I Squared Capital Advisors (US) LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ISQ” or “we”), is an
independent, privately held, asset management firm headquartered in Miami, Florida. We focus on
investments in infrastructure and infrastructure related assets located globally, with a focus on the
Americas, Europe, and select growth economies such as India and China.
ISQ was formed in April 2012 and is principally owned and controlled by its Managing Partners,
Sadek M. Wahba, Gautam Bhandari and Adil Rahmathulla.
We provide investment advisory services to privately offered pooled investment vehicles that are
exempt from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and whose
securities are not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. We currently provide
investment advice to the ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund (“Fund I”) and the ISQ Global Infrastructure
Fund II (“Fund II”)(together with Fund I, the “Global Funds”). Each of the Global Funds is comprised
of multiple investment vehicles that invest in parallel with each other and which are managed
together as a single portfolio. Fund I is comprised of six such parallel vehicles; Fund II is comprised
of five such parallel vehicles. We may in the future advise other funds in addition to the current
Global Funds. We also provide investment advice to other pooled investment vehicles that we have
created to offer some of the investors in the Global Funds, as well as third parties, the opportunity
to invest alongside the Global Funds, or independently from the Global Funds, in infrastructure and
infrastructure related assets (the “Co-Investment Vehicles”)(together with the Global Funds, the
“Funds”, or “Clients”).
As investment adviser for the Funds, we identify investment opportunities and participate in the
sourcing, investigating, structuring, and negotiating of potential investments, monitoring
investments post-acquisition, advising with respect to disposition opportunities and providing day-
to-day managerial and administrative services for the Funds. We provide these investment advisory
services to the Funds pursuant to advisory agreements (the “Advisory Agreements”). The terms of
the investment advisory services to be provided by us to the Funds, including any specific
investment guidelines or restrictions, are set forth in the Advisory Agreements and/or in the
relevant limited partnership agreements and governing documents (collectively, the “Fund
Governing Documents”).
We do not tailor our investment advisory services to the needs of individual investors in the Funds.
However, in accordance with common industry practice, a Fund or its general partner may from
time to time enter into a “side letter” or similar agreement with an investor pursuant to which the
Fund or its general partner grants the investor specific rights, benefits or privileges that are not
generally made available to all investors.
As of December 31, 2019, we had a total of approximately $21,501,679,417 of regulatory assets
under management for the Funds, of which $101,000,000 was managed on a non-discretionary
basis.
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We are compensated for our investment advisory services to each of the Global Funds by a
management fee based on a percentage of committed capital during the Global Funds’ respective
investment periods and thereafter by a management fee based on a percentage of invested capital.
We negotiated the rate with the investors in the Global Funds at the time each of the Global Funds
were established. Management fees are payable quarterly in advance of the services rendered. If
the Advisory Agreement is terminated before the end of the applicable period, management fees
will be charged on a
pro rata basis through the date of termination, and any fees paid in advance
but not earned will be refunded. In addition to management fees, some of our supervised persons,
through general partner carry vehicles, receive carried interest distributions from the Global Funds,
which are based on a share of net profits of such Funds. See “
Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and
Side-by-Side Management” below.
In general, we are not compensated for our investment advisory services to the Co-Investment
Vehicles. We do, however, receive a management fee based on a percentage of invested capital
and carried interest distributions based on a share of net profits for the following two Co-
Investment Vehicles: ISQ Cube Hydro Co-Investment Fund, L.P. and ISQ Asia Fund II, L.P., and we are
likely to enter into similar arrangements in the future.
In general, each Fund is responsible for all costs and expenses relating to its operations, including all
fees, costs and expenses directly related to the purchase and sale of investments; principal, interest,
fees, expenses and other amounts payable in respect of financings; custody fees and costs of other
third party services; legal, accounting, and other professional costs including those provided by
employees of ISQ; any insurance, indemnity or litigation expenses; all costs of the Fund’s
administration, including preparation of its financial statements and reports to limited partners,
costs of meetings of partners, expenses relating to the Limited Partner Advisory Committee, if any,
and any taxes, fees or other governmental charges levied against the Fund. In addition, each Fund
is responsible for its share of out-of-pocket costs and expenses in connection with prospective
investments that are not consummated. Each Fund is also responsible for all costs and expenses
incurred in connection with the organization of the Fund (including any subsidiary pooling vehicles),
the general partner of the Fund, and the ISQ carry partners, if any, including legal and accounting
fees, printing costs, reasonable travel and out-of-pocket expenses, and all costs and expenses
incurred in connection with the offering of interests in the Fund (but excluding any placement fees).
Organizational expenses payable by the Funds are subject to caps, as set forth in the applicable
Fund Governing Documents. Organizational expenses in excess of these caps and any placement
fees are paid by the Global Funds but borne by ISQ through a 100% off-set against the management
fee.
Expenses incurred by more than one Fund are typically allocated to the participating Funds
pro rata
based on their net asset values, participation on a specific investment, amount of committed capital or
other methodology we deem appropriate and fair to all Funds.
We maintain a team of full-time operating directors (“Operating Directors”) and part-time senior policy
advisors (“Policy Advisors”) and operating advisors (“Operating Advisors”). Each Operating Director,
Policy Advisor, and Operating Advisor is entitled to compensation, which compensation may include
director’s and other fees, salary, incentive equity, stock awards, other non-cash compensation and
reimbursement of expenses at rates that we believe are on terms and at rates consistent with the standards
set forth in the applicable Fund Governing Documents. (the cost of such compensation and related
expenses, including any applicable overhead such as travel costs, temporary, semi-permanent or permanent
housing or relocation costs, and any applicable overhead, such as accounting, network, communications,
administration and other support benefits and office space, “Operational Service Costs”). Operational
Service Costs may be allocated to the Funds and portfolio companies in accordance with the applicable Fund
Governing Documents. Investors are urged to read such documents carefully for more information on the
allocation of Operational Service Costs.
Executive officers and other management personnel of certain portfolio companies may be
employed by us instead of being employed directly by such portfolio companies, so that such
personnel may be deployed by us to do work for other portfolio companies. Each such portfolio
company may bear the costs of compensation and related expenses (collectively, “External
Management Compensation”) of any such personnel, as permitted the applicable Fund Governing
Documents. All such External Management Compensation will be borne by the Fund or one or
more portfolio companies.
In addition to the foregoing, we may from time to time engage one or more portfolio company
executives or other management personnel affiliated with a Fund’s investments to provide services
in respect to other assets, which may include investments held by other Funds. In such event, we
may cause the applicable Fund or the relevant portfolio company to be reimbursed for any allocable
costs of compensation or related expenses incurred in connection with such engagement, as
permitted by the applicable Fund Governing Documents.
We may also make employees of the adviser available to provide finance/accounting, tax, legal,
compliance, human resource, information technology, client services, paralegal, health, safety,
environmental, social, corporate governance, corporate secretary, trade settlement, and other
support services to portfolio companies that would otherwise have been performed by third parties
or internal portfolio company personnel (“Manager Support Services”). We may seek
reimbursement from a Fund or a portfolio company for such Manager Support Services, as
permitted by the applicable Fund Governing Documents.
To the extent that we or any of our affiliates or employees receives any transaction, director’s,
management, monitoring, break-up, and other similar fees or compensation in connection with a
Fund and its investments, other than Operational Service Costs, External Management
Compensation, and reimbursement for Manager Support Services, 100% of the Fund’s
pro rata
portion of any such fees, net of unreimbursed transaction expenses incurred by us or our affiliates,
will be applied to reduce the management fee payable to us by the Fund for the following quarterly
period. To the extent such offsets would reduce the management fee for a given quarterly period
below zero, such offsets will be carried forward and reduce future installments of the management
fee.
The Funds’ investments generally require extensive due diligence activities prior to investment.
These expenses may include, among others, expert consulting, accounting, legal and other
professional fees, submission costs, travel expenses, and other costs incurred in conducting due
diligence and financial analysis. Such expenses may be quite substantial, even for investments that
are not ultimately consummated (“Broken Deal Expenses”). Broken Deal Expenses will generally be
borne solely by the Global Funds (except for amounts that are treated as manager expenses under
the applicable Fund Governing Documents), even if co-investors were being sought or in some cases
have agreed to participate had the transaction been consummated. Such co-investors include those
with whom we have pre-existing relationships, as well as co-investors that have participated in
other completed transactions. By generally bearing the Broken Deal Expenses, the Global Funds
provide a potential benefit to other co-investors in the Global Funds’ investments. Please see
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information on allocation of Broken Deal Expenses.
The applicable Fund Governing Documents have provisions that allow the Funds to borrow money
for investment and other purposes. Such borrowings may be made prior to capital being called
from the applicable Fund’s investors. This mechanism may defer investor capital calls and provides
a form of leverage that can have the effect of amplifying the Fund’s reported net internal rate of
return (IRR), particularly in the early years of the Fund’s investment cycle. Such borrowings can also
accelerate the date upon which the Fund’s preferred return will be achieved for purposes of
determining when we are entitled to begin receiving carried interest distributions from the Fund.
Interest payments and other fees and expenses incurred in respect of such borrowings are
partnership expenses and such expenses will decrease a Fund’s net returns over time. The terms of
each Fund’s borrowing arrangements and borrowings outstanding, if any, are disclosed to the
investors in the quarterly and annual financial statements of each Fund.
Neither we, nor any of our supervised persons, accepts compensation for the sale of securities or
other investment products, including asset-based sales charges or service fees from the sale of
mutual funds.
Item 6: Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management
ISQ-affiliated general partner carry vehicles receive carried interest distributions from the Global
Funds and two of our Co-Investment Vehicles, which are based on a share of net profits of such
Funds. The amounts of such distributions are set forth in these vehicles’ respective Fund Governing
Documents. Such carried interest distributions may create an incentive for ISQ and its supervised
persons to make investments on behalf of the Global Funds or such Co- Investment Vehicles that
may be riskier or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such distributions. In
addition, to the extent we may be managing more than one Fund that is actively investing at any
given time and to the extent those Funds have carried interest provisions that vary from one
another, we would have an incentive in allocating investment opportunities to favor Funds with a
potential for higher performance-based compensation over Funds with lower or no performance-
based compensation. To address this conflict, we have adopted policies and procedures that are
designed to ensure that, over time, all of our clients are treated in a fair and equitable manner with
respect to the allocation of investment opportunities. Please refer to “
Item 12 – Brokerage
Practices” below for further details.
Item 7: Types of Clients
We provide investment advice to the Funds. Investors in the Funds include public and private
pension plans, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, funds-of-funds, family offices, and
other institutional investors.
The Funds may have a specified minimum investment set forth in the offering documentation,
organizational documents or other governing documents. Such a minimum is typically subject to
the discretion, on the part of ISQ, to permit investment of a smaller amount generally or with
respect to any investor.
Our investment objective is to seek to achieve long-term capital appreciation and current income by
making equity and equity-related investments in infrastructure and infrastructure-related assets
(including social infrastructure) located globally, with a focus on the Americas, Europe, and select
growth economies (in particular China and India). The Global Funds may also invest in debt
securities that have equity-like returns or an equity component, or are related to its equity
investments, including without limitation convertible debt, mezzanine debt, bank loans and
participations and other similar investments.
Our investment strategy is to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns through a differentiated global
investment strategy based on the twin elements of value creation and downside mitigation through
active regulatory and policy risk monitoring and pro-active management. Our focused investment
approach is based on regional and sector-specific strategies developed through ISQ’s assessment of
the most competitively advantaged sectors and subsectors across the energy, utilities (including
water and waste management), telecom, and infrastructure sectors in each region. We target
investments with attractive yield generation, explicit or strong implicit protections against inflation,
modest leverage, and acceptable levels of policy and regulatory risk. Our Investment Committee,
comprised of senior members of ISQ, is ultimately responsible for making final investment decisions
for the Funds.
Acquiring an interest in a Fund involves a number of significant risks. It is designed for sophisticated
investors who fully understand and are capable of bearing the risk of an investment in a Fund. No
guarantee or representation can be made that a Fund will achieve its investment objective or that
limited partners will receive a return of their capital. An investment in a Fund may be deemed a
speculative investment and is not intended as a complete investment program. All investing
involves a risk of loss and the investment strategies pursued by the Funds could lose money over
short or even long periods. Prospective and existing investors are advised to review the offering
materials and other constituent documents for full details on each applicable Fund’s investment,
operational and other actual and potential risks.
• Risks Associated with the Funds’ Investment Strategies:
o The investment strategies pursued by the Funds involve making illiquid private
investments in a relatively small number of infrastructure projects. As a result, each
Fund’s portfolio tends to be highly concentrated, and the failure of even one of these
investments could have a materially adverse impact on a Fund’s overall performance.
o The competition for sourcing investments for the Funds is becoming increasingly
intense. There can be no assurance that ISQ will be able to source a sufficient
number of suitable investments at reasonable valuations to achieve a Fund’s
investment objective. In particular, ISQ encounters competition from other entities
having similar investment objectives. Potential competitors include other
investment funds and corporations, business development companies, other
infrastructure funds, strategic industry acquirers and other financial investors
investing directly or through affiliates. The infrastructure investing landscape is
rapidly evolving and additional investment funds with similar objectives have been
formed or have announced their formation and additional investment funds may be
formed in the future by other related or unrelated parties. Some of these
competitors may have more relevant experience, greater financial resources or more
personnel than ISQ. These competitors may also be seeking to dispose of
infrastructure assets at the same time as ISQ, thereby creating competition for
potential buyers.
o The Funds’ investment strategies often involve investing in infrastructure projects that
are subject to significant risks, including strategic, financial or other challenges. Some
of these projects may be highly leveraged, and the Funds’ exit strategies may be
uncertain at the time the Funds make an investment. The success of the Funds’
investments is highly dependent on the ability of the managers of these projects to
successfully navigate these and other challenges. In particular, investments in
infrastructure assets involve many significant, relatively unusual and acute risks.
Project revenues can be affected by a number of factors including economic and
market conditions, political events, competition, public health crises, regulation, and
the financial position and business strategy of customers. Unanticipated changes in the
availability or price or inputs necessary for the operation of infrastructure assets may
adversely affect the overall profitability of the investment or related project. Events
outside of a portfolio company, such as political action, governmental regulation,
demographic changes, economic growth, increasing fuel prices, government
macroeconomic policies, toll rates, social stability, competition from un-tolled or other
forms of transportation, natural disasters, changes in weather, changes in demand for
products or services, bankruptcy or financial difficulty of a major customer and acts of
war or terrorism, could significantly reduce the revenues generated or significantly
increase the expense of constructing, operating, maintaining or restoring infrastructure
facilities. In turn, this may impair a portfolio company’s ability to repay its debt, make
distributions to the Funds or even result in the termination of applicable concession or
other agreements.
o As a general matter, the operation and maintenance of infrastructure assets or
businesses involve various risks and is subject to substantial regulation, many of which
may not be under the control of the owner/operator, including labor issues, failure of
technology to perform as anticipated, structural failures and accidents, and the need to
comply with the directives of government authorities. Although portfolio companies
may maintain insurance to protect against certain risks, where available on reasonable
commercial terms (such as business interruption insurance that is intended to offset loss
of revenues during an operational interruption), such insurance is subject to customary
deductibles and coverage limits and may not be sufficient to recoup all of a portfolio
company’s losses. Furthermore, once infrastructure assets become operational, they
may face competition from other infrastructure assets in the vicinity of the assets they
operate, the presence of which depends in part on governmental plans and policies.
o The Funds also invest extensively outside of the United States. Investing overseas
entails additional investment risks, including currency risk, lack of transparency and the
risk of operating in markets with less well-developed legal systems to protect the rights
of investors and creditors. In particular, the Funds may make investments in countries
considered “emerging markets”. Investments in emerging markets are likely to carry
particular risks specific to their local economy, business, regulatory, and political system.
These can include (without limitation) political or sovereign risk; risks associated with
less developed legal frameworks and standards of corporate governance (which may
include frequent and unforeseen changes to local laws and regulations); risks resulting
from lack of transparency in relation to accounting, auditing and other reporting or
standards of disclosure; as well as the risk that restrictions may apply to an investor’s
ability to repatriate proceeds from an investment, if made by a non-resident of an
emerging market country. Furthermore, investments in emerging markets may require
significant government approvals under corporate, securities, exchange control,
investment and other similar laws and may require financing and structuring alternatives
that differ significantly from those customarily used in more developed countries.
o The debt securities and other interests in which the Funds may invest may include
secured or unsecured debt at various levels of an issuer’s capital structure, which may
be subordinated to substantial amounts of senior indebtedness. In addition, the debt
securities in which the Funds may invest may not be protected by financial covenants
or limitations upon additional indebtedness, may have limited liquidity, and may not
be rated by a credit rating agency. Debt securities are also subject to other creditor
risks, including (i) the possible invalidation of an investment transaction as a
“fraudulent conveyance” under relevant creditors’ rights laws, (ii) so-called lender
liability claims by the issuer of the obligations, and (iii) environmental liabilities that
may arise with respect to collateral securing the obligations. The Funds’ investments
may be subject to early redemption features, refinancing options, prepayment options,
or similar provisions which, in each case, could result in the issuer repaying the
principal on an obligation held by the Funds earlier than expected, resulting in a lower
return to the Funds than anticipated or underwritten. In addition, depending on
fluctuations of the equity markets and other factors, warrants and other equity
securities may become worthless. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the
Funds rate of return objectives will be realized.
o A public health crisis such as the recent outbreak of COVID-19 can have unpredictable
and adverse impacts on global, national and local economies, which can in turn
negatively impact our Funds and their investment performance. Disruptions to
commercial activity (such as the imposition of quarantines or travel restrictions) or,
more generally, a failure to contain or effectively manage a public health crisis, may
adversely impact the businesses of the Funds’ portfolio companies. In addition, such
disruptions can negatively impact the ability of ISQ’s personnel to effectively identify,
monitor, operate and dispose of investments. Finally, such disruptions have
contributed to, and may continue to contribute to, extreme volatility in financial
markets. Such volatility could adversely affect ISQ’s ability to raise capital for the
Funds, find financing for the Funds’ portfolio companies or identify potential
purchasers of the Funds’ investments, all of which could have material and adverse
impact on the Funds’ performance. The impact of a public health crisis is difficult to
predict and presents material uncertainty and risk with respect to the Funds’
performance.
• Risks Associated with Investing in Interests in the Funds:
o Investments in the Funds are illiquid, and interests in a Fund may not be transferred without the
prior consent of the general partner and the satisfaction of certain other conditions. Investors
in the Funds should be able and prepared to maintain their investments in the Funds over the
entire life of the Fund. Investments in infrastructure assets are generally less liquid and involve
a longer holding period than traditional private equity investments, which are often considered
to be illiquid and long-term.
o While ISQ seeks to make investments for which there is a clear exit strategy, it is not generally
expected that the Funds will be able to dispose of any investments for a number of years after
the investment is made, during which time the Funds may be exposed to unfavorable
developments affecting its investments. If the Funds are unable to realize its investments in a
timely fashion, the returns to investors could be materially adversely affected.
o An investment in the Funds is a passive investment. As limited partners, investors in the Funds
have no control over the day-to-day operations of the Funds, including investment and
disposition decisions, and have limited rights to protect themselves if they are dissatisfied with
the manner in which a Fund is being operated. Investors are highly dependent on the investing
skills and management abilities of ISQ to achieve success.
o The valuation of the Fund’s investments is a difficult task that relies heavily on ISQ’s business
judgment. Although ISQ maintains stringent policies, procedures and financial controls over the
valuation process (including independent review by the Funds’ auditors), there can be no
assurance that the Funds will be able to realize their investments at a price that is
commensurate with the value at which such investments have been carried on the Fund’s
books.
o ISQ manages each Fund in a manner that is consistent with the best interests of the Fund, which
is not necessarily consistent with the best interests of each individual investor in the Fund. In
particular, ISQ may structure investments so as to maximize tax efficiency for the Fund, but
which may not be the most tax advantageous structuring possible for an individual investor,
depending on that investor’s own particular facts and circumstances.
o No guarantee or representation can be made that a Fund will achieve its investment objective or
that limited partners will receive a return of their capital. All investing involves a risk of loss and
the investment strategies pursued by the Funds could lose money over short or even long
periods. Prospective and existing investors are advised to review the offering materials and
other constituent documents for full details on each applicable Fund’s investment, operational
and other actual and potential risks.
• Potential Conflicts of Interest
o In the course of sourcing investments, ISQ or the Funds will be required to enter into
confidentiality agreements with third party firms or portfolio companies that may prohibit the
Funds from publicly disclosing sensitive information relating to the third party firm, their
investments and the portfolio companies. These arrangements could either restrict the
information that the Funds are permitted to share with their investors or could possibly result in
liabilities for the Funds where an investor that is required or compelled to publicly release
information regarding its investments, such as pursuant to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act
(“FOIA”) or other similar state or local laws, publicly discloses such information in response to
an information request or otherwise. ISQ may choose, but is not required, to decline such
investment opportunities in order to avoid the risk of exposing the Funds to these categories of
liability. As a result, the Funds’ investment flexibility may be constrained, which may adversely
impact the aggregate returns realized by the Funds.
o ISQ’s senior management team will devote substantially all of their business time to ISQ’s
business, including managing the Funds. However, senior management may spend some
portion of their time on matters other than, or only tangentially related to, ISQ’s business,
including time spent on charitable and public policy activities as well as service on the boards of
directors of for-profit businesses. Conflicts of interest can arise in allocating management time,
services or other resources among the Funds and/or other investments and projects.
o Potential conflicts will arise if a Fund makes an investment in a portfolio company in which other
Funds have invested. Decisions relating to actions to be taken may create conflicts of interest
between holders of different types of securities in the same portfolio as to what actions the
portfolio company should take. A conflict may also arise in allocating an investment opportunity
if the potential investment could be made by more than one of ISQ’s Funds. Investments by
more than one Fund in a portfolio company may also raise the risk of using assets of one Fund to
support positions taken by other Funds. ISQ is generally authorized to resolve such conflicts on
a case-by-case basis in its good faith discretion, taking into account the interests of all of the
Funds, but ISQ will not always be in a position to take action to resolve any such conflict, and
there can be no assurance that any such conflict will be resolved in favor of any particular Fund.
o If “in-kind” distributions are made to a Fund’s investors of property other than cash, the amount
of any such distribution will be accounted for at the fair market value of such property, as
determined in accordance with procedures specified in the applicable Fund Governing
Documents. An independent appraisal generally will not be required and is not expected to be
obtained.
o Co-investors in one or more specific investments will not necessarily be required to share in the
Broken-Deal Expenses, either with respect to a co-investment opportunity that is not
consummated or with respect to other potential investments that may be offered to the Funds.
This includes co-investors with whom ISQ has pre-existing relationships, as well as co-investors
that have participated in other completed transactions. Such co-investors participate in and
benefit from the general sourcing of transactions by the Fund and ISQ.
o To the extent that an investment sought by the Funds includes co-investors that have
committed to underwrite the investment, ISQ will use commercially reasonable efforts to cause
such co-investors to bear their
pro rata share of the expenses, and such co-investors will in
return typically be given priority in the co-investment waterfall. While ISQ generally is obligated
to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause each co-investor to bear its
pro rata share of
Broken Deal Expenses and other co-investment expenses for both consummated and
unconsummated transactions, to the extent a co-investor does not bear its
pro rata share
(including, without limitation, any negotiated expense cap for establishing a co-investment
vehicle), any such expenses are borne by the Funds.
o The investors in the Funds may include both taxable and tax-exempt entities, as well as persons
or entities that are organized in various jurisdictions and that otherwise may have conflicting
investment, tax or other interests. The investors may have conflicting investment, tax and other
interests with respect to their investments in the Funds. As a consequence, conflicts of interest
will arise in connection with the decisions made by ISQ, including with respect to the nature or
structuring of investments that may be more beneficial for one investor than for another
investor, especially with respect to investors’ individual tax situations. In selecting and
structuring investments appropriate for a Fund, ISQ will consider the investment and tax
objectives of the Fund and its investors as a whole, not the investment, tax or other objectives
of any investor individually.
o From time to time, we may form and operate investment vehicles through which we, or our
senior managers and other employees, invest in investment opportunities that lie outside of the
Funds’ permissible investment universe. Our ability to do this is subject to provisions in the
applicable Fund governing documents designed to prevent conflicts of interest between the
Funds, other funds that we may manage and ourselves, and to ensure that our management
team is devoting as much time and attention to the Funds as is necessary. Consistent with these
requirements and other obligations we owe to the Funds, these investment vehicles are limited
to investing in opportunities that are not appropriate for the Funds. Nevertheless, such
investment vehicles will give rise to potential conflicts of interest to the extent their investment
activities may compete with the interests of the Funds or their portfolio companies or they
distract senior management from devoting sufficient time and attention to the Funds.
• Risks Associated with Cybersecurity
o ISQ’s information and technology systems may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from
computer viruses, network failures, computer and telecommunication failures, infiltration by
unauthorized persons and security breaches, usage errors by its professionals or power outages
and catastrophic events such as fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. ISQ has
implemented various measures to manage risks relating to these types of events; nevertheless,
if these systems are compromised, become inoperable for extended periods of time or cease to
function properly, ISQ may have to make a significant investment to fix or replace them. The
failure of these systems and/or of disaster recovery plans for any reason could cause significant
interruptions in ISQ’s operations and result in a failure to maintain the security, confidentiality
or privacy of sensitive data, including information relating to clients and investors (and the
beneficial owners of investors). Such a failure could harm ISQ’s reputation or subject it or its
affiliates to legal claims and otherwise affect their business and financial performance.
Additionally, any failure of ISQ’s information, technology or security systems could have an
adverse impact on its ability to manage the private investment funds referred to herein.
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Neither we, nor any of our management persons, are registered, or have an application pending to
register, as a broker-dealer or a registered representative of a broker-dealer.
Neither we nor any of our management persons are registered, or have an application pending to
register, as a futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor
or an associated person of the foregoing entities.
Other than as described below, neither we nor any of our management persons have any
relationship or arrangement that is material to our advisory business or to the Funds with any
related person who is a broker-dealer, municipal securities dealer or government securities dealer
or broker; investment company or other pooled investment vehicle; other investment adviser or
financial planner; futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator or commodity trading
advisor; banking or thrift institution; accountant or accounting firm; lawyer or law firm; insurance
company or agency; pension consultant; real estate broker or dealer; or sponsor or syndicator of
limited partnerships.
ISQ acts as investment adviser to the Funds, and certain related legal persons act as general partner
of the Funds, as applicable.
In February 2016, our parent company, I Squared Capital, acquired a 51% interest in Avanz Capital
Management LP, a private equity investment adviser that provides services to funds that invest in
private equity funds that invest in emerging and developing countries. We do not believe that our
parent company’s ownership interest in Avanz Capital Management LP creates a material conflict of
interest due to different investment personnel and the different investment strategies employed by
each firm.
In October 2019, funds affiliated with Dyal Capital Partners, L.P., a division of Neuberger Berman,
acquired a passive, indirect, non-voting minority interest in I Squared Capital, LLC (“I Squared
Capital”), which is the parent company of the adviser. I Squared Capital was previously a Cayman
Islands exempt limited company and was converted to a Cayman Islands limited liability company
prior to the closing of the transaction. There were no changes in the strategy, management team,
investment team, investment process or day-to-day operations of the adviser or any of the relying
advisers as a result of this transaction.
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and Personal Trading
We have a written Code of Ethics which applies to all of our employees and any person who enters
into a significant consulting or other similar relationship with us that is not specifically exempted.
Our Code of Ethics requires our employees to serve the best interests of our Clients in compliance
with our status as a fiduciary, to comply with applicable federal securities laws, and to report any
violations of our Code of Ethics promptly to our Chief Compliance Officer. Among other things, each
of our employees must pre-clear certain personal securities transactions and must also provide
annual securities holdings reports and quarterly securities transactions reports. Employees are also
prohibited from purchasing securities from the restricted list. The Code of Ethics includes policies
and procedures to prevent the misuse and disclosure of material non-public information and other
confidential information, as well as policies and procedures addressing conflicts of interest; outside
activities of employees; gifts and business entertainment; and political contributions.
We will make our Code of Ethics available to any investor or prospective investor who requests a
copy.
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We invest primarily in privately negotiated investments, although we may occasionally acquire, sell
or distribute public securities on behalf of the Funds. When investing in privately negotiated
transactions, we believe we satisfy our best execution responsibilities through careful negotiation of
the terms of the investment.
With respect to those limited instances in which we acquire, sell or distribute publicly-traded
securities or enter into hedging contracts on behalf of the Funds through a broker-dealer or other
financial institution, we will seek to satisfy our best execution obligations by considering all relevant
facts and circumstances. We will generally seek competing bids and look for whether the
transaction represents the best qualitative execution, including the price and size of the order, the
trading characteristics of the securities involved, the value of research provided by each broker, the
broker’s execution abilities, commission rates, financial responsibility, and responsiveness, as well
as counterparty risk and concentration risk, as applicable.
Under no circumstances will we select a broker-dealer based on that broker-dealer’s capital-raising
activities on behalf of the Funds. However, we may execute trades through broker-dealers that
have acted as placement agents on behalf of the Funds or otherwise assisted our capital-raising
efforts so long as we have determined that such broker-dealer is capable of delivering best
execution in respect of our trades on behalf of our Clients.
We do not generally have any soft dollar arrangements with any brokers whereby we can direct a
broker to pay for external research services from a soft dollar account.
Infrequently, the Firm will aggregate orders for the purchase or sale of securities on behalf of
multiple Clients. In such instances we will aggregate orders as we deem appropriate and in the best
interest of the participating Clients, subject to and in accordance with the applicable provisions in
the applicable Fund Governing Documents.
We maintain policies and procedures that are designed to ensure that all investment opportunities
are, to the extent applicable, allocated among our Funds on a basis that over time is fair and
equitable to each Fund relative to other Funds taking into account all relevant facts and
circumstances. We may depart from this policy in a particular circumstance if it is determined that
it would be appropriate to do so and that such a departure would nonetheless be consistent with
our fiduciary duties to the Funds. We anticipate that, at most times, only one Global Fund will
actively be seeking investment opportunities in new portfolio companies. However, where a new
Global Fund has been formed, and a predecessor Global Fund still has capital available for
investment in new portfolio companies, we will generally allocate investment opportunities in new
portfolio companies to the predecessor Global Fund until the predecessor Global Fund has used up
its remaining capital capacity for new investments. Such cross-fund sharing of investment
opportunities may occur in circumstances deemed appropriate by us. A follow-on investment
opportunity in an existing portfolio company will generally first be considered as an opportunity for
the Fund(s) that has an existing investment in that portfolio company. To the extent that multiple
Funds hold an interest in the same portfolio company, we will allocate any disposition opportunities
with respect to that investment on a basis that is fair and equitable to each Fund relevant to other
Funds taking into account all relevant facts and circumstances, including without limitation the
relative ownership percentages of the clients in the applicable portfolio company.
Depending on the size and other relevant factors associated with an investment opportunity,
investment allocation decisions may be further made with respect to potential co-investment in the
investment opportunity. In making this determination, we will first ensure that the Fund(s) receive
the full amount of their desired allocation prior to offering any co-investment to any third party
(whether a current investor, related party or otherwise). Following this allocation determination,
we may evaluate possible co-investors based on all relevant factors, including those specific to the
investment opportunity. Subject only to any applicable provisions in the Fund Governing
Documents or side letters, we may but are under no obligation to offer co-investment opportunities
to existing investors in the Funds on a
pro rata basis or otherwise.
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We manage the Funds on a day-to-day basis. The Funds’ portfolio investments are closely reviewed
by our Partners and other investment professionals.
Investors receive written annual and quarterly reports which include a discussion of the Funds’
performances. The annual reports include audited financial statements that are prepared for the
Funds following the end of each fiscal year, while quarterly reports include unaudited financial
statements that are prepared for the Funds following the end of each fiscal quarter, in each case in
accordance with the terms of the Fund Governing Documents.
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Historically, we have entered into arrangements in which third parties assist in our capital raising
efforts in exchange for a fee. We typically pay a fee to these placement agents calculated as a
percentage of the total funds raised by the placement agent, as specifically negotiated with the
placement agent. Investors typically do not bear the cost of these referral fees as any such amounts
paid reduce the management fees otherwise payable to us and our affiliates. We do not engage
any placement agent or finder that is not duly registered with FINRA (or the corresponding non-US
authorities, as applicable) or duly registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, as applicable.
Our use of placement agents is disclosed in our offering materials.
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ISQ is deemed to have custody of the securities and other assets in certain of the Funds as a result of
ISQ’s control of the general partner or the managing member of the Funds. In accordance with the
requirements of applicable law, ISQ has established custodial accounts with a “qualified custodian”
who maintains physical possession of Funds’ securities, cash and other assets. In addition, the
financial statements of the Funds are audited by a nationally-recognized Public Accounting
Oversight Board (PCAOB)- registered independent auditor and distributed to investors within 120
days of the applicable fiscal year-end of the respective Fund.
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We generally have the authority to make all investment determinations on behalf of the Funds,
including investments across Funds. The relevant Fund Governing Documents generally impose
some limitations on our investment discretion, which limitations can only be waived by our
investors.
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We have a Voting Policy to comply with Rule 206(4)-6 promulgated under the Advisers Act. The
Voting Policy, which has been designed to ensure that we vote client securities in their best interest
and provide them with information about how such securities are voted, contains procedures that
have been reasonably designed to prevent and detect fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative acts by
us.
It is our policy to vote client securities in the interest of maximizing equity holder value. To that
end, we will vote in a way that we believe, consistent with our fiduciary duty, will cause the value of
the securities to increase the most or decline the least. Consideration will be given to both the
short-term and long-term implications of any proposal to be voted on when considering the optimal
vote. We will vote client securities in the best interest of the Funds. In voting client securities, we
will avoid material conflicts of interest between our interests on the one hand and the interests of
the Funds on the other.
The Funds are not able to direct our vote for any particular proposal.
We will maintain records of all client security statements received and votes cast in an easily
accessible place for five years. Investors and prospective investors may request information from us
about how we voted the securities held by the Funds. We will make our Voting Policy available to
any investor or prospective investor who requests a copy.
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We do not require or solicit prepayment of more than $1,200 in fees per client, six months or more
in advance.
We have not been the subject of a bankruptcy petition at any time.
Item 19: Requirements for State-Registered Advisers
Not applicable.
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