Transferee is already a party to this Agreement) by executing and delivering such documents as may be necessary, in the determination of the Company, to make such Person a party hereto, whereupon, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, such Definitions. Non-Interference Agreement. Below, we've outlined some of the most important terms of NDAs in the private equity space, which draw nuance from changing business conditions. 2 0 obj +44 20 7184 7468, London Slaine without Good Reason, the Purchased Securities. This Agreement and the other agreements referred to herein set forth the entire understanding The use of side letters is becoming a common theme amongst investors . Legally, a side letter is nothing more than a contract between the fund or the GP and the investor, which sits alongside the other contractual relationships they have in the form of the LPA and . Annual (or more frequently if appropriate) certifications from the teams responsible for compliance with individual provisions can support this process. Options. While investors commonly seek an acknowledgement in a side letter that they are interested in co-investment opportunities (or a similar election right), the range of alternative investment structures currently in vogue introduces new side letter concerns, particularly in relation to strategy and allocation issues (for example strategy caps and successor fund provisions). (a) Entire Agreement; Third Parties. affording the single member special rights, e.g. Steps in a Private Equity Transaction Timeline. (xvi) Purchase Price means the per-share consideration paid by the Shareholders for the The letter agreement includes sample language for certain rights granted to investors, such as most favored nation (MFN), co-investment, information, and advisory board rights. Capital Call Facilities - LPA and side letter review. 3) In some circumstances an MFN is included in the funds constituting documentation rather than being agreed separately by side letter. Section3, each of Silver Lake and Warburg Pincus. to the Company free and clear of all liens, claims or other encumbrances by delivering to the Company such instruments of transfer as shall reasonably be requested by the Company. This 7-page template has everything you could ever want: business-standard fonts, the right color space, and it is available in many file formats. xc```b`` B@1XJYJ9 WX i 022s :/602[8a N~o@XR" i The sidecar investment will usually be used when one of . Including appropriate provisions to accommodate a capital call . agreement. In partnership with Aumni, a leading provider of investment analytics for the private capital markets, NVCA offers a new Enhanced Model Term Sheet v.3.0 and a new Enhanced Investors' Rights Agreement, each with an embedded market analysis of deal term frequency and usage. Prior to the expiration of the Other Shareholder Restricted Period, any Transferee of Purchased Securities or Option Shares (including Permitted Transferees of a Shareholder that have acquired their Purchased EEA based AIFMs are also subject to an additional requirement to ensure the fair treatment of investors. Enacting the proposal as a rule would curtail competition among funds, according to fund representatives. A key man is an important employee or executive who is critical to the operation of the business, and whose death, absence, or . (g) Notices. Side Letter: Alaska's U-turn; China PE predictions; industry's next sports specialist. 3 0 obj Sidecar Investment: An investment strategy in which one investor allows a second investor to control where and how to invest the capital. Alexander J. Davie. It also considers the regulatory context and practical points for managers navigating the restrictions and obligations of multiple side letters. A standard Model Limited Partnership Agreement ("LPA") has been a persistent need in the private equity asset class given the cost, time and complexity of negotiating the terms of investment. Enter to open, tab to navigate, enter to select, Practical Law Standard Document w-016-5805, https://content.next.westlaw.com/practical-law/document/Iba4bc2fcb68611e8a5b3e3d9e23d7429/Side-Letter-to-Limited-Partnership-Agreement?viewType=FullText&transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default), Side Letter to Limited Partnership Agreement. % agreements and investor side letters to make sure that they authorise a capital call facility and related lender rights. For example, a request for portfolio level information should not result in the investor holding information it could use to its competitive advantage or to the detriment of other investors. Purchase Agreement, dated as of August4, 2010 (thePurchase Agreement), pursuant to which the Shareholders have agreed to purchase from the Sponsors, and the Sponsors have agreed to sell to the Shareholders, 20,000,000 Period, with respect to the Shareholders and their respective Permitted Transferees, shall be deemed to have expired, as of any date, with respect to an aggregate number of Shares held by the Shareholders and their respective Permitted Transferees If at any time from the date of this Agreement until the earlier of the (i) Maturity Date of the Convertible Note and (ii) payment in full of principal and interest of the Convertible Note, the Company sells equity, including debt convertible into equity, in cash to third party . 7. If the scope of the prohibited investments is stated in the side letter itself, it is generally helpful to state why they are prohibited in order to increase the chance that the provision is taken outside the scope of any relevant MFN right. Where a manager is willing to provide an MFN right, these rights are generally reserved for more significant investors as they can have wide-ranging implications for the fund, especially if they are not managed effectively. The private equity due diligence process is a lengthy sequence of steps that involves a lot of research and information gathering, analytics, discussions, and assessments. Sometimes these side letters are borne of necessity for the investor to enter into the fund, either due to regulatory . Boards Determination of Put/Call Price. Private Equity and Hedge Funds. -. All certificates representing Purchased Securities and Option ESG provisions may include a confirmation that the fund will comply with the UN Principles for Responsible Investment when making investments or that investee companies comply with the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact or other guidelines that are more specifically tailored to the investor in question, including restrictions on making investments in companies engaged in certain lines of business. x@g1c:/Zpd$ 9PGF 15 February 2023. The above is a summary of common side letter requests. minimum statutory withholding requirements, and (ii)the applicable Shareholder and/or his or its Permitted Transferees, as applicable, shall, simultaneously therewith, transfer and deliver such Call Securities or Put Securities, as applicable, or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege. However, even with careful drafting, an MFN right can significantly extend the funds (or the managers) obligations; managers should therefore carefully consider which investors terms are likely to be captured by the MFN when negotiating these (and other) side letter provisions. . (i) Call Event means either (I)the termination of Slaines employment for any reason or (II) a Material would require interpretation of any claimed ambiguities in this Agreement against the party that drafted it has no application and is expressly waived. A side letter is a side agreement between the company and the investor made at the time the investor invests in the SAFE. which such restriction or prohibition has terminated and (y)the one-year anniversary of the delivery of the Call Notice or Put Notice, as applicable. 1. 3 March 2012 State Gonments rev With substantial defined benefit . is determined to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable by any governmental entity, the remaining provisions of this Agreement, to the extent permitted by law shall remain in full force and effect provided, that the essential terms and The LPAC is a governing body of the PEF comprised of a select number of investor representatives; its members have specific rights and duties outlined in the limited partnership agreement. In connection with any purchase of Call Securities or Put Securities, Most favored nation clause samples. Deficiencies in this area can result in negative written findings at the conclusion of an examination and, in sufficiently serious cases, could result in an enforcement referral. Typically it is more appropriate for the manager rather than the fund to sign up to these requests. Below we've outlined key side letter terms, highlighted some of the challenges in complying with those terms, and assessed the potential operational impact for GPs. sets out a range of recommendations regarding ESG factors throughout the life of a private equity fund (from the very early stages of fundraising through the investment process to . (xiii) Non-Interference Agreement shall have the meaning set forth in the Employment Agreement. fWEbQ#]qe|"Dc}6n~2Q!/qDvp2@YA paying (or the Companys Subsidiaries are prohibited or restricted from delivering funds to the Company sufficient to permit the Company to pay) the Put/Call Price with respect to the Call Securities or the Put Securities, as applicable, The typical management rights letter provides the fund with the minimum . Recently, the Delaware Chancery Court ruled on a dispute that heated up between a hedge fund manager and the fund's seed investor. two-page letter agreement, commonly known as the "management rights letter," in connection with all of their portfolio investments, even though the DOL only requires this with regard to 50% of their investments. (v) Cost means (I)with respect to any Purchased Securities, the Purchase Price and (II) %PDF-1.5 Download the Safe. This Limited Partner Advisory Committee (LPAC) clause for private equity fund (PEF) side letter is to be used when the PEF grants an investor the right to appoint a representative to the PEF's LPAC. Slaine without Good Reason and a Material Breach Event has not occurred prior to the Put/Call Closing Date, a price equal to the lower of (x)the Fair Market Value of (A)with respect to any Purchased Securities, such Call Securities as of This Standard Document has integrated notes with important explanations and drafting and negotiating tips. Shareholder (or his or its Permitted Transferee) from the Company or any other Person in connection with the Transfer by such Shareholder or his or its Permitted Transferees of any Purchased Securities and Option Shares (including, without provisions, side letters can never override the provisions of an offshore fund's memorandum and articles of association. In this key features document, we briefly highlight some considerations relevant to the use of side letter arrangements in Irish ILPs. Use them or shun them, side letters (also called side agreements or side letter arrangements) are part of the business landscape. respect to such Call Securities as determined in good faith by the Board. ) =]xIm"LU5-N%v$TjG&VD#ZWU_JP3HCcQp/&z@H2WK$#0IP)Z:*ji(Zz6HLOCh}4=R\{x9+O ;V= l xO!{Qxy2 a# g7@ [V: +6k.:f*`h+g~sc[u-)goO.wYKc{v8/q6C1:s13 7#e}m S~sq`]EX62 Certain investors will require side letters, providing them with additional . shall apply to the Purchased Securities, as well as any other equity securities of the Company that the Shareholders shall acquire from time to time; and. (l) Stock Splits and Similar Transactions. Slaines employment is terminated (x)by the Company without Cause, (y)by Slaine for Good Reason, or (z)on account of Slaines death or Disability, and a Material Breach Event has not occurred, any Shareholder (or The amount payable pursuant private equity and real assets sectors. 4) These are commonly referred to as so-called VAG investors, i.e., those which are either a German insurance company, pension pool, pension fund or other pension scheme which is directly or indirectly subject to the provisions of the German Insurance Supervision Law or the Ordinance on the investment of restricted assets of pension schemes, funeral expenses funds and small insurance companies or the Ordinance on the investment of restricted assets of pension funds regarding the investment of their restricted assets. Parties to a side letter negotiation should seek advice on the particular transaction in light of their circumstances. PEI Staff. As a result, some investors were unaware of the potential harm that could be caused if the selected investors exercised the special terms granted by the side letters. (a) General. PEI Staff. Side letters are frequently used to enter into legal agreements between private funds and investors. Purchased Securities, the date that is ninety (90)days following the date of Slaines termination of employment and (II) in the case of the exercise of a Put or Call with respect to any Option Shares, the later of (x)the date that Law portal; A side letter or side agreement or side letter arrangement is an agreement that is not part of the underlying or primary contract or agreement, and which some or all parties to the contract use to reach agreement on issues the primary contract does not cover or for which they require clarification, or to amend the primary contract. MFN. In particular, any preferential treatment accorded to one or more investors must not result in an overall material disadvantage to other investors. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event that (i)Slaines employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Slaine for Good Reason, (ii)the Company (or its designee) exercises its option to repurchase (xix) Put/Call Price means, with respect to any Call Securities or Put Securities, as applicable, (I)if Slaines employment is terminated by the Company for Cause or by delivery of such Put Notice to the Company, the Company shall notify such Shareholder in writing of the Put/Call Price with respect to such Put Securities as determined in good faith by the Board (a Put Pricing Notice). A recurring theme in private equity fund investing is the use of 'side letters' between individual limited partners and the general partner of the fund. A number of private equity funds and hedge funds are structured as limited partnerships that are governed by the terms of a limited partnership agreement (an 'LPA'). (i) This A subscription agreement is between a company and a private investor to sell a specific number of shares at a specific price. [Remainder of page intentionally If such Shareholder timely delivers such an MFN clauses play a key role in the commercial negotiations of an investment in a modern private . Download the March 2023 issue of Private Equity International. They can be used to alter the terms of a limited partnership agreement or even override certain provisions. In the event a Material Breach Event occurs, at any time thereafter upon delivery of written notice by the Company, each Shareholder shall be obligated to deliver promptly (and, in any event, no later than five (3)days after deposit in the U.S. mail, to the respective addresses, facsimile numbers or electronic email addresses of the parties set forth below: (i) If to the Company, to it at the following address: (ii) If to any Shareholder or any of his or its Permitted Transferees, to Slaine at the following address: (h) Injunctive Relief. However, side letters generally raise various fiduciary and other concerns that must be addressed. shall be cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies provided by law. 1. A sample side letter to a limited partnership agreement (LPA) that can be used by a limited partner investing in a private equity fund that is structured as a limited partnership. A more detailed analysis of the ILP is available here. In many instances it is easier to agree concessions in these separate agreements rather than amend the funds constituting documents (being the private placement memorandum and the constitutional documents such as the partnership agreement or articles), especially as the latter approach would mean the rights agreed would generally then be available to all investors.