UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
In
the Matter of
WATERSIDE
CAPITAL CORPORATION
140
West 31
st
Street
2
nd
Floor
New
York, NY 10001
File
No. 811-8387
AMENDMENT NO. 1
Application
Pursuant to Section 8(f) of
The
Investment Company Act of 1940 for an Order Declaring
That
Applicant has Ceased to be an Investment Company
Communications
regarding this Application
Should
be Addressed to:
Keith
A. Rosenbaum, Esq.
SPECTRUM
LAW GROUP, APC
23
Corporate Plaza, Suite 3150
Newport Beach
,
California 92660
1-949-851-4300,
Ext. 212
I.
|
NATURE
OF RELIEF SOUGHT BY APPLICANT
|
Waterside
Capital Corporation (“
Applicant
”) seeks an order pursuant to Section 8(f) of the Investment Company Act of
1940 (the “
Act
”), declaring that Applicant has ceased to be an investment company under the Act.
Applicant was incorporated
in the Commonwealth of Virginia on July 13, 1993 and was a closed-end investment company licensed by the Small Business Administration
(the “SBA”) as a Small Business Investment Corporation (“SBIC”). Applicant previously made equity investments
in, and provided loans to, small businesses to finance their growth, expansion, and development. Under applicable SBA regulations,
Applicant was restricted to investing only in qualified small businesses as contemplated by the Small Business Investment Act
of 1958. As a registered investment company under the Act, Applicant’s investment objective was to provide its shareholders
with a high level of income, with capital appreciation as a secondary objective. Applicant made its first investment in a small
business in October 1996.
On March 30, 2010, the
SBA notified Applicant that its account had been transferred to liquidation status and that the outstanding debentures of $16.1
million plus accrued interest (the “Debentures”) were due and payable within fifteen days of the date of the letter.
Applicant did not possess adequate liquid assets to make this payment. Applicant negotiated terms of a settlement agreement with
the SBA effective September 1, 2010, which allowed Applicant’s management to liquidate the portfolio so long as there are
no events of default. The Debentures were repurchased by the SBA in September 2010, represented by a Note Agreement between the
SBA and Applicant. The Note Agreement had a maturity of March 31, 2013. In the event of a default, the SBA had the ability to
seek receivership.
On May 24, 2012 the SBA
delivered to Applicant a notice of an event of default for failure to meet the principal repayment schedule under the Note Agreement
(the “Notice”). Under the terms of the Notice and the Note Agreement the SBA maintained a continuing right to terminate
the Note Agreement and appoint a receiver to manage Applicant’s assets.
On November 20, 2013 the
SBA filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia seeking, among other things, receivership
for Applicant and a judgment in the amount outstanding under the Note Agreement plus continuing interest. The complaint alleged
that as of October 31, 2013 there remained an outstanding balance of $11,762,634.58 under the Note Agreement, including interest,
which continued to accrue at the rate of $2,021.93 per day. The SBA, in filing the complaint, requested that the court take exclusive
jurisdiction of Applicant and all of its assets wherever located and appoint the SBA as permanent receiver of Applicant for the
purpose of liquidating all of Applicant’s assets and satisfying the claims of its creditors in the order of priority as
determined by the court.
Applicant initially took
steps to contest the legal action initiated by the SBA and to oppose the receivership action. On April 29, 2014 the Board of Directors
of Applicant, as then constituted (the “Board”), met to reconsider the decision to contest the SBA’s legal action.
In light of developments occurring since December of 2013, including projections of its portfolio companies and discussions with
the SBA, the Board determined, after consultation with and advice of its counsel, that it was not in the best interests of Applicant
and its shareholders to continue to contest the legal action. The SBA was informed of this determination. The Board also decided
to consent to the receivership process.
On May 28, 2014, with
Applicant’s consent, the court having jurisdiction over the action filed by the SBA (the “Court”) entered a
Consent Order and Judgment Dismissing Counterclaim, Appointing Receiver, Granting Permanent Injunctive Relief and Granting Money
Judgment (the “Order”). The Order appointed the SBA receiver of Applicant for the purpose of marshaling and liquidating
in an orderly manner all of Applicant’s assets and entered judgment in favor of the United States of America, on behalf
of the SBA, against Applicant in the amount of $11,770,722.31. Such amount represents $11,700,000 in principal and $70,722.31
in accrued interest. The Court assumed jurisdiction over Applicant and the SBA was appointed receiver effective May 28, 2014.
Applicant effectively
stopped conducting an active business upon the appointment of the SBA as receiver and the commencement of the court ordered receivership
(the “Receivership”). Over the course of the Receivership the activity of Applicant was limited to the liquidation
of Applicant’s assets by the receiver and the payment of the proceeds therefrom to the SBA and for the expenses of the Receivership.
The SBIC license granted
to Applicant by the SBA was revoked by the SBA effective March 20, 2017, in conjunction with the entry by the court of the Order
Approving the Procedures for Winding Up and Terminating the Receivership Estate. On June 28, 2017 the Receivership was terminated
with the entry of a Final Order by the Court (the “Final Order”). The Final Order specifically stated that “Control
of Waterside shall be unconditionally transferred and returned to its shareholders c/o Roran Capital, LLC (“Roran”)
upon notification of entry of this Order”. At that time Applicant had, and continues to have, effectively zero (0) assets,
and a liability owed to the SBA in an amount exceeding $10,000,000.
Upon termination of the
Receivership, Roran took possession of all books and records made available to it by the SBA, and Roran expended, and has continued
to expend, its own funds to maintain the viability of Applicant. The termination of the Receivership also caused a new board of
directors to be appointed (the “New Board”). The New Board considered a variety of options for Applicant, including
bankruptcy. The New Board determined that such action made scant sense as the Receivership had the same basic result as bankruptcy.
Another option was to merely liquidate and legally dissolve Applicant, which would result in the complete loss of investment by
all shareholders. Roran provided assurances that it would fund reasonable expenses of Applicant so long as progress was being
made to reorganize Applicant and to identify either (i) a new business to undertake; or, (ii) an existing business with which
to merge or otherwise acquire. The New Board has continued to work toward achieving that goal. With no assets and no SBIC license
from the SBA, no income, and liabilities in excess of $10,000,000, the New Board concluded that continuing to operate as a registered
investment company was impossible.
Since the entry of the
Final Order (June 28, 2017) and the termination of the Receivership Applicant has been maintained for the benefit of its shareholders
and pursuant to the Final Order. Applicant has no assets of any value, and Applicant no longer has the SBIC license from the SBA.
Applicant is no longer operating as a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act. While it would have been
easy for Applicant to merely dissolve, Applicant has instead decided to reconstitute itself as a viable business. Applicant has
engaged, and intends to continue to engage, qualified professionals and personnel in order to bring Applicant current in its SEC
filings and audits. Roran paid for Applicant to file all delinquent SEC filings as a registered investment company. Applicant
believes that as of June 28, 2017 it ceased to be a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act so it did not
file as a registered investment company for the period ended June 30, 2017. Instead, Applicant filed Form 10-K for that period.
The current status of
Applicant is consistent with Applicant’s pronounced intention of converting from a registered investment company to an operating
company. Although Applicant may have historically operated as a registered investment company, the result of the Receivership
is that Applicant can no longer operate as a registered investment company. The only chance for the shareholders of Applicant
to recognize any value from their investment in Applicant is to allow Applicant to change the nature of its business such that
it should no longer be a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act.
Applicant
is currently authorized to issue twenty five thousand (25,000) shares of preferred stock, with a par value of $1.00 per share.
There are zero (0) shares of preferred stock issued. Applicant is also authorized to issue ten million (10,000,000) shares of
common stock, with a par value of $1.00 per share. As of 29 May 20178 one million nine hundred sixteen thousand (1,916,000) shares
of common stock of Applicant were outstanding. These shares are quoted over the counter with Pink OTC Markets Inc. under the ticker
symbol “WSCC” and are held by 320 shareholders of record, as of 29 May 2018. Applicant does not have any other securities
outstanding.
III.
|
ACTION
REGARDING DEREGISTRATION
|
|
A.
|
Current Business Strategy and Operations:
|
Applicant
now seeks to either (i) enter into a new business; or, (ii) merge with, or otherwise acquire, an active business which would benefit
from operating as a public entity. The New Board has undertaken a search to identify the best possible candidate(s) in order to
provide value to the shareholders of Applicant. Applicant believes that it no longer qualifies as an “investment company”
within the meaning of the Investment Company Act, and has engaged in a strategy to convert from a registered investment company
to an operating company. Applicant will file to register under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”), thereby becoming a mandatory filer under the Exchange Act. It will continue to list its common stock on the Pink
OTC Markets for the benefit of its shareholders. As a result of these efforts, Applicant is and holds itself out as being engaged
primarily in the business of seeking either (i) a new business to enter into; or, (ii) merger or acquisition candidates which
would benefit from being public.
The
current status of Applicant is consistent with Applicant’s pronounced intention of converting from an investment company
to an operating company. Although Applicant may historically have operated as an investment company, the result of the Receivership
is that Applicant can no longer operate as an investment company, The only chance for the shareholders of Applicant to recognize
any value from their investment in Applicant is to allow Applicant to change the nature of its business such that it should no
longer be registered as an investment company under the Act.
|
B.
|
Public
Representations of Policy
:
|
Since
the end of the Receivership, Applicant has consistently represented that it is primarily engaged in the business of seeking (i)
a new business to enter into; or, (ii) a merger candidate(s) which would benefit from operating as a public entity. Upon deregistration,
Applicant will issue a press release to its shareholders indicating that it is an operating company and cease indicating in its
financial statements that it is a registered investment company.
|
C.
|
The
Final Order, and
Activities of Directors,
Officers, and Employees
:
|
The Final Order specifically
stated, among other things, that “Control of Waterside shall be unconditionally transferred and returned to its shareholders
c/o Roran Capital, LLC (“Roran”) upon notification of entry of this Order”. Roran was also provided with all
documents and records previously maintained by the Receiver. Roran was (and remains) a shareholder of Applicant. Roran voluntarily
agreed to provide post-Receivership assistance in the form of filing tax returns for Applicant; taking possession of Applicant’s
records and documents; and, accepting general responsibility for control of Applicant on behalf of Applicant’s shareholders.
Roran was not compensated, and will not be compensated, for its efforts during and after the Receivership. It will, however, be
reimbursed for all ordinary and necessary expenses incurred on behalf of Applicant.
The managing member of Roran is Yitzhak Zelmanovitch. Roran appointed Zindel Zelmanovitch
as the sole director of Applicant. The Board (Zindel Zelmanovitch) then appointed Zindel Zelmanovitch as the sole officer of Applicant.
Zindel Zelmanovitch is the father of Yitzhak Zelmanovitch. Zindel Zelmanovitch has been Chairman of the Board of Directors and
Chief Executive Officer, Secretary, and Chief Financial Officer of Applicant since September, 2017. He has served as Chairman
of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of East Coast Capital Holdings (a diversified private investment fund) since
2002, previously serving as the President and a Director of East Coast Capital Holdings (including its predecessor) since 1986.
From 1982 through October 2000 Mr. Zelmanovitch was President and a director and stockholder of Freshstart Venture Capital Corp.,
a public company which was licensed as an SBA SBIC, which was listed on NASDAQ. Mr. Zelmanovitch guided Freshstart through its
initial public offering; the company was eventually sold to Medallion Financial Corp. Mr. Zelmanovitch received an M.B.A. degree
from C.W. Post Center of Long Island University in 1979.
The
primary activities of Applicant’s current directors and officers (Applicant currently has no employees), like Applicant’s
historical development and public representations, indicate that Applicant has ceased to be an investment company. Upon termination
of the license issued by the SBA, Applicant could no longer act and operate as an SBIC. Similarly, upon termination of the Receivership,
Applicant effectively had no assets and no operating business. Applicant became managed by new directors and officers. Applicant’s
new CEO, with support of Roran, and oversight by Applicant’s new Board, devoted itself to finding either (i) a new business
to enter into; or, (ii) a suitable merger candidate(s) which would benefit from being public. The activities of Applicant’s
new board and officers indicate that Applicant no longer operates as an investment company, but rather, is engaged in the business
of identifying and merging with a suitable business which would benefit from operating as a public company.
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D.
|
Applicant’s
Present Assets
:
|
As
of 30 June 2017 (Applicant’s most recent fiscal year-end), Applicant had zero (0) assets (other than, some office furnishings
and furniture which were not delivered to Roran). A copy of Applicant’s financials for 30 June 2017 are attached hereto
as Exhibit 1. As of 31 March 2018, Applicant had total assets of $7,590, which consisted of cash loaned to Applicant by Roran
in order to satisfy Applicant’s expenses related to its filings with the SEC. A copy of Applicant’s financials for
31 March 2018 are attached hereto as Exhibit 2. The nature of Applicant’s assets suggests it should no longer be registered
as an investment company under the Act.
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E.
|
Applicant’s
Present Income
:
|
During
each of Applicant’s fiscal year ended 30 June 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively, Applicant had no income other than the
proceeds generated through the sale of Applicant’s assets through the Receivership. During Applicant’s most recent
fiscal year (ending 30 June 2017) the Receivership was terminated prior to
30 June 2017. Income for that
fiscal year was also limited to the proceeds generated through the sale of Applicant’s assets through the Receivership.
Income for the nine months ended 31 March 2018 was zero (0).
Since the end
of the Receivership, Applicant’s income is and continues to be zero (0). Applicant has not conducted any business generating
any income, and Applicant has no assets which it can sell. It is expected that Applicant will not generate any income until it
is able to merge with another company. Accordingly, the lack of any income, and the inability of Applicant to generate any income
without the successful launch of a new business or a merger with another company, suggest that it should no longer be registered
as an investment company under the Act.
IV.
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FEDERAL
TAX CONSEQUENCES
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It
is anticipated that deregistration may have some unfavorable tax consequences to Applicant, though not to its shareholders. As
a registered investment company, Applicant filed its federal income tax returns for its taxable years from inception up to and
including 2017 on the basis that it qualified to be taxed as a “regulated investment company” (“
RIC
”),
as that term is defined in the applicable provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
Qualification as a RIC provided Applicant with certain favorable tax consequences. In particular, Applicant was not taxed at the
corporate level on its net income and net realized gains that it distributed to its shareholders. Due to the nature of its business,
Applicant intends to no longer continue to qualify for “pass-through” tax treatment. This may result in higher tax
liabilities for Applicant in the future. Shareholders should have no unfavorable federal income tax consequences as should Applicant
be in a position to make distributions to its shareholders, said distributions should be taxed in a manner substantially similar
to distributions received by the shareholders when Applicant operated as a RIC.
Applicant
will no longer operate as a RIC and, instead, will endeavor to operate a business. As such, it is anticipated that realized gains
will not be distributed to shareholders, as they are under a RIC.
Accordingly,
there is no longer a federal income tax justification for continued qualification as a RIC, and therefore no reason for
Applicant to be registered with the Commission as an investment company. Thus, not only will deregistration have no unfavorable
federal income tax consequences to Applicant’s shareholders, deregistration will also be consistent with Applicant’s
ongoing business plan and the tax treatment that is incident thereto.
V.
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APPLICABLE
STATUTORY PROVISIONS
|
Since
Applicant no longer is, proposes to, or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting,
or trading in securities within the meaning of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Act, and no longer owns or proposes to acquire Investment
Securities having a value exceeding forty percent (40%) of the value of its total assets (exclusive of Government securities and
cash items) on an unconsolidated basis as contemplated by Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act, Applicant has ceased to be an investment
company within the meaning of Section 3 of the Act. Further, Applicant represents and warrants that to the extent (i) Applicant
seeks to enter into, or enters into, a new business, it will not be an investment company; and, (ii) Applicant seeks to merge
with, or merges with, an active business, such merger would not result in Applicant being an investment company. Accordingly,
Applicant hereby requests that the Commission issue an order pursuant to Section 8(f) of the Act declaring that Applicant has
ceased to be an investment company. Applicant is not seeking any relief with respect to its proposed use of any existing or
future registration under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act.
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A.
|
Applicant
is Not a Section 3(a)(1)(A) Investment Company
:
|
Applicant
is no longer an investment company as defined in Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Act, which provides that an “‘investment
company’ means any issuer which . . . is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily,
in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities”. The Commission and courts have generally referred
to the following factors in determining whether an issuer is primarily engaged in the business of investing and reinvesting in
securities under Section 3(a)(1)(A):
|
(i)
|
Applicant’s historical development;
|
|
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(ii)
|
its
public representations of policy;
|
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|
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(iii)
|
the
activity of its directors, officers, and employees;
|
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(iv)
|
the
nature of its present assets; and,
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(v)
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the
sources of its present income.
|
While
these factors were developed primarily in analyses under Section 3(b)(2) of the Act, they are equally applicable to analyses under
Section 3(a)(1)(A).
1
1
Tonopah Mining Company Co.
,
supra
note 2; Certain Prima Facie Inv. Companies, Inv. Co. Act Release No. 10937, [1979-1980] Fed. Sec. L. Rep. (CCH) ¶
82,465, n.24 (Nov. 13, 1979).
Each
of the five factors as they relate to Applicant is discussed above in Section III of this Application. With respect to factors
(i) and (ii), since the end of the Receivership Applicant has clearly and consistently indicated to the public and in all administrative
communications its intention to become an operating company and cease being a registered investment company and continues to do
so, and will continue to do so in its public financial reports and press releases to be filed. With respect to factor (iii), the
New Board and officers of Applicant are devoted to identifying a (i) new business to enter into; or, (ii) merger candidate(s)
which would benefit from being public, and effecting the appropriate transaction. The New Board and officers of Applicant conduct
no other business on behalf of Applicant other than general corporate compliance. The current officers and the New Board spend
no time engaged in investing and reinvesting Applicant’s assets in investment securities or small businesses, or any other
functions related to operating as an SBIC. The New Board and officers have shifted its focus from oversight of a company engaged
in the business of investing and reinvesting in securities to oversight of a company engaged in the business of finding a new
business or merger candidate to own and operate.
With
respect to factors (iv) and (v), less than 40% of the value of Applicant’s total assets (exclusive of Government securities
and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis are invested in investment securities; and, less than 40% of Applicant’s income
is derived from investment securities. As previously noted, Applicant currently has no assets and has no income. Further, Applicant’s
management is actively reviewing a number of merger, development, business, and acquisition opportunities, and anticipates a transformative
transaction in the future.
Applicant
acknowledges that Section 3(a)(1)(A) speaks in terms of “securities” rather than “investment securities”.
However, as noted above, Applicant has no assets at all at this time, and has no intent or desire to acquire investment securities
or securities envisioned under section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Act. Applicant’s primary business will be the business of whatever
active business is merged into Applicant, with Applicant’s business risk the related primarily to the business merged into
Applicant.
Since
Applicant does not presently hold itself out as being engaged in primarily, nor does it propose in the future to engage primarily,
in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, Applicant submits that it is no longer an investment company
under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Act. Applicant requests that the Commission note that it has previously granted an order pursuant
to Sections 3(b)(2) and 8(f) to a company that changed the nature of its business so that it was primarily engaged in a business
other than investing, reinvesting, owning, holding, or trading securities.
2
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B.
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Applicant
is Not a Section 3(a)(1)(C) Investment Company
:
|
Applicant
is no longer an investment company as defined in Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act defines an investment
company as an issuer which “is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding,
or trading in securities, and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40 per centum of the
value of such issuer’s total assets (exclusive of Government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis”.
Section 3(a)(2) provides, in pertinent part, that “[a]s used in this section, ‘investment securities’ includes
all securities except (A) Government securities, . . . and (C) securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries of the owner which
(i) are not investment companies, and (ii) are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company in paragraph
(1) or (7) of subsection (c)”.
2
In the Matter of Madison Fund, Inc.,
Inv. Co. Act Rel. Nos. 13565 (notice) and 13611 (order) (November 1, 1983); Baldwin Securities Corporation, Inv. Co. Act Rel.
Nos. 15700 (notice) and 15747 (order) (May 20, 1987).
Section
3(b)(1) of the Act provides that “[n]otwithstanding paragraph (1)(C) of subsection (a), none of the following persons is
an investment company within the meaning of this title: (1) Any issuer primarily engaged, directly or through a wholly owned subsidiary
or subsidiaries, in a business or businesses other than that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding, or trading in securities”.
Further, Rule 3a-1 under the Act states that “[n]otwithstanding section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act, an issuer will be deemed
not to be an investment company under the Act; provided, that: (a) No more than 45 percent of the value (as defined in section
2(a)(41) of the Act) of such issuer’s total assets (exclusive of Government securities and cash items) consists of, and
no more than 45 percent of such issuer’s net income after taxes (for the last four fiscal quarters combined) is derived
from, securities other than: (1) Government securities; (2) Securities issued by employees’ securities companies; (3) Securities
issued by majority-owned subsidiaries of the issuer (other than subsidiaries relying on the exclusion from the definition of investment
company in section 3(b)(3) or (c)(1) of the Act) which are not investment companies; and (4) Securities issued by companies: (i)
Which are controlled primarily by such issuer; (ii) Through which such issuer engages in a business other than that of investing,
reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities; and (iii) Which are not investment companies; (b) The issuer is not an
investment company as defined in section 3(a)(1)(A) or 3(a)(1)(B) of the Act and is not a special situation investment company;
and (c) The percentages described in paragraph (a) of this section are determined on an unconsolidated basis, except that the
issuer shall consolidate its financial statements with the financial statements of any wholly-owned subsidiaries”.
Applicant
is, and holds itself out as being engaged primarily, in the business of seeking a (i) new business to enter into; or, (ii)
merger candidate with an operating business which would benefit from being a public company. Applicant is not, and is not
holding itself out as being engaged primarily, and is not proposing to engage primarily, in the business of investing,
reinvesting, owning, holding, or trading in securities. Applicant represents and warrants that to the extent (i) Applicant
seeks to enter into, or enters into, a new business, it will not be an investment company; and, (ii) Applicant seeks to merge
with, or merges with, an active business, such merger would not result in Applicant being an investment company. Further, as
of 30 June 2017 and as of 31 March 2018, no more than 45 percent of the value (as defined in section 2(a)(41) of the Act) of
Applicant’s total assets (exclusive of Government securities and cash items) consisted of, and no more than 45 percent
of Applicant’s net income after taxes (for the last four fiscal quarters combined) was derived from, securities other
than securities issued by companies (i) which are wholly owned by Applicant (in fact, Applicant has no subsidiaries) ; (ii)
through which Applicant engages in a business other than that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in
securities; and (iii) which are not investment companies. Additionally, Applicant is not a special situation investment
company and is not engaged, and is not proposing to engage, in the business of issuing face-amount certificates of the
installment type, and has not been engaged in such business and does not have any such certificates outstanding.
Accordingly,
based on the foregoing authority, we urge the Commission to conclude that Applicant is no longer an investment company under Section
3(a)(1)(C) of the Act.
VI.
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HARDSHIP
FOR CONTINUED COMPLIANCE
|
Continued
compliance with the Act would present an undue hardship to Applicant. By design, the Act is not intended to regulate operating
companies and, as such, contains many proscriptions and limitations with respect to activities normally within the scope of an
operating company’s business, operations, and financial viability. Examples include a general prohibition on the granting
of warrants, and requirements to obtain stockholder approval prior to issuing securities at less than the net asset value per
share. In addition, the limitations imposed by Section 18 of the Act on Applicant’s capital structure constrain Applicant’s
ability to borrow and otherwise manage its capital structure in ways that current management believes are prudent and reasonable
for an operating company but are prohibited for a RIC. Such restrictions present significant obstacles to capital raising activities
in which Applicant would otherwise participate if it were not for its status as a RIC. Further, the prohibitions of Section 17
of the Act on transactions with affiliates, together with Section 23(a) of the Act, also present an obstacle to Applicant by effectively
prohibiting many types of incentive based compensation the Board considers to be reasonable and necessary to attract and retain
the best qualified persons to manage Applicant’s business.
Applicant
is no longer an investment company by virtue of the fact that Section 3(a)(1)(A) is not applicable to Applicant, and, as of 30
June 2017, and at all times thereafter, Applicant held zero (0) Investment Securities, clearly well below the 40% threshold set
forth in Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act, and less than 20% of Applicant’s income (it was actually -0-) was derived from its
holdings of Investment Securities. Further, Applicant is primarily engaged in the business of seeking a (i) new business to enter
into; or, (ii) merger candidate with an operating business which would benefit from being a public company. Applicant fully intends
to continue to manage its assets and income in a manner that causes Applicant to continue to be excluded from the definition of
an investment company under the Act. In addition, subject to the entry of the order requested by this Application, Applicant will
continue to list its securities on the OTC Pink marketplace and will file with the Commission to be a mandatory filer under the
Exchange Act. Accordingly, for the reasons set forth above, Applicant asserts that it satisfies the standards for an exemptive
order under Section 8(f) of the Act.
AUTHORITY
TO FILE THIS APPLICATION
Pursuant
to Rule 0-2(c) under the Act, Applicant states that the current board of directors of Applicant, by resolution duly adopted and
attached hereto as Exhibit “A”, has authorized certain officers of Applicant to prepare, or cause to be prepared,
and to execute and file with the Commission, this Application.
The
verification required by Rule 0-2(d) under the Act is attached hereto as Exhibit “B”. All other requirements for the
execution and filing of this Application in the name of, and on behalf of, Applicant by the undersigned officer of Applicant have
been complied with and such officer is fully authorized to do so.
Pursuant
to Rule 0-2(f) under the Act, Applicant states that its address is 140 West 31st Street, 2nd Floor, New York, New York, 10001.
Applicant further states that all communications or questions concerning this Application or any amendment thereto should be directed
to Keith A. Rosenbaum, SPECTRUM LAW GROUP, A
LL
PC, 23 Corporate Plaza Suite 1500, Newport Beach, California,
92660; 949-851-4300, ext. 212.
It
is hereby requested that the Commission issue an Order pursuant to Rule 0-5 under the Act without a hearing being held.
Applicant
has caused this Application to be duly signed on its behalf on the date and year set forth below.
WATERSIDE
CAPITAL CORPORATION
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By:
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/s/
Zindel Zelmanovitch
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ZINDEL
ZELMANOVITCH,
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Chief
Executive Officer
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Dated:
31 May 2018
INDEX
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