UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

(Mark One)

 

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

 

OR

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Commission File Number 814-00710

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Maryland   46-3516073
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
     

800 Turnpike Street

Suite 300

North Andover, Massachusetts

  01845
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (978) 794-3366

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class   Trading Symbol(s)   Name of each exchange on which
registered
None   None   None

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

Common Stock, par value $.001 per share

 

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No

 

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one.)

 

Large accelerated filer Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer Smaller reporting company
    Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

 

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.

 

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No

 

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was approximately $1,300,451 based on the closing price of $0.260 per share on the Over the Counter Pink Market on June 30, 2023, the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

 

As of March 29, 2024, there were 120,486,061 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value, issued and outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Certain exhibits previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission are incorporated by reference into Part IV of this report.

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
PART I
 
Item 1. BUSINESS 1
Item 1A. RISK FACTORS 9
Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS 18
Item 1C. CYBERSECURITY 18
Item 2. PROPERTIES 19
Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 19
Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES 19
   
PART II
 
Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDERS MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES 20
Item 6. [Reserved] 23
Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 23
Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 33
Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA F-1
Item 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE 34
Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 34
Item 9B. OTHER INFORMATION 34
Item 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS 34
   
PART III
 
Item 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 35
Item 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 38
Item 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS 39
Item 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE 40
Item 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES 42
   
PART IV
 
Item 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES 44
   
SIGNATURES 45

 

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PART I

 

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, except as otherwise indicated, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” refer to Princeton Capital Corporation and “House Hanover” refers to our investment adviser House Hanover, LLC. Some of the statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K constitute forward-looking statements, which relate to future events, future performance or financial condition. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including those factors discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the report.

 

Item 1. BUSINESS

 

Overview and Background

 

Princeton Capital Corporation’s predecessor was initially incorporated in Florida in 1959 as Electro-Mechanical Services, Inc. In 1998, it changed its name from Electro-Mechanical Services, Inc. to Regal One Corporation (“Regal One”). In 2005, the then board of directors of Regal One determined it would be in the best interest of shareholders to change the focus of Regal One’s operations to providing financial services through a network of advisors and professionals.

 

On July 14, 2014, Regal One, the Company (then a wholly-owned subsidiary of Regal One), Capital Point Partners, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“CPP”), and Capital Point Partners II, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“CPPII” and, together with CPP, the “Partnerships”), entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) pursuant to which we would acquire certain equity and debt investments of the Partnerships in exchange for shares of common stock. In addition to the customary conditions to closing the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement, Regal One was required to (i) effect a reverse stock split of its then outstanding common stock at a ratio of 1-for-2, (ii) reincorporate from Florida to Maryland by merging with and into the Company with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation (the “Reincorporation”) and (iii) become an externally managed business development company (“BDC”) by entering into an external investment advisory agreement with Princeton Investment Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

 

On March 13, 2015, following the reverse stock split and the Reincorporation, we completed our acquisition in the approximate amounts of $11.2 million in cash, $43.5 million in equity & debt investments, and $1.9 million in restricted cash escrow deposits of the Partnerships with an aggregate value of approximately $56.6 million and issued approximately 115.5 million shares of our common stock to the Partnerships. The shares issued were based on a pre-valuation presumed fair value of $60.9 million.

 

On December 27, 2017, following the resignation of our former President, Chief Executive Officer, and director of the Company, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) approved (specifically in accordance with Rule 15a-4(b)(1)(ii) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act” or “1940 Act”)) and authorized the Company to enter into an Interim Investment Advisory Agreement between the Company and House Hanover, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“House Hanover”) (the “Interim Investment Advisory Agreement”), in accordance with Rule 15a-4 of the Investment Company Act. The effective date of the Interim Investment Advisory Agreement was January 1, 2018.

 

On April 5, 2018, the Board, including a majority of the independent directors, conditionally approved the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Company and House Hanover (the “House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement”) subject to the approval of the Company’s stockholders at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement replaced the Interim Investment Advisory Agreement. On May 30, 2018, the Company’s stockholders approved the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement. The effective date of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement was May 31, 2018. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement was last annually renewed by the Board and by a majority of the members of the Board who are not parties to the House Hanover Investment Adivsory Agreement or “interested persons” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party, in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement on May 15, 2023.

 

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Since January 1, 2018, House Hanover has acted as our investment advisor under the Interim Investment Advisory Agreement (from January 1, 2018 until May 31, 2018) and the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement (since May 31, 2018).

 

The full text of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement is attached as Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 8-K filed on March 31, 2018 and incorporated by reference therein. A summary of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement is set forth herein.

 

On November 15, 2019, our Board announced that the Company has initiated a strategic review process to identify, examine, and consider a range of strategic alternatives available to the Company, including but not limited to, (i) selling the Company’s assets to a business development company or other potential buyer, (ii) merging with another business development company, (iii) liquidating the Company’s assets in accordance with a plan of liquidation, (iv) raising additional funds for the Company, or (v) otherwise entering into another business combination, with the objective of maximizing stockholder value. As of December 31, 2023 and through the date of filing this Annual Report, the Company has not entered into any agreements regarding any strategic alternative and the strategic process remains ongoing.

 

The following discussion describes the Company as of December 31, 2023 as it relates to the financial statements covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K and as of the latest practicable date for other information about the Company.

 

General

 

We are an externally managed, non-diversified, closed-end investment company that has elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. While we have sought to invest primarily in private small and lower middle-market companies in various industries through first lien loans, second lien loans, unsecured loans, unitranche and mezzanine debt financing, often times with a corresponding equity investment, we are now (with a strategic alternatives process underway and limited resources) investing only in current investments and otherwise conserving cash. Our investment objective is to maximize the total return to our stockholders in the form of current income and capital appreciation through debt and related equity investments in private small and lower middle-market companies. Since January 1, 2018, we have been managed by House Hanover, LLC, who also provides some of the administrative services necessary for us to operate.

 

As a BDC, we must not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” specified in the 1940 Act unless, at the time the acquisition is made, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets (with certain limited exceptions). Qualifying assets include investments in “eligible portfolio companies.” Under the relevant Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules, the term “eligible portfolio company” includes all private companies, companies whose securities are not listed on a national securities exchange, and certain public companies that have listed their securities on a national securities exchange and have a market capitalization of less than $250 million, in each case organized in the United States.

 

Our investment objective is to maximize the total return to our stockholders in the form of current income and capital appreciation by:

 

  accessing the extensive origination channels that have been developed and established by our investment advisor that include long-standing relationships with private equity firms, commercial banks, investment banks and other financial services firms;

 

  investing in what we believe to be companies with strong business fundamentals, generally within our core small and lower middle-market company focus;

 

 

focusing on a variety of industry sectors, including business services, energy, general industrial, government services, healthcare, software and specialty finance;

     
   directly originating transactions rather than participating in broadly syndicated financings;

 

  applying the disciplined underwriting standards that our investment advisor has developed over their extensive investing careers; and

 

  capitalizing upon the experience and resources of our investment advisor to monitor our investments.

 

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As a BDC, we are required to comply with regulatory requirements, including limitations on our use of debt. We are permitted to, and expect to continue to, finance our investments through borrowings. However, as a BDC, we are only generally allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after such borrowing. The amount of leverage that we employ will depend on our assessment of market conditions and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing, such as the maturity, covenant package and rate structure of the proposed borrowings, our ability to raise funds through the issuance of our securities and the risks of such borrowings within the context of our investment outlook. Ultimately, we only intend to use leverage if the expected returns from borrowing to make investments will exceed the cost of such borrowings.

 

The Company will be taxed as a C corporation and subject to federal and state corporation income taxes for its 2023 and 2022 taxable years.

 

Our principal executive office is located at 800 Turnpike Street, Suite 300, North Andover, Massachusetts 01845, and our telephone number is (978) 794-3366. We maintain a website on the Internet at www.princetoncapitalcorp.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report on Form 10-K and you should not consider information contained on our website to be part of this annual report on Form 10-K.

 

House Hanover

 

Since January 1, 2018, House Hanover manages our investment activities and is responsible for analyzing investment opportunities, conducting research and performing due diligence on potential investments, negotiating and structuring our investments, originating prospective investments and monitoring our investments and portfolio companies on an ongoing basis. House Hanover is a registered investment adviser and is wholly owned by Sema4, Inc.

 

House Hanover is headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts.

 

Managerial Assistance

 

As a BDC, we offer, and must provide upon request, managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. This assistance could involve monitoring the operations of our portfolio companies, participating in board of directors and management meetings, consulting with and advising officers of portfolio companies and providing other organizational and financial guidance. House Hanover will provide such managerial assistance on our behalf to portfolio companies that request this assistance. We may receive fees for these services and will reimburse House Hanover for its allocated costs in providing such assistance, subject to the review by our board of directors, including our independent directors. 

 

Competition

 

Our primary competitors in providing financing to small and lower middle-market companies include public and private funds, other BDC’s, commercial and investment banks, commercial financing companies and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity and hedge funds. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC or to the distribution and other requirements we must satisfy to qualify as a regulated investment company or “RIC”. The Company did not meet the qualifications of a RIC for the 2023 tax year and will be taxed as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”). It may not be in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders to elect to be taxed as a RIC at the present time due to the net operating losses and capital loss carryforwards the Company currently has. Further, we do not expect to meet the qualifications of a RIC until such time as certain strategic alternatives are achieved. Management will make a determination that is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

 

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Employees

 

We do not have any direct employees, and our day-to-day investment operations are managed by House Hanover. We have a chief executive officer and president, chief financial officer and chief compliance officer. To the extent necessary, our board of directors may hire additional personnel going forward. Our officers are employees or consultants of our investment advisor and our allocable portion of the cost of our chief executive officer and president, chief financial officer and chief compliance officer and their respective staffs is paid by us pursuant to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement.

 

Management Agreements

 

Effective as of January 1, 2018, House Hanover serves as our investment advisor and is registered as an investment advisor under the 1940 Act.

 

Summary of House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement

 

Advisory Services

 

House Hanover is registered as an investment adviser under the 1940 Act and serves as the Company’s investment advisor pursuant to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement in accordance with the 1940 Act. House Hanover is owned by and an affiliate of Mr. Mark DiSalvo, the Company’s Interim President, Interim Chief Executive Officer, and a director of the Company. 

 

Subject to supervision by the Company’s Board, House Hanover oversees the Company’s day-to-day operations and provides the Company with investment advisory services. Under the terms of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, House Hanover, among other things: (i) determines the composition and allocation of the portfolio of the Company, the nature and timing of the changes therein and the manner of implementing such changes; (ii) identifies, evaluates and negotiates the structure of the investments made by the Company; (iii) executes, closes, services and monitors the Company’s investments; (iv) determines the securities and other assets that the Company shall purchase, retain, or sell; (v) performs due diligence on prospective portfolio companies; (vi) provides the Company with such other investment advisory, research and related services as the Company may, from time to time, reasonably require for the investment of its funds; and (vii) if directed by the Board, assists in the execution and closing of the sale of the Company’s assets or a sale of the equity of the Company in one or more transactions. House Hanover’s services under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement may not be exclusive and it is free to furnish similar services to other entities so long as its services to the Company are not impaired. At the request of the Company, House Hanover, upon any transition of the Company’s investment advisory relationship to another investment advisor or upon any internalization, shall provide reasonable transition assistance to the Company and any successor investment advisor.

 

Advisory Fee

 

Pursuant to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, the Company pays House Hanover a base management fee for investment advisory and management services. The cost of the base management fee is ultimately borne by the Company’s stockholders. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement does not contain an incentive fee component.

 

The base management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1.00% of the Company’s gross assets, including assets purchased with borrowed funds or other forms of leverage and excluding cash and cash equivalents net of all indebtedness of the Company for borrowed money and other liabilities of the Company. The base management fee is payable quarterly in arrears, and determined as set forth in the preceding sentence at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. The Board may retroactively adjust the valuation of the Company’s assets and the resulting calculation of the base management fee in the event the Company or any of its assets are sold or transferred to an independent third party or the Company or House Hanover receives an audit report or other independent third party valuation of the Company. To the extent that any such adjustment increases or decreases the base management fee of any prior period, the Company will be obligated to pay the amount of increase to House Hanover or House Hanover will be obligated to refund the decreased amount, as applicable.

 

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Payment of Expenses

 

House Hanover bears all compensation expense (including health insurance, pension benefits, payroll taxes and other compensation related matters) of its employees and consultants and bears the costs of any salaries or directors’ fees of any officers or directors of the Company who are affiliated persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of House Hanover. However, House Hanover, subject to approval by the Board of the Company, is entitled to reimbursement for the portion of any compensation expense and the costs of any salaries of any such employees to the extent attributable to services performed by such employees for the Company. During the term of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, House Hanover will also bear all of its costs and expenses for office space rental, office equipment, utilities and other non-compensation related overhead allocable to performance of its obligations under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement.

 

Except as provided in the preceding paragraph the Company reimburses House Hanover all direct and indirect costs and expenses incurred by it during the term of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement for: (i) due diligence of potential investments of the Company, (ii) monitoring performance of the Company’s investments, (iii) serving as officers of the Company, (iv) serving as directors and officers of portfolio companies of the Company, (v) providing managerial assistance to portfolio companies of the Company, and (vi) enforcing the Company’s rights in respect of its investments and disposing of its investments; provided, however, that, any third party expenses incurred by House Hanover in excess of $50,000 in the aggregate in any calendar quarter will require advance approval by the Board of the Company.

 

In addition to the foregoing, the Company will also be responsible for the payment of all of the Company’s other expenses, including the payment of the following fees and expenses:

 

organizational and offering expenses;

 

expenses incurred in valuing the Company’s assets and computing its net asset value per share (including the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm);

 

subject to the guidelines approved by the Board, expenses incurred by House Hanover that are payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisors, in monitoring financial and legal affairs for the Company and in monitoring the Company’s investments and performing due diligence on the Company’s prospective portfolio companies or otherwise related to, or associated with, evaluating and making investments;

 

interest payable on debt, if any, incurred to finance the Company’s investments and expenses related to unsuccessful portfolio acquisition efforts;

 

offerings of the Company’s common stock and other securities;

 

administration fees;

 

transfer agent and custody fees and expenses;

 

U.S. federal and state registration fees of the Company (but not House Hanover);

 

all costs of registration and listing the Company’s shares on any securities exchange;

 

U.S. federal, state and local taxes;

 

independent directors’ fees and expenses;

 

costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents required of the Company (but not House Hanover) by the SEC or other regulators;

 

costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to stockholders, including printing costs;

 

the costs associated with individual or group stockholders;

 

the Company’s allocable portion of the fidelity bond, directors and officers/errors and omissions liability insurance, and any other insurance premiums;

 

direct costs and expenses of administration and operation of the Company, including printing, mailing, long distance telephone, copying, secretarial and other staff, independent auditors and outside legal costs; and

 

all other non-investment advisory expenses incurred by the Company in connection with administering the Company’s business.

 

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Duration and Termination

 

Unless terminated earlier as described below, the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement will continue in effect for a period of one (1) year from its effective date. It will remain in effect from year to year thereafter if approved annually by the Company’s Board or by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Company’s outstanding voting securities, and, in either case, if also approved by a majority of Company’s directors who are neither parties to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement nor “interested persons” (as defined under the 1940 Act) of any such party. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement was last annually renewed by the Board and by a majority of the members of the Board who are not parties to the House Hanover Investment Adivsory Agreement or “interested persons” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party on May 15, 2023.

 

The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, (i) upon written notice, effective on the date set forth in such notice, by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company or by the vote of the Company’s directors, or (ii) upon 60 days’ written notice, by House Hanover. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement automatically terminates in the event of its “assignment,” as defined in the 1940 Act.

 

Indemnification

 

The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement provides that, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of their duties, or by reason of the material breach or reckless disregard of their duties and obligations under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, House Hanover and its officers, managers, employees and members are entitled to indemnification from the Company for any damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) arising from the rendering of House Hanover’s services under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement or otherwise as the Company’s investment advisor. The amounts payable for indemnification will be calculated net of payments recovered by the indemnified party under any insurance policy with respect to such losses.

 

At all times during the term of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement and for one year thereafter, House Hanover is obligated to maintain directors and officers/errors and omission liability insurance in an amount and with a provider reasonably acceptable to the Board of the Company.

 

Regulation as a BDC

 

We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. On an annual basis and in general, BDCs intend to elect to be treated for tax purposes as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. However, we did not meet the qualifications of a RIC for the 2023 tax year and will be taxed as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Code. Further, we do not expect to meet the qualifications of a RIC until such time as certain strategic alternatives are achieved. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDC’s and their affiliates (including any investment advisors), principal underwriters and affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters and requires that a majority of the directors be persons other than “interested persons,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. In addition, the 1940 Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by a majority of our outstanding voting securities.

 

We may invest up to 100% of our assets in securities acquired directly from issuers in privately negotiated transactions. With respect to such securities, we may, for the purpose of public resale, be deemed an “underwriter” as that term is defined in the Securities Act. Our intention is to not write (sell) or buy put or call options to manage risks associated with the publicly traded securities of our portfolio companies, except that we may enter into hedging transactions to manage the risks associated with interest rate fluctuations. However, we may purchase or otherwise receive warrants to purchase the common stock of our portfolio companies in connection with acquisition financing or other investments. Similarly, in connection with an acquisition, we may acquire rights to require the issuers of acquired securities or their affiliates to repurchase them under certain circumstances. We also do not intend to acquire securities issued by any investment company that exceed the limits imposed by the 1940 Act. Under these limits, we generally cannot acquire more than 3% of the voting stock of any registered investment company, invest more than 5% of the value of our total assets in the securities of one investment company or invest more than 10% of the value of our total assets in the securities of more than one investment company. With regard to that portion of our portfolio invested in securities issued by investment companies, it should be noted that such investments might subject our stockholders to additional expenses. None of these policies is fundamental and may be changed without stockholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to stockholders. 

 

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Qualifying Assets

 

Under the 1940 Act, a BDC may not acquire any asset other than assets of the type listed in section 55(a) of the 1940 Act, which are referred to as “qualifying assets,” unless, at the time the acquisition is made, qualifying assets represent at least 70% of the company’s total assets. The principal categories of qualifying assets relevant to our business are the following:

 

(1)   Securities purchased in transactions not involving any public offering from the issuer of such securities, which issuer (subject to certain limited exceptions) is an eligible portfolio company, or from any person who is, or has been during the preceding 13 months, an affiliated person of an eligible portfolio company, or from any other person, subject to such rules as may be prescribed by the SEC. Under the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder, “eligible portfolio companies” include (1) private domestic operating companies, (2) public domestic operating companies whose securities are not listed on a national securities exchange (e.g., the New York Stock Exchange) or registered under the Exchange Act, and (3) public domestic operating companies having a market capitalization of less than $250 million. Public domestic operating companies whose securities are quoted on the over-the-counter bulletin board (OTCBB) or through OTC Markets Group (including the Pink Market) are not listed on a national securities exchange and therefore are eligible portfolio companies.

 

(2)   Securities of any eligible portfolio company which we control.

 

(3)   Securities purchased in a private transaction from a U.S. issuer that is not an investment company or from a person who is or has been, within the past 13 months, an affiliated person of the issuer, or in transactions incident to such a private transaction, if the issuer is in bankruptcy and subject to reorganization or if the issuer, immediately prior to the purchase of its securities, was unable to meet its obligations as they came due without material assistance other than conventional lending or financing arrangements.

 

(4)   Securities of an eligible portfolio company purchased from any person in a private transaction if there is no ready market for such securities and we already own 60% of the outstanding equity of the eligible portfolio company.

 

(5)   Securities received in exchange for or distributed on or with respect to securities described above, or pursuant to the exercise of warrants or rights relating to such securities.

 

(6)   Cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities or high-quality debt securities that mature in one year or less from the date of investment.

 

The regulations defining qualifying assets may change over time. We may adjust our investment focus as needed to comply with and/or take advantage of any regulatory, legislative, administrative or judicial actions in this area.

  

Managerial Assistance to Portfolio Companies

  

In order to count portfolio securities as qualifying assets for the purpose of the 70% test, a BDC must either control the issuer of the securities or must offer to make available to the issuer of the securities significant managerial assistance. However, when the BDC purchases securities in conjunction with one or more other persons acting together, one of the other persons in the group may make available such managerial assistance. Making available managerial assistance means any arrangement whereby the BDC, through its directors, officers, employees or agents, offers to provide, and, if accepted, does so provide, significant guidance and counsel concerning the management, operations or business objectives and policies of a portfolio company. House Hanover will provide such managerial assistance on our behalf to portfolio companies that request this assistance.

 

Temporary Investments

 

Pending investment in other types of qualifying assets, as described above, our investments may consist of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements and high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less from the date of investment, which we refer to, collectively, as temporary investments, so that 70% of our assets are qualifying assets or temporary investments. We may invest in U.S. Treasury bills or in repurchase agreements, so long as the agreements are fully collateralized by cash or securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies. A repurchase agreement involves the purchase by an investor, such as us, of a specified security and the simultaneous agreement by the seller to repurchase it at an agreed-upon future date and at a price that is greater than the purchase price by an amount that reflects an agreed-upon interest rate. There is no percentage restriction on the proportion of our assets that may be invested in such repurchase agreements. However, if more than 25% of our total assets constitute repurchase agreements from a single counterparty, we would not meet the Diversification Tests in order to qualify as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, we do not intend to enter into repurchase agreements with a single counterparty in excess of this limit.

 

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Senior Securities

 

We are permitted, under specified conditions, to issue multiple classes of indebtedness and one class of stock senior to our common stock if our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at least equal to 200% immediately after each such issuance. In addition, while any senior securities remain outstanding, we must make provisions to prohibit any distribution to our stockholders or the repurchase of such securities or shares unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of the distribution or repurchase. We may also borrow amounts up to 5% of the value of our total assets for temporary or emergency purposes without regard to asset coverage. A loan will be considered temporary if it is repaid within sixty days and is not extended or renewed.

 

Common Stock

 

We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell our common stock at a price below the current net asset value of the common stock if our board of directors determines that such sale is in our best interests and that of our stockholders, and our stockholders approve such sale. In any such case, the price at which our securities are to be issued and sold may not be less than a price which, in the determination of our board of directors, closely approximates the market value of such securities (less any distributing commission or discount).

 

Other

 

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

 

House Hanover and the Company will each be required to adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of relevant federal securities laws, review these policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation, and designate a chief compliance officer to be responsible for administering the policies and procedures.

 

We may also be prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly participating in certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of our board of directors who are not interested persons and, in some cases, prior approval by the SEC. The SEC has interpreted the BDC prohibition on transactions with affiliates to prohibit all “joint transactions” between, among other things, entities that share a common investment advisor. The staff of the SEC has granted no-action relief permitting purchases of a single class of privately placed securities provided that the advisor negotiates no term other than price and certain other conditions are met.

 

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act imposes a wide variety of regulatory requirements on publicly held companies and their insiders. Many of these requirements affect us. For example:

 

  pursuant to Rule 13a-14 under the Exchange Act, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer must certify the accuracy of the financial statements contained in our periodic reports;

 

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

 

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  pursuant to Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, our management must prepare an annual report regarding its assessment of our internal control over financial reporting; and

 

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

 

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires us to review our current policies and procedures to determine whether we comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the regulations promulgated under such act. We will continue to monitor our compliance with all regulations that are adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and will take actions necessary to ensure that we are in compliance with that act.

 

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

 

Investing in our securities involves a number of significant risks. Before you invest in our securities, you should be aware of various risks, including those described below. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this annual report on Form 10-K, before you decide whether to make an investment in our securities. The risks set out below are the principal risks with respect to an investment in our securities generally and with respect to a BDC with investment objectives, investment policies, capital structures or trading markets similar to ours. However, they may not be the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or not presently deemed material by us may also impair our operations and performance. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, our net asset value and the trading price of our securities could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

 

Risks Relating to our Business and Structure

 

There are significant potential conflicts of interest that could negatively affect our investment returns.

 

The investment professionals of House Hanover serve, or may serve, as officers, directors, members, or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment funds, accounts, or investment vehicles managed by House Hanover. Similarly, House Hanover may have other clients with similar, different or competing investment objectives. In serving in these multiple capacities, they may have obligations to other clients or investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in the best interests of us or our stockholders.

 

The management fee structure we have with House Hanover may create incentives that are not fully aligned with the interests of our stockholders.

 

In the course of our investing activities, we will pay management fees to House Hanover. We have entered into an investment advisory agreement with House Hanover that provides that these fees will be based on the value of our net assets. As a result, investors in our common stock will invest on a gross basis and receive distributions on a net basis after expenses, resulting in a lower rate of return than one might achieve through direct investments.

 

Our board of directors is charged with protecting our interests by monitoring how House Hanover addresses these and other conflicts of interests associated with its management services and compensation. While our board of directors is not expected to review or approve each investment decision, borrowing or incurrence of leverage, our independent directors will periodically review House Hanover’s services and fees as well as its portfolio management decisions and performance of our portfolio. In connection with these reviews, our independent directors will consider whether our fees and expenses (including those related to leverage) remain appropriate. As a result of this arrangement, House Hanover may from time to time have interests that differ from those of our stockholders, giving rise to a conflict.

 

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The involvement of our interested directors in the valuation process may create conflicts of interest.

 

We expect to make many of our portfolio investments in the form of loans and securities that are not publicly traded and for which no market based price quotation is available. As a result, our board of directors will determine the fair value of these loans and securities in good faith as described below in “— Our portfolio investments will be recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors and, as a result, there may be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.” In connection with that determination, investment professionals from House Hanover may provide our board of directors with valuations based upon the most recent portfolio company financial statements available and projected financial results of each portfolio company. While the valuation for most portfolio investments will be prepared quarterly by an independent valuation firm with the assistance of the Company’s Valuation Committee, the ultimate determination of fair value will be made by our board of directors, including our interested directors, and not by such third-party valuation firm. In addition, Mr. Mark DiSalvo, an interested member of our board of directors, has a direct pecuniary interest in House Hanover. The participation of House Hanover’s investment professionals in our valuation process, and the pecuniary interest in House Hanover by a member of our board of directors, could result in a conflict of interest as House Hanover’s management fee is based, in part, on the value of our gross assets.

 

The time and resources that House Hanover devote to us may be diverted, and we may face additional competition due to the fact that House Hanover and its affiliates are not prohibited from raising money for, or managing, another entity that makes the same types of investments that we target.

 

House Hanover and some of its affiliates, including our officers and our non-independent directors, are not prohibited from raising money for, or managing, another investment entity that makes the same types of investments as those we target. For example, House Hanover could seek to raise capital for a private credit fund that will have an investment strategy that is identical to our investment strategy. House Hanover and we may seek exemptive relief from the SEC that would establish a co-investment program with investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by House Hanover; however, there can be no assurance if and when the SEC would grant such relief. In addition, we may compete with any such investment entity for the same investors and investment opportunities.

 

House Hanover’s liability is limited under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement and we have agreed to indemnify House Hanover against certain liabilities, which may lead House Hanover to act in a riskier manner on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

 

Under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, House Hanover has not assumed any responsibility to us other than to render the services called for under that agreement. It will not be responsible for any action of our board of directors by following or declining to follow House Hanover’s advice or recommendations. Under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, House Hanover, its officers, members and personnel, and any person controlling or controlled by House Hanover will not be liable to us, any subsidiary of ours, our directors, our stockholders or any subsidiary’s stockholders or partners for acts or omissions performed in accordance with and pursuant to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, except those resulting from acts constituting gross negligence, willful misfeasance, bad faith or reckless disregard of the duties that House Hanover owes to us under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement. In addition, as part of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, we have agreed to indemnify House Hanover and each of its officers, directors, members, managers and employees from and against any claims or liabilities, including reasonable legal fees and other expenses reasonably incurred, arising out of or in connection with our business and operations or any action taken or omitted on our behalf pursuant to authority granted by the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, except where attributable to gross negligence, willful misfeasance, bad faith or reckless disregard of such person’s duties under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement. These protections may lead House Hanover to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

 

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Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates will be restricted, which may limit the scope of investments available to us.

 

We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, the SEC. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities will be our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act, and we are generally prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to such affiliate without the prior approval of our independent directors. The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include concurrent investments in the same portfolio company, without prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. We are prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any person that controls us or who owns more than 25% of our voting securities or certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons, absent the prior approval of the SEC. As a result of these restrictions, we may be prohibited from buying or selling any security (other than any security of which we are the issuer) from or to any portfolio company of a private fund managed by House Hanover or its affiliates without the prior approval of the SEC, which may limit the scope of investment opportunities that would otherwise be available to us.

 

We may, however, invest alongside House Hanover’s investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles in certain circumstances where doing so is consistent with our investment strategy as well as applicable law and SEC staff interpretations. For example, we may invest alongside such investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles consistent with guidance promulgated by the SEC staff to purchase interests in a single class of privately placed securities so long as certain conditions are met, including that House Hanover, acting on our behalf and on behalf of such investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles, negotiates no term other than price. We may also invest alongside House Hanover’s investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles as otherwise permissible under regulatory guidance, applicable regulations and House Hanover’s allocation policy. This allocation policy provides that allocations among us and investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by House Hanover and its affiliates will generally be made pro rata based on capital available for investment, as determined, in our case, by our board of directors as well as the terms of our governing documents and those of such investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles. It is our policy to base our determinations on such factors as the amount of cash on-hand, existing commitments and reserves, if any, our targeted leverage level, our targeted asset mix and diversification requirements and other investment policies and restrictions set by our board of directors or imposed by applicable laws, rules, regulations or interpretations. We expect that these determinations will be made similarly for investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by House Hanover. However, we can offer no assurance that investment opportunities will be allocated to us fairly or equitably in the short-term or over time.

 

In situations where co-investment with investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by House Hanover, prior to receiving exemptive relief, is not permitted or appropriate, such as when there is an opportunity to invest concurrently in different securities of the same issuer or where the different investments could be expected to result in a conflict between our interests and those of House Hanover’s clients, subject to the limitations described in the preceding paragraph, House Hanover will need to decide which client will proceed with the investment. House Hanover will make these determinations based on its policies and procedures, which generally require that such opportunities be offered to eligible accounts on an alternating basis that will be fair and equitable over time. Moreover, except in certain circumstances, we will be unable to invest in any issuer in which an investment fund, account or investment vehicle managed by House Hanover has previously invested.

 

We and House Hanover may seek exemptive relief from the SEC to permit greater flexibility to negotiate the terms of co-investments if our board of directors determines that it would be advantageous for us to co-invest with investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by House Hanover in a manner consistent with our investment objective, positions, policies, strategies and restrictions as well as regulatory requirements and other pertinent factors. We believe that co-investment by us and investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by House Hanover may afford us additional investment opportunities and an ability to achieve greater diversification. Accordingly, if we make an application for exemptive relief, we will seek an exemptive order permitting us to invest with investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by House Hanover in the same portfolio companies under circumstances in which such investments would otherwise not be permitted by the 1940 Act. We expect that such exemptive relief permitting co-investments, if granted, would not require review and approval of each co-investment by our independent directors. There can be no assurance if and when the SEC would grant such relief.

 

You may not receive distributions, or our distributions may not grow over time.

 

We cannot assure you that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by the impact of one or more of the risk factors described in this filing. Due to the asset coverage test applicable to us under the 1940 Act as a BDC, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions. All distributions will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, financial condition, maintenance of RIC status, compliance with applicable BDC requirements, and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relative from time to time. We cannot assure you that we will make distributions to our stockholders in the future.

 

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We may have difficulty paying required distributions to qualify as a RIC if we recognize income before, or without, receiving cash representing such income.

 

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we will include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as the accrual of original issue discount. This may arise if we receive warrants in connection with the making of a loan and in other circumstances, or through contracted PIK interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term. Such original issue discount, which could be significant relative to our overall investment activities, and increases in loan balances as a result of contracted PIK arrangements will be included in income before we receive any corresponding cash payments. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts that we will not receive in cash.

 

Since we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the requirement to distribute at least 90% of our net ordinary income and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, if any, to achieve qualification as a RIC. In such a case, we may have to sell some of our investments at times we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce new investment originations to meet these distribution requirements. If we are not able to obtain such cash from other sources, we may continue to fail to qualify as a RIC and thus be subject to corporate-level income tax.

 

PIK interest payments we receive will increase our assets under management and, as a result, will increase the amount of base management fees payable by us to House Hanover.

 

Certain of our debt investments may contain provisions providing for the payment of PIK interest. Because PIK interest results in an increase in the size of the loan balance of the underlying loan, the receipt by us of PIK interest will have the effect of increasing our assets under management. As a result, because the base management fee that we pay to House Hanover is based on the value of our gross assets, the receipt by us of PIK interest will result in an increase in the amount of the base management fee payable by us.

 

Our portfolio investments will be recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors and, as a result, there may be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

 

As a BDC, we generally invest in illiquid loans and securities including debt and equity securities of middle-market companies. Under procedures established by our board of directors, we value investments for which market quotations are readily available at such market quotations. We obtain these market values from an independent pricing service or at the mean between the bid and ask prices obtained from at least two brokers or dealers (if available, otherwise by a principal market maker or a primary market dealer). Debt and equity securities that are not publicly traded or whose market prices are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors. Such determination of fair values may involve subjective judgments and estimates, although we engage independent valuation providers to review the valuation of each portfolio investment that does not have a readily available market quotation quarterly. Investments purchased within 60 days of maturity are valued at cost plus accreted discount, or minus amortized premium, which approximate fair value. With respect to unquoted securities, our board of directors values each investment considering, among other measures, discounted cash flow models, comparisons of financial ratios of peer companies that are public and other factors, which are provided by a nationally recognized independent valuation firm. The Company has engaged a third-party valuation firm to perform its independent valuations of the Company’s Level 3 investments. This valuation firm provides a range of values for selected investments, which is presented to the Valuation Committee to determine the value for each of the selected investments.

 

When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, our board of directors uses the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate and/or assist us in our valuation. Because there is not a readily available market for substantially all of the investments in our portfolio, we value our portfolio investments at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors using a documented valuation policy and a consistently applied valuation process. Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available market value, the fair value of our investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a readily available market value existed for such investments, and the differences could be material.

 

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With respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available, our board of directors undertakes a multi-step valuation process each quarter, as described below:

 

Our quarterly valuation process begins with each portfolio company or investment being initially valued by an independent valuation firm, except for those investments where market quotations are readily available;

 

Preliminary valuation conclusions are then documented and discussed with our senior management, our investment advisor, and our auditors;

 

The valuation committee of our board of directors then reviews these preliminary valuations and approves them for recommendation to the board of directors;

 

The board of directors then discusses valuations and determines the fair value of each investment in our portfolio in good faith, based on the input of our investment advisor, the independent valuation firm and the valuation committee.

 

Our common stock is traded on the Over the Counter Pink Market, which may make it more difficult for investors to resell their shares due to suitability requirements.

 

Our common stock is currently traded on the OTC Market under the symbol “PIAC” where we expect it to remain in the foreseeable future. We do not believe that we will become eligible for the OTCQB Market in the foreseeable future because of our inability to meet the required public float restrictions of the OTCQB Market. Broker-dealers often decline to trade in OTC Pink stocks given the markets for such securities are often limited, the stocks are more volatile, and the risk to investors is greater. These factors may reduce the potential market for our common stock by reducing the number of potential investors. This may make it more difficult for investors in our common stock to sell shares to third parties or to otherwise dispose of their shares. This could cause our stock price to decline.

 

Our board of directors may change our investment objective, operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval.

 

Our board of directors has the authority, except as otherwise provided in the 1940 Act, to modify or waive certain of our operating policies and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. However, absent stockholder approval, we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or withdraw our election as, a BDC. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies would have on our business, operating results and the market price of our common stock. Nevertheless, any such changes could adversely affect our business and impair our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

 

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

 

The Maryland General Corporation Law and our charter and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage, delay or make more difficult a change in control of the Company or the removal of our directors. We are subject to the Maryland Business Combination Act, subject to any applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. Our board of directors has adopted a resolution exempting from the Business Combination Act any business combination between us and any other person, subject to prior approval of such business combination by our board of directors, including approval by a majority of our independent directors. If the resolution exempting business combinations is repealed or our board of directors does not approve a business combination, the Business Combination Act may discourage third parties from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer. Our bylaws exempt from the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act acquisitions of our stock by any person. If we amend our bylaws to repeal the exemption from the Control Share Acquisition Act, the Control Share Acquisition Act also may make it more difficult for a third party to obtain control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such a transaction.

 

We have also adopted measures that may make it difficult for a third party to obtain control of us, including authorizing our board of directors to classify or reclassify shares of our stock in one or more classes or series, to cause the issuance of additional shares of our stock and to amend our charter without stockholder approval to increase or decrease the number of shares of stock that we have authority to issue. These provisions, as well as other provisions of our charter and bylaws, may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.

 

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The foregoing provisions are expected to discourage certain coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to negotiate first with our board of directors. However, these provisions may deprive a stockholder of the opportunity to sell such stockholder’s shares of a premium to a potential acquirer. We believe that the benefits of these provisions outweigh the potential disadvantages of discouraging any such acquisition proposals because, among other things, the negotiation of such proposals may improve their terms. Our board of directors has considered both the positive and negative effects of the foregoing provisions and determined that they are in the best interests of our stockholders.

 

House Hanover can resign as our investment advisor and administrator upon 60 days’ notice and we may not be able to find suitable replacements within that time, or at all, resulting in a disruption in our operations that could adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations.

 

House Hanover has the right under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement to resign as our investment adviser and administrator at any time upon 60 days’ written notice, whether we have found a replacement or not. If House Hanover was to resign, we may not be able to find a new investment adviser or administrator or hire internal management with similar expertise and ability to provide the same or equivalent services on acceptable terms within 60 days, or at all. If we are unable to do so quickly, our operations are likely to experience a disruption, our financial condition, business and results of operations as well as our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders are likely to be adversely affected and the market price of our shares may decline. In addition, the coordination of our internal management and investment or administrative activities, as applicable, is likely to suffer if we are unable to identify and reach an agreement with a single institution or group of executives having the expertise possessed by House Hanover. Even if we are able to retain comparable management, whether internal or external, the integration of such management and their lack of familiarity with our investment objective may result in additional costs and time delays that may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

The impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had and will continue to have on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flow.

 

The global economy has been effected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the small and medium sized businesses in which we are invested. The extent to which our operations may be impacted will depend largely on future developments, which are uncertain and cannot be predicted, including duration, the restrictions by governmental authorities to operate businesses and the effect that programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program by the U.S. Small Business Administration, will have.

 

Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents may adversely affect our business or those of our portfolio companies by causing a disruption to our operations, a compromise or corruption of confidential information and/or damage to business relationships, or those of our portfolio companies, all of which could negatively impact our business, results of operations or financial condition.

 

A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our information resources. These incidents may be an intentional attack or an unintentional event and could involve gaining unauthorized access to, use, alteration or destruction of our information systems for purposes of misappropriating assets, obtaining ransom payments, stealing confidential information, corrupting data or causing operational disruption, or may involve phishing. The result of these incidents may include disrupted operations, misstated or unreliable financial data, liability for stolen information, misappropriation of assets, increased cybersecurity protection and insurance costs, litigation and damage to our business relationships. This could result in significant losses, reputational damage, litigation, regulatory fines or penalties, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures and to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures arising from operational and security risks. The costs related to cybersecurity incidents may not be fully insured or indemnified. As our and our portfolio companies’ reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks posed to our information systems, both internal and those provided by our Investment Adviser and third-party service providers, and the information systems of our portfolio companies. We, our Investment Adviser and its affiliates have implemented processes, procedures and internal controls to help mitigate cybersecurity risks and cyber intrusions, but these measures, as well as our increased awareness of the nature and extent of a risk of a cyber incident, may be ineffective and do not guarantee that a cyber incident will not occur or that our financial results, operations or confidential information will not be negatively impacted by such an incident.

 

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Third parties with which we do business (including, but not limited to, service providers, such as accountants, attorneys, custodians, transfer agents and administrators, and the issuers of securities in which we invest) may also be sources or targets of cybersecurity or other technological risks. We outsource certain functions and these relationships allow for the storage and processing of our information and assets, as well as certain investor, counterparty and borrower information. While we engage in actions to reduce our exposure resulting from outsourcing, we cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by these third parties and ongoing threats may result in unauthorized access, loss, exposure or destruction of data, or other cybersecurity incidents, with increased costs and other consequences, including those described above. Privacy and information security laws and regulation changes, and compliance with those changes, may also result in cost increases due to system changes and the development of new administrative processes.

 

Risks Relating to our Investments

 

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

 

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

 

Our investments in private and small and lower middle-market portfolio companies are risky, and we could lose all or part of our investment.

 

Investments in private and small and lower middle-market companies involve a number of significant risks. Generally, little public information exists about these companies, and we will rely on the ability of House Hanover’s investment professionals to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments. Small and lower middle-market companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their loans and debt securities that we hold, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of our realizing any guarantees we may have obtained in connection with our investment. In addition, such companies typically have shorter operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and adverse market conditions, as well as general economic downturns. Additionally, middle-market 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 one or more of the portfolio companies we invest in and, in turn, on us. Small and lower middle-market companies also may be parties to litigation and may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence. In addition, our executive officers, directors and investment advisor may, in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from our investments in portfolio companies.

 

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

 

All of our assets may be invested in illiquid loans and securities, and a substantial portion of our investments in leveraged companies will be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than more broadly traded public securities. The illiquidity of these investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need arises. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments. Also, as noted above, we may be limited or prohibited in our ability to sell or otherwise exit certain positions in our initial portfolio as such a transaction could be considered a joint transaction prohibited by the 1940 Act.

 

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

 

We are classified as a non-diversified investment company as defined under the 1940 Act, which means that we are not limited by the 1940 Act with respect to the proportion of our assets that we may invest in securities of a single issuer. Beyond the asset diversification requirements associated with our qualification as a RIC under the Code, we do not have fixed guidelines for diversification. To the extent that we assume large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers or our investments are concentrated in relatively few industries, our net asset value may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified investment company as a result of changes in the financial condition or the market’s assessment of the issuer. We may also be more susceptible to any single economic or regulatory occurrence than a diversified investment company.

 

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

 

Following an initial investment in a portfolio company, we may make additional investments in that portfolio company as “follow-on” investments, in seeking to increase or maintain in whole or in part our position as a creditor or equity ownership percentage in a portolio company, exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing, or preserve or enhance the value of our investment.

 

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

 

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

 

If we do not hold controlling equity positions in the portfolio companies included in our portfolio, we will be subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and that the management and/or stockholders of a portfolio company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that are adverse to our interests. Due to the lack of liquidity of the debt and equity investments that we expect to hold in our portfolio companies, we may not be able to dispose of our investments in the event we disagree with the actions of a portfolio company and may therefore suffer a decrease in the value of our investments.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

If we make subordinated investments, the obligors or the portfolio companies may not generate sufficient cash flow to service their debt obligations to us.

 

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

 

Risks Relating to our Common Stock

 

Our share ownership is concentrated.

 

As of March 29, 2024 the Partnerships beneficially own approximately 95% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, the Partnerships will exert significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors, any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of the assets, as well as any charter amendment and other matters requiring stockholder approval. This concentration of ownership may delay or prevent a change in control and may have a negative impact on the market price of our common stock by discouraging third party investors. In addition, the interests of the Partnerships may not always coincide with the interests of our other stockholders.

 

The Company’s common stock may be subject to the penny stock rules which might make it harder for stockholders to sell.

 

As a result of our stock price, our shares are subject to the penny stock rules. Because a “penny stock” is, generally speaking, one selling for less than $5.00 per share, the Company’s common stock may be subject to the foregoing rules. The application of the penny stock rules may affect stockholders’ ability to sell their shares because some broker-dealers may not be willing to make a market in the Company’s common stock because of the burdens imposed upon them by the penny stock rules which include but are not limited to:

 

Section 15(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and SEC Rules 15g-1 through 15g-6, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell Company securities to persons other than established customers and accredited investors.

 

Rule 15g-2 declares unlawful any broker-dealer transactions in penny stocks unless the broker-dealer has first provided to the customer a standardized disclosure document.

 

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Rule 15g-3 provides that it is unlawful for a broker-dealer to engage in a penny stock transaction unless the broker-dealer first discloses and subsequently confirms to the customer the current quotation prices or similar market information concerning the penny stock in question.

 

Rule 15g-4 prohibits broker-dealers from completing penny stock transactions for a customer unless the broker-dealer first discloses to the customer the amount of compensation or other remuneration received as a result of the penny stock transaction.

 

Rule 15g-5 requires that a broker-dealer executing a penny stock transaction, other than one exempt under Rule 15g-1, disclose to its customer, at the time of or prior to the transaction, information about the sales persons compensation.

 

Potential stockholders of the Company should also be aware that, according to SEC Release No. 34-29093, the market for penny stocks has suffered in recent years from patterns of fraud and abuse. Such patterns include (i) control of the market for the security by one or a few broker-dealers that are often related to the promoter or issuer; (ii) manipulation of prices through prearranged matching of purchases and sales and false and misleading press releases; (iii) “boiler room” practices involving high-pressure sales tactics and unrealistic price projections by inexperienced sales persons; (iv) excessive and undisclosed bid-ask differential and markups by selling broker-dealers; and (v) the wholesale dumping of the same securities by promoters and broker dealers after prices have been manipulated to a desired level, along with the resulting inevitable collapse of those prices and with consequent investor losses.

 

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 1C. CYBERSECURITY

 

Princeton Capital Corporation (the “Company”) has processes in place to assess, identify, and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats. The Company’s business is dependent on the communications and information systems of House Hanover, LLC (the “Investment Adviser”) and other third-party service providers. The Investment Adviser manages the Company’s day-to-day operations and has implemented a cybersecurity program that applies to the Company and its operations.

 

Cybersecurity Program Overview

 

The Investment Adviser has instituted a cybersecurity program designed to identify, assess, and manage cyber risks applicable to the Company. The cyber risk management program involves risk assessments, implementation of security measures, and ongoing monitoring of systems and networks, including networks on which the Company relies. The Investment Adviser actively monitors the current threat landscape in an effort to identify material risks arising from new and evolving cybersecurity threats, including material risks faced by the Company.

 

The Company relies on the Investment Adviser to engage external experts, including cybersecurity assessors, consultants, and auditors, to evaluate cybersecurity measures and risk management processes, including those applicable to the Company. The Company relies on the Investment Adviser’s risk management program and processes, which include cyber risk assessments.

 

The Company depends on and engages various third parties, including suppliers, vendors, and service providers, to operate its business. The Company relies on the expertise of risk management, legal, information technology, and compliance personnel of the Investment Adviser when identifying and overseeing risks from cybersecurity threats associated with the Company’s use of such entities.

 

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Board Oversight of Cybersecurity Risks

 

The board of directors of the Company (“Board”) provides strategic oversight on cybersecurity matters, including risks associated with cybersecurity threats. The Board receives periodic updates from the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) of the Company, who also serves as Chief Compliance Officer of the Investment Adviser, regarding the overall state of the Investment Adviser’s cybersecurity program, information on the current threat landscape, and briefing on material risks from cybersecurity threats and material cybersecurity incidents impacting the Company.

 

Management’s Role in Cybersecurity Risk Management

 

The Company’s Management, including the Company’s CCO, manages the Company’s cybersecurity program, under the supervision of the Company’s Audit Committee. The CCO of the Company oversees the Company’s risk management function generally and relies on the Investment Adviser to assist with assessing and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats. The Company’s CCO has been responsible for this oversight function as CCO to the Company for over 6 years and has worked in the financial services industry for over 25 years, during which time the CCO has gained expertise in assessing and managing risks applicable to the Company.

 

Management of the Company is informed about and monitors the prevention, detection, mitigation, and remediation of cybersecurity incidents impacting the Company, including through the receipt of notifications from service providers and reliance on communications with risk management, legal, information technology, and/or compliance personnel of the Investment Adviser.

 

Assessment of Cybersecurity Risk

 

The potential impact of risks from cybersecurity threats on the Company are assessed on an ongoing basis, and how such risks could materially affect the Company’s business strategy, operational results, and financial condition are regularly evaluated. During the reporting period, the Company has not identified any risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of previous cybersecurity incidents, that the Company believes have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company, including its business strategy, operational results, and financial condition.

 

Item 2. PROPERTIES

 

The Company does not own any real estate or other physical properties materially important to our operation. Our headquarters are located at 800 Turnpike Street, Suite 300, North Andover, Massachusetts 01845. Our headquarters are provided to us by House Hanover, our investment adviser since January 1, 2018. We believe that our office facilities are suitable and adequate for our business as we contemplate conducting it.

 

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

As of December 31, 2023, there were no material legal proceedings against the Company or any of its officers or directors.

 

Great Value Storage Litigation

 

On March 14, 2019, the Company filed a complaint against Great Value Storage, LLC (“GVS”), World Class Capital Group, LLC (“World Class”), and Natin Paul, which we refer to collectively as the GVS Defendants, in the District Court for Harris County, Texas. GVS is one of the Company’s portfolio companies. On January 22, 2021 the Harris County District Court granted the Company’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on its breach of contract claim against GVS and World Class. On March 4, 2021, the Final Judgment Order was entered awarding damages to the Company in the amount of $9,910,601.

 

On January 1, 2022, the Company amended and finalized proofs of claim in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, as it has been discovered that Natin Paul had transferred the properties from the GVS Defendants and to the debtor entities, which are GVS affiliates that filed bankruptcy. On March 21, 2022, the bankruptcy court reserved $15 million for our claim. On, April 27, 2022, the Company filed an adversary proceeding in the bankruptcy court to recover amounts owed to the Company.

 

As disclosed in the Company’s Form 8-K that was filed on September 9, 2022, on September 2, 2022, the Company entered into a Settlement, Assignment and Acceptance Agreement with Natin Paul and his related parties, whereby the Company would sell its promissory notes from GVS and World Class to Phoenix Lending, LLC, a newly formed Natin Paul related entity, in exchange for a settlement payment of $11,372,699 to be funded out of the $15 million reserve in the bankruptcy court. Further, the GVS affiliated parties agreed to indemnify the Company and retain $1 million on reserve in the bankruptcy court for any future legal fees or claims related to the settlement. On October 7, 2022, the Company closed the settlement and received $11,372,699.

 

Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

 

Not applicable.

 

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PART II

 

Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDERS MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

Market Information

 

Our common stock is currently traded on the Over the Counter Pink Market (OTCPK) under the symbol “PIAC” where we expect it to remain in the foreseeable future. Prior to April 20, 2015, our common stock was traded under the symbol “RONE”. Broker-dealers often decline to trade in OTC Pink Market stocks given the markets for such securities are often limited, the stocks are more volatile, and the risk to investors is greater. These factors may reduce the potential market for our common stock by reducing the number of potential investors. This may make it more difficult for investors in our common stock to sell shares to third parties or to otherwise dispose of their shares. This could cause our stock price to decline.

 

Quarter Ending  Quarterly High   Quarterly Low 
December 31, 2023  $0.29   $0.22 
September 30, 2023  $0.30   $0.11 
June 30, 2023  $0.34   $0.22 
March 31, 2023  $0.35   $0.19 
           
December 31, 2022  $0.45   $0.27 
September 30, 2022  $0.27   $0.23 
June 30, 2022  $0.33   $0.25 
March 31, 2022  $0.50   $0.20 
           
December 31, 2021  $0.35   $0.29 
September 30, 2021  $0.40   $0.15 
June 30, 2021  $0.21   $0.14 
March 31, 2021  $0.51   $0.12 

 

Notwithstanding the forgoing, our common stock is sporadically and thinly trading. Over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions Accordingly, although there appears to be quotation information, the Company does not believe that there exists an established public market for our securities. Further, there can be no assurance the current market for the Company’s common stock will be sustained or grow in the future.

 

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Holders of record

 

As of March 27, 2024, there were 40 shareholders of our common stock.

 

The number of record holders reflects shares held by a broker as one record holder. The underlying shares may be held by one or more beneficial owners.

 

The Company feels the actual number of common stock holders may be significantly higher as 1,305,083 shares of common stock are held in street name which reflected approximately 1.08% of the outstanding shares of common stock as of March 27, 2024, according to our transfer agent.

 

Dividends

 

Our dividends, if any, are determined by our board of directors. The Company was taxed as a C corporation and subject to federal and state corporation income taxes for its 2022 taxable year. The Company did not meet the qualifications of a RIC for the 2023 tax year and will be taxed as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Code. It may not be in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders to elect to be taxed as a RIC at the present time due to the net operating losses and capital loss carryforwards the Company currently has. Management will make a determination that is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. While the Company does not expect to meet the qualifications of a RIC until such time as certain strategic alternatives are achieved, it can still declare a dividend even though it is not required to do so.

 

To qualify for RIC tax treatment, we must, among other things, distribute at least 90% of our net ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any. Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next tax year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income. Any such carryover taxable income must be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return related to the year which generated such taxable income. We may, in the future, make actual distributions to our stockholders of our net capital gains. We can offer no assurance that we will achieve results that will permit the payment of any cash distributions and, if we issue senior securities, we may be prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the 1940 Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of our borrowings.

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, the Company declared and paid a cash dividend of $0.075 per share of common stock on or about December 1, 2022 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 21, 2022.

 

For each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2021, the Company did not declare any cash dividends on the Company’s common stock.

 

On October 17, 2022, the Board terminated the Company’s “opt out” dividend reinvestment plan, as disclosed in the Company’s 8-K filed on October 19, 2022. Written notice of such termination was mailed to the Company’s stockholders on October 21, 2022, with an effective date of November 20, 2022. As a result, any distributions declared for stockholders of record after November 20, 2022, will be paid in cash.

 

Sale of Unregistered Securities

 

There were no sales of unregistered securities during the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

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Stock Performance Graph

 

This graph compares the return on our common stock with that of the S&P BDC Index and the Russell 2000 Index, for the past five fiscal years. The graph assumes that, on December 31, 2018, a person invested $100 in each of our common stock, the S&P BDC Index and the Russell 2000 Financial Services Index. The graph measures total shareholder return, which takes into account both changes in stock price and dividends. It assumes that dividends paid are reinvested in like securities. Our Company is quoted on the OTC Pink Market and are thus not traded on a public exchange.

 

 

The graph and other information furnished under this Part II Item 5 of this Form 10-K shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material’’ or to be “filed’’ with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the 1934 Act. The stock price performance included in the above graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

 

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

During the year ended December 31, 2023, there were no repurchases made by or on behalf of the issuer of shares of equity securities.

 

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EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

 

The Company does not currently have any equity incentive plan.

 

Item 6. [Reserved]

 

Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following information should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

 

References herein to “we”, “us” or “our” refer to Princeton Capital Corporation (the “Company” or “Princeton Capital”), unless the context specifically requires otherwise.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

Some of the statements in this annual report on Form 10-K constitute forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. Such forward-looking statements may include statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words “may,” “might,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “could,” “can,” “would,” “expect,” “believe,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “potential,” “plan” or similar words. The forward-looking statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K involve risks and uncertainties, including statements as to:

 

our future operating results;

 

our business prospects and the prospects of our portfolio companies;

 

the effect of investments that we expect to make;

 

our contractual arrangements and relationships with third parties;
  
actual and potential conflicts of interest with our investment advisor;
  
the dependence of our future success on the general economy and its effect on the industries in which we invest;
  
the ability of our portfolio companies to achieve their objectives;
  
the use of borrowed money to finance a portion of our investments;
  
the adequacy of our financing sources and working capital;
  
the timing of cash flows, if any, from the operations of our portfolio companies;
  
the ability of our investment advisor to locate suitable investments for us and to monitor and administer our investments;
  
the ability of our investment advisor to attract and retain highly talented professionals;
  
our ability to qualify and maintain our qualification as a regulated investment company and as a business development company;
  
the effect of future changes in laws or regulations (including the interpretation of these laws and regulations by regulatory authorities) and conditions in our operating areas, particularly with respect to business development companies or regulated investment companies; and
  
the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic including the uncertainty surrounding its duration and global economic impact, as well as measures taken by governmental agencies, businesses and other third parties in response to counteract any negative effects.

 

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We have based the forward-looking statements included in this annual report on Form 10-K on information available to us on the date of this annual report on Form 10-K, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements, and future results could differ materially from historical performance. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by law or Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rule or regulation. You are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we in the future may file with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

 

Overview

 

We are an externally managed, non-diversified, closed-end investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act” or “Investment Company Act”). While we have sought to invest primarily in private small and lower middle-market companies in various industries, we are now (with a strategic alternatives process underway and limited resources) investing only in current investments and otherwise conserving cash. Our investment objective is to maximize the total return to our stockholders in the form of current income and capital appreciation through debt and related equity investments in private small and lower middle-market companies. Since January 1, 2018, we have been managed by House Hanover, LLC (“House Hanover”).

 

As a BDC, we must not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” specified in the 1940 Act unless, at the time the acquisition is made, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets (with certain limited exceptions). Qualifying assets include investments in “eligible portfolio companies.” Under the relevant SEC rules, the term “eligible portfolio company” includes all private companies, companies whose securities are not listed on a national securities exchange, and certain public companies that have listed their securities on a national securities exchange and have a market capitalization of less than $250 million, in each case organized in the United States.

 

On November 15, 2019, our Board announced that the Company has initiated a strategic review process to identify, examine, and consider a range of strategic alternatives available to the Company, including but not limited to, (i) selling the Company’s assets to a business development company or other potential buyer, (ii) merging with another business development company, (iii) liquidating the Company’s assets in accordance with a plan of liquidation, (iv) raising additional funds for the Company, or (v) otherwise entering into another business combination, with the objective of maximizing stockholder value. As of December 31, 2023 and through the date of filing this Annual Report, the Company has not entered into any agreements regarding any strategic alternative and the strategic process remains ongoing.

  

Corporate History

 

In order to expedite the ramp-up of our investment activities and further our ability to meet our investment objectives, on March 13, 2015 we (i) acquired approximately $11.2 million in cash, $43.5 million in equity and debt investments, and $1.9 million in restricted cash escrow deposits of Capital Point Partners, L.P. (“CPP”) and Capital Point Partners II, L.P. (“CPPII”) (together, the “Partnerships”), and (ii) issued approximately 115.5 million shares of our common stock based on a pre-valuation presumed fair value of $60.9 million and on a price of approximately $0.53 per share. While we have sought to invest primarily in private small and lower middle-market companies in various industries, we are now (with a strategic alternatives process underway and limited resources) investing only in current investments and otherwise conserving cash.

 

On an annual basis and in general, BDCs intend to elect to be treated for tax purposes as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”). To qualify as a RIC, a BDC must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements. As a RIC, BDCs generally will not have to pay corporate-level taxes on any income they distribute to their stockholders. We did not meet the qualifications of a RIC for the 2022 or 2023 tax years and will be taxed as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Code. Further, we do not expect to meet the qualifications of a RIC until such time as certain strategic alternatives are achieved.

 

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Portfolio Composition and Investment Activity

 

Portfolio Composition

 

We originate and invest primarily in private small and lower middle-market companies through first lien loans, second lien loans, unsecured loans, unitranche and mezzanine debt financing, and corresponding equity investments. United States Treasury securities may be purchased and temporarily held in connection with complying with RIC diversification requirements under Subchapter M of the Code.

 

At December 31, 2023, the Company had investments in 5 portfolio companies. The total cost and fair value of the total investments were approximately $39.4 million and $29.7 million, respectively. The composition of our investments by asset class as of December 31, 2023 is as follows:

 

Investments  Cost   Fair Value   Percentage of
Total
Portfolio
 
Portfolio Investments            
First Lien Loans  $10,120,088   $12,301,440    41.37%
Second Lien Loans   11,416,339    11,652,480    39.19 
Unsecured Loans   1,381,586    -    - 
Equity   16,482,689    5,781,033    19.44 
Total Portfolio Investments   39,400,702    29,734,953    100.00 
Total Investments  $39,400,702   $29,734,953    100.00%

 

At December 31, 2022, the Company had investments in 6 portfolio companies. The total cost and fair value of the total investments were approximately $39.2 million and $30.6 million, respectively. The composition of our investments by asset class as of December 31, 2022 is as follows:

 

Investments  Cost   Fair Value   Percentage of
Total
Portfolio
 
Portfolio Investments            
First Lien Loans  $10,120,088   $13,144,967    43.01%
Second Lien Loans   11,250,000    10,976,647    35.91 
Unsecured Loans   1,381,586    -    - 
Equity   16,483,889    6,442,474    21.08 
Total Portfolio Investments   39,235,563    30,564,088    100.00 
Total Investments  $39,235,563   $30,564,088    100.00%

 

At December 31, 2023, our weighted average yield based upon cost of our portfolio investments was approximately 11.86% of which approximately 10.23% is current cash interest. At December 31, 2022, our weighted average yield based upon cost of our portfolio investments was approximately 10.16% of which approximately 10.16% is current cash interest.

 

At December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we held no United States Treasury securities. United States Treasury securities may be purchased and temporarily held in connection with complying with RIC diversification requirements under Subchapter M of the Code.

 

Investment Activity

 

Our level of investment activity can vary substantially from period to period depending on many factors, including the amount of debt and equity capital to middle market companies, the level of merger and acquisition activity, the general economic environment and the competitive environment for the types of investments we make.

 

The primary portfolio investment activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 are as follows:

 

On May 30, 2023, the Company amended its second lien loan to Performance Alloys, LLC to extend the maturity date to December 31, 2026 and to increase its interest rate on the second lien loan to 14.0% effective June 1, 2023. Performance Alloys, LLC has the right and elected to PIK up 4.0% of the monthly interest. The Company also received a $50,000 amendment fee.

 

On December 31, 2023, the Company recognized a realized loss on its investment in Rampart Detection Systems, Ltd. (“Rampart”). in the amount of $1,200 due to the continued unresponsiveness from Rampart. Should the Company receive any proceeds from its investment in Rampart at any time in the future, the Company will recognized a realized gain at that time.

 

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Effective December 31, 2023, the Company amended the Revolving Promissory Note with Rockfish Seafood Grill, Inc. to extend the maturity date of the note to December 31, 2024.

 

Effective December 31, 2023, the Company amended the Amended, Restated and Consolidated Promissory Note with Advantis Certified Staffing Solutions, Inc. to extend the maturity date of the note to December 31, 2024.

 

Asset Quality

 

In addition to various risk management and monitoring tools, our investment advisor used an investment rating system to characterize and monitor the quality of our debt investment portfolio. Equity securities and Treasury Bills are not graded. This debt investment rating system uses a five-level numeric scale. The following is a description of the conditions associated with each investment rating:

 

Investment Rating   Summary Description
     
1   Investments that are performing above expectations, and whose risks remain favorable compared to the expected risk at the time of the original investment.
     
2   Investments that are performing within expectations and whose risks remain neutral compared to the expected risk at the time of the original investment. All new loans will initially be rated 2.
     
3   Investments that are performing below expectations and that require closer monitoring, but where no loss of return or principal is expected. Portfolio companies with a rating of 3 may be out of compliance with financial covenants.
     
4   Investments that are performing substantially below expectations and whose risks have increased substantially since the original investment. These investments are often in work out. Investments with a rating of 4 will be those for which some loss of return but no loss of principal is expected.
     
5   Investments that are performing substantially below expectations and whose risks have increased substantially since the original investment. These investments almost always end up in work out. Investments with a rating of 5 are those for which some loss of return and principal is expected.

 

The following table shows the investment rankings of our debt investments at fair value as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:

 

   As of December 31, 2023   As of December 31, 2022 
Investment Rating  Fair Value   % of Total
Portfolio
   Number of
Portfolio
Companies
   Fair Value   % of
Total
Portfolio
   Number of
Portfolio
Companies
 
1  $    %      $    %    
2   6,916,339    28.88    1    7,320,000    30.34    1 
3   12,128,041    50.63    1    12,959,968    53.73    1 
4   4,736,141    19.77    1    3,656,647    15.16    1 
5   173,399    0.72    1    184,999    0.77    1 
   $23,953,920    100.00%   4   $24,121,614    100.00%   4 

 

Loans and Debt Securities on Non-Accrual Status

 

We will not accrue interest on loans and debt securities if we have reason to doubt our ability to collect such interest. As of December 31, 2023, we had 3 loans on non-accrual status and as of December 31, 2022, we had 3 loans on non-accrual status.

 

- 26 -

 

 

Results of Operations

 

An important measure of our financial performance is net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations, which includes net investment income (loss), net realized gain (loss) and net change in unrealized gain (loss). Net investment income (loss) is the difference between our income from interest, dividends, fees and other investment income and our operating expenses including interest on borrowed funds. Net realized gain (loss) on investments is the difference between the proceeds received from dispositions of portfolio investments and their amortized cost. Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments is the net change in the fair value of our investment portfolio.

 

Revenues

 

We generate revenue in the form of interest income on debt investments and capital gains and distributions, if any, on investment securities that we may acquire in portfolio companies. Our debt investments typically have a term of five to seven years and bear interest at a fixed or floating rate. Interest on our debt securities is generally payable quarterly. Payments of principal on our debt investments may be amortized over the stated term of the investment, deferred for several years or due entirely at maturity. In some cases, our debt investments may pay interest in-kind, or PIK. Any outstanding principal amount of our debt securities and any accrued but unpaid interest will generally become due at the maturity date. The level of interest income we receive is directly related to the balance of interest-bearing investments multiplied by the weighted average yield of our investments. We expect that the dollar amount of interest and any dividend income that we earn to increase as the size of our investment portfolio increases. In addition, we may generate revenue in the form of prepayment fees, commitment, loan origination, structuring or due diligence fees, fees for providing managerial assistance and possibly consulting fees. These fees will be reorganized as they are earned.

 

Expenses

 

Our primary operating expenses include the payment of fees to House Hanover and our allocable portion of overhead expenses under the investment advisory agreements and other operating costs described below. We bear all other out-of-pocket costs and expenses of our operations and transactions, which may include:

 

organizational and offering expenses;

 

expenses incurred in valuing the Company’s assets and computing its net asset value per share (including the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm);

 

subject to the guidelines approved by the Board of Directors, expenses incurred by our investment advisor that are payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisors, in monitoring financial and legal affairs for the Company and in monitoring the Company’s investments and performing due diligence on the Company’s prospective portfolio companies or otherwise related to, or associated with, evaluating and making investments;

 

interest payable on debt, if any, incurred to finance the Company’s investments and expenses related to unsuccessful portfolio acquisition efforts;

 

offerings of the Company’s common stock and other securities;

 

administration fees;

 

transfer agent and custody fees and expenses;

 

U.S. federal and state registration fees of the Company (but not our investment advisor);

 

all costs of registration and listing the Company’s shares on any securities exchange;

 

U.S. federal, state and local taxes;

 

independent directors’ fees and expenses;

 

costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents required of the Company (but not our investment advisor) by the SEC or other regulators;

 

- 27 -

 

 

costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to stockholders, including printing costs;

 

the costs associated with individual or group stockholders;

 

the Company’s allocable portion of the fidelity bond, directors’ and officers’/errors and omissions liability insurance, and any other insurance premiums;

 

direct costs and expenses of administration and operation of the Company, including printing, mailing, long distance telephone, copying, secretarial and other staff, independent auditors and outside legal costs; and

 

all other non-investment advisory expenses incurred by the Company in connection with administering the Company’s business.

 

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021

 

   Year Ended
December 31, 2023
   Year Ended
December 31, 2022
   Year Ended
December 31, 2021
 
   Total   Per
Share (1)
   Total   Per
Share (1)
   Total   Per
Share (1)
 
                         
Investment income                        
Interest income (2)  $2,471,590   $0.021   $1,512,329   $0.013   $849,731   $0.007 
Other income   9,303    0.000    42,314    0.000    24,805    0.000 
Total investment income   2,480,893    0.021    1,554,643    0.013    874,536    0.007 
                               
Operating expenses                              
Management fees   317,546    0.003    339,328    0.003    265,340    0.002 
Administration fees   415,092    0.003    403,299    0.003    402,110    0.004 
Audit Fees   149,136    0.001    202,196    0.002    159,547    0.001 
Legal Fees   187,687    0.002    786,720    0.007    349,332    0.003 
Valuation fees   90,000    0.001    121,500    0.001    132,000    0.001 
Other professional fees   -    0.000    14,170    0.000    19,487    0.000 
Directors’ fees   150,000    0.001    150,000    0.001    150,000    0.001 
Insurance expense   151,193    0.001    184,311    0.002    160,260    0.002 
Interest expense   207    0.000    4,896    0.000    188    0.000 
Other general and administrative expenses   138,465    0.001    126,721    0.001    116,058    0.001 
Total operating expenses   1,599,326    0.013    2,333,141    0.020    1,754,322    0.015 
Total net operating expenses   1,599,326    0.013    2,333,141    0.020    1,754,322    0.015 
                               
Net investment income (loss) before tax   881,567    0.007    (778,498)   (0.006)   (879,786)   (0.007)
Income tax expense   64,993    -    456    -    -    - 
Net investment income (loss) after tax   816,574    0.007    (778,954)   (0.006)   (879,786)   (0.007)
Net change in unrealized gain (loss)   (994,274)   (0.008)   3,057,582    0.025    12,873,238    0.107 
Net realized gain (loss)   (1,200)   -    4,368,297    0.036    -    - 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations  $(178,900)  $(0.001)  $6,646,925   $0.055   $11,993,452   $0.100 

 

(1)The basic per share figures noted above are based on a weighted average of 120,486,061, 120,486,061 and 120,486,061 shares outstanding for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively, except where such amounts need to be adjusted to be consistent with what is disclosed in the financial highlights of our financial statements.

 

(2)Interest income includes PIK interest of $163,341, $0, and $97,401, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.

 

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Operating Expenses

 

Total net operating expenses decreased from $2,333,141 for the year ended December 31, 2022 to $1,599,326 for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease is primarily due to a decrease in management, audit and legal expense and to a lesser extent insurance and valuation expense. The decrease was minimally offset by an increase in other general and administrative expenses.

 

Total net operating expenses per share decreased from $0.020 per share for the year ended December 31, 2022 to $0.013 per share for the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

Total net operating expenses increased from $1,754,322 for the year ended December 31, 2021 to $2,333,141 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase is primarily due to an increase in management, audit and legal expense, and to a lesser extent, insurance and other general and administrative expenses. The increase was minimally offset by an decrease in valuation fees.

 

Total net operating expenses per share increased from $0.015 per share for the year ended December 31, 2021 to $0.020 per share for the year ended December 31, 2022

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

 

Net investment income (loss) (after tax) increased from $(778,954) for the year ended December 31, 2022 to $ 816,574 for the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase is primarily due to an increase in interest income for the year ended December 31, 2023 that was greater than the decreases in management, audit, legal, insurance and valuation expenses.

 

Net investment income (loss) (after tax) per share increased from $(0.006) per share for the year ended December 31, 2022 to $0.007 per share for the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

Net investment income (loss) (after tax) decreased from $(879,786) for the year ended December 31, 2021 to $(778,954) for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease is primarily due to an increase in interest income for the year ended December 31, 2022 that was greater than the increases in management, audit, legal, insurance and other general and administrative expenses.

 

Net investment income (loss) (after tax) per share decreased from $(0.007) per share for the year ended December 31, 2021 to $(0.006) per share for the year ended December 31, 2022.

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss)

 

We measure realized gains (losses) by the difference between the net proceeds from the repayment or sale and the amortized cost basis of the investment, using the specific identification method, without regard to unrealized appreciation or depreciation previously recognized.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized ($1,200) net realized loss.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized net realized gain of $4,368,297.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2021, we did not recognize any realized gain or loss.

 

Net Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss)

 

Net change in unrealized gain (loss) primarily reflects the change in portfolio investment values during the reporting period, including the reversal of previously recorded appreciation or depreciation when gains or losses are realized.

 

Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments totaled a loss of $(994,274) for the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily in connection with unrealized losses of $1,075,753 and $831,927 on Performance Alloys, Inc. and Rockfish Holdings, LLC, respectively, and partially offset by unrealized gains of $(1,079,494) on Advantis Certified Staffing Solutions, Inc.

 

- 29 -

 

 

Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments totaled a gain of $3,057,582 for the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily in connection with unrealized gains of $5,227,735, $1,945,866 on Performance Alloys, Inc. and Great Value Storage, LLC Inc, respectively, partially offset by unrealized losses of $1,725,445, $1,585,512 on Rockfish Holdings, LLC and Rockfish Seafood Grill, Inc.

 

Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments totaled a gain of $12,873,238 for the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily in connection with unrealized gains of $5,065,146, $4,607,710, $1,725,445, $1,433,557 on Rockfish Seafood Grill, Inc., Performance Alloys, Inc., Rockfish Holdings, LLC and Advantis Certified Staffing Solutions, Inc.

 

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

We intend to continue to generate cash from future offerings of securities and cash flows from operations, including earnings on investments in our portfolio and future investments, as well as interest earned from the temporary investment of cash in U.S. government securities and other high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. We may, if permitted by regulation, seek various forms of leverage and borrow funds to make investments.

 

As of December 31, 2023, we had $1,979,659 in cash and restricted cash, and our net assets totaled $31,963,643. We believe that our anticipated cash flows from operations will be adequate to meet our cash needs for our daily operations for at least the next 12 months.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

As of December 31, 2023, we did not have any contractual obligations that would trigger the tabular disclosure of contractual obligations under Section 303(a)(5) of Regulation S-K.

 

We have entered into one contract under which we have material future commitments, the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, pursuant to which House Hanover serves as our investment adviser. Payments under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement in future periods will be equal to a percentage of the value of our net assets.

 

The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement is terminable by either party without penalty upon written notice by the Company or 60 days’ written notice by House Hanover. If this agreement is terminated, the costs we incur under a new agreement may increase. In addition, we will likely incur significant time and expense in locating alternative parties to provide the services we expect to receive under our investment advisory agreement. Any new investment advisory agreement would also be subject to approval by our stockholders.

 

Distributions

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, no dividends were declared or distributed to stockholders.

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, the Company declared and paid a cash dividend of $0.075 per share of common stock on or about December 1, 2022 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 21, 2022.

 

In order to qualify as a RIC and to avoid U.S. federal corporate level income tax on the income we distribute to our stockholders, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our net ordinary income and our net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, if any, to our stockholders on an annual basis. Additionally, we must distribute an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of our net ordinary income (during the calendar year) plus 98.2% of our net capital gain income (during each 12-month period ending on October 31) plus any net ordinary income and capital gain net income for preceding years that were not distributed during such years and on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax to avoid a U.S. federal excise tax. To the extent that we have income available, we intend to make distributions to our stockholders. Our stockholder distributions, if any, will be determined by our board of directors. Any distribution to our stockholders will be declared out of assets legally available for distribution. The Company did not meet the requirements to qualify as a RIC for the 2023 and 2022 tax years and will be taxed as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Code. It may not be in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders to elect to be taxed as a RIC at the present time due to the net operating losses and capital loss carryforwards the Company currently has. Management will make a determination that is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. While the Company does not expect to meet the qualifications of a RIC until such time as certain strategic alternatives are achieved, it can still declare a dividend even though it is not required to do so.

 

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We may not be able to achieve operating results that will allow us to make distributions at a specific level or to increase the amount of our distributions from time to time. In addition, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions due to the asset coverage requirements applicable to us as a BDC under the 1940 Act. If we do not distribute a certain percentage of our income annually, we could suffer adverse tax consequences, including the possible failure to qualify as a RIC. We cannot assure stockholders that they will receive any distributions.

 

To the extent our taxable earnings fall below the total amount of our distributions for that fiscal year, a portion of those distributions may be deemed a return of capital to our stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Thus, the source of a distribution to our stockholders may be the original capital invested by the stockholder rather than our income or gains. Stockholders should read any written disclosure accompanying any stockholder distribution carefully and should not assume that the source of any distribution is our ordinary income or capital gains.

 

On October 17, 2022, the Board terminated the Company’s “opt out” dividend reinvestment plan, as disclosed in the Company’s 8-K filed on October 19, 2022. Written notice of such termination was mailed to the Company’s stockholders on October 21, 2022, with an effective date of November 20, 2022. As a result, any distributions declared for stockholders of record after November 20, 2022, will be paid in cash.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

 

Related Party Transactions

 

Management Fees

 

Management fees under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement for the years ended December 31, 2023 2022 and 2021 were $317,546, $339,328 and $265,340, respectively. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, management fees of $78,889 and $91,934, respectively, were payable to House Hanover.

 

Incentive Fees

 

The Company is not obligated to pay House Hanover an incentive fee. Incentive fees are a typical component of investment advisory agreements with business development companies.

 

Administration Fees

 

House Hanover is entitled to reimbursement of expenses under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement for administrative services performed for the Company. Administration fees were $259,500, $259,500 and $270,000 for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, as shown on the Statements of Operations under administration fees. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were $64,875 and $64,875, respectively, of administration fees owed to House Hanover, as shown on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities under Due to affiliates.

 

On May 1, 2022, Advantis Certified Staffing Solutions, Inc. (“Advantis”) requested one of its directors, Gregory J. Cannella who also serves as our Chief Financial Officer, become the Executive Chair of Advantis to provide executive authority and leadership in the absence of their former president, who resigned in March 2022. Mr. Cannella has agreed to take this position and in return will be compensated by Advantis in the amount of $5,000 per month. The title and benefits of this position can be removed at any time by the board of directors of Advantis.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

See Note 2 of the financial statements for a description of recent accounting pronouncements, if any, including the expected dates of adoption and the anticipated impact on the financial statements.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

The preparation of our financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets and any other parameters used in determining such estimates could cause actual results to differ. In addition to the discussion below, our significant accounting policies are further described in the notes to the financial statements.

 

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Valuation of Portfolio Investments

 

As a BDC, we generally invest in illiquid loans and securities including debt and equity securities of middle-market companies. Under procedures established by our board of directors, we value investments for which market quotations are readily available at such market quotations. We obtain these market values from an independent pricing service or at the mean between the bid and ask prices obtained from at least two brokers or dealers (if available, otherwise by a principal market maker or a primary market dealer). Debt and equity securities that are not publicly traded or whose market prices are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors. Such determination of fair values may involve subjective judgments and estimates, although we engage independent valuation providers to review the valuation of each portfolio investment that does not have a readily available market quotation quarterly. Investments purchased within 60 days of maturity are valued at cost plus accreted discount, or minus amortized premium, which approximate fair value. With respect to unquoted securities, our board of directors values each investment considering, among other measures, discounted cash flow models, comparisons of financial ratios of peer companies that are public and other factors, which are provided by a nationally recognized independent valuation firm. This valuation firm provides a range of values for selected investments, which is presented to the Valuation Committee to determine the value for each of the selected investments.

 

When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, our board of directors uses the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate and/or assist us in our valuation. Because there is not a readily available market for substantially all of the investments in our portfolio, we value our portfolio investments at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors using a documented valuation policy and a consistently applied valuation process. Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available market value, the fair value of our investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a readily available market value existed for such investments, and the differences could be material.

 

With respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available, our board of directors undertakes a multi-step valuation process each quarter, as described below:

 

Our quarterly valuation process begins with each portfolio company or investment being initially valued by an independent valuation firm, except for those investments where market quotations are readily available;

 

Preliminary valuation conclusions are then documented and discussed with our senior management, our investment advisor, and our auditors;

 

The valuation committee of our board of directors then reviews these preliminary valuations and approves them for recommendation to the board of directors;

 

The board of directors then discusses valuations and determines the fair value of each investment in our portfolio in good faith, based on the input of our investment advisor, the independent valuation firm and the valuation committee.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Realized gain (loss) on the sale of investments is the difference between the proceeds received from dispositions of portfolio investments and their stated costs. Realized gains or losses on the sale of investments are calculated using the specific identification method.

 

Interest income, adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount, is recorded on an accrual basis to the extent that we expect to collect such amounts. For loans and debt securities with contractual PIK interest, which represents contractual interest accrued and added to the loan balance that generally becomes due at maturity, we do not accrue PIK interest if the portfolio company valuation indicates that such PIK interest is not collectible. Generally, we will not accrue interest on loans and debt securities if we have reason to doubt our ability to collect such interest. Loan origination fees, original issue discount and market discount or premium are capitalized, and we then accrete or amortize such amounts using the effective interest method as interest income. Upon the prepayment of a loan or debt security, any unamortized loan origination is recorded as interest income. We record prepayment premiums on loans and debt securities as interest income.

 

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Dividend income, if any, will be recognized on the ex-dividend date.

 

Generally, when a payment default occurs on a loan in the portfolio, or if the Company otherwise believes that the borrower will not be able to make contractual interest payments, the Company may place the loan on non-accrual status and cease recognizing interest income on the loan until all principal and interest is current through payment, or until a restructuring occurs, and the interest income is deemed to be collectible. The Company may make exceptions to this policy if a loan has sufficient collateral value, is in the process of collection or is viewed to be able to pay all amounts due if the loan were to be collected on through an investment in or sale of the business, the sale of the assets of the business, or some portion or combination thereof.

 

Recent Developments

 

Portfolio Activity

 

  Subsequent to the year ending December 31, 2023 and through the date of this filing, there was no portfolio activity or other events to report.

 

Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

We are subject to financial market risks, including credit risk, illiquidity of investments in our portfolio and changes in interest rates.

 

Credit risk is the primary market risk associated with our business. Credit risk originates from the fact that some of our portfolio companies may become unable or unwilling to fulfill their contractual payment obligations to us and may eventually default on those obligations. These contractual payment obligations arise under the debt securities and other investments that we hold. They include payment of interest, principal, dividends, fees and payments under guarantees and similar instruments.

 

We primarily invest in illiquid debt and other securities of small and mid-sized private companies. In some cases these investments include additional equity components. Our investments may have no established trading market or are generally subject to restrictions on resale. The illiquidity of our investments may adversely affect our ability to dispose of debt and equity securities at times when it may be otherwise advantageous for us to liquidate such investments. As of December 31, 2023, all of our debt investments are fixed rate.

 

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Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

 

Index to Financial Statements

 

  Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 100) F-1
Statements of Assets and Liabilities as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 F-3
Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 F-4
Statements of Changes in Net Assets for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 F-5
Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 F-6
Schedule of Investments as of December 31, 2023 F-7
Schedule of Investments as of December 31, 2022 F-10
Notes to Financial Statements F-13

 

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of

Princeton Capital Corporation:

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying Statements of Assets and Liabilities of Princeton Capital Corporation (the “Company”), including the schedules of investments, as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related statements of operations, changes in net assets and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included verification by confirmation of securities as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, by correspondence with the portfolio companies and custodians, or by other appropriate auditing procedures where replies were not received. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

Critical Audit Matters

 

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the Audit Committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

 

F-1

 

 

Fair Value of Investments

 

As discussed in Note 5 to the financial statements, the Company measures substantially all of its investments at fair value using unobservable inputs and assumptions as there is no readily available market value. As of December 31, 2023, total investments at fair value were $29,734,953.

 

We identified the evaluation of the fair value of investments as a critical audit matter. Assessment of the Company’s judgments regarding the use of specific valuation techniques, inputs and assumptions involved a high degree of subjective auditor judgment. Changes in these techniques, inputs and assumptions could have a significant impact on the fair value of investments. In particular, the Company uses the market and cost approaches to determine enterprise values, and also relies upon the current value method to value certain equity and debt investments. Additionally, the Company makes judgments relating to credit risk, guideline company market multiples, guideline transaction multiples, replacement cost indications and financial performance measures used to determine enterprise values and total equity value indications.

 

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the financial statements. These procedures included, among others, either (i) testing management’s process for determining the fair value estimate, which included evaluating the appropriateness of the market approach, income approach, or cost approach; testing the completeness, accuracy, and relevance of the underlying data used in the technique; and evaluating the significant unobservable inputs and assumptions used by management, including the selected valuation multiples, discount rates, market yields or replacement or reproduction cost indications, by considering the consistency and reasonableness of the unobservable inputs relative to the performance and condition of the subject company or assets, and the external market and industry data and evidence obtained in other areas of the audit; or (ii) the involvement of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in developing an independent fair value estimate range for certain level 3 debt and equity investments, and comparison of management’s fair value indications to the independently developed range of fair value estimates. Developing the independent range involved selection of significant unobservable inputs for the market multiples, discount rates or market yields, or replacement or reproduction cost indications, in order to evaluate the reasonableness of management’s fair value estimate of these certain level 3 investments, using a range of available market information.

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.

 

/s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC

 

Whippany, New Jersey

March 29, 2024

 

PCAOB Number 100

 

F-2

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

   December 31,
2023
   December 31,
2022
 
         
ASSETS        
Control investments at fair value (cost of $27,353,273 and $27,353,273, respectively)  $18,581,422   $18,499,943 
Non-control/non-affiliate investments at fair value (cost of $12,047,429 and $11,882,290, respectively)   11,153,531    12,064,145 
Total investments at fair value (cost of $39,400,702 and $39,235,563, respectively)   29,734,953    30,564,088 
Cash and cash equivalents   1,937,768    1,525,723 
Restricted cash   41,891    40,823 
Due from portfolio companies   26,592    26,342 
Interest receivable, net of allowance for bad debt of $16,549 and $16,549, respectively   525,685    293,621 
Prepaid expenses   47,306    35,552 
Total assets   32,314,195    32,486,149 
           
LIABILITIES          
Accrued management fees   78,889    91,934 
Accounts payable   159,472    180,096 
Due to affiliates(1)   64,875    64,875 
Taxes expense payable   64,537    
-
 
Accrued expenses and other liabilities   41,860    65,782 
Total liabilities   409,633    402,687 
           
Net assets  $31,904,562   $32,083,462 
           
NET ASSETS          
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (250,000,000 shares authorized; 120,486,061 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022)  $120,486   $120,486 
Paid-in capital   64,868,884    64,868,884 
Accumulated deficit   (33,084,808)   (32,905,908)
Total net assets  $31,904,562   $32,083,462 
Net asset value per share  $0.265   $0.266 

 

(1)

Amounts under Due to Affiliates are for accrued amounts payable to the Company’s investment advisor, House Hanover, LLC for the reimbursement of administration fees that it incurs on the Company’s behalf. See Note 7 of the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-3

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

   For the Year Ended December 31, 
   2023   2022   2021 
INVESTMENT INCOME            
Interest income from non-control/non-affiliate investments  $1,254,375   $684,375   $286,875 
Interest income from control investments   1,050,876    827,954    465,455 
Interest income paid-in-kind from control investments   
-
    
-
    97,401 
Interest income paid-in-kind from non-control/ non-affiliate  investments   166,339    
-
    
-
 
Other income from non-control/non-affiliate investments   8,140    17,996    24,060 
Other income from non-investment sources (Note 2)   1,163    24,318    745 
Total investment income   2,480,893    1,554,643    874,536 
                
OPERATING EXPENSES               
Management fees   317,546    339,328    265,340 
Administration fees   415,092    403,299    402,110 
Audit fees   149,136    202,196    159,547 
Legal fees (Note 2)   187,687    786,720    349,332 
Valuation fees   90,000    121,500    132,000 
Other professional fees   
-
    14,170    19,487 
Directors’ fees   150,000    150,000    150,000 
Insurance expense   151,193    184,311    160,260 
Interest expense   207    4,896    188 
Other general and administrative expenses   138,465    126,721    116,058 
Total operating expenses   1,599,326    2,333,141    1,754,322 
                
Net investment income (loss) before tax   881,567    (778,498)   (879,786)
Income tax expense   64,993    456    
-
 
Net investment income (loss) after taxes   816,574    (778,954)   (879,786)
                
Net realized gain (loss) on:               
Non-control/non-affiliate investments   (1,200)   4,368,297    
-
 
Total net realized gain (loss)   (1,200)   4,368,297    
-
 
Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments:               
Non-control/non-affiliate investments   (1,075,753)   7,173,601    4,404,498 
Control investments   81,479    (4,116,019)   8,468,740 
Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments   (994,274)   3,057,582    12,873,238 
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments   (995,474)   7,425,879    12,873,238 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations  $(178,900)  $6,646,925   $11,993,452 
                
Net investment income (loss) per share               
Basic  $0.007   $(0.006)  $(0.007)
Diluted  $0.007   $(0.006)  $(0.007)
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations per share               
Basic  $(0.001)  $0.055   $0.100
Diluted  $(0.001)  $0.055   $0.100
Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding               
Basic   120,486,061    120,486,061    120,486,061 
Diluted   120,486,061    120,486,061    120,486,061 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-4

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

 

   For the Year Ended December 31, 
   2023   2022   2021 
Net assets at beginning of year  $32,083,462   $34,472,992   $22,479,540 
Increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations:               
Net investment income (loss)   816,574    (778,954)   (879,786)

Realized gain (loss) on investments

   (1,200)   4,368,297    
-
 
Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments   (994,274)   3,057,582    12,873,238 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations   (178,900)   6,646,925    11,993,452 
                
Distributions               
Dividends declared   
-
    (9,036,455)   
-
 
Total distributions   
-
    (9,036,455)   
-
 
                
Total increase (decrease) in net assets   (178,900)   (2,389,530)   11,993,452 
Net Assets at December 31  $31,904,562   $32,083,462   $34,472,992 
                
Capital share activity:               
Common stock               
Common stock outstanding at the beginning of year   120,486,061    120,486,061    120,486,061 
Common stock outstanding at the end of year   120,486,061    120,486,061    120,486,061 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-5

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

   For the Year Ended December 31, 
   2023   2022   2021 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

            
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations  $(178,900)  $6,646,925   $11,993,452 
Adjustments to reconcile net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:               
Proceeds from sales, repayments, or maturity of investments in:               
Portfolio investments   
-
    11,168,883    230,570 
Net realized (gain) loss on investments   1,200    (4,368,297)   
-
 
Net change in unrealized (gain) loss on investments   994,274    (3,057,582)   (12,873,238)
Increase in investments due to PIK   (166,339)   
-
    (97,401)
Allowance for bad debt   
-
    (413,896)   
-
 
Changes in other assets and liabilities:               
Due from portfolio companies   (250)   199,054    (25,531)
Interest receivable   (232,064)   224,420    10,595 
Prepaid expenses   (11,754)   (5,079)   (3,863)
Tax receivable   
-
    750    6,500 
Accrued management fees   (13,045)   (170,390)   (289,797)
Accounts payable   (20,624)   (23,549)   114,184 
Due to affiliates   
-
    (208,141)   (199,484)
Tax expense payable   64,537    
-
    (1,593)
Deferred fee income   41,860    (17,996)   (24,060)
Accrued expenses and other liabilities   (65,782)   63,498    (27,163)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities   413,113    10,038,600    (1,186,829)
                
Cash Flows from Financing Activities               
Cash dividends paid   
-
    (9,036,455)   
-
 
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities   
-
    (9,036,455)   
-
 
                
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash   413,113    1,002,145    (1,186,829)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year   1,566,546    564,401    1,751,230 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year  $1,979,659   $1,566,546   $564,401 
                
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow financing activities:               
Interest expense paid  $207   $4,896   $188 
Income tax paid  $456   $456   $1,593 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-6

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS as of December 31, 2023

 

Investments   Headquarters / Industry   Acquisition
Date
  Principal
Amount/
Shares/
% Ownership
    Amortized
Cost
    Fair
Value (1)
    % of
Net Assets
 
Portfolio Investments (5)                                
Control investments                                
Advantis Certified Staffing Solutions, Inc.   Houston, TX                            
Second Lien Loan, 12.0% Cash, due 11/30/2021(2) (4) (6)   Staffing   3/13/2015   $ 4,500,000     $ 4,500,000     $ 4,736,141       14.84 %
Unsecured loan 6.33%, due 12/31/2024 (6)       10/01/2019   $ 1,381,586       1,381,586      
-
     
-
%
Common Stock – Series A (4) (6)       7/02/2017     225,000       10,150      
-
     
-
%
Common Stock – Series B (4) (6)       7/02/2017     9,500,000       428,571      
-
     
-
%
Warrant for 250,000 Shares of Series A Common Stock, exercise price $0.01 per share, expires 1/1/2027 (4) (6)       7/02/2017     1       11,278      
-
     
-
%
Warrant for 700,000 Shares of Series A Common Stock, exercise price $0.01 per share, expires 1/1/2027 (4) (6)       12/31/2016     1      
-
     
-
     
-
%
Total                     6,331,585       4,736,141       14.84 %
Dominion Medical Management, Inc.   Milwaukee, WI                                    
First Lien Loan, 12.0% Cash, 6% PIK due, 3/31/2020 (2) (3) 4)   Medical Business Services   3/22/2018   $ 1,516,144       1,516,144       173,399       0.54 %
Integrated Medical Partners, LLC                                        
Preferred Membership, Class A units (4)       3/13/2015     800       4,196,937      
-
     
-
%
Preferred Membership, Class B units (4)       3/13/2015     760       29,586      
-
     
-
%
Common Units (4)       3/13/2015     14,082      
-
     
-
     
-
%
Total                     5,742,667       173,399       0.54 %
PCC SBH Sub, Inc.   Karnes City, TX                                    
Common stock (4) (6)   Energy Services   2/06/2017     100       2,525,481       1,543,841       4.84 %
Rockfish Seafood Grill, Inc.   Richardson, TX                                    
First Lien Loan, 8% Cash, 6.0% PIK, due 3/31/2018 (3) (6)
  Casual Dining   3/13/2015   $ 6,352,944       6,352,944       9,877,041       30.96 %
Revolving Loan, 8% Cash, due 12/31/2024 (6)       6/29/2015   $ 2,251,000       2,251,000       2,251,000       7.06 %
Rockfish Holdings, LLC                                        
Warrant for Membership Interest, exercise price $0.001 per 1% membership interest, expires 7/28/2028 (4) (6)       3/13/2015     10.0 %     414,960      
-
     
-
%
Membership Interest – Class A (4) (6)       3/13/2015     99.997 %     3,734,636      
-
     
-
%
Total                     12,753,540       12,128,041       38.02 %
Total control investments                     27,353,273       18,581,422       58.24 %
                                         
Non-control/non-affiliate investments                                        
                                         
Performance Alloys, LLC   Houston, TX                                    
Second Lien Loan, 10% Cash, due 4% PIK, due 12/31/2026 (3) (6)
  Nickel Pipe, Fittings & Flanges   7/01/2016   $ 6,916,339     6,916,339     6,916,339       21.68 %
Membership Interest – Class B (4) (6)       7/01/2016     25.97 %     5,131,090       4,237,192       13.28 %
Total                     12,047,429       11,153,531       34.96 %

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-7

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS as of December 31, 2023

(Continued)

 

Investments   Headquarters / Industry   Acquisition
Date
  Principal
Amount/
Shares/
% Ownership
    Amortized
Cost
    Fair
Value (1)
    % of Net
Assets
 
Non-control/non-affiliate investments (continued)                                            
Total non-control/non-affiliate investments                     12,047,429       11,153,531       34.96 %
Total Portfolio Investments                     39,400,702       29,734,953       93.20 %
                                         
Total Investments                   $ 39,400,702     $ 29,734,953       93.20 %

 

(1)See Note 5 of the Notes to Financial Statements for a discussion of the methodologies used to value securities in the portfolio.

 

(2)Investment is on non-accrual status.

 

(3)Represents a security with a payment-in-kind component (“PIK”). At the option of the issuer, interest can be paid in cash or cash and PIK. The percentage of PIK shown is the maximum PIK that can be elected by the portfolio company.

 

(4)Investment is non-income producing as of December 31, 2023.

 

(5)Represents an illiquid investment. At December 31, 2023, 100% of the total fair value of portfolio investments are illiquid. All of the Company’s portfolio investments are generally subject to restrictions on resale as “restricted securities.”

 

(6)Represents an investment valued using significant unobservable inputs. 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-8

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS as of December 31, 2023

(Continued)

 

The following tables show the fair value of our portfolio of investments (excluding U.S. Treasury Bills) by geography and industry as of December 31, 2023.

 

   December 31, 2023 
Geography  Investments at
Fair Value
   Percentage of
Net Assets
 
         
United States  $29,734,953    93.20%
Total  $29,734,953    93.20%

 

   December 31, 2023 
Industry  Investments at
Fair Value
   Percentage of
Net Assets
 
         
Casual Dining  $12,128,041    38.02%
Nickel Pipe, Fittings and Flanges   11,153,531    34.96 
Staffing   4,736,141    14.84 
Energy Services   1,543,841    4.84 
Medical Business Services   173,399    0.54 
Total  $29,734,953    93.20%

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-9

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS as of December 31, 2022

 

Investments   Headquarters / Industry   Acquisition
Date
  Principal
Amount/
Shares/
% Ownership
    Amortized
Cost
    Fair
Value (1)
    % of Net
Assets
 
Portfolio Investments (6)                                
Control investments                                
Advantis Certified Staffing Solutions, Inc.   Houston, TX                            
Second Lien Loan, 12.0% Cash, due 11/30/2021(2) (5) (7)   Staffing   3/13/2015   $ 4,500,000     $ 4,500,000     $ 3,656,647       11.40 %
Unsecured loan 6.33%, due 12/31/2023 (7)       10/01/2019   $ 1,381,586       1,381,586      
-
     
-
%
Common Stock – Series A (5) (7)       7/02/2017     225,000       10,150      
-
     
-
%
Common Stock – Series B (5) (7)       7/02/2017     9,500,000       428,571      
-
     
-
%
Warrant for 250,000 Shares of Series A Common Stock, exercise price $0.01 per share, expires 1/1/2027 (5) (7)       7/02/2017     1       11,278      
-
     
-
%
Warrant for 700,000 Shares of Series A Common Stock, exercise price $0.01 per share, expires 1/1/2027 (5) (7)       12/31/2016     1      
-
     
-
     
-
%
Total                     6,331,585       3,656,647       11.40 %
Dominion Medical Management, Inc.   Milwaukee, WI                                    
First Lien Loan, 12.0% Cash, 6% PIK due,  3/31/2020 (2) (3) (5) (7)   Medical Business Services   3/22/2018   $ 1,516,144       1,516,144       184,999       0.58 %
Integrated Medical Partners, LLC                                        
Preferred Membership, Class A units (5) (7)       3/13/2015     800       4,196,937      
-
     
-
%
Preferred Membership, Class B units (5) (7)       3/13/2015     760       29,586      
-
     
-
%
Common Units (5) (7)       3/13/2015     14,082      
-
     
-
     
-
%
Total                     5,742,667       184,999       0.58 %
PCC SBH Sub, Inc.   Karnes City, TX                                    
Common stock (5) (7)   Energy Services   2/06/2017     100       2,525,481       1,698,329       5.29 %
Rockfish Seafood Grill, Inc.   Richardson, TX                                    
First Lien Loan, 8% Cash, 6.0% PIK, due 3/31/2018 (3) (7)   Casual Dining   3/13/2015   $ 6,352,944       6,352,944       10,708,968       33.38 %
Revolving Loan, 8% Cash, due 12/31/2023(7)       6/29/2015   $ 2,251,000       2,251,000       2,251,000       7.01 %
Rockfish Holdings, LLC                                        
Warrant for Membership Interest, exercise price $0.001 per 1% membership interest, expires 7/28/2028 (5) (7)       3/13/2015     10.0 %     414,960      
-
     
-
%
Membership Interest – Class A (5) (7)       3/13/2015     99.997 %     3,734,636      
-
     
-
%
Total                     12,753,540      

12,959,968

     

40.39

%
Total control investments                     27,353,273       18,499,943       57.66 %
                                         
Non-control/non-affiliate investments                                        
                                         
Performance Alloys, LLC   Houston, TX                                    
Second Lien Loan, 10% Cash, due 12/31/2023 (7)   Nickel Pipe, Fittings & Flanges   7/01/2016   $ 6,750,000     6,750,000     7,320,000       22.82 %
Membership Interest – Class B (5) (7)       7/01/2016     25.97 %     5,131,090       4,742,945       14.78 %
Total                     11,881,090       12,062,945       37.60 %

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-10

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS as of December 31, 2022

(Continued)

 

Investments   Headquarters / Industry    Acquisition
Date
  Principal
Amount/
Shares/
% Ownership
    Amortized
Cost
    Fair
Value (1)
    % of
Net Assets
 
Non-control/non-affiliate investments (continued)                                
                                 
Rampart Detection Systems, Ltd.   British Columbia, Canada                            
Common Stock Shares (4) (5)   Security   3/13/2015     600,000       1,200       1,200      
-
%
Total non-control/non-affiliate investments                     11,882,290       12,064,145       37.60 %
Total Portfolio Investments                     39,235,563       30,564,088       95.26 %
                                         
Total Investments                   $ 39,235,563     $ 30,564,088       95.26 %

 

(1)See Note 5 of the Notes to Financial Statements for a discussion of the methodologies used to value securities in the portfolio.

 

(2)Investment is on non-accrual status.

 

(3)Represents a security with a payment-in-kind component (“PIK”). At the option of the issuer, interest can be paid in cash or cash and PIK. The percentage of PIK shown is the maximum PIK that can be elected by the portfolio company.

 

(4)The investment in Rampart Detection Systems, Ltd does not represent a “qualifying asset” under Section 55(a) of the 1940 Act as the principal place of business is in British Columbia, Canada. As of December 31, 2022, less than 1% of the total fair value of investments represents non-qualifying assets.

 

(5)Investment is non-income producing as of December 31, 2022.

 

(6)Represents an illiquid investment. At December 31, 2022, 100% of the total fair value of portfolio investments are illiquid. All of the Company’s portfolio investments are generally subject to restrictions on resale as “restricted securities.”

 

(7)Represents an investment valued using significant unobservable inputs. 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-11

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS as of December 31, 2022

(Continued)

 

The following tables show the fair value of our portfolio of investments (excluding U.S. Treasury Bills) by geography and industry as of December 31, 2022.

 

   December 31, 2022 
Geography  Investments at
Fair Value
   Percentage of
Net Assets
 
         
United States  $30,562,888    95.26%
Canada   1,200    0.00 
Total  $30,564,088    95.26%

 

   December 31, 2022 
Industry  Investments at
Fair Value
   Percentage of
Net Assets
 
        
Casual Dining  $12,959,968    40.39%
Nickel Pipe, Fittings and Flanges   12,062,945    37.60 
Staffing   3,656,647    11.40 
Energy Services   1,698,329    5.29 
Medical Business Services   184,999    0.58 
Security   1,200    0.00 
Total  $30,564,088    95.26%

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-12

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

NOTE 1 – NATURE OF OPERATIONS

 

References herein to “we”, “us” or “our” refer to Princeton Capital Corporation (the “Company” or “Princeton Capital”), unless the context specifically requires otherwise.

 

Princeton Capital Corporation, a Maryland corporation, was incorporated under the general laws of the State of Maryland on July 25, 2013. We are a non-diversified, closed-end investment company that has filed an election to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”), under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). A goal of a BDC is to annually qualify and elect to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Company, however, did not meet the requirements to qualify as a RIC for the 2023 tax year and will be taxed as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Code and does not expect to meet the qualifications of a RIC until such time as certain strategic alternatives are achieved. While we have sought to invest primarily in private small and lower middle-market companies in various industries through first lien loans, second lien loans, unsecured loans, unitranche and mezzanine debt financing, often times with a corresponding equity investment, we are now (with a strategic alternatives process underway and limited resources) investing only in current investments and otherwise conserving cash. Our investment objective is to maximize the total return to our stockholders in the form of current income and capital appreciation through debt and related equity investments.

 

Prior to March 13, 2015, Princeton Capital’s predecessor operated under the name Regal One Corporation (“Regal One”). Regal One had been located in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was a Florida corporation initially incorporated in 1959 as Electro-Mechanical Services Inc. Since inception, Regal One had been involved in several industries. In 1998, Electro-Mechanical Services Inc. changed its name to Regal One Corporation.

 

On March 7, 2005, Regal One’s board of directors determined it was in the shareholders’ best interest to change the focus of its operations to providing financial consulting services through its network of advisors and professionals, and to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. On September 16, 2005, Regal One filed a Form N54A (Notification of Election by Business Development Companies) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which transformed Regal One into a BDC in accordance with sections 55 through 65 of the 1940 Act. Regal One reported as an operating BDC from March 31, 2006 until March 13, 2015 and since March 13, 2015 (following the Reincorporation described below) Princeton Capital has reported as an operating BDC.

 

On December 27, 2017, the Board approved (specifically in accordance with Rule 15a-4(b)(1)(ii) of the Investment Company Act) and authorized the Company to enter into an Interim Investment Advisory Agreement between the Company and House Hanover, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“House Hanover”) (the “Interim Investment Advisory Agreement”), in accordance with Rule 15a-4 of the Investment Company Act. The effective date of the Interim Investment Advisory Agreement was January 1, 2018.

 

On April 5, 2018, the Board, including a majority of the independent directors, conditionally approved the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Company and House Hanover (the “House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement”) subject to the approval of the Company’s stockholders at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement replaced the Interim Investment Advisory Agreement. On May 30, 2018, the Company’s stockholders approved the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement. The effective date of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement was May 31, 2018. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement was last annually renewed by the Board and by a majority of the members of the Board who are not parties to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement or “interested persons” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party, in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement on May 15, 2023.

 

Since January 1, 2018, House Hanover has acted as our investment advisor under the Interim Investment Advisory Agreement (from January 1, 2018 until May 31, 2018) and the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement (since May 31, 2018).

 

F-13

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

On November 15, 2019, our Board announced that the Company has initiated a strategic review process to identify, examine, and consider a range of strategic alternatives available to the Company, including but not limited to, (i) selling the Company’s assets to a business development company or other potential buyer, (ii) merging with another business development company, (iii) liquidating the Company’s assets in accordance with a plan of liquidation, (iv) raising additional funds for the Company, or (v) otherwise entering into another business combination, with the objective of maximizing stockholder value. As of December 31, 2023 and through the date of filing this Annual Report, the Company has not entered into any strategic alternative and the strategic process remains ongoing.

 

NOTE 2 – SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). In accordance with Regulation S-X under the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Company does not consolidate portfolio company investments. The accounting records of the Company are maintained in U.S. dollars. As an investment company, as defined by the 1940 Act, the Company follows investment company accounting and reporting guidance of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946 – Financial Services - Investment Companies, which is U.S. GAAP.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets, creditworthiness of our portfolio companies and any other parameters used in determining these estimates could cause actual results to differ. It is likely that changes in these estimates will occur in the near term. The Company’s estimates are inherently subjective in nature and actual results could differ materially from such estimates.

 

Portfolio Investment Classification

 

The Company classifies its investments in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, “Control Investments” are defined as investments in companies in which the Company owns more than 25% of the voting securities or maintains greater than 50% of the board representation. Under the 1940 Act, “Affiliated Investments” are defined as those non-control investments in companies in which the Company owns between 5% and 25% of the voting securities. Under the 1940 Act, “Non-affiliated Investments” are defined as investments that are neither Control Investments nor Affiliated Investments. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had control investments in Advantis Certified Staffing Solutions, Inc., PCC SBH Sub, Inc., Rockfish Holdings, LLC, Rockfish Seafood Grill, Inc., Integrated Medical Partners, LLC and Dominion Medical Management, Inc. as defined under the 1940 Act. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had control investments in Advantis Certified Staffing Solutions, Inc., PCC SBH Sub, Inc., Rockfish Holdings, LLC, Rockfish Seafood Grill, Inc., Integrated Medical Partners, LLC and Dominion Medical Management, Inc. as defined under the 1940 Act.

 

Investments are recognized when we assume an obligation to acquire a financial instrument and assume the risks for gains or losses related to that instrument. Investments are derecognized when we assume an obligation to sell a financial instrument and forgo the risks for gains and losses related to that instrument. Specifically, we record all security transactions on a trade date basis. Investments in other non-security financial instruments, such as limited partnerships or private companies, are recorded on the basis of subscription date or redemption date, as applicable. Amounts for investments recognized or derecognized but not yet settled are reported as receivables for investments sold or payable for investments acquired, respectively, in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities.

 

F-14

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

Valuation of Investments

 

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

 

In determining fair value, our board of directors uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy for inputs and is used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available.

 

Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the board of directors. Unobservable inputs reflect our board of director’s assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.

 

With respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available, our board of directors undertakes a multi-step valuation process each quarter, as described below:

 

Our quarterly valuation process begins with each portfolio company or investment being initially valued by an independent valuation firm, except for those investments where market quotations are readily available.

 

Preliminary valuation conclusions are then documented and discussed with our senior management and our investment advisor.

 

The valuation committee of our board of directors then reviews these preliminary valuations and approves them for recommendation to the board of directors.

 

The board of directors then discusses valuations and determines the fair value of each investment in our portfolio in good faith, based on the input of our investment advisor, the independent valuation firm and the valuation committee.

 

U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value that includes a hierarchy used to classify the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three levels. The level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

 

Level 1 — Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of judgment.

 

Level 2 — Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

 

Level 3 — Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

 

The availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Those estimated values do not necessarily represent the amounts that may be ultimately realized due to the occurrence of future circumstances that cannot be reasonably determined. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the board of directors in determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3. In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. For the fair value measurements as of December 31, 2023, there were no changes in the valuation technique for the Company’s investments from the prior quarter.

 

F-15

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

Fair value is a market-based measure considered from the perspective of a market participant rather than an entity-specific measure. Therefore, even when market assumptions are not readily available, the Company’s own assumptions are set to reflect those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. The Company uses prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date, including periods of market dislocation. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many securities. This condition could cause a security to be reclassified to a lower level within the fair value hierarchy.

 

Valuation Processes

 

The Company establishes valuation processes and procedures to ensure that the valuation techniques for investments that are categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy are fair, consistent, and verifiable. The Company’s board of directors designates a Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) to oversee the entire valuation process of the Company’s Level 3 investments. The Committee is comprised of independent directors and reports to the Company’s board of directors. The Committee is responsible for developing the Company’s written valuation processes and procedures, conducting periodic reviews of the valuation policies, and evaluating the overall fairness and consistent application of the valuation policies.

 

The Committee meets on a quarterly basis, or more frequently as needed, to determine the valuations of the Company’s Level 3 investments. Valuations determined by the Committee are required to be supported by market data, third-party pricing sources, industry accepted pricing models, counterparty prices, or other methods that the Committee deems to be appropriate.

 

The Company will periodically test its valuations of Level 3 investments through performing back testing of the sales of such investments by comparing the amounts realized against the most recent fair values reported, and if necessary, uses the findings to recalibrate its valuation procedures. On a quarterly basis, the Company engages the services of a nationally recognized third-party valuation firm to perform an independent valuation of the Company’s Level 3 investments. This valuation firm provides a range of values for selected investments, which is presented to the Valuation Committee to determine the value for each of the selected investments.

 

Investment Valuation

 

We expect that most of our portfolio investments will take the form of securities that are not publicly traded. The fair value of loans, securities and other investments that are not publicly traded may not be readily determinable, and we will value these investments at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors, including reflecting significant events affecting the value of our investments. Most, if not all, of our investments (other than cash and cash equivalents) will be classified as Level 3 under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”, or ASC 820. This means that our portfolio valuations will be based on unobservable inputs and our own assumptions about how market participants would price the asset or liability in question. We expect that inputs into the determination of fair value of our portfolio investments will require significant management judgment or estimation. Even if observable market data are available, such information may be the result of consensus pricing information or broker quotes, which include a disclaimer that the broker would not be held to such a price in an actual transaction. The non-binding nature of consensus pricing and/or quotes accompanied by disclaimers materially reduces the reliability of such information. We expect to retain the services of one or more independent service providers to review the valuation of these loans and securities. The types of factors that the board of directors may take into account in determining the fair value of our investments generally include, as appropriate, comparison to publicly traded securities including such factors as yield, maturity and measures of credit quality, the enterprise value of a portfolio company, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flow, the markets in which the portfolio company does business and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these loans and securities existed. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of our investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the disposal of such loans and securities.

 

F-16

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

We will adjust the valuation of our portfolio quarterly to reflect our board of directors’ determination of the fair value of each investment in our portfolio. Any changes in fair value are recorded in our statement of operations as net change in unrealized gain or loss on investments.

 

Debt Securities

 

The Company’s portfolio consists primarily of first lien loans, second lien loans, and unsecured loans. Investments for which market quotations are readily available (“Level 2 Loans”) are generally valued using market quotations, which are generally obtained from an independent pricing service or broker-dealers. For other debt investments (“Level 3 Loans”), market quotations are not available and other techniques are used to determine fair value. The Company considers its Level 3 Loans to be performing if the borrower is not in default, the borrower is remitting payments in a timely manner, the loan is in covenant compliance or is otherwise not deemed to be impaired. In determining the fair value of the performing Level 3 Loans, the Board considers fluctuations in current interest rates, the trends in yields of debt instruments with similar credit ratings, financial condition of the borrower, economic conditions, success and prepayment fees, and other relevant factors, both qualitative and quantitative. In the event that a Level 3 Loan instrument is not performing, as defined above, the Board may evaluate the value of the collateral utilizing the same framework described above for a performing loan to determine the value of the Level 3 Loan instrument.

 

Equity Investments

 

Our equity investments, including common stock, membership interests, and warrants, are generally valued using a market approach and income approach. The income approach utilizes primarily the discount rate to value the investment whereas the primary inputs for the market approach are the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) multiple and revenue multiples. The Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model, a valuation technique that follows the income approach, is used to allocate the value of the equity to the investment. The pricing model takes into account the contract terms (including maturity) as well as multiple inputs, including time value, implied volatility, equity prices, risk free rates, and interest rates.

 

Valuation of Other Financial Instruments

 

The carrying amounts of the Company’s other, non-investment, financial instruments, consisting of cash, receivables, accounts payable, and accrued expenses, approximate fair value due to their short-term nature.

 

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

 

The Company deposits its cash and restricted cash in financial institutions and, at times, such balances may be in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured limit; however, management does not believe it is exposed to any significant credit risk. Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and present insignificant risk of changes in value.

 

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and restricted cash reporting within the Statements of Assets and Liabilities that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the Statements of Cash Flows:

 

   December 31,   December 31, 
   2023   2022 
Cash and Cash Equivalents  $1,937,768   $1,525,723 
Restricted Cash   41,891    40,823 
Total Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash  $1,979,659   $1,566,546 

 

As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, restricted cash consisted of cash held for deposit with law firms that represents the Company in its litigation with Great Value Storage, LLC.

 

F-17

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

U.S. Treasury Bills

 

At the end of each fiscal quarter, we may take proactive steps to be in compliance with the RIC diversification requirements under Subchapter M of the Code, which are dependent upon the composition of our total assets at quarter end. We may accomplish this in several ways, including purchasing U.S. Treasury Bills and closing out positions after quarter-end. As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company did not purchase any U.S. Treasury Bills. The Company does not expect to meet the qualifications of a RIC nor anticipate buying U.S. Treasury Bills until such time as certain strategic alternatives are achieved.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Realized gains or losses on the sale of investments are calculated using the specific identification method. The Company measures realized gains or losses by the difference between the net proceeds from the repayment or sale and the amortized cost basis of the investment, without regard to unrealized appreciation or depreciation previously recognized, but considering unamortized upfront fees and prepayment penalties.

 

Interest income, adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount, is recorded on an accrual basis. Origination, closing and/or commitment fees associated with senior and subordinated secured loans are accreted into interest income over the respective terms of the applicable loans. Upon the prepayment of a senior or subordinated secured loan, any prepayment penalties and unamortized loan origination, closing and commitment fees are recorded as interest income. Generally, when a payment default occurs on a loan in the portfolio, or if the Company otherwise believes that the borrower will not be able to make contractual interest payments, the Company may place the loan on non-accrual status and cease recognizing interest income on the loan until all principal and interest is current through payment, or until a restructuring occurs, and the interest income is deemed to be collectible. The Company may make exceptions to this policy if a loan has sufficient collateral value, is in the process of collection or is viewed to be able to pay all amounts due if the loan were to be collected on through an investment in or sale of the business, the sale of the assets of the business, or some portion or combination thereof.

 

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date.

 

Structuring fees, excess deal deposits, prepayment fees and similar fees are recognized as income as earned, usually when paid.

 

Other fee income from investment sources can include loan fees, annual fees or monitoring fees from our portfolio investments and are included in other income from non-control/non-affiliate investments and other income from non-investment sources. Income from such sources for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $8,140, $17,996 and $24,060, respectively.

 

Other income from non-investment sources is generally comprised of interest income earned on cash held in a bank account. For the year ended December 31, 2022, $24,000 of the other income from non-investment sources resulted from the reversal of previously accrued administration fees.

 

Payment-in-Kind Interest (“PIK”)

 

We have investments in our portfolio that contain a PIK interest provision. Any PIK interest is added to the principal balance of such investments and is recorded as income, if the portfolio company valuation indicates that such PIK interest is collectible. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 PIK interest was $166,339, $0 and $97,401, respectively. In order to qualify as a RIC, substantially all of this income must be paid out to stockholders in the form of dividends, even if we have not collected any cash.

 

F-18

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

Net Change in Unrealized Gain or Loss

 

Net change in unrealized gain or loss will reflect the change in portfolio investment values during the reporting period, including any reversal of previously recorded unrealized appreciation or depreciation, when gains or losses are realized.

 

Legal Fees

 

Legal fees invoiced to the Company for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, were incurred in the normal operating course of business and are included in legal fees on the Statements of Operations.

 

The Company incurred legal fees related to the lawsuit against Great Value Storage, LLC (“GVS”). The amounts invoiced to the Company, prior to the final judgment received on March 4, 2021, for the years ended December 31, 2021 were $14,423. These amounts are recoverable per the loan agreements and are invoiced to GVS and included in the account Due from portfolio companies on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. The amount invoiced to the Company after the final judgment received on March 4, 2021, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $4,631, $511,441 and $200,857, respectively. These amounts are for fees incurred to recover our judgment and were expensed to legal fees on the Statements of Operations.

 

Federal and State Income Taxes

 

The Company was taxed as a regular corporation (a “C corporation”) under subchapter C of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for its 2022 and 2021 taxable years. The Company uses the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for tax loss carryforwards and temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements, using statutory tax rates in effect for the year in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided against deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

 

The Company did not meet the qualifications of a RIC for the 2022 and 2021 tax years and was taxed as a corporation under the Code. The failure to qualify as a RIC did not impact the 2022 or 2021 tax years as the Company incurred tax losses. As a result of the losses incurred for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company intends to carry forward the net operating losses to future periods in which the Company generates taxable income to reduce its tax liability.

 

The Company did not meet the qualifications of a RIC for the 2023 tax year and will be taxed as a corporation under the Code. It may not be in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders to elect to be taxed as a RIC at the present time due to the net operating losses and capital loss carryforwards the Company currently has. Further, we do not expect to meet the qualifications of a RIC until such time as certain strategic alternatives are achieved. Management will make a determination that is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

 

In order to qualify as a RIC, among other things, the Company is required to distribute to its stockholders on a timely basis at least 90% of investment company taxable income, as defined by the Code, for each year. So long as the Company achieves its status as a RIC, it generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal and state income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes at least annually to its stockholders as dividends. Rather, any tax liability related to income earned by the Company will represent obligations of the Company’s investors and will not be reflected in the financial statements of the Company. While the Company does not expect to meet the qualifications of a RIC until such time as certain strategic alternatives are achieved, it can still declare a dividend even though it is not required to do so.

 

F-19

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

The Company evaluates tax positions taken or expected to be taken while preparing its financial statements to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. The Company recognizes the tax benefits of uncertain tax positions only where the position has met the “more-likely-than-not” threshold. The Company classifies penalties and interest associated with income taxes, if any, as income tax expense. Conclusions regarding tax positions are subject to review and may be adjusted at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, ongoing analyses of tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof.

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

Dividends and distributions to common stockholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The amount, if any, to be paid as a dividend is approved by our board of directors each quarter and is generally based upon our management’s estimate of our earnings for the quarter.

 

Dividends and distributions to common stockholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The amount, if any, to be paid as a dividend is approved by our board of directors each quarter and is generally based upon our management’s estimate of our earnings for the quarter.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company declared and paid a cash dividend of $0.075 per share of common stock on or about December 1, 2022 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 21, 2022.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2021, no dividends were declared or distributed to stockholders.

 

Per Share Information

 

Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share is calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period presented.

 

Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing earnings (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing earnings (loss) per share by the weighted average number of shares outstanding, plus, any potentially dilutive shares outstanding during the period. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share were the same, since there were no potentially dilutive securities outstanding.

 

Capital Accounts

 

Certain capital accounts including undistributed net investment income, accumulated net realized gain or loss, accumulated net unrealized gain or loss, and paid-in capital in excess of par, are adjusted, at least annually, for permanent differences between book and tax. In addition, the character of income and gains to be distributed is determined in accordance with income tax regulations that may differ from U.S. GAAP.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-02, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326)”, which is intended to address issues identified during the post-implementation review of ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments”. The amendment, among other things, eliminates the accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings by creditors in Subtopic 310-40, “Receivables - Troubled Debt Restructurings by Creditors”, while enhancing disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancings and restructurings by creditors when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. The new guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company has evaluated and will continue to evaluate the impact of the adoption of ASU 2022-02 on its financial statements and disclosures. Presently, the adoption of ASU 2022-02 has no impact on the Company’s financial statements and disclosures.

 

In June 2022, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2022-03, or ASU, 2022-03, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions, or ASU 2022-03, which changed the fair value measurement disclosure requirements of ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, or ASC 820. The amendments clarify that a contractual restriction on the sale of an equity security is not considered part of the unit of account of the equity security and, therefore, is not considered in measuring fair value. The amendments also clarify that an entity cannot, as a separate unit of account, recognize and measure a contractual sale restriction. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods therein. Early application is permitted. The Company has evaluated and will continue to evaluate the impact the adoption of this new accounting standard will have on its financial statements, but the impact of the adoption is not expected to be material. Presently, the adoption of this new accounting standard has no impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

F-20

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

NOTE 3 – CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK

 

In the normal course of business, the Company maintains its cash balances in financial institutions, which at times may exceed federally insured limits. The Company is subject to credit risk to the extent any financial institution with which it conducts business is unable to fulfill contractual obligations on its behalf. Management monitors the financial condition of such financial institutions and does not anticipate any losses from these counterparties.

 

NOTE 4 – NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS PER COMMON SHARE

 

The following information sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations per common share for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
Per Share Data (1):   2023     2022     2021  
                   
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations   $ (178,900 )   $ 6,646,925     $ 11,993,452  
Weighted average shares outstanding for year                        
Basic     120,486,061       120,486,061       120,486,061  
Diluted     120,486,061       120,486,061       120,486,061  
Basic and diluted net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations per common share                        
Basic   $ (0.001 )   $ 0.055     $ 0.100  
Diluted   $ (0.001 )   $ 0.055     $ 0.100  

 

(1) Per share data based on weighted average shares outstanding.

 

NOTE 5 – FAIR VALUE OF INVESTMENTS

 

The Company’s assets recorded at fair value have been categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy in accordance with ASC Topic 820 – Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”). See Note 2 for a discussion of the Company’s policies.

 

The following tables presents information about the Company’s assets measured at fair value as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:

 

   As of December 31, 2023 
   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total 
Portfolio Investments                
First Lien Loans  $
       -
   $
        -
   $12,301,440   $12,301,440 
Second Lien Loans   
-
    
-
    11,652,480    11,652,480 
Equity   
-
    
-
    5,781,033    5,781,033 
Total Portfolio Investments   
-
    
-
    29,734,953    29,734,953 
Total Investments  $
-
   $
-
   $29,734,953   $29,734,953 

 

   As of December 31, 2022 
   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total 
Portfolio Investments                    
First Lien Loans  $
    -
   $
      -
   $13,144,967   $13,144,967 
Second Lien Loans   
-
    
-
    10,976,647    10,976,647 
Equity   
-
    
-
    6,442,474    6,442,474 
Total Portfolio Investments   
-
    
-
    30,564,088    30,564,088 
Total Investments  $
-
   $
-
   $30,564,088   $30,564,088 

 

F-21

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no transfers between Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company’s investment in Dominion Medical Management, Inc. changed from a second lien loan to a first lien loan.

 

The following table presents additional information about Level 3 assets measured at fair value. Both observable and unobservable inputs may be used to determine the fair value of positions that the Company has classified within the Level 3 category. As a result, the unrealized gains and losses for assets within the Level 3 category may include changes in fair value that were attributable to both observable (e.g., changes in market interest rates) and unobservable (e.g., changes in unobservable long-dated volatilities) inputs.

 

Changes in Level 3 assets measured at fair value for the year ended December 31, 2023 are as follows:

 

    First Lien
Loans
    Second Lien
Loans
    Unsecured
Loans
    Equity     Total  
Fair value at beginning of year   $ 13,144,967     $ 10,976,647     $
           -
    $ 6,442,474     $ 30,564,088  
Sales or repayment of investments    
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
 
Payment-in-kind interest    
-
      166,339      
-
     
-
      166,339  
Realized loss on investments    
-
     
-
     
-
      (1,200 )     (1,200 )
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments     (843,527 )     509,494      
-
      (660,241 )     (994,274 )
Transfers in/out    
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
 
Fair value at end of year   $ 12,301,440     $ 11,652,480     $
-
    $ 5,781,033     $ 29,734,953  
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on Level 3 investments still held as of December 31, 2023   $ (843,527 )   $ 509,494     $
-
    $ (660,241 )   $ (994,274 )

 

Changes in Level 3 assets measured at fair value for the year ended December 31, 2022 are as follows:

 

    First Lien
Loans
    Second Lien
Loans
    Unsecured
Loans
    Equity     Total  
Fair value at beginning of year   $ 19,400,200     $ 11,435,134     $
           -
    $ 3,471,758     $ 34,307,092  
Purchases of investments    
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
 
Sales or repayment of investments     (11,168,883 )    
-
     
-
     
-
      (11,168,883 )
Payment-in-kind interest    
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
 
Realized gain on investments     4,368,297      
-
     
-
     
-
      4,368,297  
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments     387,194       (300,328 )    
-
      2,970,716       3,057,582  
Transfer due to restructuring     158,159       (158,159 )    
-
     
-
     
-
 
Fair value at end of year   $ 13,144,967     $ 10,976,647     $
-
    $ 6,442,474     $ 30,564,088  
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on Level 3 investments still held as of December 31, 2022   $ (1,400,513 )   $ (458,487 )   $
-
    $ 2,970,716     $ 1,111,716  

 

F-22

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

The following table provides quantitative information regarding Level 3 fair value measurements as of December 31, 2023:

 

Description  Fair Value   Valuation Technique (1)  Unobservable
Inputs
  Range (Average (2))
First Lien Loans  $12,128,041   Enterprise Value Coverage  EV / Store level EBITDAR  5.25x-5.75x (5.50x)
           Location Value  $1,425,000-$1,625,000 (1,525,000)
Total   12,128,041          
               
Second Lien Loans   11,652,480   Enterprise Value Coverage  EV / Run Rate Revenue   0.37x-0.42x (0.39x)
           EV / PF EBITDA  5.50x-6.50x (6.00x)
Total   11,652,480          
               
Unsecured Loans   
-
   Enterprise Value Coverage  EV / Run Rate Revenue  0.37x-0.42x (0.39x)
Total   
-
          
               
Equity   4,237,192   Enterprise Value Coverage  EV / Run Rate Revenue  0.37x-0.42x (0.39x)
           EV / PF EBITDA  5.50x-6.50x (6.00x)
           EV / Store level EBITDAR  5.25x-5.75x (5.50x)
           Location Value  $1,425,000-$1,625,000 ($1,525,000)
           Cost Approach  $1,413,000-$1,727,000 (1,570,000)
    1,543,841   Appraisal Value Coverage  Sales Comparison Approach  $1,440,000-$1,760,000 ($1,600,000)
Total   5,781,033          
Total Level 3 Investments  $29,561,554          

 

(1)There were no changes in the valuation technique for the Company’s investments from the prior quarter.

 

(2)The average represents the arithmetic average of the unobservable inputs and is not weighted by the relative fair value.

 

Level 3 investment, valued at $173,399, was an investment in a portfolio company that ceased operations in the 2nd quarter of 2022. This value consisted of an estimate of remaining cash available to distribute to priority lienholders. As a result, there were no unobservable inputs that have been internally developed by the Company in determining the fair values of these investments as of December 31, 2023.

 

F-23

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

The following table provides quantitative information regarding Level 3 fair value measurements as of December 31, 2022:

 

Description  Fair Value   Valuation Technique (1)  Unobservable
Inputs
  Range (Average (2))
First Lien Loans  $12,959,968   Enterprise Value Coverage  EV / Store level EBITDAR  5.00x-5.50x (5.25x)
           Location Value  $1,450,000-$1,650,000 ($1,550,000)
Total   12,959,968          
               
Second Lien Loans   10,976,647   Enterprise Value Coverage   EV / LTM Revenue   0.39x-0.44x (0.42x)
           EV / PF EBITDA  5.50x-6.50x (6.00x)
Total   10,976,647          
               
Unsecured Loans   
-
   Enterprise Value Coverage  EV / LTM Revenue  0.39x-0.44x (0.42x)
Total   
-
          
               
Equity   4,742,945   Enterprise Value Coverage  EV / LTM Revenue  0.39x-0.44x (0.42x)
           EV / PF EBITDA  5.50x-6.50x (6.00x)
           EV / Store level EBITDAR  5.00x-5.50x (5.25x)
           Location Value  $1,450,000-$1,650,000 ($1,550,000)
    1,698,329   Appraisal Value Coverage  Cost Approach  $1,449,000-$1,771,000 ($1,610,000)
           Sales Comparison Approach  $1,431,000-$1,749,000 ($1,590,000)
Total   6,441,274          
Total Level 3 Investments  $30,377,889          

 

(1)There were no changes in the valuation technique for the Company’s investments from the prior quarter.

 

(2)The average represents the arithmetic average of the unobservable inputs and is not weighted by the relative fair value.

 

One of the Company’s remaining Level 3 investments, valued at $1,200, has been valued using unadjusted third party transactions.  The other remaining Level 3 investment, valued at $184,999, was an investment in a portfolio company that ceased operations in the 2nd quarter of 2022. This value consisted of an estimate of remaining cash available to distribute to priority lienholders. As a result, there were no unobservable inputs that have been internally developed by the Company in determining the fair values of these investments as of December 31, 2022.

 

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company used a market approach to value certain equity investments as the Company felt this approach better reflected the fair value of these investments.

 

The Company considers all relevant information that can reasonably be obtained when determining the fair value of Level 3 investments. Due to any given portfolio company’s information rights, changes in capital structure, recent events, transactions, or liquidity events, the type and availability of unobservable inputs may change. Increases (decreases) in revenue multiples, earnings before interest and taxes (“EBIT”) multiples, time to expiration, and stock price/strike price would result in higher (lower) fair values all else equal. Decreases (increases) in discount rates, volatility, and annual risk rates, would result in higher (lower) fair values all else equal. The market approach utilizes market value (revenue and EBIT) multiples of publicly traded comparable companies and available precedent sales transactions of comparable companies. The Company carefully considers numerous factors when selecting the appropriate companies whose multiples are used to value its portfolio companies. These factors include, but are not limited to, the type of organization, similarity to the business being valued, relevant risk factors, as well as size, profitability and growth expectations. In general, precedent transactions include recent rounds of financing, recent purchases made by the Company, and tender offers. Refer to “Note 2—Significant Accounting Policies” for more detail.

 

F-24

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

The primary significant unobservable input used in the fair value measurement of the Company’s debt securities (first lien loans, second lien loans and unsecured loans), when using an income approach, is the discount rate. Significant increases (decreases) in the discount rate in isolation would result in a significantly lower (higher) fair value measurement. In determining the discount rate, for the income (discounted cash flow) or yield approach, the Company considers current market yields and multiples, portfolio company performance, leverage levels and credit quality, among other factors in its analysis. Changes in one or more of these factors can have a similar directional change on other factors in determining the appropriate discount rate to use in the income approach.

 

The primary significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the Company’s equity investments, when using a market approach, are the EBITDA multiple and revenue multiple, which is used to determine the Enterprise Value. Significant increases (decreases) in the Enterprise Value in isolation would result in a significantly higher (lower) fair value measurement. To determine the Enterprise Value for the market approach, the Company considers current market trading and/or transaction multiples, portfolio company performance (financial ratios) relative to public and private peer companies and leverage levels, among other factors. Changes in one or more of these factors can have a similar directional change on other factors in determining the appropriate multiple to use in the market approach.

 

The primary unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the Company’s equity investments, when using an option pricing model to allocate the equity value to the investment, are the discount rate for lack of marketability and volatility. Significant increases (decreases) in the discount rate in isolation would result in a significantly lower (higher) fair value measurement. Significant increases (decreases) in the volatility in isolation would result in a significantly higher (lower) fair value measurement. Changes in one or more factors can have a similar directional change on other factors in determining the appropriate discount rate or volatility to use in the valuation of equity using an option pricing model.

 

NOTE 6 – INCOME TAX

 

The Company is currently taxable as a C corporation and subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. The Company recorded a provision as follows:

 

   2023   2022   2021 
Current expense  $64,993   $
     -
   $
-
 
Deferred expense   
-
    
-
    
-
 
Total expense  $64,993   $
-
   $
       -
 

 

The components of deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were as follows:

 

Deferred tax assets:  2023   2022   2021 
Net operating loss carryforward  $641,502   $1,207,956   $929,161 
Net capital loss carryforwards   651,514    651,262    1,568,604 
Other   3,476    3,475    181,375 
Basis differences in investments   730,130    117,820    716,075 
Total gross deferred tax assets   2,026,622    1,980,513    3,395,215 
Less: Valuation allowance   (2,026,622)   (1,980,513)   (3,395,215)
Net deferred tax assets  $
-
   $
-
   $
-
 

 

F-25

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the total amount of federal net operating loss carryforwards was approximately $3,054,772 and $5,752,173, respectively. The remaining federal net operating loss carryforwards in the amount of $741,630 that will expire in 2037 will be utilized on the 2023 income tax return. The federal net operating loss carryforwards in the amount of $3,054,772 will not expire, but can only be used to offset 80% of taxable income. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the total amount of federal capital loss carryforwards was approximately $3,102,446 and $3,101,246, respectively. The federal capital loss carryforwards in the amount of $3,101,246 and $1,200 will expire in 2025 and 2028, respectively.

 

The recognition of a valuation allowance for deferred taxes requires management to make estimates and judgments about the Company’s future profitability which are inherently uncertain. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion of all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Management believes that the likelihood of realizing the benefits of these deductible differences at December 31, 2023, does not meet the “more likely than not threshold” as defined in ASC 740 – Income Taxes and thus management has recorded a full valuation allowance.

 

For federal and state purposes, a portion of the Company’s net operating loss carryforwards and basis differences may be subject to limitations on annual utilization in case of a change in ownership, as defined by federal and state law. The amount of such limitations, if any, has not been determined. Accordingly, the amount of such tax attributes available to offset future profits may be significantly less than the actual amounts of the tax attributes.

 

The difference between the tax provision (benefit) at the statutory federal income tax rate and the tax provision (benefit) was as follows:

 

   2023   2022   2021 
Federal statutory tax rate   21.00%   21.00%   21.00%
Federal payable true up   
-
    
-
    
-
 
State tax, net of federal benefit   (7.25)   
-
    
-
 
Permanent items   
-
    
-
    
-
 
Capital loss carryforward expiration   
-
    
-
    9.11 
Deferred true-up   (30.33)   0.29    
-
 
Rate change   
-
    
-
    
-
 
Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance   (40.48)   (21.29)   (30.11)
Other   
-
    
-
    
-
 
Effective tax rate   (57.06)%   
-
%   
-
%

 

The Company did not meet the qualifications of a RIC for the 2023 tax year and will be taxed as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Code. It may not be in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders to elect to be taxed as a RIC at the present time due to the net operating losses and capital loss carryforwards the Company currently has. Management will make a determination that is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. As a RIC, the Company generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that the Company distributes to its stockholders as dividends and claims dividends paid deductions to compute taxable income. A RIC will not be eligible to utilize net operating losses. However, the net operating losses may become available should the Company disqualify as a RIC and become a C corporation in the future. In the event that the Company qualifies as a RIC, the Company itself will no longer be required to recognize deferred tax assets or liabilities.

 

In addition to meeting other requirements, the Company must generally distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income to qualify for the special treatment accorded to a RIC and, if the Company qualifies, to maintain its RIC status. As part of maintaining RIC status, undistributed taxable income (subject to a 4% excise tax) pertaining to a given fiscal year may be distributed up to 12 months subsequent to the end of that fiscal year, provided such dividends are declared prior to the later of (1) the fifteenth day of the ninth month following the close of that fiscal year or (2) the extended due date for filing the federal income tax return for that fiscal year.

 

F-26

 

  

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

The Company did not have any unrecognized tax benefits as of the period presented herein. The Company identified its major tax jurisdiction as U.S. federal. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, no income tax expenses or related liabilities for uncertain tax positions were recognized for the Company’s open tax years from inception through 2022. The Company is not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will change significantly in the next 12 months. The Company files tax returns as prescribed by the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates. In general, the federal and state income tax returns remain open to examination by taxing authorities for tax years beginning in 2019 to present.

 

On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) was signed into law. This legislation includes significant changes relating to tax, climate change, energy and health care. Among other provisions, the IRA introduces a book minimum tax assessed on financial statement income of certain large corporations and an excise tax on share repurchases. The Company does not anticipate these provisions will have a material impact on our results of operations or financial position, when effective. 

 

NOTE 7 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement

 

House Hanover has served as the Company’s investment advisor since January 1, 2018 pursuant to the Interim Investment Advisory Agreement (until May 31, 2018) and the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement (since May 31, 2018). House Hanover is registered as an investment advisor under the 1940 Act.

 

Advisory Services

 

House Hanover is registered as an investment adviser under the 1940 Act and serves as the Company’s investment advisor pursuant to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement in accordance with the 1940 Act. House Hanover is owned by and an affiliate of Mr. Mark DiSalvo, the Company’s Interim President, Interim Chief Executive Officer, and a director of the Company. 

 

Subject to supervision by the Company’s Board, House Hanover oversees the Company’s day-to-day operations and provides the Company with investment advisory services. Under the terms of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, House Hanover, among other things: (i) determines the composition and allocation of the portfolio of the Company, the nature and timing of the changes therein and the manner of implementing such changes; (ii) identifies, evaluates and negotiates the structure of the investments made by the Company; (iii) executes, closes, services and monitors the Company’s investments; (iv) determines the securities and other assets that the Company shall purchase, retain, or sell; (v) performs due diligence on prospective portfolio companies; (vi) provides the Company with such other investment advisory, research and related services as the Company may, from time to time, reasonably require for the investment of its funds; and (vii) if directed by the Board, assists in the execution and closing of the sale of the Company’s assets or a sale of the equity of the Company in one or more transactions. House Hanover’s services under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement may not be exclusive and it is free to furnish similar services to other entities so long as its services to the Company are not impaired. At the request of the Company, House Hanover, upon any transition of the Company’s investment advisory relationship to another investment advisor or upon any internalization, shall provide reasonable transition assistance to the Company and any successor investment advisor.

 

Management Fee

 

Pursuant to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, the Company pays House Hanover a base management fee for investment advisory and management services. The cost of the base management fee is ultimately borne by the Company’s stockholders. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement does not contain an incentive fee component.

 

The base management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1.00% of the Company’s gross assets, including assets purchased with borrowed funds or other forms of leverage and excluding cash and cash equivalents net of all indebtedness of the Company for borrowed money and other liabilities of the Company. The base management fee is payable quarterly in arrears, and determined as set forth in the preceding sentence at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. The Board may retroactively adjust the valuation of the Company’s assets and the resulting calculation of the base management fee in the event the Company or any of its assets are sold or transferred to an independent third party or the Company or House Hanover receives an audit report or other independent third party valuation of the Company. To the extent that any such adjustment increases or decreases the base management fee of any prior period, the Company will be obligated to pay the amount of increase to House Hanover or House Hanover will be obligated to refund the decreased amount, as applicable.

 

F-27

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

  

Management fees under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were $317,546, $339,328 and $265,340, respectively. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, management fees of $78,889 and $91,934, respectively, were payable to House Hanover.

 

Incentive Fee

 

The Company is not obligated to pay House Hanover an incentive fee. Incentive fees are a typical component of investment advisory agreements with business development companies.

 

Payment of Expenses

 

House Hanover bears all compensation expense (including health insurance, pension benefits, payroll taxes and other compensation related matters) of its employees and bears the costs of any salaries or directors’ fees of any officers or directors of the Company who are affiliated persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of House Hanover. However, House Hanover, subject to approval by the Board of the Company, is entitled to reimbursement for the portion of any compensation expense and the costs of any salaries of any such employees to the extent attributable to services performed by such employees for the Company. During the term of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, House Hanover will also bear all of its costs and expenses for office space rental, office equipment, utilities and other non-compensation related overhead allocable to performance of its obligations under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement.

 

Except as provided in the preceding paragraph the Company reimburses House Hanover all direct and indirect costs and expenses incurred by it during the term of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement for: (i) due diligence of potential investments of the Company, (ii) monitoring performance of the Company’s investments, (iii) serving as officers of the Company, (iv) serving as directors and officers of portfolio companies of the Company, (v) providing managerial assistance to portfolio companies of the Company, and (vi) enforcing the Company’s rights in respect of its investments and disposing of its investments; provided, however, that, any third party expenses incurred by House Hanover in excess of $50,000 in the aggregate in any calendar quarter will require advance approval by the Board of the Company.

 

In addition to the foregoing, the Company will also be responsible for the payment of all of the Company’s other expenses, including the payment of the following fees and expenses:

 

organizational and offering expenses;

 

expenses incurred in valuing the Company’s assets and computing its net asset value per share (including the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm);

 

subject to the guidelines approved by the Board of Directors, expenses incurred by House Hanover that are payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisors, in monitoring financial and legal affairs for the Company and in monitoring the Company’s investments and performing due diligence on the Company’s prospective portfolio companies or otherwise related to, or associated with, evaluating and making investments;

 

interest payable on debt, if any, incurred to finance the Company’s investments and expenses related to unsuccessful portfolio acquisition efforts;

 

F-28

 

  

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

offerings of the Company’s common stock and other securities;

 

administration fees;

 

transfer agent and custody fees and expenses;

 

U.S. federal and state registration fees of the Company (but not House Hanover);

 

all costs of registration and listing the Company’s shares on any securities exchange;

 

U.S. federal, state and local taxes;

 

independent directors’ fees and expenses;

 

costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents required of the Company (but not House Hanover) by the SEC or other regulators;

 

costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to stockholders, including printing costs;

 

the costs associated with individual or group stockholders;

 

the Company’s allocable portion of the fidelity bond, directors and officers/errors and omissions liability insurance, and any other insurance premiums;

 

direct costs and expenses of administration and operation of the Company, including printing, mailing, long distance telephone, copying, secretarial and other staff, independent auditors and outside legal costs; and

 

all other non-investment advisory expenses incurred by the Company regarding administering the Company’s business.

 

Duration and Termination

 

Unless terminated earlier as described below, the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement will continue in effect for a period of one (1) year from its effective date. It will remain in effect from year to year thereafter if approved annually by the Company’s Board or by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Company’s outstanding voting securities, and, in either case, if also approved by a majority of Company’s directors who are neither parties to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement nor “interested persons” (as defined under the 1940 Act) of any such party. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement was last annually renewed by the Board and by a majority of the members of the Board who are not parties to the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement or “interested persons” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party, in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement on May 15, 2023.

 

The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, (i) upon written notice, effective on the date set forth in such notice, by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company or by the vote of the Company’s directors, or (ii) upon 60 days’ written notice, by House Hanover. The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement automatically terminates in the event of its “assignment,” as defined in the 1940 Act.

 

Indemnification

 

The House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement provides that, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of their duties, or by reason of the material breach or reckless disregard of their duties and obligations under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement, House Hanover and its officers, managers, employees and members are entitled to indemnification from the Company for any damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) arising from the rendering of House Hanover’s services under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement or otherwise as the Company’s investment advisor. The amounts payable for indemnification will be calculated net of payments recovered by the indemnified party under any insurance policy with respect to such losses.

 

F-29

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

At all times during the term of the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement and for one year thereafter, House Hanover is obligated to maintain directors and officers/errors and omission liability insurance in an amount and with a provider reasonably acceptable to the Board of the Company.

 

Administration Services and Service Agreement

 

House Hanover is entitled to reimbursement of expenses under the House Hanover Investment Advisory Agreement for administrative services performed for the Company.

 

On January 1, 2018, Princeton Capital Corporation directly entered into a service agreement with SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (the “Sub-Administrator”) to provide certain administrative services to the Company. In exchange for providing services, the Company pays the Sub-Administrator an asset-based fee with a $151,025 annual minimum as adjusted for any reimbursement of expenses. This annual minimum was amended in the service agreement on April 20, 2019 and increased on July 1, 2021, July 1, 2022 and again on July 1, 2023 by the U.S. Consumer Price Index – All Urban Consumers per the service agreement. This asset-based fee will vary depending upon our gross assets, as adjusted, as follows:

 

Gross Assets   Fee
first $150 million of gross assets   20 basis points (0.20%)
next $150 million of gross assets   15 basis points (0.15%)
next $200 million of gross assets   10 basis points (0.10%)
in excess of $500 million of gross assets   5 basis points (0.05%)

 

Administration fees were $259,500, $259,500 and $270,000 for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and sub-administration fees were $155,592 , $143,799 and $132,110 for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, as shown on the Statements of Operations under administration fees. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were $64,875 and $64,875, respectively, of administration fees owed to House Hanover, as shown on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities under due to affiliates.

 

Managerial Assistance

 

As a BDC, we offer, and must provide upon request, managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. This assistance could involve monitoring the operations of our portfolio companies, participating in board of directors and management meetings, consulting with and advising officers of portfolio companies and providing other organizational and financial guidance. As of December 31, 2022, none of the portfolio companies had accepted our offer for such services, except for Advantis Certified Staffing Solutions, Inc. (“Advantis”). On May 1, 2022, Advantis requested one of its directors, Gregory J. Cannella who also serves as our Chief Financial Officer, become the Executive Chair of Advantis to provide executive authority and leadership in the absence of their former president, who resigned in March 2022. Mr. Cannella has agreed to take this position and in return will be compensated by Advantis in the amount of $5,000 per month. The title and benefits of this position can be removed at any time by the board of directors of Advantis.

 

F-30

 

 

PRINCETON CAPITAL CORPORATION
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2023

 

NOTE 8 – FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

<
   Year Ended December 31, 
   2023   2022   2021   2020   2019 
Per Share Data (1):                    
Net asset value at beginning of period  $0.266   $0.286   $0.187   $0.276   $0.345 
Net investment income (loss)   0.007    (0.006)   (0.007)   (0.005)   (0.009)
Change in unrealized gain (loss)   (0.008)   0.025    0.106    (0.022)   (0.060)
Realized gain (loss)   
-
    0.036    
-
    (0.062)   
-
 
Dividend distribution   
-
    (0.075)   
-
    
-
    
-
 
Net asset value at end of period  $0.265   $0.266   $0.286   $0.187   $0.276 
Total return based on net asset value (2)   (0.4)%   (7.0)%   52.9%   (32.60)%   (20.0)%
Weighted average shares outstanding for period, basic   120,486,061    120,486,061    120,486,061    120,486,061    120,486,061 
Ratio/Supplemental Data:                         
Net assets at end of period  $31,904,562   $32,083,462   $34,472,992   $