As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 23, 2022

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

CALIBERCOS INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

8901 E. Mountain View Rd. Ste. 150

Scottsdale, AZ, 85258

(480) 295-7600 

(Address including zip code, telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

John C. Loeffler, II

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

8901 E. Mountain View Rd. Ste. 150

Scottsdale, AZ 85258

(480) 295-7600 

(Name, address including zip code, telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies To:

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement is declared effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

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 the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):

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 to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the Securities and Exchange Commission declares our registration statement effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

1,600,000 Shares

CALIBERCOS INC.

Class A common stock

[         ] per share

This is the initial public offering of shares of Class A common stock of CaliberCos Inc. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Class A common stock. The initial public offering price is expected to be between $5.00 and $6.00 per share. The actual number of shares we will offer will be determined based on the actual public offering price.

We intend to apply to have our shares of Class A common stock listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “CWD”. The closing of this offering is contingent upon our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, we have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings. See “Prospectus Summary— Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company.”

After completion of this offering, John C. Loeffler, II, our Chief Executive Officer, and Jennifer Schrader, our President and Chief Operating Officer, through ownership of all our outstanding shares of Class B common stock, will continue to control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq and are eligible for certain exemptions from these rules, though we do not intend to rely on any such exemptions.  See “Risk Factors – We will be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of the listing rules of Nasdaq and, as a result, can rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies” on page 30 for more information.

Investing in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. See the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 14 to read about factors you should consider before buying shares of our Class A common stock.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these common shares or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

(1) See “Underwriting” for additional disclosure regarding underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable to Revere Securities LLC, the representative of the underwriters.

We have granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 240,000 additional shares of Class A common stock from us at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions, solely to cover the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

Revere Securities LLC

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of Class A common stock to purchasers against payment in New York, New York on or about             , 2022.

Prospectus dated                           , 2022

Table of Contents

Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses we have prepared. Neither we nor the underwriters take responsibility for and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.

Through and including ____, 2022 (the 25^th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade in our common shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

For investors outside of the United States neither we nor the underwriters have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. You are required to inform yourself about, and to observe any restrictions relating to, this offering and the distribution of this prospectus outside of the United States. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” for additional information on these restrictions.

Unless otherwise indicated, information in this prospectus concerning economic conditions, our industries and our markets is based on a variety of sources, including information from third-party industry analysts and publications and our own estimates and research. This information involves a number of assumptions, estimates and limitations. The industry publications, surveys and forecasts and other public information generally indicate or suggest that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. None of the third-party industry publications used in this prospectus were prepared on our behalf. The industries in which we operate are subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in these publications.

We own or have rights to various trademarks, service marks and trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our businesses. This prospectus may also contain trademarks, service marks and trade names of third parties, which are the property of their respective owners. Our use or display of third parties’ trademarks, service marks and trade names or products in this prospectus is not intended to, and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship by us. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ®, TM or SM symbols, but the omission of such references is not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable owner of these trademarks, service marks and trade names.

Caliber seeks to be a wealth building engine for investors

We are an alternative asset manager on a mission to build wealth for our investors, communities, and team by developing impactful projects and companies.

Caliber applies the established private equity business model to proven asset classes, such as real estate and private credit, and strives to differentiate itself as a leader in the underserved, middle-market segment.

We serve a broad set of customers that includes accredited investors, investment advisers, family offices, and institutions. We believe many investors and their investment advisors are seeking to increase their allocations to alternative assets and yet these prospective Caliber customers are finding access to quality alternative investments as a substantial hurdle to achieving their allocation goals.

Caliber solves this problem with creativity, hard work, and uncompromising dedication to the ultimate success of our investors. We create attractive investment products, endeavor to manage them well, and, in doing so, create broad access to alternatives.

When my co-founders and I took the first steps toward building the business that would eventually become Caliber, the economy was in chaos.

In the throes of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, the banking and real estate industries were in disarray and investors from all walks of life were left with savings and investments that had been decimated. They were looking for an alternative way to rebuild their financial foundation. 

Against this backdrop we saw opportunity – meaningful opportunity – to create value in a disrupted real estate market by building a platform for those investors who were seeking different ways to grow their wealth.

Opportunity

Brick by brick, we have built Caliber to provide wealth development opportunities to investors who previously have been excluded from alternative asset classes. We find investment opportunities that are often overlooked by the rest of the market due to their size or location. Also, we create incremental return opportunities by managing the full life cycle of many of our investments.  

Early on, we recognized two meaningful gaps in the alternative assets marketplace. First, accredited investors were hungry for the opportunity to invest outside of traditional stocks, bonds and insurance products. Yet, an accessible and trusted avenue to alternative asset classes simply didn’t exist. Second, real estate investment opportunities in the middle market – which we define as projects in the $5 million to $50 million range – often lacked sufficient funding. We stepped into these gaps and saw our business grow quickly as we met the needs of the market and our investors.  

The Democratization of Alternative Assets 

For years, access to the alternative asset space was limited to financial institutions or a select group of ultra-high-net-worth investors. We believe this left the vast majority of investors at a significant disadvantage when it came to tax planning, diversification and inflation hedging, as well as missing out on potentially higher return opportunities.  

We built Caliber to change that dynamic and democratize access to alternative assets. 

When public solicitation of private securities became a viable strategy in 2012, we became an early adopter of the new rules and saw the opportunity to bring alternative assets to a broader range of accredited investors. We start with a focus on education, helping our investors understand the market for alternative investments and the strategies that are effective in that segment, and then we take the time to understand their investing goals and match them to the investment that best fits their needs.

Everything we do is grounded in our commitment to accountability, respect and transparency and maintaining open lines of communication with our investors – something that often gets lost in other institutions. We want to build trust with every investor with the goal that they continue to invest with us indefinitely. This focus on education and transparency is a key part of the Caliber experience. We strive to know what our customers need, what drives them to make an investment decision, and what it takes to earn and keep their trust. 

The Middle Market Opportunity 

From the beginning, our team has focused on finding opportunity where others see only barriers. This is due, in part, to our expertise and our vertically integrated business model. That mindset has enabled us to pursue many projects from the ground up, even in under-resourced locations and in challenging times. Caliber has a track record of finding a path forward where others may not.

We believe that the opportunity to invest in, develop and manage real estate projects in middle markets has never been stronger. The middle market segment tends to be highly fragmented due to a mismatch we have found that exists between the size and complexity of middle market assets, the inability of smaller firms to compete for those assets, and the lack of competition from traditional institutions that may be focused more on larger projects.

We have also found opportunities in middle-market geographies, specifically in real estate investments in the Southwest and Mountainwest regions of the United States Caliber focuses on business-friendly locations with strong, multi-year demographic trends. In many locations, we have boots on-the-ground to help us manage projects and capture diverse revenue streams.

We have a rule at Caliber: do what is best for the asset. When we do that, we believe we ultimately do what is best for the investor and for Caliber. Sometimes this requires us to change course, but we believe that adaptability is a strength and a competitive edge in today’s world and is a meaningful component of Caliber’s culture. 

We believe our focus on the middle market also allows us to participate in meaningful projects that are helping to transform communities while providing our investors with tax-advantaged returns.  This is a critical component to Caliber’s strategy as an impact investor and goal to build the wealth of communities we operate in.

Caliber was an early innovator in the creation of Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) funds, which offer investors the ability to reduce and eliminate short and long-term capital gain tax liabilities by investing in a professionally managed real estate fund that completes new developments that are impactful to the designated communities within each zone. Created in 2017 as part of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, these funds are purposed to help stimulate economic growth in distressed communities across the country.  

The Caliber Tax-Advantaged Fund was launched in 2018 and included investments in QOZ communities in Arizona and Texas. With the launch of our second fund in July 2022, Caliber is poised to be one of the largest and most active Opportunity Zone investors in our regions. 

The Vision 

We welcome you to join us as a co-owner of this growing business – a platform we are excited to build together long into the future.

Chris Loeffler, CEO

RISK FACTORS

        Investing in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, as well as the other information in this prospectus, before deciding whether to invest in shares of our Class A common stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. In this case, the trading price of our Class A common stock would likely decline, and you might lose part or all your investment in our Class A common stock.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our business depends in large part on our ability to raise capital for our funds from investors. If we were unable to raise such capital, we may be unable to grow our asset management fees and our transaction fees may be materially impacted. The inability to deploy such capital into investments, may materially reduce our revenues and cash flows and adversely affect our financial condition.

We depend on the capital markets to grow our Assets Under Management, (“AUM”), and we depend on third-party equity and debt financings to acquire properties for our funds. We intend to continue to raise a significant amount of equity and debt to acquire various alternative investments for our funds in the ordinary course of our business. Our debt financing depends on a combination of seller financing, the assumption of existing loans, government agencies, and financial institutions. We depend on equity financing from equity partners, which may include public or private companies, pension funds, family offices, financial institutions, endowments, high net worth individuals, and money managers. Our access to capital funding for our funds is uncertain. Our inability to raise additional capital for our funds on terms reasonably acceptable to us could jeopardize the future growth of our business.

Our ability to raise capital from investors in our funds depends on several factors, including many that are outside our control. Investors may downsize their investment allocations to alternative asset managers, including private funds and hedge funds, to rebalance a disproportionate weighting of their overall investment portfolio among asset classes. Poor performance of our funds could also make it more difficult for us to raise new capital. Our investors and potential investors continually assess our funds’ performance independently and relative to market benchmarks and our competitors, and our ability to raise capital for existing and future funds depends on our funds’ performance. The financial markets are affected by many factors, such as U.S. and foreign economic conditions and general trends in business and finance that are beyond our control, which could be adversely affected by changes in the equity or debt marketplaces, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates, inflation rates, the yield curve, financial crises, changes in regulation, war, terrorism, natural disasters and other factors that are difficult to predict. Recently, markets have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation in the United States, the imposition of sanctions and the escalation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. In the event that the U.S. or international financial markets suffer a severe or prolonged downturn or increased volatility, our funds’ investments may lose value and investors may choose to withdraw assets from our funds and use the assets to pay expenses or transfer them to investments that they perceive to be more secure, such as bank deposits and Treasury securities. If economic and market conditions deteriorate, we may be unable to raise sufficient capital to support the investment activities of future funds. If we are unable to successfully raise capital, our revenues and cash flows would be reduced, and our financial condition would be adversely affected.

Changes in prevailing interest rates may reduce our profitability, and we may not be able to adequately anticipate and respond to changes in market interest rates.

The majority of our funds’ assets are monetary in nature and subject to risk from changes in interest rates. Our earnings and cash flows depend to a great extent upon the difference between the interest our funds pay on loans and borrowings and the value of fixed-rate debt investments made by our funds. Depending on the terms and maturities of our assets and liabilities, a significant change in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our profitability. In addition, rising interest rates, coupled with periods of significant equity and credit market volatility may potentially make it more difficult for us to find attractive opportunities for our funds to exit and realize value from their existing investments. 

Interest rates remained at relatively low levels on a historical basis and the U.S. Federal Reserve maintained the federal funds target range at 0.0% to 0.25% for much of 2020 and 2021. During approximately the first ten months of 2022, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by an aggregate of 375 basis points. The consensus is that rates will be increased additional times during 2022. Additionally, the current geopolitical environment in Europe provides yet another layer of uncertainty around the actions that the Federal Reserve might take. Market interest rates are affected by many factors outside of our control, including governmental monetary policies, domestic and international economic conditions, inflation, deflation, recession, changes in unemployment, the money supply, international disorder and instability in domestic and foreign financial markets. Rising interest rates create downward pressure on the price of real estate, increase the cost and reduce the availability of debt financing for the transactions our funds pursue and decrease the value of fixed-rate debt investments made by our funds, each of which may have an adverse impact on our business.

Increased costs of borrowing could also cause us to reconsider the purchase of certain real estate assets, the terms of any such purchase or the mix of debt and equity we employ in connection with such purchase. Such issues are expected to be more prevalent in a continued rising interest rate environment. A higher interest rate environment may lead to a significant contraction or weakening in the market for debt financing or have other adverse changes relating to the terms of debt financing (such as, for example, higher equity requirements and/or more restrictive covenants), particularly in the area of acquisition financings for private equity and real estate transactions, which could have a material adverse impact on our business. In a rising interest rate environment, the financing of acquisitions or the operations of our funds’ portfolio companies with debt may also become less attractive due to the cost of capital or limitations on the deductibility of corporate interest expense. If our funds are unable to obtain committed debt financing for potential acquisitions, can only obtain debt financing at an increased interest rate or on unfavorable terms, or the ability to deduct corporate interest expense is substantially limited, our funds may face increased competition from strategic buyers of assets who may have an overall lower cost of capital or the ability to benefit from a higher amount of cost savings following an acquisition, or may have difficulty completing otherwise profitable acquisitions or may generate profits that are lower than would otherwise be the case, each of which could lead to a decrease in our revenues.

In addition, if our funds are unable to obtain committed debt financing for potential acquisitions, can only obtain debt financing at an increased interest rate or on unfavorable terms, this would require us to employ a higher mix of equity to acquire real estate assets. The cost of equity in a rising interest rate environment may also become more expensive; we may be required to offer a higher rate of return on equity in order to finance such assets. This in turn would adversely affect our profitability from such assets. While to date our funds’ borrowing costs have not substantially increased, as rates continue to increase, our ability to use leverage as a financing tool or to pass along any increased costs of borrowing or financing will become more difficult, all of which could have an adverse effect on our profitability.

Inflation can have an adverse impact on our business and on our customers.

Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. The annual inflation rate in the United States increased to 9.1% in June 2022, the highest rate since November 1981, but decreased to 7.7% in October 2022. As a result, during approximately the first ten months of 2022, the Federal Reserve has increased the federal funds rate by 375 basis points and has indicated its intention to continue to increase interest rates in an effort to combat inflation. For project execution, inflation has increased the cost of nearly all building materials and labor types, increasing the cost of construction and renovation of our funds’ assets. Furthermore, third parties we do business with, such as developers and contractors, are also affected by inflation and the rising costs of goods and services used in their businesses. A significant and continued increase in interest rates and inflation would be expected to have a negative impact on their ability to do business with us, which would affect our profitability. 

A decline in the pace of growth or size of investment made by our funds may adversely affect our revenues.

Revenues we derive from our asset management and related services are driven in part by the pace at which our funds make investments and the size of those investments. A decline in the pace or the size of such investments may reduce our revenues. The pace of our investments could decline due to, among other factors, the market environment for private equity transactions, which has at times been characterized by relatively high prices, and such market changes make the deployment of capital more difficult. In addition, many other factors could cause a decline in the pace of investment, including the inability of our investment professionals to identify attractive investment opportunities, competition for such opportunities among other potential acquirers, decreased availability of capital on attractive terms, and our failure to consummate identified investment opportunities because of business, regulatory or legal complexities or uncertainty and adverse developments in the U.S. or global economy or financial markets. In addition, if our funds are unable to deploy capital at a pace that is sufficient to offset the pace of realizations, our fee revenues could decrease.

Our revenue, earnings, net income, and cash flows can all vary materially, which may make it difficult for us to achieve steady earnings growth on a quarterly basis and may cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline.

We have in the past and may in the future experience fluctuations in our results, including our revenue and net income, from quarter to quarter due to a number of other factors, including timing of realizations, changes in the amount of distributions or interest paid in respect of investments, changes in our operating expenses, the degree to which we encounter competition and general economic and market conditions. Achieving steady growth in net income and cash flow on a quarterly basis may be difficult, which could in turn lead to large adverse movements or general increased volatility in the price of our Class A common stock. We also do not provide any guidance regarding our expected quarterly and annual operating results. The lack of guidance may affect the expectations of public market analysts and could cause increased volatility in our Class A common stock price.

Our revenue, net income, and cash flows can all vary materially due to Performance Allocations (income earned with respect to our carried interest is recorded as Performance Allocations) in any fiscal period. Performance Allocations depend on our funds’ performance and opportunities for realizing gains, which may be limited. Our cash flow may fluctuate significantly due to the fact that we receive Performance Allocations from our carry funds only when portfolio companies make distributions in excess of preferred return hurdles, or when investments are realized and achieve a minimum preferred return. It takes a substantial period of time to identify attractive investment opportunities, to raise all the funds needed to make an investment, to manage the performance of the investment, and then to realize the cash value (or other proceeds) of an investment through a sale, public offering, recapitalization or other exit. Even if an investment proves to be profitable, it may be several years before any profits can be realized in cash (or other proceeds). We cannot predict with certainty exactly when, or if, any Performance Allocations will or may occur.

In addition, upon the realization of a profitable investment by any of our funds and prior to our receiving any Performance Allocations in respect of that investment, 100% of the net proceeds from such realization must generally be paid to the investors in that fund until they have achieved a certain return on all realized investments by that fund. A particular realization event may have a significant impact on our results for that particular quarter that may not be replicated in subsequent quarters. We recognize revenue on investments in our investment funds based on our allocable share of realized gains (or losses) reported by such investment funds, and a decline in gains, or an increase in losses, would adversely affect our revenue and possibly cash flow, which could further increase the volatility of our quarterly results. Because our carry funds have preferred return thresholds to investors that need to be met prior to our receiving any Performance Allocations, substantial declines in the carrying value of the investment portfolios of a fund can significantly delay or eliminate any Performance Allocations paid to us in respect of that fund since the value of the assets in the fund would need to recover to their aggregate cost basis plus the preferred return over time before we would be entitled to receive any Performance Allocations from that fund.

The timing and receipt of Performance Allocations also varies with the life cycle of our funds. During periods in which a relatively large portion of our assets under management are attributable to funds and investments in their “optimized” period, our funds would make larger distributions than in the fundraising or investment periods that precede the optimized period. During periods in which a significant portion of our assets under management is attributable to funds that are not in their optimized periods, we may receive substantially lower Performance Allocations.

We may need additional capital, and financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

We use cash to (a) provide capital to facilitate the growth of our existing businesses, which principally includes funding our general partner and co-investment commitments to our funds, (b) provide capital for business expansion and (c) pay operating expenses and other obligations as they arise, including servicing our debt. There is no guarantee that in the future we will generate enough working capital to support our business. Although we believe that our anticipated cash flows from operating activities, together with cash on hand and the proceeds of this offering, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures in the ordinary course of business for the next twelve months, we cannot assure you this will be the case. We may need additional cash resources in the future if we experience changes in business conditions or other developments. If the global economy and conditions in the financing markets worsen, our fund investment performance could suffer, resulting in, for example, the payment of less or no Performance Allocations to us. This could materially and adversely affect the amount of cash we have on hand, including for, among other purposes, the payment of dividends to our stockholders. Having less cash on hand could in turn require us to rely on other sources of cash (such as the capital markets, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms) for the above purposes. Furthermore, during adverse economic and market conditions, we might not be able to renew all or part of our existing credit facility or find alternate financing on commercially reasonable terms. As a result, our uses of cash may exceed our sources of cash, thereby potentially affecting our liquidity position.

We may also need additional cash resources in the future if we find and wish to pursue opportunities for investment, acquisition, capital expenditures or similar actions. If we determine that our cash requirements exceed the amount of cash and cash equivalents we have on hand at the time, we may seek to issue additional equity or debt securities or obtain credit facilities. The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in further dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that would restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

The global outbreak of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, has caused severe disruptions to global economies and has adversely impacted, and may continue to adversely impact, our performance, and results of operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns or limitations in the operations of certain non-essential businesses have created economic and financial disruptions that have adversely impacted, and may continue to adversely impact, our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and prospects materially. The pandemic has also exacerbated many of the other risks discussed in this “Risk Factors” section. Although an economic recovery is partially underway, it continues to be uneven and characterized by dispersion across sectors and regions, with uncertainty regarding its ultimate length and trajectory.

The longer the pandemic impacts activity levels in the locations and sectors in which we and our funds operate, the more likely it is to have a sustained, material impact on the economy and on us. In particular, issues with respect to the distribution or adoption of vaccines or the spread of variants of the virus could lead people to continue to self-isolate and not participate in the economy at pre-pandemic levels for a prolonged period of time. These and other factors may delay a return to pre-pandemic, ordinary course economic activity, or cause the U.S. economy or other major global economies to experience a recession.

If, and when, the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the market turmoil and other changes associated with the pandemic may have lasting effects on our business and operations. The proliferation of remote working may result in long-term changed market, consumer and workplace practices that could negatively impact us and our business. Increased adoption of and familiarity with remote work practices could result in continued decreased demand for business and leisure travel, hotel stays, conference facilities, and select U.S. urban residential and office assets. In addition, consumer practices and demands may permanently, or for an extended period, change from what they were prior to the onset of COVID-19, including avoiding activities where people are in proximity to each other, which could adversely affect certain of our investments. Failure of our investment strategies to adapt to these and other changes, including potential future global pandemics, could adversely impact the returns on our investments.

Adverse impacts on our business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic include, and may in the future include, but are not limited to:

The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and prospects materially will depend on future developments, including the duration, spread and intensity of the pandemic, the duration of government measures to mitigate the pandemic and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume, all of which are uncertain and difficult to predict.

We could lose part or all of our investments, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

There is an inherent risk that we could lose all or part of our investment in certain assets. Our investments are generally illiquid, which may affect our ability to change our asset mix in response to changes in economic and other conditions. The value of our investments can also be diminished by:

The historical returns attributable to our funds should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our funds or of our future results or of any returns expected on an investment in our Class A common stock.

An investment in our Class A common stock is not an investment in any of our funds. You should not conclude that positive performance of our funds will necessarily result in positive returns on an investment in our Class A common stock. The historical performance of our funds is relevant to us primarily insofar as it is indicative of asset management fees, performance allocations, and advisory and transaction fees we have earned in the past and may earn in the future and our reputation and ability to raise new funds.

In addition, the historical returns of our funds may not be indicative of any future returns of these or from any future funds we may raise due to several factors including:

We may be subject to litigation risks and may face liabilities and damage to our professional reputation as a result of investment decisions on behalf of investors in our funds.

We make investment decisions on behalf of investors in our funds that could result in substantial losses. This may subject us to the risk of legal liabilities or actions alleging negligent misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty, or breach of contract. Further, we may be subject to third-party litigation arising from allegations that we improperly exercised control or influence over portfolio investments.

These and other legal liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our businesses, financial condition, our results of operations, or cause reputational harm to us, which could harm our businesses. We depend, to a large extent, on our business relationships and our reputation for integrity and professional services to attract and retain investors and to pursue investment opportunities for our funds. As a result, allegations of improper conduct by private litigants or regulators, whether the ultimate outcome is favorable or unfavorable to us, as well as negative publicity and press speculation about us, our investment activities, or the investment industry in general, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation, which may be damaging to our businesses.

Actions of any joint venture partners that we may have could reduce the returns on joint venture investments.

At times we enter joint ventures or partnerships to acquire and develop properties. Such investments may involve risks not otherwise present with other methods of investment, including:

Any of the above might subject a property to liabilities in excess of those contemplated and thus reduce our returns on that investment.

Our reliance on third parties to operate and to develop certain of our properties may harm our business.

In some instances, we rely on third-party property managers and hotel operators to manage our properties. These third parties are directly responsible for the day-to-day operation of our properties with limited supervision by us, and they often have potentially significant decision-making authority with respect to those properties. These third parties may fail to manage our properties effectively or in accordance with their agreements with us, may be negligent in their performance and may engage in criminal or fraudulent activity. If any of these events occur, we could incur losses or face liabilities from the loss or injury to our property or to persons at our properties. In addition, disputes may arise between us and these third-party managers and operators, and we may incur significant expenses to resolve those disputes or terminate the relevant agreement with these third parties and locate and engage competent and cost-effective service providers to operate and manage the relevant properties.

In addition, we are also parties to hotel management agreements. If any of these events occur, our relationships with any franchisors may be damaged, we may be in breach of our franchise agreement, and we could incur liabilities resulting from loss or injury to our property or to persons at our properties. From time to time, disputes may arise between us and our third-party managers regarding their performance or compliance with the terms of the hotel management agreements, which in turn could adversely affect us. If we are unable to resolve such disputes through discussions and negotiations, we may choose to terminate our management agreement, litigate the dispute or submit the matter to third-party dispute resolution, the expense of which may be material and the outcome of which may harm our business, operating results or prospects.

Changes in relevant tax laws, regulations, treaties, or an adverse interpretation of these items by tax authorities could adversely impact our effective tax rate and tax liability.

Our effective tax rate and tax liability is based on the application of current income tax laws, regulations and treaties. These laws, regulations and treaties are complex, and the manner which they apply to us and our funds is sometimes open to interpretation. Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets. Although management believes its application of current laws, regulations and treaties to be correct and sustainable upon examination by the tax authorities, the tax authorities could challenge our interpretation resulting in additional tax liability or adjustment to our income tax provision that could increase our effective tax rate. In particular, changes in legislation or regulation relating to Opportunity Zones could adversely affect our ability to form new Opportunity Zone Funds or to acquire assets for our existing Opportunity Zone Funds, thereby diminishing our ability to generate revenue from those activities.

Conflicts of interest exist between our Company and related parties.

Conflicts of interest exist and may arise in the future as a result of the relationships between our Company and its affiliates and divisions and our officers, directors and owners, on the one hand, and our funds and its investors, on the other hand. We earn fees from our funds, including our carried interest which value is a direct result from the performance of our funds. There may be instances where the interests of our funds and the investors in such funds diverge from those of our Company which could result in conflicts of interest. In resolving these conflicts, our board of directors and executive officers have a fiduciary duty to our stockholders. In addition, as we operate as a Fund Manager through a wholly owned subsidiary, our Company has a fiduciary duty to investors in the funds we manage. Unless the resolution of a conflict is specifically provided for in the operating agreements of such funds, our board of directors may consider a wide range of factors they determine to be in good faith when resolving a conflict. An independent third party is not required to evaluate the resolution. As a result of the foregoing, there may be instances where any such conflicts are resolved in a manner which favors the interests of our funds and their investors over our stockholders. See Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.

Risk management activities may adversely affect the return on our funds’ investments.

When managing our exposure to market risks, we may (on our own behalf or on behalf of our funds) from time to time use forward contracts, options, swaps, caps, collars and floors, or pursue other strategies or use other forms of derivative instruments to limit our exposure to changes in the relative values of investments that may result from market developments, including changes in prevailing interest rates, currency exchange rates and commodity prices. The success of any hedging or other derivative transactions generally will depend on our ability to correctly predict market changes, the degree of correlation between price movements of a derivative instrument, the position being hedged, the creditworthiness of the counterparty and other factors. As a result, while we may enter into a transaction in order to reduce our exposure to market risks, the transaction may result in poorer overall investment performance than if it had not been executed. Such transactions may also limit the opportunity for gain if the value of a hedged position increases.

While such hedging arrangements may reduce certain risks, such arrangements themselves may entail certain other risks. These arrangements may require the posting of cash collateral at a time when a fund has insufficient cash or illiquid assets such that the posting of the cash is either impossible or requires the sale of assets at prices that do not reflect their underlying value. Moreover, these hedging arrangements may generate significant transaction costs, including potential tax costs, that reduce the returns generated by a fund. Finally, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) may in the future require certain foreign exchange products to be subject to mandatory clearing, which could increase the cost of entering into currency hedges.

Our real estate funds are subject to the risks inherent in the ownership, development, and operation of real estate.

Investments in our real estate funds will be subject to the risks inherent in the ownership and operation of real estate and real estate-related businesses and assets, including the deterioration of real estate fundamentals. These risks include, but are not limited to, those associated with the burdens of ownership of real property, general and local economic conditions, changes in supply of and demand for competing properties in an area (as a result, for instance, of overbuilding), fluctuations in the average occupancy and room rates for hotel properties, operating income, the financial resources of tenants, changes in building, environmental, zoning and other laws, casualty or condemnation losses, energy and supply shortages, various uninsured or uninsurable risks, natural disasters, climate change related risks (including climate-related transition risks and acute and chronic physical risks), changes in government regulations (such as rent control), changes in real property tax rates, changes in income tax rates, changes in interest rates, the reduced availability of mortgage funds which may render the sale or refinancing of properties difficult or impracticable, increased mortgage defaults, increases in borrowing rates, changes to the taxation of business entities and the deductibility of corporate interest expense, negative developments in the economy that depress travel activity, environmental liabilities, contingent liabilities on disposition of assets, acts of god, terrorist attacks, war and other factors that are beyond our control. In addition, if our real estate funds acquire direct or indirect interests in undeveloped land or underdeveloped real property, which may often be non-income producing, they will be subject to the risks normally associated with such assets and development activities, including risks relating to the availability and timely receipt of zoning and other regulatory or environmental approvals, the cost and timely completion of construction (including risks beyond the control of our fund, such as weather, labor conditions, or material shortages), and the availability of both construction and permanent financing with favorable terms. In addition, our real estate funds may also make investments in residential real estate projects and/or otherwise participate in financing opportunities relating to residential real estate assets or portfolios thereof from time to time, which may be more susceptible to adverse changes in prevailing economic and/or market conditions and present additional risks relative to the ownership and operation of commercial real estate assets.

Investments by our investment funds may rank junior to investments made by others.

In most cases, the companies in which our investment funds invest will have indebtedness or equity securities or may be permitted to incur indebtedness or to issue equity securities that rank senior to our investment. By their terms, such instruments may provide that their holders are entitled to receive payments of dividends, interest or principal on or before the dates on which payments are to be made in respect of our investment. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a company in which an investment is made, holders of securities ranking senior to our investment would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before distributions could be made in respect of our investment. After repaying senior security holders, the company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying amounts owed in respect of our investment. To the extent that any assets remain, holders of claims that rank equally with our investment would be entitled to share on an equal and ratable basis in distributions that are made out of those assets. Also, during periods of financial distress or following an insolvency, the ability of our investment funds to influence a company’s affairs and to take actions to protect their investments may be substantially less than that of the senior creditors.

Rapid growth of our businesses may be difficult to sustain and may place significant demands on our administrative, operational, and financial resources.

Our assets under management have grown significantly in the past, and we are pursuing further growth in the near future, both organically and through acquisitions. Our rapid growth has placed, and planned growth, if successful, will continue to place, significant demands on our legal, accounting and operational infrastructure, and has increased expenses. The complexity of these demands, and the expense required to address them, is a function not simply of the amount by which our assets under management has grown, but of the growth in the variety and complexity of, as well as the differences in strategy between, our different funds. In addition, we are required to continuously develop our systems and infrastructure in response to the increasing sophistication of the investment management market and legal, accounting, regulatory, and tax developments.

Our future growth will depend in part on our ability to maintain an operating platform and management system sufficient to address our growth and will require us to incur significant additional expenses and to commit additional senior management and operational resources.

We depend on our founders, senior professionals, and other key personnel, and our ability to retain them and attract additional qualified personnel is critical to our success and our growth prospects.

We depend on the diligence, skill, judgment, business contacts and personal reputations of our founders, senior professionals and other key personnel. Our future success will depend upon our ability to attract and retain senior professionals and other personnel. Our executives have built highly regarded reputations in the alternative investment industry. Our executives attract business opportunities and assist both in negotiations with lenders and potential joint venture partners and in the representation of large and institutional clients. If we lost their services, our relationships with lenders, joint ventures, and clients would diminish significantly. 

In addition, some of our officers have strong regional reputations, and they aid in attracting business, identifying opportunities, and negotiating for us and on behalf of our clients. As we continue to grow, our success will largely depend on our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel in all areas of business. We may be unable to continue to hire and retain a sufficient number of qualified personnel to support or keep pace with our planned growth.

Our management team has limited public company experience.

Our management team has limited public company experience. Our entire management team, as well as other Company personnel, will need to devote substantial time to compliance, and may not effectively or efficiently manage our transition into a public company. If we are unable to effectively comply with the regulations applicable to public companies or if we are unable to produce accurate and timely financial statements, which may result in misstatements that may be material in our financial statements or possible restatement of financial results, our stock price may be materially adversely affected. Any such failures could also result in litigation or regulatory actions by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, loss of investor confidence, delisting of our securities, harm to our reputation and diversion of financial and management resources from the operation of our business, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and growth prospects. Additionally, the failure of a key employee to perform in his or her current position could result in our inability to continue to grow our business or to implement our business strategy.

We may expand into new investment strategies, geographic markets and businesses, each of which may result in additional risks and uncertainties in our businesses.

We intend, if market conditions warrant, to grow our businesses by increasing assets under management in existing businesses and expanding into new investment strategies, geographic markets and businesses. We may pursue growth through acquisitions of critical business partners or other strategic initiatives, which may include entering into new lines of business.

Attempts to expand our businesses involve a number of special risks, including some or all of the following:

Entry into certain lines of business may subject us to new laws and regulations with which we are not familiar, or from which we are currently exempt, and may lead to increased litigation and regulatory risk. If a new business does not generate sufficient revenues or if we are unable to efficiently manage our expanded operations, our results of operations will be adversely affected. Our strategic initiatives may include joint ventures, in which case we will be subject to additional risks and uncertainties in that we may be dependent upon, and subject to liability, losses or reputational damage relating to systems, controls and personnel that are not under our control. Because we have not yet identified these potential new investment strategies, geographic markets or lines of business, we cannot identify all of the specific risks we may face and the potential adverse consequences on us and their investment that may result from any attempted expansion.

We may not be successful in competing with companies in the asset management industry and alternative investment industries, some of which may have substantially greater resources than we do.

The asset management industry and alternative investment industries are intensely competitive. We compete primarily on a regional, industry, and asset basis.

We face competition both in the pursuit of fund investors and investment opportunities. Generally, our competition varies across business lines, geographies, and financial markets. We compete for outside investors based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, investor perception of investment managers’ drive, focus and alignment of interest, quality of service provided to and duration of relationship with investors, business reputation, and the level of fees and expenses charged for services.

We compete for investment opportunities based on a variety of factors, including breadth of market coverage and relationships, access to capital, transaction execution skills, the range of products and services offered, innovation, and price.

We compete with real estate funds, specialized funds, hedge fund sponsors, financial institutions, private equity funds, corporate buyers, and other parties. Many of these competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical, and marketing resources than are available to us. Many of these competitors have similar investment objectives to ours, which may create additional competition for investment opportunities. Some of these competitors may also have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us, which may create competitive disadvantages for us with respect to investment opportunities. In addition, some of these competitors may have higher risk tolerances, different risk assessments or lower return thresholds, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and to bid more aggressively than us for investments that we want to make. Corporate buyers may be able to achieve synergistic cost savings with regard to an investment that may provide them with a competitive advantage in bidding for an investment.

If we are unable to maintain and protect our intellectual property, or if third parties assert that we infringe their intellectual property rights, our business could suffer.

Our business depends, in part, on our ability to identify and protect proprietary information and other intellectual property such as our client lists and information and business methods. We rely on a combination of trade secrets, confidentiality policies, non-disclosure and other contractual arrangements and copyright and trademark laws to protect our intellectual property rights. However, we may not adequately protect these rights, and their disclosure to, or use by, third parties may harm our competitive position. Our inability to detect unauthorized use of, or to take appropriate or timely steps to enforce, our intellectual property rights may harm our business.

Also, third parties may claim that our business operations infringe on their intellectual property rights. These claims may harm our reputation, cost us money to defend, distract the attention of our management and prevent us from offering some services.

Confidential intellectual property is increasingly stored or carried on mobile devices, such as laptop computers, which increases the risk of inadvertent disclosure where the mobile devices are lost or stolen and the information has not been adequately safeguarded or encrypted. This also makes it easier for someone with access to our systems, or someone who gains unauthorized access, to steal information and use it to our disadvantage. Advances in technology, which permit increasingly large amounts of information to be stored on mobile devices or on third-party “cloud” servers, may exacerbate these risks.

Our business could be adversely affected by security breaches through cyber-attacks, cyber intrusions, or otherwise.

We face risks associated with security breaches, whether through cyber-attacks or cyber intrusions over the internet, malware, computer viruses, attachments to e-mails, persons inside our organization or persons with access to systems inside our organization, and other significant disruptions of our information technology networks and related systems. These risks include operational interruption, private data exposure, and damage to our relationship with our customers, among others. A security breach involving our networks and related systems could disrupt our operations in numerous ways that could ultimately have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our Class A common stock may decline.

As a public company, we will be required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal control. In addition, in the future, we will be required to furnish a report by management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act beginning with our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. We are in the process of designing, implementing, and testing our internal control over financial reporting required to comply with this obligation, which process is time consuming, costly, and complicated. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm may be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning with our annual report on Form 10-K following the date on which we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” which may be up to five full years following the date of this offering. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, if we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting when required, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our Class A common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.

Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure

The consolidation of investment funds or operating businesses of our portfolio companies could make it more difficult to understand the operating performance of the Company and could create operational risks for the Company.

Under applicable generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), we may be required to consolidate certain of our funds, limited liability companies, partnerships or operating businesses if we determine that these entities are variable interest entities (“VIEs”) and where we determine that the Company is the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The consolidation of such entities could make it difficult for an investor to differentiate the assets, liabilities, and results of operations of the Company apart from the assets, liabilities, and results of operations of the consolidated VIEs. The assets of the consolidated VIEs are not available to meet our liquidity requirements. As of September 30, 2022, December 31, 2021 and 2020, total assets of our consolidated VIEs reflected in our consolidated balance sheets were $238 million, $232 million and $219 million, respectively, and as of September 30, 2022, December 31, 2021 and 2020, total liabilities of our consolidated VIEs reflected in our consolidated balance sheets were $153 million, $167 million and $155 million, respectively.

Our Bylaws have an exclusive forum for adjudication of disputes provision which limits the forum to the Delaware Court of Chancery for certain stockholder litigation matters actions against the Company, which may limit an investor’s ability to seek what they regard as a favorable judicial forum for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers, employees, or stockholders.

Section 4 of Article VII of our Bylaws dictates that the Delaware Court of Chancery is the sole and exclusive forum for certain actions including derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company; an action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty owed by an officer, director, employee or to the stockholders of the Company; any claim arising under Delaware corporate law; and any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. However, Section 4 of Article VII of our Bylaws does not designate the Delaware Court of Chancery as the exclusive forum for any derivative action or other claim for which the applicable statute creates exclusive jurisdiction in another forum, such as the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and as a result, does not apply to claims made under the U.S. federal securities laws.

A Delaware corporation is allowed to mandate in its corporate governance documents a chosen forum for the resolution of state law-based stockholder class actions, derivative suits and other intra-corporate disputes. With respect to such state law claims, the Company’s management believes limiting state law-based claims to Delaware will provide the most appropriate outcomes as the risk of another forum misapplying Delaware law is avoided, Delaware courts have a well-developed body of case law and limiting the forum will preclude costly and duplicative litigation and avoids the risk of inconsistent outcomes. Additionally, Delaware Chancery Courts can typically resolve disputes on an accelerated schedule when compared to other forums.

The choice of forum provisions contained in the Company’s Bylaws may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or any of its directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other issuers’ bylaws and certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that in connection with any applicable action brought against the Company, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in the Company’s Bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. As a result, the Company could incur additional costs associated with resolving such actions in other jurisdictions, which could harm the Company’s business, operating results and financial condition.

If we were deemed to be an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our businesses as conducted and could have a material adverse effect on our businesses.

An entity will generally be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the Investment Company Act if:

Our exemptions from the registration requirements of an investment company under the Investment Company Act are threefold:

We are engaged primarily in the business of investing services for real estate and real estate-related assets and not primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities. We hold ourselves out as a vertically integrated alternative asset management firm and do not propose to engage primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Accordingly, we do not believe that we are, or following this offering will be, required to register as an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, following this offering, we will have no material assets other than interests in certain wholly owned subsidiaries (within the meaning of the Investment Company Act), which in turn will have either direct interests in real estate assets or LLC member/LP partnership interests in affiliated funds. We do not believe that, based on current rules and interpretations, the equity interests in our wholly owned subsidiaries or the LLC member interests consolidated, or unconsolidated affiliated funds qualify as investment securities under the Investment Company Act.

The Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder contain detailed parameters for the organization and operation of investment companies. Among other things, the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder limit or prohibit transactions with affiliates, impose limitations on the issuance of debt and equity securities, generally prohibit the issuance of options and impose certain governance requirements. We intend to conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If anything were to happen that would cause us to be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, requirements imposed by the Investment Company Act, including limitations on capital structure, the ability to transact business with affiliates and the ability to compensate senior employees, could make it impractical for us to continue our businesses as currently conducted, impair the agreements and arrangements between and among us, our funds and our senior management, or any combination thereof, and have a material adverse effect on our businesses, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be required to limit the amount of investments that we make as a principal or otherwise conduct our businesses in a manner that does not subject us to the registration and other requirements of the Investment Company Act.

Extensive regulation of our businesses affects our activities and creates the potential for significant liabilities and penalties. The possibility of increased regulatory focus could result in additional burdens on our business. Changes in tax law and other legislative or regulatory changes could adversely affect us.

Our fund management and ancillary businesses are subject to extensive regulation. We are subject to regulation, including periodic examinations, by governmental and self-regulatory organizations in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Many of these regulators are empowered to conduct investigations and administrative proceedings that can result in fines, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including censure, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders or the suspension or expulsion of a broker-dealer or investment adviser from registration or membership. Even if an investigation or proceeding did not result in a sanction or the sanction imposed against us or our personnel by a regulator were small in monetary amount, the adverse publicity relating to the investigation, proceeding or imposition of these sanctions could harm our reputation and cause us to lose existing clients or fail to gain new fund management or financial advisory clients.

In addition, we regularly rely on exemptions from various requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act, and the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, in conducting our fund management activities. These exemptions are sometimes highly complex and may in certain circumstances depend on compliance by third parties whom we do not control. If for any reason these exemptions were to become unavailable to us, we could become subject to regulatory action or third-party claims and our business could be materially and adversely affected. If we were deemed an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as conducted and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

In addition, we may be adversely affected by new or revised legislation or regulations imposed by governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets. We also may be adversely affected by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules by these governmental authorities and self-regulatory organizations. It is impossible to determine the extent of the impact of any new laws, regulations or initiatives that may be proposed, or whether any of the proposals will become law. Compliance with any new laws or regulations could make compliance more difficult and expensive and affect the manner in which we conduct business.

Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock

The dual class structure of our common stock has the effect of concentrating voting control with our executive officers, which will limit your ability to influence the outcome of important transactions.

Our Class B common stock has 10 votes per share and our Class A common stock, which is the stock we are offering in this offering, has one vote per share. John C. Loeffler, II, our Chief Executive Officer, and Jennifer Schrader, our President and Chief Operating Officer, own all of our outstanding shares of Class B common stock. Together Mr. Loeffler and Ms. Schrader exercise 85.5% voting control over the Company prior to this offering. As a result, if they act together, these stockholders will be able to exercise significant influence over all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, such as (i) making changes to our articles of incorporation whether to issue additional common stock and preferred stock, (ii) employment decisions, including compensation arrangements; and (iii) whether to enter into material transactions with related parties. This control may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

We may not be able to satisfy listing requirements of Nasdaq or obtain or maintain a listing of our Class A common stock on Nasdaq.

If our Class A common stock is listed on Nasdaq, we must meet certain financial and liquidity criteria to maintain such listing. If we violate Nasdaq’s listing requirements, or if we fail to meet any of Nasdaq’s listing standards, our Class A common stock may be delisted. In addition, our board of directors may determine that the cost of maintaining our listing on a national securities exchange outweighs the benefits of such listing. A delisting of our Class A common stock from Nasdaq may materially impair our stockholders’ ability to buy and sell our Class A common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, our Class A common stock. The delisting of our Class A common stock could significantly impair our ability to raise capital and the value of your investment.

No public market for our Class A common stock currently exists, and an active trading market may not develop or be sustained following this offering.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Class A common stock. Although we intend to apply to list our Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market, there is no guarantee that Nasdaq, or any other exchange or quotation system, will permit our Class A common stock to be listed and traded, and the closing of this offering is contingent upon the successful listing of our Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Furthermore, even if our Class A common stock is approved for listing on Nasdaq, an active trading market may not develop following the closing of this offering or, if developed, may not be sustained. The lack of an active market may impair your ability to sell your shares at the time you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider reasonable. The lack of an active market may also reduce the fair market value of your shares. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital necessary to continue to fund operations and may impair our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our shares as consideration. The initial public offering price was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters and may not be indicative of the future prices of our Class A common stock.

Our share price may be volatile, and you may be unable to sell your shares at or above the offering price.

The market price of our Class A common stock is likely to be volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to many risk factors listed in this section, and others beyond our control, including:

Furthermore, the stock markets have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political, and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations, may negatively impact the market price of our Class A common stock. If the market price of our Class A common stock after this offering does not exceed the initial public offering price, you may not realize any return on your investment in us and may lose some or all of your investment. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business.

Future sales and issuances of our Class A common stock or rights to purchase Class A common stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive plans, could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause the stock price of our Class A common stock to decline.

We may issue additional securities following the closing of this offering. In the future, we may sell Class A common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner that we determine. We also expect to issue Class A common stock to employees, consultants, and directors pursuant to our equity incentive plans. If we sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in subsequent transactions, or Class A common stock is issued pursuant to equity incentive plans, investors may be materially diluted. New investors in such subsequent transactions could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our Class A common stock.

Future sales of our Class A common stock in the public market could cause our share price to fall.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock in the public market after this offering, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. Based on 21,166,077 shares of Class A common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2022, giving effect to the automatic conversion of all shares of Series B Preferred Stock into Class A common stock on the effective date of this offering, we will have 22,766,077 shares of Class A common stock outstanding (or 23,006,077 shares if the option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full). Based on the conversion of all shares of Class B common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2022 into 12,474,692 shares of Class A common stock, we will have 35,240,769 shares of Class A common stock outstanding (or 35,480,769 shares if the option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full), which would decrease the adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering, as presented in the table in the section title “Dilution”, by 35.4% (or 35.2% if the option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full). As a result, holders of the Company’s Class A common stock, including purchasers in this offering, will experience substantial dilution upon the conversion of such shares of Class B common stock into the Company’s Class A common stock.

All of the Class A common stock sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restrictions or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933. All 2,775,725 outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock, which automatically convert into an equal number of shares of Class A common stock on the effective date of this offering, were sold under Regulation A+ and the underlying shares of Class A common stock will also be freely tradable without restrictions or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933. We, and all of our directors and officers, have agreed, or will agree, with the underwriters that, until 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of Revere Securities LLC, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose of any of our shares of common stock, any options or warrants to purchase any of our shares of common stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for or that represent the right to receive shares of our common stock. See also the section of this prospectus captioned “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.”

The underwriters may, in their sole discretion, release all or some portion of the shares subject to lock-up agreements with the underwriters prior to expiration of the lock-up period. For more information regarding the lock-up agreements with the underwriters see the section of this prospectus captioned “Underwriting.”

We intend to file a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register the shares subject to outstanding stock options and unvested restricted stock under the 2017 Plan and shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance under our 2017 Plan, which as of September 30, 2022, totaled 10,000,000 shares. Once we register the shares under these plans, they can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance and vesting, subject to a 180-day lock-up period and other restrictions provided under the terms of the applicable plan and/or the award agreements entered into with participants.

We expect to incur significant additional costs as a result of being a public company, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Upon completion of this offering, we expect to incur costs associated with becoming and remaining a public company and the corporate governance requirements that will become applicable to us as a public company, including rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and the Consumer Protection Act of 2010. These rules and regulations are expected to significantly increase our accounting, legal, and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming. We also expect these rules and regulations to make it more expensive for us to obtain and maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers and are likely to increase our costs for doing so. Accordingly, increases in costs incurred as a result of becoming a publicly traded company may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

Upon the closing of this offering, we will become subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. We designed our disclosure controls and procedures to provide reasonable assurance that information we must disclose in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.

These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal control, we may be unable to accurately report our operating results, meet our reporting obligations, or prevent fraud.

Our management has not completed an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting.

Upon completion of this offering, we will become a public company in the United States subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require that we include a report of management on our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 10-K, beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined under the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm may be required to attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, after we become a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.

During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented, or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Generally, if we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets and harm our results of operations. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations, and civil or criminal sanctions.

We are an emerging growth company, and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our Class A common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this prospectus and our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years following the year in which we complete this offering, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which requires the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates to exceed $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th, and (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company” which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this prospectus and our periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock, and our stock price may be more volatile.

Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this exemption and, therefore, we are not subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. As a result, changes in rules of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or their interpretation, the adoption of new guidance or the application of existing guidance to changes in our business could significantly affect our financial position and results of operations.

We will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the listing rules of Nasdaq and, as a result, can rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to stockholders of other companies.

After completion of this offering, John C. Loeffler, II, our Chief Executive Officer, and Jennifer Schrader, our President and Chief Operating Officer, through ownership of all our outstanding shares of Class B common stock, will continue to control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” but may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:

Although we do not intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemptions to Nasdaq’s corporate governance rules, we could elect to rely on these exemptions in the future. If we elected to rely on the “controlled company” exemptions, a majority of the members of our board of directors might not be independent directors, our nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees might not consist entirely of independent directors upon closing of the offering, and you would not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to Nasdaq’s corporate governance rules.

Our management has broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use the net proceeds effectively.

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds of this offering. We cannot specify with certainty the uses to which we will apply these net proceeds. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could adversely affect our ability to continue maintaining and expanding our business.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our Class A common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our Company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline. Moreover, if our operating results do not meet the expectations of the investor community, one or more of the analysts who cover our Company may change their recommendations regarding our Company, and our stock price could decline.

If you purchase shares of our Class A common stock in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution.

The offering price of our Class A common stock is substantially higher than the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock, which was $0.26 per share of our Class A common stock as of September 30, 2022. As a result, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in net tangible book value when you buy our Class A common stock in this offering. This means that you will pay a higher price per share than the amount of our total tangible assets, less our total liabilities, divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding. In addition, you may also experience additional dilution if options or other rights to purchase our Class A common stock that are outstanding or that we may issue in the future are exercised or converted or we issue additional shares of our Class A common stock at prices lower than our net tangible book value at such time. See “Dilution.”

We have never paid dividends on our capital stock, and we do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future. Consequently, any gains from an investment in our Class A common stock will likely depend on whether the price of our Class A common stock increases.

We have never declared or paid any dividends on our capital stock and do not intend to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. We anticipate that we will retain all of our future earnings for use in the operation of our business and for general corporate purposes. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their Class A common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investments.

Our charter documents and Delaware law and the voting control exercised by our founders could prevent a takeover that stockholders consider favorable and could also reduce the market price of our stock.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change in control of our Company. These provisions could also make it more difficult for stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions. These provisions include:

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporate Law (“DGCL”) govern us. These provisions may prohibit large stockholders, in particular those owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock, from merging or combining with us for a certain period of time without the consent of our board of directors.

These and other provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws and under Delaware law, together with the voting control possessed by our founders, could discourage potential takeover attempts, reduce the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock and result in the market price of our common stock being lower than it would be without these provisions. For more information, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Capital Stock—Anti-Takeover Effects.”

Claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

In addition, as permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), our amended and restated bylaws and our indemnification agreements that we have entered into with our directors and officers provide that:

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the operating results and financial condition of our business. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and/or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, statements about:

In addition, in this prospectus, the words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “predict,” “potential” and similar expressions, as they relate to our Company, our business and our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this prospectus may not occur and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

You should read this prospectus and the documents that we reference in this prospectus and have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect.

Please note that the safe harbor provisions of Securities Act Section 27A and Exchange Act Section 21E do not apply to forward-looking statements made in this offering.

INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA

We have obtained the industry, market and similar data set forth in this prospectus from our own internal estimates and research, industry publications and surveys and studies conducted by third parties. These data sources involve a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such information and estimates.

Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events, or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances that are assumed in this information. In some cases, we do not expressly refer to the sources from which this data is derived. In that regard, when we refer to one or more sources of this type of data in any paragraph, you should assume that other data of this type appearing in the same paragraph is derived from the same sources, unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds from our issuance and sale of shares of our Class A common stock in this offering will be approximately $6.9 million, assuming an initial public offering price of $5.50 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $5.50 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease our net proceeds from this offering by approximately $1.5 million, assuming that the number of shares of our Class A common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us. An increase or decrease of 1,000,000 shares in the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease our net proceeds from this offering by approximately $5.1 million, assuming no change in the assumed initial public offering price per share and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us. We do not expect that a change in the offering price or the number of shares by these amounts would have a material effect on our intended uses of the net proceeds from this offering, although it may impact the amount of time prior to which we may need to seek additional capital.

The principal purposes of this offering are to increase our capitalization and financial flexibility and create a public market for our Class A common stock and facilitate our future access to the capital markets. As of the date of this prospectus, we currently intend to use the net proceeds we receive from this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital, operating expenses and capital expenditures. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire complementary businesses, products, services or technologies. However, we do not have agreements or commitments to enter into any acquisitions at this time.

The foregoing represents our current intentions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering based upon our present plans and business conditions. We will have broad discretion over how to use the net proceeds to us from this offering. We intend to invest the net proceeds to us from the offering that are not used as described above in investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to this Offering and Our Class A Common Stock — Our management has broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use the net proceeds effectively.”

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors or any authorized committee thereof after considering our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors our board of directors or such committee deems relevant, and subject to the restrictions contained in our current or future financing instruments. See also “Risk Factors— Risks Related to this Offering and Our Class A Common Stock — We have never paid dividends on our capital stock and we do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future. Consequently, any gains from an investment in our Class A common stock will likely depend on whether the price of our common stock increases.”

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and capitalization as of September 30, 2022 (i) on an actual basis, ii) on a pro forma basis after giving effect to (A) the automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock into Class A common stock on the effective date of this offering and (B) the termination of the Company’s obligation to repurchase shares of a non-participating founder’s shares of common stock, which obligation terminates on the effective date of this offering, resulting in the elimination of a previously booked contingent liability from such obligation and a corresponding addition to stockholders’ equity, and (iii) on a pro forma as adjusted basis, giving effect to our receipt of estimated net proceeds from the sale of shares of Class A common stock that we are offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $5.50 per share, the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. You should read this table together with the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The total number of shares of our common stock reflected in the discussion and table above (i) does not give effect to (x) the conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock, (y) the conversion of convertible debt securities into Class A common stock and (z) the exercise of any warrants or stock options or vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of the date hereof, and (ii) excludes shares of Class A common stock reserved for future grant or issuance under our 2017 Plan.

DILUTION

If you invest in our Class A common stock, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per share of our Class A common stock and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering. Dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors is the amount by which the offering price paid by the purchasers of the shares sold in this offering exceeds the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of Class A common stock after this offering. Net tangible book value per share is determined at any date by subtracting our total liabilities from the total book value of our tangible assets and dividing the difference by the number of shares of our Class A common stock deemed to be outstanding at that date.

Our historical net tangible book value (deficit) as of September 30, 2022 was ($7.0) million, or ($0.38) per share of Class A common stock. After giving effect to (i) the automatic conversion of all Series B Preferred Stock into Class A common stock on the effective date of this offering and (ii) the termination of the Company’s obligation to repurchase shares of a non-participating founder’s shares of common stock, which obligation terminates on the effective date of this offering, resulting in the elimination of a previously booked contingent liability from such obligation and a corresponding addition to stockholders’ equity, our pro forma historical net tangible book value as of September 30, 2022 was $5.5 million, or $0.26 per share of Class A common stock.

After giving effect to our sale of 1,600,000 shares of our Class A common stock in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $5.50 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2022, would have been $12.4 million, or $0.54 per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma net tangible book value of $0.64 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $4.96 per share to new investors purchasing shares of Class A common stock in this offering. The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $5.50 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value by approximately $1.5 million, or approximately $0.06 per share, and would increase or decrease, as applicable, dilution per share to new investors in this offering by $0.06, assuming that the number of shares of our Class A common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us. An increase or decrease of 1,000,000 shares in the number of shares offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value by approximately $5.1 million, or approximately $0.22 per share, and would increase or decrease, as applicable, dilution per share to new investors in this offering by approximately $0.22 per share, assuming an initial public offering price of $5.50 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us. The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. If the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share would be $0.59 per share, and the dilution per share to new investors in this offering would be $4.91 per share.

The following table summarizes on an as adjusted basis as described above, as of September 30, 2022, the differences between the existing stockholders and new investors with respect to the number of shares of Class A common stock purchased from us, the total consideration paid to us and the average price per share paid or to be paid to us at an assumed initial public offering price of $5.50 per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, before deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us:

(1) Gives effect to the automatic conversion of all Series B Preferred Stock into Class A common stock on the effective date of this offering.

If the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, the percentage of shares of our Class A common stock held by existing stockholders would be 92.0% and the percentage of shares of our Class A common stock held by new investors would be 8.0%.

To the extent that any outstanding options are exercised, or new options are issued under our stock-based compensation plans, or we issue additional shares of common stock in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering. If all outstanding options and vested restricted stock units under our 2017 Plan as of September 30, 2022 were exercised or settled, then our existing stockholders, including the holders of these options, would own 93.9% and our new investors would own 6.1% of the total number of shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock outstanding on the completion of this offering.

The total number of shares of our common stock reflected in the discussion and table above (i) does not give effect to (x) the conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock, (y) the conversion of convertible debt securities into Class A common stock and (z) the exercise of any warrants or stock options or vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of the date hereof, and (ii) excludes shares of Class A common stock reserved for future grant or issuance under our 2017 Plan.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors. We discuss factors that we believe could cause or contribute to these differences below and elsewhere in this prospectus, including those set forth in the sections of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements”.

Overview

Caliber was originally founded as Caliber Companies, LLC, an Arizona limited liability company, organized under the laws of Arizona, and commenced operations in January 2009. In 2014, the Company was reorganized as a Nevada corporation and in June 2018, we reincorporated in the state of Delaware.

Caliber is a leading vertically integrated asset management firm whose primary goal is to enhance the wealth of investors seeking to make investments in middle-market assets. We strive to build wealth for our investor clients by creating, managing, and servicing proprietary products including middle-market investment funds, private syndications, and direct investments. Our funds include investment vehicles focused primarily on real estate, private equity, and debt facilities. We earn asset management fees calculated as a percentage of managed capital in our Funds and Offerings. We market our services through direct sales to private investors, wholesaling to investment advisers, direct sales to family offices and institutions, and through in-house client services.

We believe that we provide investors attractive risk-adjusted returns by offering a balance of (i) structured offerings and ease of ownership, (ii) a pipeline of investment opportunities, primarily projects that range in value between $5 million and $50 million, and (iii) an integrated execution and processing platform. Our investment strategy leverages the local market intelligence and real-time data we gain from our operations to evaluate current investments, generate proprietary transaction flow, and implement various asset management strategies.

While we primarily act as an alternative asset manager, we also offer a full suite of support services and employ a vertically integrated approach to investment management. Our asset management activities are complemented with transaction and advisory services including development and construction management, acquisition and disposition expertise, and fund formation, which we believe differentiate us from other asset management firms. We believe our model allows us to acquire attractive projects, reduce operating costs, and deliver services to our funds that bolster net returns to investors.

Our operations are organized into three reportable segments for management and financial reporting purposes: Fund Management, Development, and Brokerage.

Fund Management — This segment represents our fund management activities along with back office and corporate support functions including accounting and human resources. It includes the activities of Caliber Services, which acts as an external manager of our funds, which have diversified investment objectives. It also includes the activities associated with Caliber Securities, a wholly-owned Arizona registered issuer-dealer, which generates fees from set up services and fund formation. We earn fund management fees for services rendered to each of the funds by Caliber Services as follows:

Development — This segment represents our activities associated with providing real estate development services as their principal developer. These services include managing and supervising third-party developers and general contractors with respect to the development of the properties owned by our funds. Revenues generated by this segment are generally based on 4% of the total expected costs of the development or 4% of the total expected costs of the construction project. Caliber Development, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caliber Services and an Arizona licensed general contractor, acts as either the developer, development manager, and/or construction manager on our funds’ projects.

We have a number of development, redevelopment, construction, and entitlement projects that are underway or are in the planning stages, which we define as AUD. This category includes projects we are planning to build on undeveloped land and projects to be built and constructed on undeveloped lands which are not yet owned by our funds but are under contract to purchase. Completing these development activities may ultimately result in income-producing assets, assets we can sell to third parties, or both. As of September 30, 2022, we are actively developing 2,460 multifamily units, 2,300 single family units, 2.5 million square feet of commercial and industrial, and 1.3 million of office and retail. If all of these projects are brought to completion, the total cost capitalized to these projects, which represents total current estimated costs to complete the development and construction of such projects, is $2.2 billion, which we expect would be funded through a combination of undeployed fund cash, third-party equity, project sales, tax credit financing and similar incentives, and secured debt financing. We are under no obligation to complete these projects and may dispose of any such assets at any time. There can be no assurance that assets under development will ultimately be developed or constructed because of the nature of the cost of the approval and development process and market demand for a particular use. In addition, the mix of residential and commercial assets under development may change prior to final development. The development of these assets will require significant additional financing or other sources of funding, which may not be available.

Brokerage — This segment is involved in the buying, selling and leasing of all our funds’ assets. For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, our brokerage segment completed approximately $63.1 million and $46.8 million in transactions generating approximately $0.9 million and $0.6 million of brokerage fees, respectively.

Trends Affecting Our Business

Our business is driven by trends which affect the following:

Our business depends in large part on our ability to raise capital for our funds from investors. Since our inception, we have continued to successfully raise capital into our funds with our total capital raised through September 30, 2022 exceeding $582 million. Our success at raising new capital into our funds is impacted by the extent to which new investors see alternative assets as a viable option for capital appreciation and/or income generation. Since our ability to raise new capital into our funds is dependent upon the availability and willingness of investors to direct their investment dollars into our products, our financial performance is sensitive in part to changes in overall economic conditions that affect investment behaviors. The demand from investors is dependent upon the type of asset, the type of return it will generate (current cash flow, long-term capital gains, or both) and the actual return earned by our fund investors relative to other comparable or substitute products. General economic factors and conditions, including the general interest rate environment and unemployment rates, may affect an investor’s ability and desire to invest in real estate. For example, a significant interest rate increase could cause a projected rate of return to be insufficient after considering other risk exposures. Additionally, if weakness in the economy emerges and actual or expected default rates increase, investors in our funds may delay or reduce their investments; however, we believe our approach to investing and the capabilities that Caliber manages throughout the deal cycle will continue to offer an attractive value proposition to investors.

While we have had historical successes, there can be no assurance that fundraising for our new and existing funds will experience similar success. If we were unable to raise such capital, we would be unable to collect capital raise fees or deploy such capital into investments, which would materially reduce our revenues and cash flow and adversely affect our financial condition.

We remain confident about our ability to find, identify, and source new investment opportunities that meet the requirements and return profile of our investment funds despite headwinds associated with increased asset valuations, competition and increased overall cost of credit. We continue to identify strategic acquisitions on off-market terms and anticipate that this trend will continue. We are at a point in our investment cycle where some of our funds have begun to exit significant parts of their portfolios while other are approaching a potential harvesting phase. We have complemented these cycles with other newer funds that will maintain management fees while providing continued sources of activity for our Development segment.

Acquiring new assets includes being able to negotiate favorable loans on both a short and long-term basis. We strive to forecast and project our returns using assumptions about, among other things, the types of loans that we might expect the market to extend for a particular type of asset. This becomes more complex when the asset also requires construction financing. We may also need to refinance existing loans that are due to mature. Factors that affect these arrangements include the interest rate and economic environment, the estimated fair value of real property, and the profitability of the asset’s historical operations. These capital market conditions may affect the renewal or replacement of our credit agreements, some of which have maturity dates occurring within the next 12 months. Obtaining such financing is not guaranteed and is largely dependent on market conditions and other factors.

Trends:

COVID-19

The prevailing trend in 2021 that affected our business was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began having an effect in the first quarter of 2020, and which subsequently affected all three trends described above. COVID-19 continues to pose a threat to the health and economic wellbeing of the worldwide population and the overall economy in light of variants that seem to spread more easily than the original virus. While the equity markets have rebounded from their steep declines in March 2020 after the World Health Organization announced that infections of COVID-19 had become a pandemic, there is continued uncertainty as to the duration of the global health and economic impact caused by COVID-19 even with vaccines now available.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, the potential adverse effects of COVID-19 resulted in an immediate and sharp slowdown in the U.S. economy which created uncertainty in the global economic outlook. This adversely affected our ability to raise money into our funds for that fiscal period. However, the global economy improved and as a result capital raised into our funds rose to $114.0 million from $39.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. We are continuing to monitor the recovery in velocity of new investment capital into our funds and anticipate continuing to see the same trend for the foreseeable future.

The extent to which the pandemic will affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and prospects materially in the future will depend on future developments, including the duration, spread and intensity of the pandemic, the duration of government measures to mitigate the pandemic and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume, all of which are uncertain and difficult to predict.

Interest rates

A prevailing trend in 2022 which affects our business is the rising interest rate environment. The majority of our funds’ assets are monetary in nature and subject to risk from changes in interest rates. Our earnings and cash flows depend to a great extent upon the difference between the interest our funds pay on loans and borrowings and the value of fixed-rate debt investments made by our funds. Depending on the terms and maturities of our assets and liabilities, a significant change in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our profitability. In addition, rising interest rates, coupled with periods of significant equity and credit market volatility may potentially make it more difficult for us to find attractive opportunities for our funds to exit and realize value from their existing investments.

Interest rates remained at relatively low levels on a historical basis and the U.S. Federal Reserve maintained the federal funds target range at 0.0% to 0.25% for much of 2020 and 2021. During approximately the first ten months of 2022, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by an aggregate of 375 basis points. The consensus is that rates will be increased additional times during 2022. Additionally, the current geopolitical environment in Europe provides yet another layer of uncertainty around the actions that the Federal Reserve might take. Market interest rates are affected by many factors outside of our control, including governmental monetary policies, domestic and international economic conditions, inflation, deflation, recession, changes in unemployment, the money supply, international disorder and instability in domestic and foreign financial markets. Rising interest rates create downward pressure on the price of real estate, increase the cost and reduce the availability of debt financing for the transactions our funds pursue and decrease the value of fixed-rate debt investments made by our funds, each of which may have an adverse impact on our business.

Increased costs of borrowing could also cause us to reconsider the purchase of certain real estate assets, the terms of any such purchase or the mix of debt and equity we employ in connection with such purchase. Such issues are expected to be more prevalent in a continued rising interest rate environment. A higher interest rate environment may lead to a significant contraction or weakening in the market for debt financing or have other adverse change relating to the terms of debt financing (such as, for example, higher equity requirements and/or more restrictive covenants), particularly in the area of acquisition financings for private equity and real estate transactions, could have a material adverse impact on our business. In a rising interest rate environment, the financing of acquisitions or the operations of our funds’ portfolio companies with debt may also become less attractive due to the cost of capital or limitations on the deductibility of corporate interest expense. If our funds are unable to obtain committed debt financing for potential acquisitions, can only obtain debt financing at an increased interest rate or on unfavorable terms or the ability to deduct corporate interest expense is substantially limited, our funds may face increased competition from strategic buyers of assets who may have an overall lower cost of capital or the ability to benefit from a higher amount of cost savings following an acquisition, or may have difficulty completing otherwise profitable acquisitions or may generate profits that are lower than would otherwise be the case, each of which could lead to a decrease in our revenues.

In addition, if our funds are unable to obtain committed debt financing for potential acquisitions, can only obtain debt financing at an increased interest rate or on unfavorable terms, this would require us to employ a higher mix of equity to acquire real estate assets. The cost of equity in a rising interest rate environment may also become more expensive; we may be required to offer a higher rate of return on equity in order to finance such assets. This in turn would adversely affect our profitability from such assets. While to date our funds’ borrowing costs have not substantially increased, as rates continue to increase, our ability to use leverage as a financing tool or to pass along any increased costs of borrowing or financing will become more difficult, all of which could have an adverse effect on our profitability.

Increased interest rates may impact our results of operations with the following challenges and opportunities.

Increased interest rates may impact our funds’ results of operations with the following challenges and opportunities.

Currently, we do not expect any changes to our product and services mix due to a rising interest rate environment. We will continue to create, manage, and service middle-market investment funds, private syndications, and direct investments and our funds will continue to include investment vehicles focused primarily on real estate, private equity, and debt facilities. Project sales are driven by adherence to a long-term business plan for each asset and we do not plan to make any changes to the expected timelines in our business plan due to the increased cost of financing. If financing costs continue to increase or stay persistently high for an extended period, it may affect our decision to sell assets in the future, irrespective of our current plans, as continuing to hold those assets for rental income may offer a more attractive alternative. This would have the effect of maintaining and potentially increasing asset management fee revenues while decreasing the potential for performance allocations and transaction and advisory fee revenues over the same period of time. We also do not expect any decreases in project sales as our product sales are driven by adherence to a long-term business plan for each asset and we do not plan to make any changes due to the increased cost of financing.

Inflation

Another prevailing trend in 2022 which affects our business, and which corresponds with a rising interest rate environment, is the increase in inflation nationwide. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. The annual inflation rate in the United States increased to 9.1% in June 2022, the highest rate since November 1981, but decreased to 7.7% in October 2022. As a result, during approximately the first ten months in 2022, the Federal Reserve has increased the federal funds rate by 375 basis points to date in 2022 and has indicated its intention to continue to increase interest rates in an effort to combat inflation.

Historically, inflation has tended to favor new capital formation for Caliber’s funds, as investors seek opportunities that can hedge against rising costs, such as real estate investments. For project execution, inflation has increased the cost of nearly all building materials and labor types, increasing the cost of construction and renovation of our funds’ assets. Furthermore, third parties we do business with, such as developers and contractors, are also affected by inflation and the rising costs of goods and services used in their businesses. A significant and continued increase in interest rates and inflation could have a negative impact on their ability to do business with us, which could affect our profitability.

Key Financial Measures and Indicators

Our key financial measures are discussed in the following pages. Additional information regarding these key financial measures and our other significant accounting policies can be found in Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the notes to our accompanying consolidated financial statements included herein.

Total Revenue

We generate the majority of our revenue from (i) asset management fees, (ii) performance allocations and (iii) advisory and transaction services. Included within our consolidated results, are the related revenues of certain consolidated VIEs. During 2021, we realigned our operating segments to better reflect the internal management of our business based on a change to the way our chief operating decision maker monitors performance, aligns strategies, and allocates resources. Refer to Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Segment Information in the notes to our accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional disclosures.

Total Expenses

Total expenses include operating costs, general and administrative, marketing and advertising and depreciation and amortization. Included within our consolidated results, are the related expenses of certain consolidated VIEs.

Other (Income) Expenses

Other (income) expenses include gain on extinguishment of debt, interest expense and interest income.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021

The following table and discussion provide insight into our condensed consolidated results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, total revenues were $62.5 million and $36.1 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 73.2%. This increase was primarily due to an increase in revenues in our consolidated fund assets whose operations are recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the increase in revenue was driven by a significant increase in transaction and advisory fees, related to fund set-up fees and performance allocations, captured from the sale of investments.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, total expenses were $66.1 million and $53.2 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 24.1%. The increase was primarily due to an increase in consolidated fund related expenses as operations responded to the measured recovery that started to appear in late 2021. The properties began hiring in more employees to cater to the increasing occupancies. In addition, there was an increase in general and administrative expenses of $3.3 million, which was primarily due to an increase in professional fees and an increase in the legal accrual related to the Company’s settlement agreement with 6831614 Manitoba Ltd.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, Consolidated funds – Gain on sale of real estate investment represents the gain recognized in 2022 on the sale of GC Square Apartments for $21.5 million, a multi-family property with a cost basis of $9.1 million. This sale drove the majority of our performance allocations for the period. As of December 31, 2021, this real estate investment was included in Real estate assets held for sale on the consolidated balance sheets.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, Gain on extinguishment of debt represents the gain recognized in 2022 on the forgiveness of a PPP loan of $1.4 million principal, plus accrued interest.

Segment Analysis

The following discussion is specific to our various segments for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. Our segment information is presented in a format consistent with the information senior management uses to make operating decisions, assess performance and allocate resources.

For segment reporting purposes, revenues and expenses are presented on a basis that deconsolidates our consolidated funds. As a result, segment revenues are different than those presented on a consolidated basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP because these fees are eliminated in consolidation when they are derived from a consolidated fund. Furthermore, segment expenses are also different than those presented on a consolidated U.S. GAAP basis due to the exclusion of fund expenses that are paid by the consolidated funds. 

Fund Management

The following table presents our results of operations for our Fund Management segment (in thousands):

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, asset management fees were $6.1 million and $4.8 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 26.3%. The increase in our fees corresponds to the increase in total managed capital. Total managed capital at September 30, 2022 was approximately $348.9 million compared to $274.9 million at September 30, 2021.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, performance allocations were $2.5 million and $0.4 million, respectively. The increase is due to a $2.3 million increase in our carried interest earned by the Company related to the sale of the GC Square Apartments multi-family property in March 2022.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, transaction and advisory fees were $6.3 million and $1.8 million, respectively. The increase is primarily related to the fund set-up fees for Caliber Tax Advantaged Opportunity Zone Fund II, LLC.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, operating costs were $7.0 million and $4.6 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 52.5%. This increase was primarily due to an increase in payroll costs, as the Company’s employees increased from 58 at September 30, 2021 to 71 at September 30, 2022.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, general and administrative costs were $5.2 million and $1.9 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 169.6%. This increase was primarily due to an increase in professional fees and an increase in the legal accrual related to the Company’s settlement agreement with 6831614 Manitoba Ltd.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, gain on extinguishment of debt, net of interest expense was $0.8 million and ($0.5) million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 263.0%. The increase was primarily due to the gain on extinguishment of debt recognized in 2022 on the forgiveness of a PPP loan of $1.4 million principal, plus accrued interest.

Development

The following table presents our results of operations for our Development segment (in thousands):

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, transaction and advisory fees were $2.6 million and $1.6 million, respectively. The increase is primarily due to an increase in construction management fees related to new construction projects and increased construction activity in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, operating costs were $1.1 million and $1.8 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period decrease of 41.8%. This decrease was due to lower headcount as the Company no longer acts as general contractor on development projects.

Brokerage

The following table presents our results of operations for our Brokerage segment (in thousands):

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020

The following table and discussion provide insight into our consolidated results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (dollars in thousands):

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, total revenues were $56.0 million and $37.9 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of approximately 47.9%. This increase was primarily due to (i) an increase in revenues in our hospitality portfolio whose operations began to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (while lockdowns associated with virus containment continued to affect revenues in 2021, our properties are located in states that had re-opened quickly in late 2020); (ii) increased revenues in our single-family and multi-family real estate portfolios; and (iii) increased interest revenue in our lending fund compared to the prior comparative period.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, total expenses were $78.1 million and $64.2 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 21.7%. The increase was primarily due to an increase in hospitality related expenses as operations responded to the measured recovery that started to appear in late 2020. The properties began expanded staffing levels and service offerings as occupancy and demand began to recover. In addition, the increase in total expenses is attributable to increased operating costs of our single-family and multi-family real estate portfolios as well as an increased interest expense related to our single-family and multi-family real estate portfolios. For the year ended December 31, 2021, notes payable related to these portfolios increased by approximately $15.7 million, primarily related to the consolidation of our Ironwood Fundco, LLC fund. 

Segment Analysis

The following discussion is specific to our various segments for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Our segment information is presented in a format consistent with the information senior management uses to make operating decisions, assess performance and allocate resources.

For segment reporting purposes, revenues and expenses are presented on a basis that deconsolidates our consolidated funds. As a result, segment revenues are different than those presented on a consolidated basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP because these fees are eliminated in consolidation when they are derived from a consolidated fund. Furthermore, segment expenses are also different than those presented on a consolidated U.S. GAAP basis due to the exclusion of fund expenses that are paid by the consolidated funds.

Fund Management

The following table presents our results of operations for our Fund Management segment (dollars in thousands):

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, asset management fees were $7.6 million and $5.3 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 43.2%. The increase in our fees corresponds to the increase in total managed capital. Total managed capital at December 31, 2021 was approximately $307.0 million compared to $224.2 million at December 31, 2020.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, performance allocations were $0.7 million and $0.4 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 73.7%. This increase was primarily due to an increase in our carried interest income. In 2021, profit share was generated by the sale by our investment funds of an office/flex building investment and a separate sale of a land investment. In 2020, performance allocations were primarily related to the final distribution of our profit share related to the completion of a 2019 sale by one of our investment funds of an investment in three apartment buildings.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, transaction and advisory fees were $3.2 million and $1.3 million, respectively, representing a period over period increase of 153.5%. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we raised approximately $114.0 million compared to approximately $39.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, operating costs were $7.7 million and $7.1 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 8.7%. This increase was primarily due to an increase in corporate payroll costs resulting from increased headcount.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, general and administrative costs were $5.1 million and $2.8 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 81.8%. This increase was primarily due to an increase in legal reserves in 2021 based on continued development of current litigation matters of the Company.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, marketing and advertising was $1.5 million and $1.0 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of approximately 51.5%. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we incurred higher costs associated with marketing the closing of the Company’s Reg A+ capital raise which closed at the end of February 2021.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, other expenses (income), net was $1.1 million and $0.02 million, respectively. This increase is primarily due to employee retention credits received in 2021 under the CARES Act for which the Company did not qualify in 2020.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, interest expense was $0.6 million and $(0.6) million, respectively, representing a period-over-period increase of 200.3%. In 2020, we received approval from the Small Business Administration for full forgiveness of our Payroll Protection Program loan totaling $1.4 million.

Development

The following table presents our results of operations for our Development segment (dollars in thousands):

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, segment revenues were $3.2 million and $4.4 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period decrease of 27.6%. This was due to the completion of our Tucson Convention Center hotel the Doubletree by Hilton in March 2021.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, operating costs were $2.7 million and $4.5 million, respectively, representing a period-over-period decrease of 41.4%. This decrease was due to the decrease in revenues over the same period and recovery in 2021 from the increased operating costs experienced in 2020 due to the effects of the pandemic where supply and labor shortages caused inefficiencies in our job execution and increased labor costs, respectively. 

Brokerage

The following table presents our results of operations for our Brokerage segment (dollars in thousands):

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, segment revenues were $1.2 million and $0.7 million, respectively, representing an increase of 60.4%. In 2021, we completed the sale of our Treehouse apartment complex in Tucson, Arizona which sold for $23.0 million and our Fiesta Tech office/flex building in Gilbert, Arizona for $8.3 million.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, other expenses (income) were $0.5 million and $0, respectively. In 2021 we sold the remaining four single-family homes owned by Caliber Auction Homes, which included two single family homes which were sold to related parties, previously held as investments in real estate for $1.9 million, resulting in a gain on the dispositions of $0.5 million.

Investment Valuations

The investments that are held by our funds are generally considered to be illiquid and have no readily ascertainable market value. We value these investments based on our estimate of their fair value as of the date of determination. We estimate the fair value of our fund’s investments based on a number of inputs built within forecasting models which are either developed by a third party or by our internal finance team. The models generally rely on discounted cash flow analysis and other techniques and may include independently sourced market parameters. The material estimates and assumptions used in these models include the timing and expected amounts of cash flows, income and expenses for the property, the appropriateness of discount rates used, overall capitalization rate, and, in some cases, the ability to execute, estimated proceeds and timing of expected sales and financings. The majority of our assets utilize the income approach to value the property. Where appropriate, management may obtain additional supporting evidence of values from methods generally utilized in the real estate investment industry, such as appraisal reports and broker price opinion (“BPO”) reports.

As discussed elsewhere in this document, we have experienced adverse effects related to COVID-19 on our assets. It is unclear whether the effects of COVID-19 will have a lasting and prolonged effect on asset values over the long term.

With respect to the underlying factors that led to the change in fair value in the current year, we identify assets that are undervalued and/or underperforming at the time of acquisition. Such assets generally undergo some form of repositioning soon after our acquisition in order to help drive increased appreciation and operating performance. Once the repositioning is complete, we focus on increasing the asset’s net operating income, thereby further increasing the value of the asset. Making below-market acquisitions, adding value through development activities, and increasing free cash flow with proper management all represent a material component to our core business model. Despite those efforts, the impacts of COVID-19 have appeared in the values of our assets. While we believe that COVID-19 will not have a permanent effect on the long-term value of our assets, there can be no assurance that such outcome will occur.

A unique feature of Caliber’s funds is the discretion given to Caliber’s management team to decide when to sell assets and when to hold them. We believe this discretion allows Caliber to avoid selling properties that, while their business plan may have matured, the market will not pay an attractive price in the current environment. Avoiding selling at a time of disruption, such as all of 2020, is critical to preserving the value of our assets, our carried interest, our ongoing revenues, and our clients’ capital. We believe the disruption caused by COVID-19 may negatively affect our competitors, who may have a more traditional model with fixed, required, liquidation dates, which in turn may offer Caliber attractive investment opportunities. While this is management’s expectation, there can be no assurance these outcomes will occur.

Assets Under Management

AUM refers to the assets we manage or sponsor. We monitor two types of information with regard to our AUM:

Although we believe we are utilizing generally accepted methodologies for our calculation of Managed Capital and FV AUM, it may differ from our competitors, thereby making these metrics non-comparable to our competitors.

Managed Capital

The table below summarizes the activity of the Managed Capital for the nine months ended September 30, 2022:

The following table summarizes Managed Capital of our investment fund portfolios as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021:

Managed capital for our hospitality investment funds increased $1.2 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, representing capital raised into our hospitality assets for capital improvements and operating costs related to three hotels.

Managed capital for our residential investment funds increased $13.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, representing: (i) $13.2 million in capital raised into our residential assets, and (ii) $6.1 million contributed by our Diversified funds, primarily to support four new multi-family ground-up builds in Arizona and one in Texas, which was offset by $6.3 million of redemptions related to the sale of GC Square in the first quarter of 2022.

Managed capital for our commercial investment funds increased $29.2 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, representing: (i) $10.4 million in capital raised into our commercial assets, and (ii) $18.8 million contributed by our Diversified funds, to support five commercial ground-up builds, acquisitions and tenant improvements.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we raised $7.0 million of new capital into Caliber Fixed Income Fund III, LP (“CFIF III”) and deployed it into our various real estate investments. We also deployed $14.0 million directly into new investments in the form of notes receivable.

As of September 30, 2022, we held $23.1 million of other managed capital, which included a $3.0 million private equity investment in a local start-up business and $20.1 million of undeployed cash and pursuit costs, compared to $45.5 million of undeployed cash and pursuit costs held as of December 31, 2021.

FV AUM

As the economy continued to recover, our FV AUM increased. The table below details the activities that had an impact on our FV AUM, for the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

The following table summarizes FV AUM of our investment fund portfolios as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021: