NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. GAAP and pursuant to the requirements for reporting on Form 10-K and Article 10 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Accordingly, certain disclosures accompanying the annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP are omitted. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

In the opinion of management, the consolidated financial results included herein contain all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring accruals, considered necessary for the fair presentation of financial statements for the periods included herein. Certain reclassifications have been made to certain prior period balances to conform with current presentation.

In accordance with Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act, the Company does not consolidate portfolio company investments. The accounting records of the Company are maintained in U.S. dollars.

Economic Developments

Economic Developments

Economic activity has continued to accelerate across sectors and regions. Nonetheless, we have observed and continue to observe supply chain interruptions, labor resource shortages, commodity inflation, rising interest rates, economic sanctions in response to international conflicts and instances of geopolitical, economic and financial market instability in the United States and abroad. One or more of these factors may contribute to increased market volatility and may have long- and short-term effects in the United States and worldwide financial markets.

Portfolio Investment Classification

Portfolio Investment Classification

The Company classifies its portfolio investments with the requirements of the 1940 Act as follows: (a) “Control Investments” are defined as investments in which the Company owns more than 25% of the voting securities or has rights to maintain greater than 50% of the board representation, (b) “Affiliate Investments” are defined as investments in which the Company owns between 5% and 25% of the voting securities and does not have rights to maintain greater than 50% of the board representation, and (c) “Non-controlled, non-affiliate investments” are defined as investments that are neither Control Investments or Affiliate Investments.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents

At December 31, 2023, cash balances totaling $925,548 exceeded Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance protection levels of $250,000 by $675,548. In addition, at December 31, 2023, the Company held $25,199,894 in cash equivalents, which are carried at cost, which approximates fair value, and held foreign currency of $299 (acquisition cost of $299). All of the Company's cash deposits are held at large established high credit quality financial institutions and management believes that risk of loss associated with any uninsured balances is remote.

Cash consists of bank demand deposits. We deem certain U.S. Treasury Bills and other high-quality, short-term debt securities as cash equivalents.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements

We account for all of our financial instruments at fair value in accordance with ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC Topic 820”). ASC Topic 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework used to measure fair value, and requires disclosures for fair value measurements, including the categorization of financial instruments into a three-level hierarchy based on the transparency of valuation inputs. ASC Topic 820 requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments for which it is practical to estimate such value. We believe that the carrying amounts of our financial instruments such as cash, receivables and payables approximate the fair value of these items due to the short maturity of these instruments. This is considered a Level 1 valuation technique.

The Credit Facility, SBA-guaranteed debentures, and Notes Payable are carried at amortized cost in the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities. As of December 31, 2023, the estimated fair value of the Credit Facility approximates the carrying value because the interest rates adjust to the current market interest rate (Level 3 input). The estimated fair value of the SBA-guaranteed debentures and Notes Payable was determined by discounting projected remaining payments using market interest rates for borrowings of the Company and entities with similar credit risks at the measurement date. At the measurement date, the estimated fair values of the SBA-guaranteed debentures and Notes Payable as prepared for disclosure purposes was $293,215,000 and $93,041,000, respectively. See Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements for further discussion regarding the fair value measurements and hierarchy.

Consolidation

Consolidation

As permitted under Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act and ASC Topic 946, we generally do not consolidate our investment in a portfolio company other than an investment company subsidiary. Accordingly, we consolidated the results of the SBIC subsidiaries and the Taxable Subsidiaries. All intercompany balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the statement of assets and liabilities in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets and any other parameters used in determining these estimates could cause actual results to differ materially. Additionally, as explained in Note 1 contained herein, the Consolidated Financial Statements includes investments in the portfolio whose values have been estimated by the Company, pursuant to procedures established by our Board, in the absence of readily ascertainable market values. Because of the inherent uncertainty of the investment portfolio valuations, those estimated values may differ materially from the values that would have been determined had a ready market for the securities existed.

Deferred Financing Costs

Deferred Financing Costs

Deferred financing costs, prepaid loan fees on SBA-guaranteed debentures and prepaid loan structure fees consist of fees and expenses paid in connection with the closing of the Company’s Credit Facility, 2022 Notes (as defined in Note 11), 2026 Notes, and SBA-guaranteed debentures and are capitalized at the time of payment. These costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the term of the respective instrument.

Offering Costs

Offering Costs

Deferred offering costs consist of fees and expenses incurred in connection with the offer and sale of the Company’s common stock, including legal, accounting, printing fees and other related expenses, as well as costs incurred in connection with the filing of a shelf registration statement. These costs are capitalized when incurred and recognized as a reduction of offering proceeds when the offering is consummated and shown on the Consolidated Statement of Changes in Net Assets and Liabilities as a reduction to Paid-in-Capital. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company incurred $247,701 of costs related to the preparation of its shelf registration statement, which were capitalized and treated as discussed above as part of the Company’s ATM Program (as defined in Note 4) throughout various ATM Program offerings in 2023. As of December 31, 2023, $7,312 of costs related to the preparation of a registration statement were capitalized and will be treated as discussed above in the event an offering is consummated. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company incurred $1,100 of costs related to the preparation of a registration statement, which were capitalized until the related offering consummated during March 2023.

Investments

Investments

Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 2a-5”) establishes requirements for determining fair value in good faith for purposes of the 1940 Act. Rule 2a-5 permits boards, subject to board oversight and certain other conditions, to designate certain parties to perform fair value determinations. Rule 2a-5 also defines when market quotations are “readily available” for purposes of the 1940 Act and the threshold for determining whether a fund must determine the fair value of a security. Rule 31a-4 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 31a-4”), provides the recordkeeping requirements associated with fair value determinations. While the Board has not elected to designate the Advisor as the valuation designee, the Company has adopted certain revisions to its valuation policies and procedures in order comply with the applicable requirements of Rule 2a-5 and Rule 31a-4.

As a BDC, the Company will generally invest in illiquid loans and securities including debt and equity securities of private middle-market companies. Section 2(a)(41) of the 1940 Act requires that a BDC value its assets as follows: (i) the third party price for securities for which a quotation is readily available; and (ii) for all other securities and assets, fair value, as determined in good faith by a BDC's board. Under procedures established by our Board, the Company intends to value investments for which market quotations are readily available at such market quotations. The Company will obtain these market values from an independent pricing service or at the median 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 will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board. Such determination of fair values may involve subjective

judgments and estimates. The Company also engages independent valuation providers to review the valuation of each portfolio investment that does not have a readily available market quotation at least twice annually.

Investments purchased within approximately 90 days of the valuation date will be valued at cost plus accreted discount, or minus amortized premium, which approximates fair value. With respect to unquoted securities, the Board will value each investment considering, among other measures, discounted cash flow models, comparisons of financial ratios of peer companies that are public and other factors. When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, the Board will use the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate and/or assist in the valuation. Because the Company expects that there will not be a readily available market for many of the investments in its portfolio, the Company expects to value most of its portfolio investments at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board 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.

In following these approaches, the types of factors that will be taken into account in fair value pricing investments will include, as relevant, but not be limited to:

● available current market data, including relevant and applicable market trading and transaction comparables;

● applicable market yields and multiples;

● financial covenants;

● call protection provisions;

● information rights;

● the nature and realizable value of any collateral;

● the portfolio company’s ability to make payments, its earnings and discounted cash flows and the markets in which it does business;

● comparisons of financial ratios of peer companies that are public;

● comparable merger and acquisition transactions; and

● the principal market and enterprise values.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

We record interest income on an accrual basis to the extent such interest is deemed collectible. Payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest represents contractual interest accrued and added to the loan balance that generally becomes due at maturity. We will not accrue any form of 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 fee is recorded as interest income. We record prepayment premiums on loans and debt securities as other income. Dividend income, if any, will be recognized on the declaration date.

A presentation of the interest income we have received from portfolio companies for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 is as follows:

	For the years ended
	December 31, 2023		December 31, 2022		December 31, 2021
Loan interest	$	93,976,863	$	68,026,701	$	55,780,814
PIK income		3,801,637		1,357,177		939,030
Fee amortization income(1)		2,954,512		2,782,309		2,785,964
Fee income acceleration(2)		1,283,776		798,812		2,030,878
Total Interest Income	$	102,016,788	$	72,964,999	$	61,536,686

(1) Includes amortization of fees on unfunded commitments.

(2) Unamortized loan origination fees recognized upon full or partial realization of investment.

To maintain our treatment as a RIC, substantially all of this income must be paid to stockholders in the form of distributions, even if we have not collected any cash.

Management considers portfolio company specific circumstances as well as other economic factors in determining collectability. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had four loans on non-accrual status, which represented approximately 4.2% of the Company’s loan portfolio at cost and 1.3% at fair value. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had three loans on non-accrual status, which represented approximately 5.2% of the Company’s loan portfolio at cost and 2.3% at fair value. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, $7,545,775 and $4,828,880 of income from investments on non-accrual has not been accrued, respectively. If a loan or debt security’s status significantly improves regarding the debtor’s ability to service the debt or other obligations, or if a loan or debt security is sold or written off, the Company will remove it from non-accrual status.

Net Realized Gains or Losses and Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation or Depreciation

Net Realized Gains or Losses and Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation or Depreciation

Realized gains or losses are measured by the difference between the net proceeds from the repayment, sale or disposition and the amortized cost basis of the investment, without regard to unrealized appreciation or depreciation previously recognized. Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation reflects 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.

Investment Transaction Costs

Investment Transaction Costs

Costs that are material associated with an investment transaction, including legal expenses, are included in the cost basis of purchases and deducted from the proceeds of sales unless such costs are reimbursed by the borrower.

Receivables and Payables for Unsettled Securities Transaction

Receivables and Payables for Unsettled Securities Transaction

The Company records all investments on a trade date basis.

U.S. Federal Income Taxes

U.S. Federal Income Taxes

The Company has elected, has qualified, and intends to be qualified annually to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code, and to operate in a manner to qualify for the tax treatment applicable to RICs. To qualify for tax treatment as a RIC, among other things, the Company is required to timely distribute to its stockholders at least 90% of investment company taxable income, as defined by the Code, for each year. So long as the Company maintains its status as a RIC, it generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax 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 represents obligations of the Company’s investors and will not be reflected in the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company.

To avoid a 4% U.S federal excise tax on undistributed earnings, the Company is required to distribute each calendar year the sum of (i) 98% of its ordinary income for such calendar year, (ii) 98.2% of its net capital gains for the one-year period ending December 31, and (iii) any income recognized, but not distributed, in preceding years and on which the Company paid no federal income tax, or the “Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement”. For this purpose, however, any net ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by us that is subject to corporate income tax for the tax year ending in that calendar year will be considered to have been distributed by year end (or earlier if estimated taxes are paid). The Company, at its discretion, may choose not to distribute all its taxable income for the calendar year and pay a non-deductible 4% excise tax on this income. If the Company chooses to do so, all other things being equal, this would increase expenses and reduce the amount of cash available to be distributed to stockholders. To the extent that the Company determines that its estimated current year annual taxable income will be in excess of estimated current year dividend distributions from such taxable income, the Company accrues excise taxes on estimated excess taxable income as taxable income is earned. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $36,997,829 of undistributed taxable income that was carried forward toward distributions to be paid in 2024.

Current income tax (benefit) expense for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 of ($1,654,935), $1,161,668, and $4,059,594, respectively, is related to federal and state income taxes and federal excise taxes.

The Company evaluates tax positions taken or expected to be taken while preparing its tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions deemed to meet a “more-likely-than-not” threshold would be recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the applicable period.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had not recorded a liability for any unrecognized tax positions. Management’s evaluation of uncertain tax positions may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based upon factors including, but not limited to, an ongoing analysis of tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof. The Company’s policy is to include interest and penalties related to income taxes, if applicable, in general and administrative expenses. Any expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 were de minimis.

The Taxable Subsidiaries are direct wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company that have elected to be treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and as a result, the income of Taxable Subsidiaries is subject to U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates. The Taxable Subsidiaries permit the Company to hold equity investments in portfolio companies that are “pass through” entities for tax purposes and continue to comply with the “source-of-income” requirements contained in RIC tax provisions of the Code. The Taxable Subsidiaries are not consolidated with the Company for income tax purposes and may generate income tax expense, benefit, and the related tax assets and liabilities, as a result of their ownership of certain portfolio investments. The income tax expense, or benefit, if any, and related tax assets and liabilities of the Taxable Subsidiaries are reflected in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Taxable Subsidiaries use the liability method in accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for 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 asset will not be realized.

Taxable income generally differs from net income for financial reporting purposes due to temporary and permanent differences in the recognition of income and expenses. Taxable income generally excludes net unrealized appreciation or depreciation, as investment gains or losses are not included in taxable income until they are realized.

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company recorded deferred income tax (provision) benefit of ($126,957), ($213,214), and $510,868, respectively, related to the Taxable Subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had a net deferred tax liability of $188,893, and $61,936, respectively.

Earnings per Share

Earnings per Share

Basic per share calculations are computed utilizing the weighted average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding for the period. The Company has no common stock equivalents. As a result, there is no difference between diluted earnings per share and basic per share amounts.

Paid In Capital

Paid In Capital

The Company records the proceeds from the sale of shares of its common stock on a net basis to (i) capital stock and (ii) paid in capital in excess of par value, excluding all commissions and marketing support fees.

Distributable Earnings (Loss)

Distributable (Loss) Earnings

The components that make up distributable (loss) earnings on the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:

	December 31, 2023		December 31, 2022
Accumulated net realized (loss) gain from investments, net of cumulative dividends of $29,808,394 and $29,361,649, respectively	$	(25,107,128)	$	2,675,719
Net unrealized depreciation on non-controlled, non-affiliated investments and cash equivalents, net of deferred tax liability of $188,893 and $61,936, respectively		(27,071,601)		(29,736,797)
Net unrealized (depreciation) appreciation on foreign currency translations		(464)		6,040
Accumulated undistributed net investment income		36,175,872		27,697,264
Total distributable (loss) earnings	$	(16,003,321)	$	642,226

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform. The amendments in ASU 2020-04 provide optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The standard is effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. The Company has agreements that have LIBOR as a reference rate with certain portfolio companies and with certain lenders. Many of these agreements include language for choosing an alternative successor rate if LIBOR reference is no longer considered to be appropriate. Contract modifications are required to be evaluated in determining whether the modifications result in the establishment of new contracts or the continuation of existing contracts. The Company adopted this amendment in March 2020 and plans to apply the amendments in this update to account for contract modifications as contracts are amended to include a new reference rate or when LIBOR reference is no longer used. The Company did not utilize the optional expedients and exceptions provided by ASU 2020-04 during the year ended December 31, 2023.

In November 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-06, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) - Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848, which deferred the sunset date of ASU 2020-04 from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024 after which entities will no longer be permitted to apply the relief in ASU 2020-04. The Company did not utilize the optional expedients and exceptions provided by ASU 2020-04 and extended by ASU 2022-06 during the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company does not expect ASU 2022-06 to have a material impact to the Consolidated Financial State,emts and the notes thereto.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. The amendments in this update require more disaggregated information on income taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 is effective for years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted; however, the Company has not elected to adopt this provision as of the date of the financial statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company is still assessing the impact of the new guidance. However, it does not expect ASU 2023-09 to have a material impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto.

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the FASB or other standards setting bodies that are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. The Company believes the impact of the recently issued standards and any that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption.