser may make the determination as to whether a particular security is liquid or illiquid with consideration to be given to, among other things, the frequency of trades and quotes for the security, the number of dealers willing to sell the security, the number of potential purchasers, dealer undertakings to make a market in the security, the nature of the security and the time needed to dispose of the security. To the extent that liquid Rule 144A securities that the Fund holds become illiquid, due to the lack
of sufficient qualified institutional buyers or market or other conditions, the percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in illiquid assets would increase. The Adviser will monitor Fund investments in Rule 144A securities and will consider appropriate measures to enable the Fund to meet any investment limitations and to maintain sufficient liquidity for operating purposes and to meet redemption requests.
Non-Diversification Risk
As a “non-diversified” investment company under the 1940 act, the Fund may invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of a single issuer. Therefore, the Fund may be more susceptible than a diversified fund to being adversely affected by events impacting a single borrower, geographic location, security or investment type.
Interest Rate Risk
Changes in interest rates, including changes in expected interest rates or “yield curves,” may affect the Fund’s business in a number of ways. Changes in the general level of interest rates can affect the Fund’s net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income earned on the Fund’s interest-earning assets and the interest expense incurred in connection with its interest-bearing borrowings and hedges.
Below Investment Grade (High Yield or Junk) Securities Risk
The Fund may have exposure to investments that are rated below investment grade or that are unrated but are judged by the Adviser to be of credit quality comparable to securities rated below investment grade by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization. Lower grade securities may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns and are inherently speculative. It is likely that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default for such securities.
Lower grade securities, though high yielding, are characterized by high risk. They may be subject to certain risks with respect to the issuing entity and to greater market fluctuations than certain lower yielding, higher rated securities. The retail secondary market for lower grade securities may be less liquid than that for higher rated securities. Adverse conditions could make it difficult at times to sell certain securities or could result in lower prices than those used in calculating the Fund’s NAV. Because of the substantial risks associated with investments in lower grade securities, you could lose money on your investment in Shares, both in the short-term and the long-term.
Foreign Companies Risk
While the Fund intends to invest primarily in U.S. companies, the Fund may invest on an opportunistic basis in certain non-U.S. companies, including those located in emerging markets, that otherwise meet the Fund’s investment criteria. Investing in foreign companies, and particularly those in emerging markets, may expose the Fund to additional risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These risks include changes in exchange control regulations, political and social instability, expropriation, nationalization of companies by foreign governments, imposition of foreign taxes (including withholding taxes) at potentially confiscatory levels, less liquid markets and less available information than is generally the case in the United States, higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility. Further, the Fund may have difficulty enforcing its rights as equity holders in foreign jurisdictions. In addition, to the extent the Fund invests in non-U.S. companies, it may face greater exposure to foreign economic developments.
International trade tensions may arise from time to time which could result in trade tariffs, embargos or other restrictions or limitations on trade. The imposition of any actions on trade could trigger a significant reduction in international trade, an oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies or industries which could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance. Events such as these are difficult to predict and may or may not occur in the future.
Although the Fund expects that most 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.
Leverage Risk
The Fund will pay (and stockholders will bear) any costs and expenses relating to the use of leverage by the Fund, to the extent the Fund bears such costs, which will result in a reduction in the NAV of the Shares.
Leverage may result in greater volatility of the NAV of, and distributions on, the Shares because changes in the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments, including investments purchased with the proceeds from Borrowings or the issuance of Preferred Shares, if any, are borne entirely by holders of Shares. Shares income may fall if the interest rate on Borrowings or the dividend rate on preferred stock rises, and may fluctuate as the interest rate on Borrowings or the dividend rate on Preferred Shares varies. So long as the Fund is able to realize a higher net return on its investment portfolio than the then-current cost of any leverage together with other related expenses, the effect of the leverage will be to cause holders of Shares to realize higher current net investment income than if the Fund were not so leveraged. On the other hand, the Fund’s use of leverage will result in increased operating costs. Thus, to the extent that the then-current cost of any leverage, together with other related expenses, approaches the net return on the Fund’s investment portfolio, the benefit of leverage to holders of Shares will be reduced, and if the then-current cost of any leverage together with related expenses were to exceed the net return on the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund’s leveraged capital structure would result in a lower rate of return to holders of Shares than if the Fund were not so leveraged.
Any decline in the NAV of the Fund will be borne entirely by holders of Shares. Therefore, if the market value of the Fund’s portfolio declines, the Fund’s use of leverage will result in a greater decrease in NAV to holders of Shares than if the Fund were not leveraged.
Certain types of Borrowings may result in the Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage or portfolio composition or otherwise. In addition, the terms of the credit agreements may also require that the Fund pledge some or all of its assets as collateral. Such restrictions may be more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act and limit the Fund’s ability to effectively manage its portfolio.
In addition, the Fund may enter into investment management techniques (including reverse repurchase agreements and derivative transactions) that have similar effects as leverage, but which are not subject to the foregoing 331⁄3% limitation so long as the Fund has covered its commitment with respect to such techniques by segregating liquid assets, entering into offsetting transactions or owning positions covering its obligations in accordance with the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder, and various SEC and SEC staff interpretive positions. In accordance with current laws, rules and positions, the Fund may “set aside” liquid assets (often referred to as “asset segregation”), or engage in other SEC or SEC staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain portfolio management techniques, such as engaging in reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls, entering into credit default swaps or futures contracts, or purchasing securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, that may be considered senior securities under the 1940 Act. Although the Fund does not intend to utilize derivative transactions for speculative purposes, the Fund intends to cover any
derivative positions by maintaining an amount of cash or liquid securities in a segregated account equal to the face value of those positions and by offsetting derivative positions against one another or against other assets to manage the effective market exposure resulting from derivatives in its portfolio. To the extent that the Fund does not segregate liquid assets or otherwise cover its obligations under such transactions, such transactions will be treated as senior securities representing indebtedness for purposes of the requirement under the 1940 Act that the Fund may not enter into any such transactions if the Fund’s borrowings would thereby exceed 331⁄3% of its total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness of the Fund not represented by senior securities. However, these transactions, even if covered, may represent a form of economic leverage and will create risks. In addition, these segregation and coverage requirements could result in the Fund maintaining securities positions that it would otherwise liquidate (including positions in lower yielding securities), segregating assets at a time when it might be disadvantageous to do so or otherwise restricting portfolio management. Such segregation and cover requirements will not limit or offset losses on related positions.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the SEC recently finalized new Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act providing for the regulation of registered investment companies’ use of derivatives and certain related instruments. New Rule 18f-4 imposes limits on the amount of derivatives a fund can enter into and replaces the asset segregation framework previously used by funds to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, among other requirements.
Valuation Risk
The Fund is subject to valuation risk, which is the risk that one or more of the assets in which the Fund invests are priced incorrectly, due to factors such as incomplete data, market instability or human error. If the Fund ascribes a higher value to assets and their value subsequently drops or fails to rise because of market factors, returns on the Fund’s investment may be lower than expected and could experience losses.
When market quotations are not readily available or are deemed to be unreliable, the Fund values its investments at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to policies and procedures approved by the Board of Directors and in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). See “Determination of Net Asset Value” below. Fair value pricing may require subjective determinations about the value of a security or other asset. As a result, there can be no assurance that fair value pricing will result in adjustments to the prices of securities or other assets, or that fair value pricing will reflect actual market value, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security or other asset will be materially different from quoted or published prices, from the prices used by others for the same security or other asset and/or from the value that actually could be or is realized upon the sale of that security or other asset. This risk is particularly exaggerated for mid-stage growth Portfolio Companies, given their limited history and significant change in cash flow generation over time.
The Fund’s portfolio investments are generally privately traded securities. The Fund’s investment in the privately offered securities of Portfolio Companies are fair valued by the Adviser in accordance with the procedures described under “Determination of Net Asset Value” below. Within the parameters of the Fund’s valuation procedures, the valuation methodologies used to value such investments will involve subjective judgments and projections and may not be accurate. Valuation methodologies will also involve assumptions and opinions about future events, which may or may not turn out to be correct. Valuations and appraisals of the Portfolio Companies will be only estimates of fair value. Ultimate realization of the value of an asset depends to a great extent on economic, market and other conditions beyond the Fund’s control and the control of the Advisers and the Fund’s independent third party valuation agents or pricing services. Independent third party valuations and appraisals of the Portfolio Companies may only be conducted on a periodic basis. If the relevant asset’s value changes after such appraisal, it will be difficult for the Adviser to quantify the impact of such change and the necessary information to make a full assessment of the value may not be immediately available, which may require the Adviser to make an assessment of fair value with incomplete information. A
material change in an investment in privately offered securities or a new appraisal of such an investment may have a material impact on the Fund’s overall NAV, resulting in a sudden increase or decrease to the Fund’s NAV per Share.
Although the Fund uses good faith efforts to determine the fair value of Portfolio Companies, the fair value will be dependent on information provided by its service providers including the Adviser and any independent third-party valuation agent. The Fund will also rely to some extent on information provided by the Portfolio Companies, which may not be timely or comprehensive. In addition, such information may not be available because it is difficult to obtain financial and other information with respect to private companies, and even where the Fund is able to obtain such information, there can be no assurance that it is complete or accurate. Because such valuations are inherently uncertain and may be based on estimates, the Fund’s determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would be assessed if a readily available market for these securities existed. Due to this uncertainty, the Fund’s fair value determinations for Portfolio Companies may cause its NAV on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that the Fund may ultimately realize on one or more of its investments. As a result, investors purchasing Shares based on an overstated NAV would pay a higher price than the value of the Fund’s investments might warrant. Conversely, investors redeeming Shares during a period in which the NAV understates the value of the Fund’s investments will receive a lower price for their Shares than the value of the Fund’s investments might warrant.
Further, valuations do not necessarily represent the price at which an asset would sell, since market prices of assets can only be determined by negotiation between a willing buyer and seller. As such, the carrying value of an asset may not reflect the price at which the asset could be sold in the market, and the difference between carrying value and the ultimate sales price could be material. In addition, accurate valuations are more difficult to obtain in times of low transaction volume because there are fewer market transactions that can be considered in the context of the appraisal. It also may be difficult to reflect fully and accurately rapidly changing market conditions or material events that may impact the value of the Fund’s investments between valuations, or to obtain complete information regarding any such events in a timely manner. There will be no retroactive adjustment in the valuation of such assets, the offering price of the Shares, the price the Fund paid to repurchase Shares or NAV-based fees the Fund paid to the Adviser to the extent such valuations prove to not accurately reflect the realizable value of the Fund’s assets. Because the price you will pay for Shares in this offering, and the price at which your Shares may be repurchased in a repurchase offer by the Fund, are based on NAV per Share, you may pay more than realizable value or receive less than realizable value for your investment if assets are mispriced. In addition, the participation of the Adviser’s personnel in the Fund’s valuation process could result in a conflict of interest, as the management fee paid to the Adviser is based on the value of the Fund’s assets.
Delay in the Use of Proceeds Risk
The Fund relies upon the Adviser’s investment professionals to identify suitable investments. Rise Companies and other Fundrise entities also rely on these professionals for investment opportunities. To the extent that Adviser’s investment professionals face competing demands upon their time in instances when the Fund has capital ready for investment, the Fund may face delays in execution. The Fund could also suffer from delays in locating suitable investments as a result of the Fund’s reliance on the Adviser at times when its officers, employees, or agents are simultaneously seeking to locate suitable investments for other Fundrise sponsored programs. Further, it may be difficult for the Fund to invest the net offering proceeds promptly and on attractive terms. Delays the Fund encounters in the selection or sale of investments could limit the Fund’s ability to pay distributions to Shareholders and lower their overall returns.
The Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective and to pay distributions depends upon the performance of the Adviser in the acquisition of the Fund’s investments and the ability of the Adviser to identify investment
opportunities for the Fund. The more money the Fund raises in the offering of its Shares, the greater the Fund’s challenge will be to invest all of the net offering proceeds on attractive terms. The Fund cannot assure Shareholders that the Adviser will be successful in obtaining suitable investments on financially attractive terms or that, if the Adviser makes investments on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund’s objective will be achieved.
Although the Fund currently intends to invest the proceeds from any sale of the Shares offered hereby as soon as practicable, such investments may be delayed if suitable investments are unavailable at the time. If the Fund is unable to find suitable investments promptly or deploy capital in a timely or efficient manner, it may be forced to invest in cash, cash equivalents or other assets. The rate of return on these investments, which affects the amount of cash available to make distributions, may be less than the return obtainable from the type of investments in the technology industry the Fund seeks to originate or acquire. Such investments may also make it more difficult for the Fund to qualify as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Therefore, delays the Fund encounters in the selection, due diligence and origination or acquisition of investments would likely limit its ability to pay distributions and lower overall returns. There can be no assurances as to how long it will take the Fund to invest the net proceeds from sales of Fund Shares. If the Fund would continue to be unsuccessful in locating suitable investments, the Fund may ultimately decide to liquidate.
This offering is being made on a “best efforts” basis, meaning that the Fund is only required to use its best efforts to sell the shares and has no firm commitment or obligation to sell any shares in the offering. As a result, the amount of proceeds the Fund raises in the offering may be substantially less than the amount the Fund would need to create a diversified portfolio of investments, even if the Fund is successful in raising the maximum offering amount. If the Fund is unable to raise substantial funds, the Fund will make fewer investments resulting in less diversification in terms of the type, number and size of investments that it makes. As a result, the value of a Shareholder’s investment may be reduced in the event the Fund’s assets underperform. Moreover, the potential impact of any single asset’s performance on the overall performance of the portfolio increases. In addition, the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective could be hindered, which could result in a lower return on the investments. Further, the Fund will have certain fixed operating expenses regardless of whether the Fund is able to raise substantial funds in this offering. The Fund’s inability to raise substantial funds would increase its fixed operating expenses as a percentage of gross income, reducing the Fund’s net income and limiting its ability to make distributions.
Non-Listed Closed-End Fund; Liquidity Risk
The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company designed primarily for long-term investors. Closed-end funds differ from open-end management investment companies (commonly known as mutual funds) because investors in a closed-end fund do not have the right to redeem their shares on a daily basis. Unlike most closed-end funds, which typically list their shares on a securities exchange, the Fund does not currently intend to list the Shares for trading on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not expect any secondary market to develop for the Shares in the foreseeable future. Therefore, an investment in the Fund is not a liquid investment. The Fund is not intended to be a typical traded investment. Shareholders are also subject to transfer restrictions and there is no guarantee that they will be able to sell their Shares. If a secondary market were to develop for the Shares in the future, and a Shareholder is able to sell his or her Shares, the Shareholder will likely receive less than the purchase price and the then-current NAV per Share. It is also likely that Shares would not be accepted as the primary collateral for a loan.
The Fund from time to time may offer to repurchase Shares pursuant to written tenders by the Shareholders. The Fund intends, but is not obligated, to conduct quarterly repurchase offers in the sole discretion of the Board; provided, that it is not expected that such repurchase offers will be for Shares in an amount of more than 5% of the Fund’s net assets. Any repurchases of Shares will be made to all holders of Shares, at such times and on such terms as may be determined by the Board from time to time in its sole discretion. The
Adviser will not recommend to the Board that the Fund conduct a repurchase offer during any period of time when the Adviser believes that conducting such a repurchase offer would not be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders, and there may be extended periods of time when the Fund does not conduct a repurchase offer. No Shareholder will have the right to require the Fund to repurchase its Shares.
In connection with any repurchase offer, the number of Shares tendered for repurchase may exceed the number of Shares the Fund has offered to repurchase, in which case not all of your Shares tendered in that offer will be repurchased. Hence, you may not be able to sell your Shares when or in the amount that you desire.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no assurance can be given that these repurchases will occur as contemplated or at all.
For additional information concerning the risks associated with repurchase offers, please see Repurchase Offers Risk below.
Repurchase Offers Risk
The repurchase of Shares by the Fund decreases the assets of the Fund and, therefore, may have the effect of increasing the Fund’s expense ratio. Repurchase offers and the need to fund repurchase obligations may also affect the ability of the Fund to be fully invested or force the Fund to maintain a higher percentage of its assets in liquid investments, which may harm the Fund’s investment performance. Moreover, diminution in the size of the Fund through repurchases may result in untimely sales of portfolio securities and may limit the ability of the Fund to participate in new investment opportunities or to achieve its investment objective. If the Fund uses leverage, repurchases of Shares may compound the adverse effects of leverage in a declining market. In addition, if the Fund borrows money to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect Shareholders who do not tender their Shares by increasing Fund expenses and reducing any net investment income.
If a repurchase offer is oversubscribed and the Fund determines not to repurchase additional Shares beyond the repurchase offer amount, or if Shareholders tender an amount of Shares greater than that which the Fund is entitled to purchase, the Fund will repurchase the Shares tendered on a pro rata basis, and Shareholders may have to wait until the next repurchase offer to make another repurchase request. Shareholders will be subject to the risk of NAV fluctuations during that period. Thus, there is also a risk that some Shareholders, in anticipation of proration, may tender more Shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarter, thereby increasing the likelihood that proration will occur. The NAV of Shares tendered in a repurchase offer may fluctuate between the date a Shareholder submits a repurchase request and the Expiration Date, and to the extent there is any delay between the Expiration Date and the Valuation Date. The NAV on the Expiration Date or the Valuation Date may be higher or lower than on the date a Shareholder submits a repurchase request.
Corporate Debt Securities Risk
The Fund may invest in corporate debt securities generally, including corporate bonds of technology-related companies. Corporate bonds include a wide variety of debt obligations of varying maturities issued by U.S. and foreign corporations (including banks) and other business entities. Bonds are fixed or variable rate debt obligations, including bills, notes, debentures and similar instruments and securities. The Fund will invest in U.S. dollar- denominated corporate bonds and may also invest in bonds denominated in foreign currencies in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies.
The value of corporate bonds may be affected by factors directly relating to their issuers, including but not limited to investor and market perceptions, creditworthiness, financial performance, capital structure, management of the issuer and demand for the issuer’s goods or services. Corporate bonds may also be subject to interest rate, liquidity and valuation risks.
The Fund has the flexibility to invest in corporate bonds that are below investment grade quality. Corporate bonds rated below investment grade quality (that is, rated below “BBB-” by Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), below “Baa3” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”)) are commonly referred to as “high yield” securities or “junk bonds.” Issuers of securities rated BB+/Ba1 are regarded as having current capacity to make principal and interest payments but are subject to business, financial or economic conditions which could adversely affect such payment capacity. Corporate bonds rated BBB- or Baa3 or above are considered “investment grade” securities. Corporate bonds rated Baa are considered medium grade obligations that lack outstanding investment characteristics and have speculative characteristics, while corporate bonds rated BBB are regarded as having adequate capacity to pay principal and interest. Corporate bonds rated below investment grade quality are obligations of issuers that are considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal according to the terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry greater investment risk, including the possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy and increased market price volatility. Corporate bonds rated below investment grade tend to be less marketable than higher-quality securities because the market for them is less broad. The market for corporate bonds unrated by any NRSRO is even narrower. During periods of thin trading in these markets, the spread between bid and asked prices is likely to increase significantly and the Fund may have greater difficulty selling its portfolio securities. The Fund will be more dependent on the Advisers’ research and analysis when investing in these securities.
The ratings of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch generally represent their opinions as to the quality of the bonds they rate. It should be emphasized, however, that such ratings are relative and subjective, are not absolute standards of quality, are subject to change and do not evaluate the market risk and liquidity of the securities. Consequently, bonds with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields while obligations of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield.
Subject to rating agency guidelines, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in broad segments of the bond market. If the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in one segment, the Fund will be more susceptible to economic, business, political, regulatory and other developments generally affecting issuers in such segment of the corporate bond market.
Convertible Securities and Synthetic Convertible Securities Risk
The Fund may invest in convertible securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock or other equity security of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to nonconvertible income securities in that they ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower yields than comparable nonconvertible securities. Similar to traditional fixed income securities, the market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, when the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security exceeds the conversion price, the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis and thus may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. The credit standing of the issuer and
other factors also may have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible securities. Convertible securities may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument.
Convertible securities are investments that provide for a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than common stock. There can be no assurance of current income because the issuers of the convertible securities may default on their obligations. Convertible securities, however, generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar credit quality because of the potential for capital appreciation. A convertible security, in addition to providing current income, offers the potential for capital appreciation through the conversion feature, which enables the holder to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying common stock.
Synthetic convertible securities differ from convertible securities in certain respects. Unlike a true convertible security, which is a single security having a unitary market value, a synthetic convertible comprises two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the “market value” of a synthetic convertible security is the sum of the values of its debt component and its convertibility component. For this reason, the values of a synthetic convertible and a true convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations.
Pooled Investment Vehicles Risk
The Fund may invest in other pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies, exchange-traded funds, money market funds and private funds) to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, including in reliance on Rule 12d1-4 thereunder. Rule 12d1-4 allows a fund to acquire shares of an “acquired fund” in excess of the statutory limits of the 1940 Act. Funds of funds arrangements relying on Rule 12d1-4 are subject to several conditions, including (among others) with respect to control and voting shares of an acquired fund; certain findings relating to complexity, fees and undue influence; fund of funds investment agreements; and general limitations on an acquired fund’s investments in other investment companies and private funds. The limitations placed on acquired funds under Rule 12d1-4 may impact the ability of the Fund to invest in an acquired fund or may impact the investments made by such acquired fund.
To the extent the Fund invests in other pooled investment vehicles, the Fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performance of such entities in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund invests therein. Further, shareholders will incur a proportionate share of the expenses of the other pooled investment vehicles held by the Fund (including applicable organizational and operating costs and investment management fees) in addition to the expenses of the Fund.
New Fund Risk
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has a limited operating history. As a result, the Fund’s performance may not reflect how the Fund may be expected to perform over the long term. In addition, prospective investors have a limited track record and history on which to base their investment decision. The Fund is subject to all of the business risks and uncertainties associated with any new business, including the risk that the Fund will not achieve its investment objective, achieve its desired portfolio composition, or raise sufficient capital. The Fund may not be able to attract sufficient assets to fully implement the Fund’s principal investment strategies and achieve investment and trading efficiencies.
As the Fund is still ramping up, and as it will deploy capital over time into investments, investors do not have information to assist them in evaluating the merits or the terms of any specific future investments that the Fund may make. Because Shareholders will be unable to evaluate the economic merit of assets before the
Fund invests in them, Shareholders will have to rely entirely on the ability of the Adviser to select suitable and successful investment opportunities. These factors increase the risk that a Shareholder’s investment may not generate returns comparable to the Fund’s competitors.
Distributions Risk
The Fund is required to make distributions sufficient to satisfy the requirements for qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve investment results that will allow the Fund to make a specified level of cash distributions or maintain certain levels of cash distributions. All distributions will be paid at the discretion of the Board and may depend on the Fund’s earnings, the Fund’s net investment income, the Fund’s financial condition, compliance with applicable regulations and such other factors as the Board may deem relevant from time to time.
Additionally, a portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a general matter, a portion of the Fund’s distributions will be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes if the aggregate amount of the Fund’s distributions for a year exceeds Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits for that year. To the extent that a distribution is treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it will reduce a holder’s adjusted tax basis in the holder’s Shares, and to the extent that it exceeds the holder’s adjusted tax basis will be treated as gain resulting from a sale or exchange of such Shares.
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
Board of Directors
Pursuant to the LLC Agreement, the Fund’s business and affairs are managed under the direction of the Board, which has overall responsibility for monitoring and overseeing the Fund’s management and operations. The Board appoints officers who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Fund and who execute policies authorized by the Board. The Board currently consists of four Directors, three of whom are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (the “Independent Directors”). The Directors are subject to removal or replacement in accordance with Delaware law and the LLC Agreement. The Directors currently serving on the Board were elected by the initial Shareholder of the Fund. The SAI provides additional information about the Directors.
Investment Adviser
The Fund’s investment adviser is the Adviser. The Adviser was formed in 2014 and is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC under the Advisers Act. The Adviser is located at 11 Dupont Circle NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036. The Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Rise Companies Corp. (“Rise Companies”), the Fund’s sponsor, which owns and operates, through its subsidiary Fundrise, LLC, the Fundrise Platform that allows individuals to become investors in equity or debt holders in alternative investments that may have been historically difficult to access for some investors. Prior to the launch of the Fund, the Adviser’s primary focus was on real estate investments. Specifically, through the Fundrise Platform, investors can invest in a variety of real estate investment opportunities using REITs (each, an “eREIT(R)”), a real estate investment fund program (the “eFundTM”) and other real estate-focused investment vehicles sponsored by Rise Companies that are managed by the Adviser, without any brokers or selling commissions. The Adviser also serves as the investment adviser to one or more registered closed-end management investment companies sponsored by Rise Companies that invest primarily in real estate-related investments. The Fund is now included among the investment vehicles made available through the Fundrise Platform. As of June 30, 2023, the Adviser had approximately $3.3 billion in assets under management.
Pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement between the Fund and the Adviser, the Adviser is responsible for directing the management of the Fund’s business and affairs, managing the Fund’s day-to-day affairs, and implementing the Fund’s investment strategy, subject to the supervision of the Board. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Adviser also performs certain administrative, fund accounting, shareholder and other services for the Fund. The Adviser and its officers and directors are not required to devote all of their time to the Fund’s business and are only required to devote such time to the Fund’s affairs as their duties require. The Fund will follow investment guidelines adopted by the Adviser and the investment and borrowing policies set forth in this Registration Statement unless they are modified by the Adviser. The Adviser may establish further written policies on investments and borrowings and will monitor the Fund’s administrative procedures, investment operations and performance to ensure that the policies are fulfilled. The SAI provides additional information about the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund under the Investment Management Agreement.
Management Fee
Pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement, and in consideration of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund, the Adviser is entitled to a management fee (the “Management Fee”). The Management Fee is calculated and payable monthly in arrears at the annual rate of 1.85% of the average daily value of the Fund’s net assets.
Approval of the Investment Management Agreement
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Management Agreement is available in the Fund’s semi-annual report for the period ended September 30, 2022.
Investment Committee
The Adviser has established an Investment Committee for the Fund comprised of three persons to assist the Adviser in fulfilling its responsibilities under the Investment Management Agreement. The Investment Committee is responsible for (i) considering and approving each investment made by the Fund, and (ii) establishing the Fund’s investment strategies and policies and overseeing the Fund’s investments, and the investment activity of other accounts and funds held for the benefit of the Fund. The members of the Investment Committee serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers. They are ultimately responsible for all investment decisions made for the Fund and are solely responsible for the day to day investment operations of the Fund. Each has served as a portfolio manager to the Fund since inception.
The members of the Investment Committee, and their professional background and experience, are as follows:
Benjamin S. Miller – Mr. Miller currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser and has served as Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Rise Companies since its inception on March 14, 2012. Prior to Rise Development, Mr. Miller had been a Managing Partner of the real estate company WestMill Capital Partners from October 2010 to June 2012, and before that, was President of Western Development Corporation from April 2006 to October 2010, after joining the company in early 2003 as a board advisor and then as Chief Operating Officer in 2005. Western Development Corp. is one of the largest retail, mixed-use real estate companies in Washington, DC, most notably known for developing Gallery Place, Washington Harbour, Georgetown Park, and Potomac Mills. While at Western Development, Mr. Miller led the development activities of over 1.5 million square feet of property, including more than $300 million of real estate acquisition and financing. Mr. Miller was an Associate and part of the founding team of Democracy Alliance, a progressive investment collaborative, from 2003 until he joined Western Development in 2005. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Miller was an associate in business development at Lyte Inc., a retail technology start-up. Starting in 1997 until 1999, Mr. Miller worked as an analyst at a private equity real estate fund, Lubert-Adler, and for venture capital firm
IL Management. Mr. Miller has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Miller is on the Board of Trustees of the National Center for Children and Families.
Brandon T. Jenkins – Mr. Jenkins currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of the Adviser and has served in such capacities with the sponsor since February of 2014, prior to which time he served as Head of Product Development and Director of Real Estate which he continues to do currently. Additionally, Mr. Jenkins has served as Director of Real Estate for WestMill Capital Partners since March of 2011. Previously, Mr. Jenkins spent two and a half years as an investment advisor and sales broker at Marcus & Millichap, the largest real estate investment sales brokerage in the country. Prior to his time in brokerage, Mr. Jenkins also worked for Westfield Corporation, a leading shopping center owner. Mr. Jenkins earned his Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Economics from Duke University.
Chris Brauckmuller – Mr. Brauckmuller has served as our Chief Product Officer since September 2018, and was previously the Director of Design and Creative since December 2012. From March 2010 to December 2012, Mr. Brauckmuller ran his own independent interactive design studio. Previously, Mr. Brauckmuller was employed as an interactive designer at 352 Media Group (now 352 Inc.), based in Gainesville, Florida, where he led creative efforts on accounts ranging from startups to Fortune 500 technology companies, including Microsoft and BAE Systems. Mr. Brauckmuller received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida.
The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of shares of the Fund.
Control Persons
A “control person” generally is a person who beneficially owns more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or has the power to exercise control over the management or policies of the Fund. As of March 31, 2023, the Fund does not know of any control persons of the Fund.
Other Information
This Prospectus and the SAI, related regulatory filings, and any other Fund communications or disclosure documents do not purport to create any contractual obligations between the Funds and Shareholders. The Fund may amend any of these documents or enter into (or amend) a contract on behalf of the Fund without Shareholder approval except where Shareholder approval is specifically required. Further, Shareholders are not intended third-party beneficiaries of any contracts entered into by (or on behalf of) the Fund, including contracts with the Adviser or other parties who provide services to the Fund.
FUND EXPENSES
The Adviser bears all of the ordinary and usual overhead expenses of the Adviser or any of its affiliates (including expenses such as rental payments for its offices) in providing services to the Fund pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement and the salaries or other compensation of the employees of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. As described below, however, the Fund bears all other expenses incurred in the business and operation of the Fund, including any third party charges and out-of-pocket costs and expenses that are related to the organization, business or operation of the Fund.
Expenses borne directly by the Fund include, but are not limited to:
| ● | Corporate, organizational and offering costs relating to the offering of Shares; |
| ● | the cost of calculating the NAV of Shares, including the cost of any third party pricing or valuation services; |
| ● | the cost of effecting sales and repurchases of Shares and other securities; |
| ● | investment related expenses (e.g., expenses that, in the Adviser’s discretion, are related to the investment of the Fund’s assets, whether or not such investments are consummated), including, as applicable, brokerage commissions and other transaction expenses in connection with the Fund’s purchase and sale of assets, borrowing charges on securities sold short (if any), clearing and settlement charges, recordkeeping, interest expense, line of credit fees, dividends on securities sold but not yet purchased, margin fees, investment-related travel and lodging expenses and research-related expenses; |
| ● | professional fees relating to investments, including expenses of consultants, investment bankers, attorneys, accountants, tax advisors and other experts; |
| ● | fees and expenses relating to software tools, programs or other technology (including risk management software, fees to risk management services providers, third-party software licensing, implementation, data management and recovery services and custom development costs); |
| ● | research and market data (including news and quotation equipment and services, and any computer hardware and connectivity hardware (e.g., telephone and fiber optic lines) incorporated into the cost of obtaining such research and market data); |
| ● | all costs and charges for equipment or services used in communicating information regarding the Fund’s transactions among the Adviser and any custodian or other agent engaged by the Fund; |
| ● | transfer agent and custodial fees; |
| ● | distributor costs (if any); |
| ● | fees and expenses associated with marketing efforts (if any); |
| ● | federal and any state registration or notification fees; |
| ● | federal, state and local taxes; |
| ● | fees and expenses of the Independent Directors; |
| ● | the costs of preparing, printing and mailing reports, notices and other communications, including repurchase offer correspondence or similar materials, to Shareholders; |
| ● | fidelity bond, Directors and officers/errors and omissions liability insurance and other insurance premiums; |
| ● | direct costs such as printing, mailing, long distance telephone and staff; |
| ● | legal expenses (including those expenses associated with preparing the Fund’s public filings, attending and preparing for Board meetings, and generally serving as counsel to the Fund); |
| ● | external accounting expenses (including fees and disbursements and expenses related to the annual audit of the Fund and the preparation of the Fund’s tax information); |
| ● | administrative services, including, but not limited to, recordkeeping, fund accounting, financial reporting, tax, corporate governance, compliance and legal administration services; |
| ● | any costs and expenses associated with or related to due diligence performed with respect to the Fund’s offering of its Shares; |
| ● | costs associated with reporting and compliance obligations under the 1940 Act and applicable federal and state securities laws, including compliance with The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended; |
| ● | all other expenses incurred by the Fund or the Adviser in connection with administering the Fund’s business; and |
| ● | any expenses incurred outside of the ordinary course of business, including, without limitation, costs incurred in connection with any claim, litigation, arbitration, mediation, government investigation or similar proceeding and indemnification expenses as provided for in the Fund’s organizational documents. |
Except as otherwise described in this Prospectus, the Adviser will be reimbursed by the Fund for any of the costs and expenses which are an obligation of the Fund that the Adviser or an affiliate pays or otherwise incurs on behalf of the Fund, including the costs and expenses described above.
Subject to the 1940 Act and agreement by the Board, Rise Companies or its affiliates intend to perform administrative services for the Fund as well as additional services relating to the Fund’s investments that may be provided in-house in-lieu of outsourcing such services to a third-party. In addition to general Fund administration, these non-advisory services are currently expected to include the provision of some or all of the following: payment processing, fraud detection, digital content management systems, origination software, identity and access management, and customer relationship management software. In the event that Rise Companies or its affiliates provide these services, they will be entitled to receive compensation for such services in an amount that the Adviser believes is comparable to the total amount customarily charged by third parties for comparable service, as determined by the Adviser in its sole discretion. If such compensation is paid by an entity other than the Fund, the Fund will indirectly bear such costs in proportion to its ownership interest in such entity.
Expense Limitation
The Adviser and the Fund have entered into an Expense Limitation Agreement pursuant to which the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its Management Fee and/or pay or reimburse the ordinary annual operating expenses of the Fund (including organization and offering costs, but excluding interest payments, taxes, brokerage commissions, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Fund’s compliance with rules and regulations related to maintaining the Fund’s tax status as a RIC, fees and expenses incurred by the Fund’s use of leverage, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary or non-routine expenses, including with respect to reorganizations or litigation affecting the Fund) (the “Operating Expenses”) to the extent necessary to limit the Fund’s Operating Expenses to 3.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. For the period from August 1, 2023 to September 12, 2023, the Adviser voluntarily waived the portion of its Management Fee attributable to Fund assets that were invested in cash. The Adviser is permitted to seek recoupment from the Fund of any contractual or voluntary fee waivers or expense reimbursements for a period ending three years after the date of the waiver, payment or reimbursement, subject to the limitation that a recoupment by the Adviser will not cause the Fund’s Operating Expenses to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation amount in effect at the time such fees were waived or expenses paid or reimbursed, or (b)
the expense limitation amount in effect at the time of the recoupment. The Expense Limitation Agreement will remain in effect at least through July 31, 2024, unless and until the Board approves its modification or termination.
Organization and Offering Costs
Organization costs include, among other things, the cost of organizing as a Delaware limited liability company, including the cost of legal services and other fees pertaining to the Fund’s organization. These costs are expensed as incurred by the Fund and will be paid by the Adviser.
The Fund’s initial offering costs include, among other things, legal, printing and other expenses pertaining to this offering. Any offering costs paid by the Adviser will be recorded as a Payable for offering costs in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and will be accounted for as a deferred charge until commencement of operations. Thereafter, these offering costs will be amortized over 12 months on a straight-line basis. Ongoing offering costs will be expensed as incurred.
All organization and offering costs of the Fund paid by the Adviser shall be subject to reimbursement pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The price you pay for your Shares is based on the Fund’s NAV. The Fund calculates its NAV as of the close of business on the last business day of each calendar month, each date that Shares are sold or repurchased, as of the date of any distribution and at such other times as the Board shall determine (each, a “Determination Date”). In determining its NAV, the Fund values its investments as of the relevant Determination Date. On the Determination Date, the NAV of Shares of the Fund is determined, as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally, 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) if the NYSE is open. The Fund does not calculate the NAV on dates the NYSE is closed for trading, which include New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day and other holidays observed by the NYSE. The Fund’s NAV per share is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund’s total assets (including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) minus liabilities (including accrued expenses) by the total number of Shares outstanding. Requests to purchase Shares are processed at the NAV next calculated after the Fund receives your subscription in proper form. If the NYSE is closed due to inclement weather, technology problems or any other reason on a day it would normally be open for business, or the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the Fund reserves the right to treat such day as a business day and accept subscriptions until, and calculate the Fund’s NAV as of, the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day.
As permitted by Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Board has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee (the “Valuation Designee”) to perform fair value determinations relating to all portfolio investments. As the Valuation Designee, the Adviser has adopted and implemented procedures to be followed when making fair value determinations. The Adviser carries out its designated responsibilities as Valuation Designee through various teams pursuant to the valuation procedures, which govern the Valuation Designee’s selection and application of methodologies and independent pricing services for determining and calculating the fair value of portfolio investments.
Generally, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value, which is ordinarily determined on the basis of official closing prices or the last reported sales prices. Investments for which market quotations are not readily available or are deemed to be unreliable are valued at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, taking into
consideration all available information and other factors that the Adviser deems pertinent, in each case subject to the oversight of the Board. Such determinations may be made on the basis of valuations obtained from independent third party valuation agents or pricing services or other third party sources (“Pricing Services”), provided that the Adviser shall retain the discretion to use any relevant data, including information obtained from any Pricing Service, that the Adviser deems to be reliable in determining fair value under the circumstances. The Adviser is responsible for ensuring that any Pricing Service engaged to provide valuations discharges its responsibilities in accordance with the Adviser’s valuation procedures, and will periodically receive and review such information about the valuation of the Fund’s securities or other assets as it deems necessary to exercise its oversight responsibility.
In calculating the Fund’s NAV, the Adviser uses various valuation methodologies in a manner consistent with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure, issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. When pricing securities or other assets at fair value, the Adviser seeks to assign the value that represents the amount that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In this regard, the Adviser provides the Fund’s pricing information that the Adviser reasonably believes may assist in the determination of fair value consistent with requirements under the 1940 Act and the Fund’s valuation procedures. Given the subjectivity inherent in fair value measurements and the fact that events could occur after NAV calculation, the actual market prices, or prices that are used by others, for a security or other asset may differ from the fair value of that security or other asset as determined by the Adviser at the time of NAV calculation. In addition, the use of fair value pricing may not always result in adjustments to the prices of securities or other assets held by the Fund. It is possible that the fair value determined for a security or other asset may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of such security or other asset. Thus, fair value measurements may have an unintended dilutive or accretive effect on the value of Shareholders’ investments in the Fund.
To the extent practicable, the Adviser generally endeavors to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs are to be used when available. The availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from investment to investment and are affected by a wide variety of factors. When valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment, and may involve alternative methods to obtain fair values where market prices or market-based valuations are not readily available. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the values that would have been used if a ready market for the investments existed. As a result, the Adviser may exercise a higher degree of judgment in determining fair value for certain securities or other assets.
Because the overwhelming majority of the Fund’s investments are expected to have no readily available market quotations, most of the Portfolio Companies will be valued at fair value in good faith. There is no single standard for determining the fair value of a security. Rather, fair value calculations will involve significant professional judgment in the application of both observable and unobservable attributes. For mid-to-late growth Portfolio Companies, traditional valuation methods (e.g., discounted cash flow) are often a less reliable tool for valuing investments in accordance with ASC 820. As such, until the Portfolio Companies grow to a point where traditional valuation methods apply, the Fund will value its investments based on the Portfolio Company’s progression through capital raising cycles. Late-stage private companies or “pre-IPO companies” traditionally raise capital from investors in organized funding rounds. During such funding rounds, a pre-IPO company will seek a lead investor who will, to their best effort, define a valuation of the company. Therefore, the valuation of the Fund’s Portfolio Companies may be adjusted when a new valuation is set by the lead investor in the next funding round. As such, the Fund also intends to adjust the valuation of its Portfolio Companies with each new funding round, which is the generally accepted methodology
for the valuation of pre-IPO companies like the ones the Fund intends to invest in. However, while the valuation as of the latest funding round is a prominent factor in the Fund’s valuation process, it is not the only factor that the Fund will consider when valuing its portfolio investments. The Fund may establish certain thresholds or triggers that intend to capture fundamental changes in the value of the Portfolio Company that would affect the anticipated return on the Fund’s investment. Examples of certain thresholds or triggers may include, an unexpected business or technology breakthrough, faster than anticipated revenue growth, a fundamental failure of the technology, the loss of a key customer, or the success of a competitor in the same industry. Additionally, the Adviser may consider additional several factors (if present), including but not limited to the implied valuation of the asset as reflected by stock purchase contracts reported in private markets, fundamental analytical data relating to the investment in the security, the nature and duration of any restriction on the disposition of the security, the cost of the security at the date of purchase, or the liquidity of the market for the security. The Adviser may also consider periodic financial statements (audited and unaudited) or other information provided by the issuer to investors or prospective investors, to the extent that it is available.
For investments in companies that are not considered “pre-IPO companies”, valuation methods utilized may include, but are not limited to the following: comparisons to prices from secondary market transactions; public offerings; and purchase or sales transactions; as well as analysis of financial ratios and valuation metrics of the portfolio companies that issued such private equity securities to peer companies that are public, analysis of the portfolio companies’ most recent financial statements and forecasts, and the markets in which the portfolio company does business, and other relevant factors.
With respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets that are invested in one or more investment funds, the Fund’s NAV may be calculated based upon the NAVs of those investment funds as a practical expedient, where such valuation methodologies employed by the investment funds reflects fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.
Short-term debt investments, such as commercial paper, bankers’ acceptances and U.S. Treasury Bills, having a maturity of 60 days or less, are generally valued at amortized cost.
Other debt investments, including corporate, government and municipal debt securities in each case having a remaining maturity in excess of 60 days, are typically valued by Pricing Service at an evaluated (or estimated) mean between the closing bid and asked prices.
Publicly traded securities, including equity securities issued by technology-related companies, are typically valued at the last sale, official close or if there are no reported sales at the mean between the bid and asked price on the primary exchange on which they are traded. Publicly traded securities may be valued by an outside pricing service overseen by the Valuation Designee. The pricing service may employ a pricing model that takes into account, among other things, bids, yield spreads and/or other market data and specific security characteristics.
Derivatives are generally valued using Pricing Services and/or agreements with counterparties, quoted prices from the national exchange on which they are principally traded, or other procedures approved by the Board.
Because the Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAVs, the Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on any Pricing Services and other service providers and data sources. The Fund’s NAV calculation may be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of the Fund’s NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
An investment in the Fund is subject to a number of actual or potential conflicts of interest. For example and as discussed in further detail below, the Adviser and its affiliates are engaged in a variety of business activities that are unrelated to managing the Funds, which may give rise to actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest in connection with making investment decisions for the Fund. The Fund and the Adviser (and its affiliates) have established various policies and procedures that are designed to minimize conflicts and prevent or limit the Fund from being disadvantaged. There can be no guarantee that these policies and procedures will be successful in every instance. In certain circumstances, these various activities may prevent the Fund from participating or restrict the Fund’s participation in an investment decision, disadvantage the Fund or benefit the Adviser or its affiliates.
The officers and directors of the Adviser and the key investment professionals of Rise Companies who perform services for the Fund on behalf of the Adviser are also officers, directors, managers, and/or key professionals of Rise Companies and other Fundrise entities (such as the eREITs(R) and the eFundTM). These persons have legal obligations with respect to those entities that are similar to their obligations to the Fund. In the future, these persons and other affiliates of Rise Companies may organize other programs and acquire for their own account investments that may be suitable for the Fund. In addition, Rise Companies may grant equity interests in the Adviser to certain management personnel performing services for the Adviser.
The Management Fee paid to Adviser will be based on the Fund’s NAV, which will be calculated by Rise Companies’ internal accountants and asset management team. The Adviser may benefit by the Fund retaining ownership of its assets at times when Shareholders may be better served by the sale or disposition of the Fund’s assets in order to avoid a reduction in the Fund’s NAV.
The Fund relies on the Adviser’s executive officers and Rise Companies’ key investment professionals who act on behalf of the Adviser to identify suitable investments. Rise Companies and other Fundrise entities also rely on these same key professionals. Rise Companies has in the past, and expects to continue in the future, to offer other Fundrise Platform investment opportunities, primarily through the Fundrise Platform. Future programs may have investment criteria that compete with the Fund.
If an investment opportunity would be suitable for more than one program, Rise Companies will allocate it using its business judgment. Any allocation of this type may involve the consideration of a number of factors that Rise Companies determines to be relevant. The factors that Rise Companies’ finance professionals could consider when determining the entity for which an investment opportunity would be the most suitable include the following: (i) the investment objectives and criteria of Rise Companies and the other Fundrise entities; (ii) the cash requirements of Rise Companies and the other Fundrise entities; (iii) the effect of the investment on the diversification of Rise Companies’ or the other Fundrise entities’ portfolio by type of investment, and risk of investment; (iv) the policy of Rise Companies or the other Fundrise entities relating to leverage; (v) the anticipated cash flow of the asset to be acquired; (vi) the income tax effects of the purchase on Rise Companies or the other Fundrise entities; (vii) the size of the investment; and (viii) the amount of funds available to Rise Companies or the Fundrise entities. If a subsequent event or development causes any investment, in the opinion of Rise Companies’ investment professionals, to be more appropriate for another Fundrise entity, they may offer the investment to such entity.
The Adviser may determine it appropriate for the Fund and one or more Fundrise entities to participate in an investment opportunity. To the extent the Fund is able to make co-investments with other Fundrise entities, these co-investment opportunities may give rise to conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest among the Fund and the other participating Fundrise entities. To mitigate these conflicts, the Adviser will seek to execute such transactions for all of the participating entities, including the Fund, on a fair and
equitable basis, taking into account such factors as available capital, portfolio concentrations, suitability and any other factors deemed appropriate. However, there can be no assurance the risks posed by these conflicts of interest will be mitigated.
The Fund relies on Rise Companies’ key investment professionals who act on behalf of the Adviser, including Mr. Benjamin S. Miller, for the day-to-day operation of the Fund’s business. Mr. Benjamin S. Miller is also the Chief Executive Officer of Rise Companies and other Fundrise entities. As a result of his interests in other Fundrise entities, his obligations to other investors and the fact that he engages in and he will continue to engage in other business activities on behalf of himself and others, Mr. Benjamin S. Miller will face conflicts of interest in allocating his time among the Fund, the Adviser and other Fundrise entities and other business activities in which he is involved. However, the Fund believes that the Adviser and its affiliates have sufficient investment professionals to fully discharge their responsibilities to the Fundrise entities for which they work.
The Adviser and its affiliates will receive fees from the Fund. The Adviser has an inherent conflict of interest in recommending itself to the Board of Directors as the Fund’s Investment Adviser. These fees could influence the Adviser’s advice to the Fund as well as the judgment of affiliates of the Adviser, some of whom also serve as the Adviser’s officers and directors and the key investment professionals of Rise Companies. Among other matters, these compensation arrangements could affect their judgment with respect to: (i) the continuation, renewal or enforcement of provisions in the LLC Agreement involving the Adviser and its affiliates or the Investment Management Agreement; (ii) the offering of Shares by the Fund, which entitles the Adviser to a Management Fee and other fees; (iii) acquisitions of investments and originations of equity or loans at higher purchase prices, which entitle the Adviser to higher acquisition fees and origination fees regardless of the quality or performance of the investment or loan; (iv) borrowings up to the Fund’s stated borrowing policy to acquire investments and to originate loans, which borrowings will increase the Management Fee payable by the Fund to the Adviser; (v) whether the Fund seeks necessary approvals to internalize the Fund’s management, which may entail acquiring assets (such as office space, furnishings and technology costs) and the key investment professionals of Rise Companies who are performing services for the Fund on behalf of the Adviser for consideration that would be negotiated at that time and may result in these investment professionals receiving more compensation from the Fund than they currently receive from Rise Companies; and (vi) whether and when the Fund merges or consolidates its assets with other funds, including funds affiliated with the Adviser.
The Adviser’s officers and directors and the key investment professionals of Rise Companies performing services on behalf of the Adviser are also officers, directors, managers and/or key professionals of: (i) Rise Companies; (ii) the Adviser; (iii) Fundrise, LLC; (iv) other investment programs sponsored by Rise Companies; and (v) other Fundrise entities. As a result, they owe duties to each of these entities, their shareholders, members and limited partners. These duties may from time to time conflict with the duties that they owe to the Fund.
As the Fund is conducting the continuous offering of the Fund’s Shares without the aid of an independent principal underwriter, Shareholders will not have the benefit of an independent due diligence review and investigation of the type normally performed by an independent principal underwriter in connection with the offering of securities. The Fund will enter into a license agreement with Rise Companies pursuant to which Rise Companies will grant the Fund a non-exclusive, royalty free license to use the name “Fundrise.”
REPURCHASE OFFERS
The Fund does not currently intend to list its Shares on any securities exchange and does not expect any secondary market for them to develop in the foreseeable future. Therefore, Shareholders should expect that they will be unable to sell their Shares for an indefinite time or at a desired price. No Shareholder will have
the right to require the Fund to repurchase such Shareholder’s Shares or any portion thereof. Shareholders are not permitted to transfer their investment from the Fund to any other registered investment company. Because no public market exists for the Shares, and no such market is expected to develop in the foreseeable future, Shareholders will not be able to liquidate their investment, other than through the Fund’s share repurchase program, or, in limited circumstances, as a result of transfers of Shares to other investors.
The Fund from time to time may offer to repurchase Shares pursuant to written tenders by the Shareholders. The Fund intends, but is not obligated, to conduct quarterly repurchase offers in the sole discretion of the Board; provided, that it is not expected that such repurchase offers will be for more than 5% of the Fund’s net assets. Any repurchases of Shares will be made to all holders of Shares, at such times and on such terms as may be determined by the Board from time to time in its sole discretion. The Adviser will not recommend to the Board that the Fund conduct a repurchase offer during any period of time when the Adviser believes that conducting such a repurchase offer would not be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders, and there may be extended periods of time when the Fund does not conduct a repurchase offer. No Shareholder will have the right to require the Fund to redeem its Shares.
In connection with any repurchase offer, the number of Shares tendered for repurchase may exceed the number of Shares the Fund has offered to repurchase, in which case not all of your Shares tendered in that offer will be repurchased. Hence, you may not be able to sell your Shares when or in the amount that you desire.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no assurance can be given that these repurchases will occur as contemplated or at all.
In the event that the Adviser or any of its affiliates holds Shares in its capacity as a Shareholder, such Shares may be tendered for repurchase in connection with any repurchase offer made by the Fund, without notice to the other Shareholders.
Determination to Repurchase Shares
In determining whether the Fund should offer to repurchase Shares thereof from its Shareholders pursuant to written requests, the Board will consider the recommendation of the Adviser. The Board also may consider the following factors, among others, in determining whether to repurchase Shares and the number of Shares to be repurchased:
| ● | whether any Shareholders of the Fund have requested to tender Shares to the Fund; |
| ● | the working capital and liquidity requirements of the Fund; |
| ● | the relative sizes of the repurchase requests and the Fund; |
| ● | the past practice of the Fund in repurchasing Shares in the Fund; |
| ● | the Adviser’s assessment of current market conditions relating to the Fund’s specific investments, in light of the Adviser’s future outlook for those markets and investments; |
| ● | the Adviser’s assessment of the condition of the securities markets and the economy generally, as well as political, national or international developments or current affairs; |
| ● | the anticipated U.S. federal income tax consequences of any proposed repurchases of Shares in the Fund; and |
| ● | the Fund’s investment plans, the liquidity of its assets (including fees and costs associated with liquidating Fund Investments), and the availability of information as to the value of its interests in underlying Portfolio Companies and other investments. |
During periods of financial market stress, the Board may determine that some or all of the Fund’s investments cannot be liquidated at their fair value, making a determination not to conduct repurchase offers more likely.
Determination of Repurchase Offer Amount
The Board will determine that the Fund will offer to repurchase Shares pursuant to written tenders only on terms that the Board determines to be fair to the Fund and Shareholders. The Board of Directors, or a committee thereof, in its sole discretion, will determine the number of Shares that the Fund will offer to repurchase (the “Repurchase Offer Amount”) in connection with any given Expiration Date. As noted above, in certain circumstances the Board may determine not to conduct a repurchase offer, or to conduct a repurchase offer of less than 5% of the Fund’s net assets.
Notice to Shareholders
If the Board determines that the Fund will offer to repurchase Shares, the Fund will send to each Shareholder of record and to each beneficial owner of the Shares that are the subject of the repurchase offer a notification (“Shareholder Notification”). The Shareholder Notification will describe the commencement date of the repurchase offer, specify the date on which repurchase requests must be received by the Fund, and contain other terms and information Shareholders should consider in deciding whether to tender their Shares for repurchase. Written instructions with respect to each Shareholder’s tender of shares in a Repurchase Offer must be completed in the manner described, and on the appropriate forms included, in the Shareholder Notification.
The Expiration Date will be a date set by the Board occurring no sooner than 20 calendar days after the commencement date of the repurchase offer, provided that such Expiration Date may be extended by the Board in its sole discretion. The Expiration Date will be strictly observed. The Fund generally will not accept any repurchase request received by it or its designated agent after the Expiration Date. If a Shareholder fails to submit a repurchase request in good order by the Expiration Date, the Shareholder will be unable to liquidate Shares until a subsequent repurchase offer, and may have to resubmit a request in the next repurchase offer. Shareholders may withdraw or change a repurchase request with a proper instruction submitted in good order any point before the Expiration Date.
Repurchase Price
The value of Shares being repurchased will be determined as of a date, determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, which will be no later than 60 days after the Expiration Date (the “Valuation Date”), and any such repurchase will be effected as of the Valuation Date (the “Repurchase Date”).
The repurchase price of the Shares will be the Fund’s NAV as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on the Valuation Date. You may visit the Fund’s website at www.fundrisegrowthtechfund.com to learn the NAV. The notice of the repurchase offer also will provide information concerning the NAV, such as the NAV as of a recent date or a sampling of recent NAVs of the Fund, and a toll-free number to call for information regarding the repurchase offer. The NAV per Share may change materially between the time that the Shareholder Notification is sent to Shareholders and the Expiration Date, and it may also change materially between the Expiration Date and Valuation Date. The method by which the Fund calculates NAV is discussed above under “Determination of Net Asset Value.”
The Fund does not currently charge a repurchase fee, and it does not currently expect to impose a repurchase fee. However, the Fund may in the future charge a repurchase fee of up to 2.00%, subject to the discretion of the Adviser, which the Fund would retain to help offset non-de minimis estimated direct or indirect costs incurred by the Fund in connection with the repurchase of Shares, thus allocating estimated transaction costs to the Shareholder whose Shares are being repurchased. The Fund may introduce, or modify the amount of, a repurchase fee at any time. The Fund may waive or reduce a repurchase fee if the Adviser determines that the repurchase is offset by a corresponding purchase or if for other reasons the Fund will not incur transaction costs or will incur reduced transaction costs. If you invest in the Fund through a financial intermediary, your financial intermediary may charge service fees for handling Share repurchases. In such cases, there may be fees imposed by the intermediary on different terms (and subject to different exceptions) than those set forth above. Please consult your financial intermediary for details. See “Transactions Through Your Financial Intermediary” below.
Repurchase Amounts and Payment of Proceeds
Shares tendered for repurchase by Shareholders prior to any Expiration Date will be repurchased subject to the aggregate Repurchase Offer Amount established for that Expiration Date. Payment pursuant to the repurchase offer will be made by check to the Shareholder’s address of record, or credited directly to a predetermined bank account on the Purchase Payment Date, promptly after the Valuation Date. The Board may establish other policies for repurchases of Shares that are consistent with the 1940 Act, regulations thereunder and other applicable laws.
If Shareholders tender for repurchase more than the Repurchase Offer Amount for a given repurchase offer, the Fund may, but is not required to, repurchase an additional amount of Shares. If the Fund determines not to repurchase more than the Repurchase Offer Amount, the Fund will repurchase the Shares on a pro rata basis, or take any other action permitted by the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and described in the written tender offer notice to Shareholders. Each tender offer will be made and Shareholders will be notified in accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the 1940 Act, either by publication or mailing or both. The tender offer documents will contain information prescribed by such laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. However, the Fund is permitted to accept all Shares tendered for repurchase by Shareholders who own less than one hundred Shares and who tender all of their Shares, before prorating other amounts tendered.
With respect to any required minimum distributions from an individual retirement account or other qualified retirement plan, it is the obligation of the shareholder to determine the amount of any such required minimum distribution and to otherwise satisfy the required minimum. In the event that shareholders tender for repurchase more than the Repurchase Offer Amount for a given repurchase offer, the Fund will repurchase the shares on a pro rata basis which may result in the Fund not honoring the full amount of a required minimum distribution requested by a shareholder.
If any Shares that you wish to tender to the Fund are not repurchased because of proration, you may have to wait until the next repurchase offer and resubmit a new repurchase request, and your repurchase request will not be given any priority over other shareholders’ requests. Thus, there is a risk that the Fund may not purchase all of the Shares you wish to have repurchased in a given repurchase offer or in any subsequent repurchase offer. In anticipation of the possibility of proration, some Shareholders may tender more Shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarter in order to ensure the repurchase of a specific number of Shares, increasing the likelihood of proration.
There is no assurance that you will be able to tender your Shares when and/or in the amount that you desire.
Suspension or Postponement of Repurchase Offer
The Fund may suspend, postpone or terminate an offer to repurchase Shares in certain circumstances upon the determination of a majority of the Board, including a majority of the Independent Directors, that such suspension, postponement or termination is advisable for the Fund and its Shareholders, including, without limitation, circumstances as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of its investments or to determine its net asset value, and other unusual circumstances. The Adviser will monitor and consult with the Board regarding the Fund’s preparation for repurchase offers to assess any liquidity, valuation or other issues in the context of the COVID pandemic and their potential impact on the management of the Fund’s portfolio, continuing sales and liquidity for future repurchase offers.
Consequences of Repurchase Offers
The repurchase of Shares is subject to regulatory requirements imposed by the SEC. The Fund’s repurchase procedures are intended to comply with such requirements. However, in the event that the Board determines that modification of the repurchase procedures described above is required or appropriate, the Board will adopt revised repurchase procedures as necessary to ensure the Fund’s compliance with applicable regulations or as the Board in its sole discretion deems appropriate. Following the commencement of an offer to repurchase Shares, the Fund may suspend, postpone or terminate such offer in certain circumstances upon the determination of a majority of the Board, including a majority of the Independent Directors, that such suspension, postponement or termination is advisable for the Fund and its Shareholders, including, without limitation, circumstances as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of its investments or to determine its NAV, and other unusual circumstances.
Repurchase offers will typically be funded from available cash or sales of portfolio securities. Payment for repurchased Shares, however, may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio holdings earlier than the Adviser otherwise would, thus increasing the Fund’s portfolio turnover and potentially causing the Fund to realize losses. The Adviser intends to take measures to attempt to avoid or minimize such potential losses and turnover, and instead of liquidating portfolio holdings, may borrow money to finance repurchases of Shares. If the Fund borrows to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect Shareholders who do not tender their Shares in a repurchase offer by increasing the Fund’s expenses and reducing any net investment income. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able sell a significant amount of additional Shares so as to mitigate these effects. To the extent the Fund finances repurchase amounts by selling Fund investments, the Fund may hold a larger proportion of its assets in less liquid securities. The sale of portfolio securities to fund repurchases also could reduce the market price of those underlying securities, which in turn, would reduce the Fund’s NAV.
Repurchase of the Fund’s Shares will tend to reduce the amount of outstanding Shares and, depending upon the Fund’s investment performance, its net assets. A reduction in the Fund’s net assets would increase the Fund’s expense ratio, to the extent that additional Shares are not sold and expenses otherwise remain the same (or increase). In addition, the repurchase of Shares by the Fund will be a taxable event to Shareholders, potentially even to those Shareholders that do not participate in the repurchase. For a discussion of these tax consequences, see “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” below and in the SAI.
The Fund is intended as a long-term investment. The Fund’s repurchase offers are a Shareholder’s only means of liquidity with respect to his or her Shares. Shareholders have no rights to redeem or transfer their Shares, other than limited rights pursuant to certain conditions and restrictions in the LLC Agreement.
DISTRIBUTION POLICY
The Fund does not expect to declare any distributions until the proceeds from the Fund’s initial offering are invested and generating operating cash flow. Once the Fund begins to make distributions, the Fund expects to declare and make them on a quarterly basis, or more or less frequently as determined by the Board, in arrears. Any distributions the Fund makes will be at the discretion of the Board, and will be based on, among other factors, the Fund’s present and reasonably projected future cash flow.
Shares that are issued to a Shareholder will accrue dividends until the Shareholder’s request that the Fund repurchase its Shares is accepted on the Expiration Date. Shareholders will be entitled to declared distributions on each of their Shares from the time the Shares are issued to the Shareholder until such Shares are repurchased by the Fund as described in “Repurchase Offers.”
Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is likely that many of the Portfolio Companies in whose securities the Fund invests will not pay any dividends, and this, together with the Fund’s expenses, means that there can be no assurance the Fund will have substantial income or pay dividends. The Fund is not a suitable investment for any investor who requires dividend income.
The Fund is required to make distributions sufficient to satisfy the requirements for qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Generally, income distributed will not be taxable to the Fund under the Code if the Fund distributes at least 90% of its investment company taxable income each year (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and the Fund’s net capital gain). Distributions will be authorized at the discretion of the Board, in accordance with the Fund’s earnings, present and reasonably projected future cash flows and general financial condition. The Board’s discretion will be directed, in substantial part, by the Fund’s obligation to comply with the RIC requirements and to avoid U.S. federal income and excise taxes on retained income and gains.
The Fund is not prohibited from distributing its own securities in lieu of making cash distributions to Shareholders. The LLC Agreement also gives the Fund the right to distribute other assets rather than cash. The receipt of the Fund’s securities or assets in lieu of cash distributions may cause Shareholders to incur transaction expenses in liquidating the securities or assets. The Fund does not have any current intention to list its Shares on a stock exchange or other trading market, nor is it expected that a public market for the Shares will develop. The Fund also do not anticipate that it will distribute other assets in kind.
Although the Fund’s goal is to fund the payment of distributions solely from cash flow from operations, the Fund may pay distributions from other sources, including the net proceeds of the offering, cash advances by the Adviser, cash resulting from a waiver of fees or reimbursements due to the Adviser, borrowings in anticipation of future operating cash flow and the issuance of additional Shares, and the Fund has no limit on the amounts it may pay from such other sources. If the Fund funds distributions from financings or the net proceeds from the offering, the Fund will have less funds available for investment in Portfolio Companies. The Fund expects that its cash flow from operations available for distribution will be lower in the initial stages of the offering until the Fund has raised significant capital and made substantial investments. Further, because the Fund may receive income at various times during its fiscal year and because the Fund may need cash flow from operations during a particular period to fund expenses, the Fund expects that during the early stages of the Fund’s operations and from time to time thereafter, the Fund may declare distributions in anticipation of cash flow that the Fund expects to receive during a later period and these distributions would be paid in advance of the Fund’s actual receipt of these funds. In these instances, the Fund expects to look to third party borrowings, the offering proceeds or other sources to fund its distributions. Additionally, the Fund will make certain payments to the Adviser for services provided to the Fund. See “Management of the Fund – Fund Expenses.” Such payments will reduce the amount of cash available for distributions. Finally,
payments to fulfill repurchase requests under the Share repurchase program will also reduce funds available for distribution to remaining Shareholders.
The Fund’s distributions will constitute a return of capital to the extent that they exceed the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the extent that a distribution is treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it will reduce a Shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the Shareholder’s Shares, and to the extent that it exceeds the Shareholder’s adjusted tax basis will be treated as gain resulting from a sale or exchange of such Shares. Section 19(b) of the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder generally limits the Fund to one long-term capital gain distribution per year, subject to certain exceptions.
The Board may authorize distributions in stock or in excess of those required for the Fund to maintain RIC tax status depending on the Fund’s financial condition and such other factors as the Board may deem relevant. The distribution rate may be modified by the Board from time to time. The Board reserves the right to change or suspend the distribution policy from time to time.
DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN
The Fund will operate under a dividend reinvestment plan administered by the Adviser. Pursuant to the plan, the income dividends or capital gains or other distributions declared by the Fund, net of any applicable U.S. withholding tax, will be reinvested in the Shares of the Fund, provided that, if a Shareholder participates in an investment plan offered by the Adviser, such distributions will be reinvested in accordance with such investment plan.
Shareholders will not automatically participate in the dividend reinvestment plan. Shareholders must make an affirmative election to participate in the plan. If a Shareholder “opts in” to the plan (elects to reinvest in Shares), the Shareholder will participate in the plan unless and until the Shareholder elects to “opt out” of the plan (elects not to reinvest in Shares). As a result, if the Fund declares a cash dividend or other distribution payable in cash, Shareholders who are not enrolled in the plan will receive such dividends or distributions in cash, rather than having their dividends or distributions automatically reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund or pursuant to their investment plan, if applicable.
A Shareholder may elect to enroll and un-enroll in the dividend reinvestment plan by visiting his or her account on the Fundrise Platform website at www.fundrise.com. Any such election by a Shareholder generally must be received and processed by the Adviser before the end of the applicable calendar quarter or such election may not apply to the payment of that particular distribution.
When the Fund declares a distribution payable in cash, the Shareholders enrolled in the dividend reinvestment plan will receive an equivalent amount in Shares from the Fund either newly issued or repurchased from Shareholders by the Fund or according to their investment plan, if applicable. The number of Shares to be received when distributions are reinvested will be determined by dividing the amount of the distribution (or the percentage of the distribution allocable to the Fund under the terms of the investment plan, if applicable) by the Fund’s NAV per Share next computed after the distribution is paid.
The automatic reinvestment of dividends will not relieve participants of any federal, state or local income tax that may be payable (or required to be withheld) on such dividends. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.” The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the dividend reinvestment plan, including the right to suspend or limit at any time the ability of Shareholders to reinvest distributions.
For further information about the dividend reinvestment plan, visit the Fundrise Platform website at www.fundrise.com or (202) 584-0550. All correspondence concerning the dividend reinvestment policy should be directed to the Fund by visiting the Fundrise Platform website at www.fundrise.com.
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The Fund intends to qualify each year as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. If the Fund so qualifies and distributes each year to its shareholders at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (generally including ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, but not net capital gain, which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) and meets certain other requirements, it will not be required to pay federal income taxes on any income distributed to shareholders. The Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on any net capital gain distributed to shareholders. If the Fund distributes less than an amount equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income and 98.2% of its capital gain net income, plus any amounts that were not distributed in previous taxable years, then the Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts.
If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC in any taxable year, it would be taxed as an ordinary corporation on its taxable income (even if such income were distributed to its shareholders) and all distributions out of earnings and profits would generally be taxed to certain noncorporate U.S. shareholders (including individuals) as “qualified dividend income” eligible for reduced maximum tax rates.
Distributions of the Fund’s investment company taxable income are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain designated as capital gain dividends, if any, are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains regardless of the length of time Shares have been held by such shareholders, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits will first reduce the adjusted tax basis of a shareholder’s Shares and, after such adjusted tax basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain to such shareholder (assuming such Shares are held as a capital asset).
Although distributions generally are treated as taxable in the year they are paid, distributions declared in October, November or December, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such month and paid during January of the following year will be treated as having been distributed by the Fund and received by shareholders on the December 31st prior to the date of payment. The Fund will inform shareholders of the source and tax status of all distributions promptly after the close of each calendar year. Ordinary income dividends reported by the Fund to shareholders as derived from qualified dividends from domestic corporations will qualify for the dividends-received deduction generally available to corporations. The availability of the dividends-received deduction is subject to certain holding period and debt financing restrictions imposed under the Code on the corporation claiming the deduction. Income derived by the Fund from investments in derivatives, fixed-income and foreign securities generally is not eligible for this treatment.
Current law provides for reduced federal income tax rates on (i) long-term capital gains received by individuals and certain other non-corporate taxpayers and (ii) “qualified dividend income” received by individuals and certain other non-corporate taxpayers from certain domestic and foreign corporations. Fund shareholders, as well as the Fund itself, must also satisfy certain holding period and other requirements in order for such reduced rates for “qualified dividend income” to apply. To the extent that distributions from the Fund are designated as capital gain dividends, such distributions will be eligible for the reduced rates applicable to long-term capital gains. The use of derivatives by the Fund may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of ordinary income or short-term capital gain, distributions from which are taxable to individual shareholders at ordinary income tax rates rather than at the more favorable tax rates for long-term capital gain. Foreign
shareholders, including shareholders who are non-resident aliens, may be subject to U.S. withholding tax on certain distributions (whether received in cash or in shares) at a rate of 30% or such lower rate as prescribed by an applicable treaty. Foreign shareholders must provide documentation to the Fund certifying their non-United States status. Prospective foreign investors should consult their advisers concerning the tax consequences to them of an investment in Shares of the Fund. The sale or exchange of Shares in connection with a repurchase of Shares, as well as certain other transfers, will be a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes. Except as discussed below, selling shareholders will generally recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between their adjusted tax basis in the Shares sold and the amount received. If the Shares are held as a capital asset, the gain or loss will be a capital gain or loss.
Any loss recognized upon a taxable disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received with respect to such Shares. For purposes of determining whether Shares have been held for six months or less, the holding period is suspended for any periods during which the shareholder’s risk of loss is diminished as a result of holding one or more other positions in substantially similar or related property or through certain options or short sales.
Fund distributions and gains from sale or exchange of Fund Shares generally are subject to state and local income taxes.
Any long-term or short-term capital gains realized on sale or repurchase of your Fund shares will be subject to federal income tax. Your gain or loss is calculated by subtracting from the gross proceeds your cost basis. Gross proceeds and cost basis will be reported to shareholders and the Internal Revenue Service. Cost basis will be calculated using the Fund’s default method. Shareholders should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Fund and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on their federal income tax returns. If you hold your Fund shares through a broker (or other nominee), the shareholder should contact that broker (nominee) with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their account.
A repurchase of Shares will be treated under Section 302 of the Code as a taxable distribution unless the repurchase satisfies one of the tests set forth in Section 302(b) of the Code enabling the repurchase to be treated as a sale or exchange of the repurchased Shares. A repurchase that is not treated as a sale or exchange will be taxed in the same manner as regular distributions (e.g., ordinary dividend income to the extent paid out of earnings and profits unless properly designated as a capital gain dividend), and a repurchase treated as a sale or exchange will be taxed in the same manner as other taxable sales discussed above.
The repurchase will be treated as a sale or exchange if it (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the Shareholder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the Shareholder’s interest in the Fund, or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the Shareholder, all within the meaning of Section 302(b) of the Code. In determining whether any of these tests have been met, Shares considered to be owned by the Shareholder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Code, as well as Shares actually owned, must generally be taken into account. Because the determination as to whether any of the alternative tests of Section 302(b) of the Code is satisfied with respect to any particular repurchase will depend upon the facts and circumstances as of the time the determination is made and the constructive ownership rules are complicated, prospective Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers to determine such tax treatment.
If a repurchase of Shares is treated as a distribution that is taxable as a dividend, the amount of the distribution would be measured by the amount of cash and the fair market value of the property received by the repurchasing Shareholder. In addition, although guidance is sparse, the IRS could take the position that Shareholders who do not participate in any repurchase treated as a dividend should be treated as receiving a constructive stock
distribution taxable as a dividend in the amount of the increased percentage ownership in the Fund as a result of the repurchase, even though such Shareholder did not actually receive cash or other property as a result of such repurchase. The amount of any such constructive dividend would be added to the non-repurchasing Shareholder’s basis in his or her Shares. It also is possible that under certain technical rules relating to the deduction for dividends paid, the IRS could take the position that repurchases taxed as dividends impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy the Fund’s distribution requirements under the Code.
Backup withholding rules require the Fund, in certain circumstances, to withhold federal income tax from dividends and certain other payments, including repurchase proceeds, paid to shareholders who do not furnish to the Fund their correct taxpayer identification number (in the case of individuals, their social security number) and make certain required certifications (including certifications as to foreign status, if applicable), or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), the Fund will be required to withhold a 30% tax on income dividends made by the Fund to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions or non-financial foreign entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. After December 31, 2018, FATCA withholding also would have applied to certain capital gain distributions, return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares; however, based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied upon currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). The Fund may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the Internal Revenue Service, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA or similar laws. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of the Fund fails to provide the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA. The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Shareholders and prospective investors should consult their own advisers regarding the specific federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of Shares of the Fund, as well as the effects of state, local and foreign tax laws and any proposed tax law changes. For more information, see the “Taxation” section in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Prospective investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding an investment in the Shares of the Fund in light of their own particular circumstances.
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS
Employee benefit plans and other plans subject to Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), or the Code, including corporate savings and 401(k) plans, IRAs and Keogh Plans (each, a “Plan”) may purchase Shares. ERISA, for example, imposes certain general and specific responsibilities on persons who are fiduciaries with respect to an ERISA Plan, including prudence, diversification, prohibited transactions and other standards. Because the Fund is registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act, the underlying assets of the Fund will not be considered to be “plan assets” of any Plan investing in the Fund for purposes of the fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction rules under Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code. Thus, neither the Fund or the Adviser will be a fiduciary within the meaning of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code with respect to the assets of any Plan that becomes a Shareholder, solely as a result of the Plan’s investment in the Fund.
The provisions of ERISA are subject to extensive and continuing administrative and judicial interpretation and review. The discussion of ERISA contained herein is, of necessity, general and may be affected by future publication of regulations and rulings. Potential investors should consult their legal advisers regarding the consequences under ERISA, the Code or other applicable law of an investment in the Fund through a Plan.
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE AND SHARES
The following descriptions of the Fund’s Shares, certain provisions of Delaware law and certain provisions of the LLC Agreement are summaries and are qualified by reference to Delaware law and the LLC Agreement, a copy of which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which this Prospectus is a part. Reference should be made to the LLC Agreement on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.
Shares
The Fund is a Delaware limited liability company organized on June 7, 2021 under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (“Delaware LLC Act”), issuing limited liability company interests. The limited liability company interests in the Fund will be denominated in Common Shares and, if created in the future, Preferred Shares. The LLC Agreement provides that the Fund may issue an unlimited number of Shares.
All of the Shares offered by this Registration Statement will be duly authorized and validly issued. Upon payment in full of the consideration payable with respect to the Shares, as determined by the Board, the holders of such Shares will not be liable to the Fund to make any additional capital contributions with respect to such Shares (except for the return of distributions under certain circumstances as required by Sections 18-215, 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware LLC Act). Holders of Shares have no conversion, exchange, sinking fund or appraisal rights, no pre-emptive rights to subscribe for any securities of the Fund and no preferential rights to distributions. However, holders of Shares will be eligible to participate in the Fund’s Share repurchase program, as described in “Repurchase Offers.”
The Fund expects that it will make and declare dividends, if any, on a quarterly basis, or more or less frequently as determined by the Board, in arrears. See “Distribution Policy.” Unless a Shareholder elects to participate in the Fund’s dividend reinvestment plan, any dividends and other distributions paid to the Shareholder by the Fund will not be reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund under the plan. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”
The Fund has a March 31 fiscal year end. In addition, the Fund intends to elect to be taxed as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with the Fund’s taxable year ending March 31, 2023.
Title of Class | Amount Authorized | Amount Held by Fund | Amount Outstanding |
Common Shares | Unlimited | None | 7,276,541 |
Share Classes
The Fund is currently offering one class of Shares on a continuous basis. The Fund may offer additional classes of Shares in the future. The Fund may apply for exemptive relief from the SEC that would permit the Fund to issue multiple classes of Shares; there is no assurance, however, that the relief would be granted. Until such exemptive relief is granted and the Fund registers a new Share class, the Fund will only offer one class of Shares.
Preferred Shares
Section 215I of the Delaware LLC Act specifically authorizes the creation of ownership interests of different classes of limited liability company interests, having such relative rights, powers and duties as the limited liability company agreement may provide, and may make provision for the future creation in the manner provided in the limited liability company agreement of additional classes of membership interests. In accordance with this provision, the LLC Agreement provides that the Board may, subject to the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions and the requirements of the 1940 Act, authorize and cause the Fund to
issue securities of the Fund other than Common Shares (including Preferred Shares, debt securities or other senior securities), by action of the Board without approval of Shareholders.
The Board is authorized to fix the number of Preferred Shares, the relative powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such securities as the Board sees fit. As of the date of this Prospectus, no Preferred Shares are outstanding and the Fund has no current plans to issue any Preferred Shares.
Preferred Shares could be issued with rights and preferences that would adversely affect Shareholders. Preferred Shares could also be used as an anti-takeover device. Every issuance of Preferred Shares will be required to comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act requires, among other things, that (i) immediately after issuance of Preferred Shares and before any distribution is made with respect to the Shares and before any purchase of Shares is made, the aggregate involuntary liquidation preference of such Preferred Shares together with the aggregate involuntary liquidation preference or aggregate value of all other senior securities must not exceed an amount equal to 50% of the Fund’s total assets after deducting the amount of such distribution or purchase price, as the case may be; and (ii) the holders of Preferred Shares, if any are issued, must be entitled as a class to elect two Directors at all times and to elect a majority of the Directors if distributions on such Preferred Shares are in arrears by two years or more. Certain matters under the 1940 Act require the separate vote of the holders of any issued and outstanding Preferred Shares.
Voting Rights
The Fund’s Shareholders will have voting rights only with respect to matters on which a vote of Shareholders is required by the 1940 Act, the LLC Agreement or a resolution of the Board. Each whole Share will be entitled to one vote as to any matter on which it is entitled to vote and each fractional Share will be entitled to a proportionate fractional vote. However, to the extent required by the 1940 Act or otherwise determined by the Board, classes of the Fund will vote separately from each other. The LLC Agreement provides that Shareholder action can be taken only at a meeting of Shareholders or by unanimous written consent in lieu of a meeting. Except when a larger vote is required by applicable law or any provision of the LLC Agreement, when a quorum is present at any meeting of Shareholders, a majority of the Shares shall decide any questions and a plurality of the Shares voted shall elect a Director, provided that where any provision of law or of the LLC Agreement requires that the holders of any series shall vote as a series (or that holders of a Class shall vote as a Class), then, a majority of the Shares of that series (or Class) voted on the matter (or a plurality with respect to the election of a Director) shall decide that matter insofar as that series (or Class) is concerned. There will be no cumulative voting in the election of Directors. Under the LLC Agreement, the Fund is not required to hold annual meetings of Shareholders. The Fund only expects to hold Shareholder meetings to the extent required by the 1940 Act or pursuant to special meetings called by the Board or a majority of Shareholders.
Liquidation Rights
In the event of a liquidation, termination or winding up of the Fund, whether voluntary or involuntary, the Fund will first pay or provide for payment of the Fund’s debts and other liabilities, including the liquidation preferences of any class of Preferred Shares. Thereafter, holders of the Fund’s Common Shares will share in the funds of the Fund remaining for distribution pro rata in accordance with their respective interests in the Fund.
Agreement to be Bound by the LLC Agreement; Power of Attorney; Waiver of Jury Trial
By purchasing a Share, you will be admitted as a member of the Fund and will be bound by the provisions of, and deemed to be a party to, the LLC Agreement. Shareholders should be aware that the LLC Agreement
requires that a shareholder’s right to a jury trial be waived to the fullest extent permitted by law in any litigation relating to the shareholder’s investment in the Fund. The waiver of a jury trial may limit a shareholder’s ability to litigate a claim in a manner that is more favorable to the shareholder. Other investment companies may not impose a similar limitation. A court may choose not to enforce this provision of the LLC Agreement.
Pursuant to the LLC Agreement, each Shareholder and each person who acquires a Share from a Shareholder grants to the Directors and officers of the Fund a power of attorney to, among other things, execute and file documents required for the Fund’s qualification, continuance or dissolution. The power of attorney also grants the Directors and officers of the Fund the authority to make certain amendments to, and to execute and deliver such other documents as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions or purposes of, the LLC Agreement.
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification; Indemnification and Advance of Expenses
Pursuant to the LLC Agreement, Directors and officers of the Fund will not be subject in such capacity to any personal liability to the Fund or Shareholders, unless the liability arises from bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard for the Director’s or officer’s duty.
Except as otherwise provided in the LLC Agreement, the Fund will indemnify and hold harmless any current or former Director or officer of the Fund against any liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees relating to the defense of any claim, action, suit or proceeding with which such person is involved or threatened), while and with respect to acting in the capacity of a Director or officer of the Fund, except with respect to matters in which such person did not act in good faith in the reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best interest of the Fund. In accordance with the 1940 Act, the Fund will not indemnify any Director or officer for any liability to which such person would be subject by reason of his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties of his or her position. The Fund will provide indemnification to Directors and officers prior to a final determination regarding entitlement to indemnification as described in the LLC Agreement.
Pursuant to the LLC Agreement, the Fund will advance the expenses of defending any action for which indemnification is sought if the Fund receives an undertaking by the indemnitee which provides that the indemnitee will reimburse the Fund unless it is subsequently determined that the indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification.
Amendment of the LLC Agreement
Subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act, pursuant to the LLC Agreement, the Board may amend the LLC Agreement without any vote of Shareholders.
Termination and Dissolution
The Fund will continue as a limited liability company until terminated under the LLC Agreement. The Fund will dissolve upon: (i) the election of the Board to dissolve the Fund; (ii) the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Fund’s assets; (iii) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Fund; or (iv) at any time that the Fund no longer has any Shareholders, unless the Fund’s business is continued in accordance with the Delaware LLC Act.
ANTI-TAKEOVER PROVISIONS
The LLC Agreement includes provisions that could have the effect of limiting the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund, change the composition of the Board, or convert the Fund to
open-end status. These provisions may have the effect of discouraging, delaying or preventing attempts to acquire control of the Fund, which attempts could have the effect of increasing the expenses of the Fund and interfering with the normal operation of the Fund. The Directors are elected for indefinite terms and do not stand for reelection. A Director may be removed from office with cause only by action taken by a majority of the remaining Directors (or, in the case of an Independent Director, only by action taken by a majority of the remaining Independent Directors).
The LLC Agreement authorizes the Fund to issue additional Shares or other securities of the Fund for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by the Board without the approval of the Shareholders. In particular, the Board is authorized to provide for the issuance of an unlimited amount of one or more classes or series of Shares of the Fund, including Preferred Shares, and to fix the number of shares, the relative powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions applicable to each class or series thereof by resolution authorizing the issuance of such class or series. The Fund’s ability to issue additional Shares and other securities could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control over the Fund by means of a tender offer, merger or otherwise.
The Fund is a limited liability company organized under Delaware law. Some provisions of Delaware law may delay or prevent a transaction that would cause a change in control of the Fund. Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), which restricts certain business combinations with interested shareholders in certain situations, does not apply to limited liability companies unless they elect to utilize it. The LLC Agreement does not currently elect to have Section 203 of the DGCL apply to the Fund. In general, this statute prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested shareholder for a period of three years after the date of the transaction by which that person became an interested shareholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. For purposes of Section 203, a business combination includes a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested shareholder, and an interested shareholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years prior did own, 15% or more of voting shares. The Board may elect to amend the LLC Agreement at any time to have Section 203 apply to the Fund.
The LLC Agreement provides that the Board has the exclusive power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of the LLC Agreement, unless such amendment would adversely change the rights of the Shares. Thus, the Fund’s Shareholders generally may not effect changes to the LLC Agreement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, prior to issuing more than one class of Shares of common stock or preferred stock, the Fund would need to apply for exemptive relief from the SEC that would permit the Fund to issue multiple classes of Shares, and there is no assurance that such relief would be granted. Until such exemptive relief is granted and the Fund registers a new Share class, the Fund will only offer one class of Shares.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
About the Fundrise Platform
The Fund’s Shares being offered hereby will be primarily offered and distributed by the Fund and its associated persons through the Fundrise Platform. The Fundrise Platform, which is owned and operated by Fundrise, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rise Companies, is a software communication tool used by the Fund and its associated persons, at no cost, in conducting the offer and sale of the Fund’s Shares. The Fundrise Platform consists solely of the investment platform available online at www.fundrise.com (along with the Fund’s website at www.fundrisegrowthtechfund.com) and through various mobile applications sponsored by Rise Companies, although the Fundrise Platform may expand or change over time. All associated persons of the Fund who participate in the offer and sale of the Fund’s Shares will be employees of Rise Companies or its affiliates.
Through the Fundrise Platform, Rise Companies is making alternative investing nearly effortless. We use our technology to offer institutional-quality private market assets to millions of individual investors of every size at the touch of a button.
Through software and high-leverage data, Rise Companies is collapsing the finance supply chain into a single technology-enabled system. We’ve built a software-based infrastructure that vertically integrates the alternative investment management sector. This connects the investor directly to the asset—eliminating now-unnecessary costs and intermediaries, and thereby improving return potential—and creates increasingly powerful operational efficiencies. Our proprietary technology is creating new investment solutions not possible under the antiquated institutional models. Over time, we are building a new set of rails of the private investment industry.
With over $3 billion in assets under management, Rise Companies has the scale of an institutional investor without the outdated fee structures and increasingly burdensome legacy overhead typical of yesterday’s investment business. This is the future of the financial industry.
Individuals can invest through the Fundrise Platform at low costs for what Rise Companies believes is a better, more transparent investor experience, while potentially earning attractive risk-adjusted returns from asset classes that have generally been limited to many investors or charged high commissions and premiums for access. The Fundrise Platform gives investors the ability to: (i) browse investment offerings based on investment preferences including location, asset type, risk and return profile; (ii) transact entirely online, including digital legal documentation, funds transfer, and ownership recordation; (iii) manage and track investments easily through an online portfolio; and (iv) receive automated distributions and/or interest payments, and regular financial reporting.
The offering and distribution of the Fund’s Shares (and all associated activities) will be conducted by the Fund and its associated persons in accordance with the exemption from broker registration requirements contained in Rule 3a4-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Accordingly, no person associated with the Fund will be deemed to be a broker solely by reason of his or her participation in the offer and sale of the Fund’s Shares. All associated persons of the Fund will be limited to conducting only certain “passive sales” activities in accordance with Rule 3a4-1, which include the following: (i) preparing written communications that have been approved by a principal of the Fund, or delivering such written communications in a way that does not involve oral solicitation of a potential investor (e.g., via email); (ii) responding to inquiries of a potential investor in a communication initiated by the potential investor, with responses being limited to information contained in the Registration Statement or other offering documentation; and (iii) performing ministerial and clerical work involved in effecting any transactions in this offering. No activities will occur on the Fundrise Platform without the explicit direction of the Fund or its associated persons.
The Fund will not pay Fundrise, LLC, the owner of the Fundrise Platform, any sales commissions or other remuneration for hosting this offering on the Fundrise Platform. Additionally, no associated person of the Fund will be compensated for his or her participation in this offering, either through sales commissions or other remunerations based on the offer and sale of the Fund’s Shares. This offering is being made on a “best efforts” basis.
No market currently exists for the Fund’s Shares. The Fund’s Shares are not listed and the Fund does not currently intend to list its Shares for trading on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not anticipate that any secondary market will develop for its Shares. Neither the Adviser nor the Fund intends to make a market in the Fund’s Shares.
How to Purchase Shares
This Prospectus and supplements hereto will be furnished to prospective investors upon their request via electronic PDF format and will be available for viewing and download 24 hours per day, 7 days per week on the Fund’s website at www.fundrisegrowthtechfund.com, as well as on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Investors seeking to purchase the Fund’s Shares should proceed as follows:
| ● | Read this entire Registration Statement and any supplements accompanying this Registration Statement. |
| ● | Electronically complete, execute and deliver a copy of the subscription agreement, which is available on www.fundrise.com (or the Fund’s website at www.fundrisegrowthtechfund.com). |
| ● | Electronically provide ACH instructions to the Fund for the full purchase price of the Fund’s Shares being subscribed for; note, however, for subscriptions in excess of $125,000, the Fund will require that the purchase price of the Fund’s Shares be provided via bank wire. |
A purchase of Shares will be made at the NAV per share next determined following receipt of a purchase order in good order by the Fund if received at a time when the Fund is open to new investments. A purchase order is in “good order” when the Fund receives all required information, including properly completed and signed documents, and the purchase order is approved by the Fund. Once the Fund accepts a purchase order, you may not cancel or revoke it.
By executing the subscription agreement and paying the total purchase price for the Fund’s Shares subscribed for, each investor agrees to accept and fully comply with the terms of the subscription agreement. Subscriptions will be binding upon investors but will be effective only upon the Fund’s acceptance of the subscribing investor as a member of the Fund, which will be based on the Fund’s determination that the investor satisfies all of the terms and conditions of the subscription agreement. Prospective investors should carefully read the subscription agreement before purchasing Shares of the Fund. The Fund reserves the right to reject any subscription in whole or in part or pause accepting new subscriptions.
The Fund will not draw funds from any subscriber until your subscription is accepted. If the Fund accepts your subscription, the Fund will email you a confirmation.
If the offering terminates or if any prospective investor’s subscription is rejected, all funds received from such investors will be returned without interest or deduction. To the extent that the funds are not ultimately received by the Fund or are subsequently withdrawn by the subscriber, whether due to an ACH chargeback or otherwise, the subscription agreement will be considered terminated, and the subscriber will not be entitled to any Shares subscribed for or dividends that may have accrued.
The Fund reserves the right to reject any initial or additional investment and to suspend the offering of Shares.
Transactions Through Your Financial Intermediary
Shareholders may invest in the Fund through a financial intermediary. Your financial intermediary is responsible for ensuring that your order is made in accordance with the subscription procedures described above under “How to Purchase Shares.” Purchase through a financial intermediary does not affect these subscription procedures.
Financial intermediaries may charge fees for the services they provide to you in connection with processing your transaction order or maintaining your account with them. Each financial intermediary may also have its own rules about minimum initial investment amounts, minimum account balances, share transactions and limits on the number of share transactions you are permitted to make in a given time period. The Fund has the discretion to modify or waive these requirements. For more information about your financial intermediary’s rules and procedures, you should contact your financial intermediary directly.
Financial intermediaries currently may only purchase Fund Shares through the Fundrise Platform. In the future, the Fund may allow financial intermediaries to purchase Fund Shares through other distribution arrangements, subject to applicable laws.
Minimum Purchase Requirements
The minimum initial investment for Shares of the Fund is $1,000. There is no minimum investment requirement on additional purchases after you have purchased a minimum of $1,000. In certain instances, the Fund may revise the minimum purchase requirement in the future or elect to waive the minimum purchase requirement, such as for individuals who participate in different plans established by the Adviser. In addition, in order to help protect the Fund from the risk of chargebacks, the Fund intends to require that any subscription in excess of $125,000 of the Fund’s Shares be funded through a bank wire transfer and not an ACH electronic fund transfer.
Certificates Will Not be Issued
The Fund will not issue certificates. Instead, the Fund’s Shares will be recorded and maintained on the Fund’s membership register.
Transfer Restrictions
There is no public market for the Shares and none is expected to develop. The Fund does not list its Shares on a stock exchange or similar market. Shares are transferable only in limited circumstances as described below, and liquidity for investments in Shares may be provided only through tender offers by the Fund. If a shareholder attempts to transfer Shares in violation of the Fund’s transfer restrictions, the transfer will not be permitted and will be void. An investment in the Fund is therefore suitable only for investors that can bear the risks associated with the limited liquidity of Shares and should be viewed as a long-term investment.
Except as otherwise described below, no person may become a substituted shareholder without the written consent of the Fund. Shares held by a shareholder may be transferred (including any pledge or assignment of shares) only:
| ● | by operation of law as a result of the death, divorce, bankruptcy, insolvency, adjudicated incompetence, dissolution, merger, reorganization or termination of the shareholder; or |
| ● | with the written consent of the Fund, which may be withheld in the sole discretion of the Adviser, the Board or their delegate. |
Notice to the Fund of any proposed transfer of Shares must include evidence satisfactory to the Fund that the proposed transferee meets any requirements imposed by the Fund with respect to investor eligibility and suitability. Notice of a proposed transfer of Shares must also be accompanied by a properly completed subscription agreement in respect of the proposed transferee. A shareholder transferring Shares may be charged reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ and accountants’ fees, incurred by the Fund in connection with the transfer. In connection with any request to transfer Shares, the Fund may require the shareholder requesting the transfer to obtain, at the shareholder’s expense, an opinion of counsel selected by the Fund as to such matters as the Fund may reasonably request.
The Fund reserves the right to revise the transfer restrictions on Shares at any time.
In subscribing for Shares, a shareholder agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Fund, the Board, the Adviser, and each other shareholder and any of their respective affiliates against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including legal or other expenses incurred in investigating or defending against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses or any judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement), joint or several, to which those persons may become subject by reason of or arising from any transfer made by that shareholder in violation of the Declaration of Trust, Bylaws or policies adopted by the Board or any misrepresentation made by that shareholder or a substituted shareholder in connection with any such transfer.
No Escrow
The proceeds of the offering of the Fund’s Shares will not be placed into an escrow account.
Advertising, Sales and other Promotional Materials
In addition to this Registration Statement, subject to limitations imposed by applicable laws and regulations, the Fund expects to use additional advertising, sales and other promotional materials in connection with the continuous offering of Shares. These materials may include (1) information relating to this Registration Statement, the past performance of Rise Companies and its affiliates, articles and public advertisements, and audio-visual materials and (2) certain quotes from various publications without obtaining the consent of the author or the publication for use of the quoted material in the sales material, in each case only as authorized by the Fund and subject to limitations imposed by applicable laws and regulations. Although these materials will not contain information in conflict with the information provided by this Registration Statement and will be prepared with a view to presenting a balanced discussion of risk and reward with respect to the Fund’s Shares, these materials will not give a complete understanding of the continuous offering of Shares, the Fund or the Fund’s Shares and are not to be considered part of this Registration Statement. The continuous offering of the Fund’s Shares is made only by means of this Registration Statement and prospective investors must read and rely on the information provided in this Registration Statement in connection with their decision to invest in the Fund’s Shares.
Residents of the State of Washington
For investors and potential investors who are residents of the State of Washington, please send all correspondence, including any questions or comments, to washingtonstate@fundrise.com.
Customer Identification Program
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires certain financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person’s name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, the Fund may seek to obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:
| ● | a citizen or resident of the Unites States; |
| ● | Date of Birth (for individuals); |
| ● | Residential or business street address (although post office boxes are still permitted for mailing); and |
| ● | Social Security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying information. |
You may also be asked for a copy of your driver’s license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify your identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify your identity by cross-referencing your identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities. If you are opening the account in the name of a legal entity (e.g., partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, etc.), you may be asked to supply the identity of the beneficial owners.
Federal law prohibits certain financial institutions from opening a new account on behalf of a natural person unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above. After an account is opened, the Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional Shares until your identity is verified. The Fund may close your account or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time. The Fund and its agents will not be responsible for any loss in an investor’s account resulting from the investor’s delay in providing any and all requested identifying information or from closing an account and repurchasing an investor’s Shares when an investor’s identity is not verified.
In addition, the Fund may be required to “freeze” your account if there appears to be suspicious activity or if account information matches information on a government list of known terrorists or other suspicious persons.
Fund Closings
The Fund may close at any time to new investments and, during such closings, only the reinvestment of dividends by existing Shareholders will be permitted. The Fund may re-open to new investment and subsequently close again to new investment at any time at the discretion of the Adviser. Any such opening and closing of the Fund will be disclosed to investors via a supplement to this Prospectus.
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
Shareholders may opt to receive the Fund’s audited annual reports and unaudited semi-annual reports, including a list of investments held, electronically through the Fundrise Platform. For Shareholders who have not opted to receive such reports through the Fundrise Platform, the Fund will send to such Shareholders the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports. In an effort to decrease costs, the Fund intends to reduce the number of duplicate annual and semi-annual reports by sending only one copy of each to those addresses shared by two or more accounts and to Shareholders reasonably believed to be from the same family or household. Once implemented, a Shareholder must contact the Fund to discontinue householding and request individual copies of these documents by www.fundrise.com (or the Fund’s website at www.fundrisegrowthtechfund.com). Once the Fund receives notice to stop householding, individual copies will be sent beginning thirty days after receiving your request. This policy does not apply to account statements.
ADMINISTRATOR
Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services) (“Apex”), provides certain administration and portfolio accounting services to the Fund. Apex is located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 600, Portland, Maine 04101.
CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT
Computershare, Inc.. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (together with Computershare, Inc., “Computershare”), which has its principal office at 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, serves as the Fund’s transfer agent.
Millennium Trust Company, LLC (“Millennium”), which has its principal office at Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523, serves as the Fund’s custodian for the securities and cash of the Fund’s portfolio. Under the Custodian Agreement between the Fund and Millennium, Millennium holds the Fund’s assets in safekeeping and keeps all necessary records and documents relating to its duties. While the Fund intends to utilize the services of a custodian upon launch of the Fund, the Fund may decide in the future to self-custody its assets, including securities, cash and other assets. In the event that the Fund elects to self-custody assets in the future, the Fund will do so in accordance with the requirements of Rule 17f-2 under the 1940 Act.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
KPMG LLP is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund and performs annual audits of the Fund’s financial statements. KPMG LLP is located at 8350 Broad Street, Suite 900, McLean, VA 22101.
LEGAL COUNSEL
Ropes & Gray, LLP, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02199, serves as the Fund’s legal counsel.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This Prospectus and the SAI do not contain all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement that the Fund has filed with the SEC (file No. 333-257157). The complete Registration Statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be obtained from the SEC at www.sec.gov. See the cover page of this Prospectus for information about how to obtain a paper copy of this Prospectus or the SAI without charge.
Statements contained in this Prospectus and the SAI as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract
or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.
Inquiries concerning the Fund and the Shares should be directed by mail to the Fund at Fundrise Growth Tech Fund, LLC, Attn: Investor Relations, 11 Dupont Circle NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, by calling (202) 584-0550, or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.fundrisegrowthtechfund.com.
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