This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) includes certain information regarding the historical performance of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts. An investment in shares of our Class A common stock is not an investment in our specialized funds or customized separate accounts. In considering the performance information relating to our specialized funds and customized separate accounts contained herein, prospective Class A common stockholders should bear in mind that the performance of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts is not indicative of the possible performance of shares of our Class A common stock and is also not necessarily indicative of the future results of our specialized funds or customized separate accounts, even if fund investments were in fact liquidated on the dates indicated, and there can be no assurance that our specialized funds or customized separate accounts will continue to achieve, or that future specialized funds and customized separate accounts will achieve, comparable results.
We own or have rights to trademarks, service marks or trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business. In addition, our names, logos and website names and addresses are owned by us or licensed by us. We also own or have the rights to copyrights that protect the content of our solutions. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights referred to in this Form 10-K are listed without the ©, ® and ™ symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights.
Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this Form 10-K concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate is based on information from independent industry and research organizations, other third-party sources (including industry publications, surveys and forecasts), and management estimates. Management estimates are derived from publicly available information released by independent industry analysts and third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, and are based on assumptions made by us upon reviewing such data and our knowledge of such industry and markets that we believe to be reasonable. Although we believe the data from these third-party sources is reliable, we have not independently verified any third-party information.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references in this Form 10-K to “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” “Hamilton Lane” and similar terms refer to Hamilton Lane Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries. As used in this Form 10-K, (i) the term “HLA” refers to Hamilton Lane Advisors, L.L.C. and (ii) the terms “Hamilton Lane Incorporated” and “HLI” refer solely to Hamilton Lane Incorporated, a Delaware corporation, and not to any of its subsidiaries.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Some of the statements in this Form 10-K may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “will,” “expect,” “believe” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements discuss management’s current expectations and projections relating to our financial position, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. All forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results to be materially different, including risks relating to our ability to manage growth, fund performance, risk, changes in our regulatory environment and tax status; market conditions generally; our ability to access suitable investment opportunities for our clients; our ability to maintain our fee structure; our ability to attract and retain key employees; our ability to manage our obligations under our debt agreements; defaults by clients and third-party investors on their obligations to us; our ability to comply with investment guidelines set by our clients; our ability to consummate planned acquisitions and successfully integrate the acquired businesses with ours; and our ability to receive distributions from HLA to fund our payment of dividends, taxes and other expenses.
The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. For more information regarding these risks and uncertainties as well as additional risks that we face, you should refer to Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K under the heading “Risk Factors” and in our subsequent reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The forward-looking statements included in this Form 10-K are made only as of the date we filed this report. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events, except as otherwise required by law.
Item 1. Business
Our Company
We are a global private markets investment solutions provider with approximately $54 billion of assets under management (“AUM”), and approximately $397 billion of assets under advisement (“AUA”). We work with our clients to conceive, structure, build out, manage and monitor portfolios of private markets funds and direct investments, and we help them access a diversified set of such investment opportunities worldwide. Our clients are principally large, sophisticated, global investors that rely on our private markets expertise, deep industry relationships, differentiated investment access, risk management capabilities, proprietary data advantages and analytical tools to navigate the increasing complexity and opacity of private markets investing. While some maintain their own internal investment teams, our clients look to us for additional expertise, advice and outsourcing capabilities. We were founded in 1991 and have been dedicated to private markets investing for more than two decades. We currently have approximately 340 employees, including over 110 investment professionals, operating throughout the United States and in London, Hong Kong, Munich, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, Sydney, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. A significant majority of our employees have equity interests in our Company.
We offer a variety of investment solutions to address our clients’ needs across a range of private markets, including private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure, natural resources, growth equity and venture capital. These solutions are constructed from a range of investment types, including primary investments in funds managed by third-party managers, direct/co-investments alongside such funds and acquisitions of secondary stakes in such funds, with a number of our clients utilizing multiple investment types. These solutions are offered in a variety of formats covering some or all phases of private markets investment programs: