Investment Advisory Agreement by and between the Company and Silver Spike Capital, LLC

Exhibit 10.2

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT

BETWEEN

SILVER SPIKE INVESTMENT CORP.

AND

SILVER SPIKE CAPITAL, LLC

This Investment Advisory Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made this 27th day of July, 2021, by and between Silver Spike Investment Corp., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), and Silver Spike Capital, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Adviser”).

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants hereinafter contained and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereby agree as follows:

1.       Duties of the Adviser.

(a) The Company hereby employs the Adviser to act as the investment adviser to the Company and to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Company, subject to review by and the overall control of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”), for the period and upon the terms and conditions herein set forth, (i) in accordance with the investment objective, policies and restrictions that are set forth in the reports and/or registration statements that the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time; (ii) in accordance with all other applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations, and the Company’s charter and by-laws (each as may be amended from time to time); and (iii) in accordance with the Investment Company Act. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Adviser shall, during the term, and subject to the provisions of, this Agreement (A) determine the composition of the portfolio of the Company, the nature and timing of the changes therein, and the manner of implementing such changes; (B) identify, evaluate and negotiate the structure of the investments made by the Company; (C) execute, monitor and service the Company’s investments; (D) determine the securities and other assets that the Company will purchase, retain, or sell; (E) perform due diligence on prospective portfolio companies; and (F) provide the Company with such other investment advisory, research and related services as the Company may, from time to time, reasonably require for the investment of its funds, including providing operating and managerial assistance to the Company and its portfolio companies as required. Subject to the supervision of the Board, the Adviser shall have the power and authority on behalf of the Company to effectuate its investment decisions for the Company, including the negotiation, execution and delivery of all documents relating to the Company’s investments and the placing of orders for other purchase or sale transactions on behalf of the Company. In the event that the Company determines to obtain debt financing (or

refinance such financing), the Adviser shall arrange for such financing on the Company’s behalf, subject to the oversight and approval of the Board. If it is necessary or appropriate, in the good faith judgment of the Adviser, for the Company to make investments through a special purpose vehicle, the Adviser shall have authority to create or arrange for the creation of such special purpose vehicle and to make such investments through such special purpose vehicle.

(b) The Adviser hereby accepts such employment, and agrees during the term hereof to render the services described herein for the compensation provided herein.

(c) The Adviser is hereby authorized to enter into one or more sub-advisory agreements with other investment advisers (each, a “Sub-Adviser”) pursuant to which the Adviser may obtain the services of the Sub-Adviser(s) to assist the Adviser in fulfilling its responsibilities hereunder. Specifically, the Adviser may retain a Sub-Adviser to recommend specific securities or other investments based upon the Company’s investment objective and policies, and work, along with the Adviser, in structuring, negotiating, arranging or effecting the acquisition or disposition of such investments and monitoring investments on behalf of the Company, subject to the oversight of the Adviser and the Company. The Adviser, and not the Company, shall be responsible for any compensation payable to any Sub-Adviser. Any sub-advisory agreement entered into by the Adviser shall be in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act and other applicable federal and state law.

(d) The Adviser shall, for all purposes herein provided, be deemed to be an independent contractor and, except as expressly provided or authorized herein, shall have no authority to act for or represent the Company in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Company.

(e) Subject to review by, and the overall control of, the Board, the Adviser shall keep and preserve, in the manner and for the period required by the Investment Company Act, any books and records relevant to the provision of its investment advisory services to the Company, and shall specifically maintain all books and records with respect to the Company’s portfolio transactions, and shall render to the Board such periodic and special reports as the Board may reasonably request. The Adviser agrees that all records that it maintains for the Company are the property of the Company, and shall surrender promptly to the Company any such records upon the Company’s request, provided that the Adviser may retain a copy of such records.

2.       Company’s Responsibilities and Expenses Payable by the Company.

Except as otherwise provided herein or in that certain Administration Agreement, dated as of July 27, 2021, as may be amended from time to time (the “Administration Agreement”) by and between the Company and the Adviser (the Adviser, in its capacity as the administrator, the “Administrator”), the Adviser shall be solely responsible for the compensation of its investment professionals and employees and all overhead expenses of the Adviser (including rent, office equipment and utilities). The Company will bear all other costs and expenses of its operations, administration and transactions, including (without limitation): the cost of its organization and any offerings; the cost of calculating its net asset value, including the cost of any third-party valuation services; the cost of effecting any sales and repurchases of its common stock and other securities; fees and expenses payable under any underwriting agreements, if any; debt service and other costs of borrowings or other financing arrangements; costs of hedging; expenses, including travel expenses, incurred by the Adviser, or members of the investment team, or payable to third-parties, performing due diligence on prospective portfolio companies and, if necessary, enforcing the Company’s rights; costs, including legal fees, associated with compliance under cannabis laws; transfer agent

and custodial fees; fees and expenses associated with marketing efforts; federal and state registration fees; any stock exchange listing fees and fees payable to rating agencies; federal, state and local taxes; independent directors’ fees and expenses, including travel expenses; costs of preparing financial statements and maintaining books and records and filing reports or other documents with the SEC (or other regulatory bodies) and other reporting and compliance costs, including registration and listing fees, and the compensation of professionals responsible for the preparation of the foregoing; the costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to stockholders (including printing and mailing costs), the costs of any stockholder or director meetings and the compensation of personnel responsible for the preparation of the foregoing and related matters; commissions and other compensation payable to brokers or dealers; research and market data; fidelity bond, directors and officers errors and omissions liability insurance and other insurance premiums; direct costs and expenses of administration, including printing, mailing and staff; fees and expenses associated with independent audits, and outside legal and consulting costs; costs of winding up; costs incurred in connection with the formation or maintenance of entities or vehicles to hold the Company’s assets for tax or other purposes; extraordinary expenses (such as litigation or indemnification); and costs associated with reporting and compliance obligations under the Investment Company Act and applicable federal and state securities laws. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Company shall reimburse the Adviser (or its affiliates) for an allocable portion of the compensation paid by the Adviser (or its affiliates) to the Company’s Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Financial Officer and their respective staffs (based on a percentage of time such individuals devote, on an estimated basis, to the business affairs of the Company).

3.       Compensation of the Adviser.

The Company agrees to pay, and the Adviser agrees to accept, as compensation for the services provided by the Adviser hereunder, a base management fee (the “Base Management Fee”) and an incentive fee (the “Incentive Fee”) as hereinafter set forth. The Adviser may agree to temporarily or permanently waive or defer, in whole or in part, the Base Management Fee and/or the Incentive Fee. See Appendix A for examples of how these fees are calculated. Such examples are included for illustrative purposes only and are not considered part of this Agreement. The Company shall make any payments due hereunder to the Adviser or to the Adviser’s designee as the Adviser may otherwise direct.

(a) The Base Management Fee shall be calculated at an annual rate of 1.75% of the Company’s gross assets, including any investments made with borrowings, but excluding any cash and cash equivalents. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “cash and cash equivalents” will have the meaning ascribed to it from time to time in the notes to the financial statements that the Company files with the SEC. The Base Management Fee shall be payable quarterly in arrears, and shall be calculated based on the average value of the Company’s gross assets at the end of the two most recently completed quarters. The Base Management Fee for any partial month or quarter shall be appropriately prorated and adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases during the relevant month or quarter.

The determination of gross assets will reflect changes in the fair value of the Company’s portfolio investments.  The fair value of derivatives and swaps held in the Company’s portfolio, which will not necessarily equal the notional value of such derivatives and swaps, will be included in the calculation of gross assets.

(b) The Incentive Fee shall consist of two parts, as follows:

(i) The first part of the Incentive Fee (the “Incentive Fee on Income”) shall be calculated and payable quarterly in arrears based on the Company’s “Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income” for the immediately preceding quarter. For this purpose, “Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income” means

interest income, dividend income and any other income (including (i) any other fees (other than fees for providing managerial assistance), such as commitment, origination, structuring, advisory, diligence and consulting fees or other fees that the Company receives from portfolio companies, (ii) any gain realized on the extinguishment of the Company’s debt and (iii) any other income of any kind that the Company is required to distribute to its stockholders in order to maintain its regulated investment company (“RIC”) status) accrued during the quarter, minus the Company’s operating expenses for the quarter (including the Base Management Fee, expenses payable under the Administration Agreement to the Administrator, and any interest expense and dividends paid on any issued and outstanding preferred stock, but excluding the Incentive Fee). Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income includes, in the case of investments with a deferred interest feature (such as original issue discount, debt instruments with payment-in-kind interest and zero coupon securities), accrued income that the Company has not yet received and may never receive in cash. Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income does not include any realized capital gains, realized capital losses or unrealized capital appreciation or depreciation. Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income, expressed as a rate of return on the value of the Company’s net assets at the end of the immediately preceding quarter, shall be compared to a “hurdle rate” of 1.75% per quarter (7% annualized), subject to a “catch-up” provision measured as of the end of each quarter. The Company’s net investment income used to calculate the Incentive Fee on Income is also included in the amount of the Company’s gross assets used to calculate the Base Management Fee. The operation of the Incentive Fee on Income with respect to the Company’s Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income for each quarter is as follows:

(ii) The second part of the Incentive Fee (the “Incentive Fee on Capital Gains”) shall be determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each fiscal year (or upon termination of this Agreement, as of the termination date), and shall equal 20% of the Company’s realized capital gains, if any, on a cumulative basis from inception through the end of each fiscal year, computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis, less the aggregate amount of any previously paid Incentive Fees on Capital Gains; provided that the Incentive Fee on Capital Gains determined at the end of the Company’s first fiscal year will be calculated for a period shorter than twelve months to take into account any realized capital gains computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation from inception. In no event will the Incentive Fee on Capital Gains payable pursuant hereto be in excess of the amount permitted by the Advisers Act, including Section 205 thereof.

For purposes of computing the Incentive Fee on Capital Gains, the calculation methodology will look through derivatives or swaps as if the Company owned the reference assets directly. Therefore, realized gains and realized losses on the disposition of any reference assets, as well as unrealized depreciation on reference assets retained in the derivative or swap, will be included on a cumulative basis in the calculation of the Incentive Fee on Capital Gains.

4.       Covenants of the Adviser.

The Adviser covenants that it will maintain its registration as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The Adviser agrees that its activities will at all times be in compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal and state laws governing its operations and investments.

5.       Brokerage Commissions.

The Adviser is hereby authorized, to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by law, to cause the Company to pay a member of a national securities exchange, broker or dealer an amount of commission for effecting a securities transaction in excess of the amount of commission another member of such exchange, broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the Adviser determines in good faith, taking into account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, and operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities, that such amount of commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research services provided by such member, broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or its overall responsibilities with respect to the Company’s portfolio, and constitutes the best net results for the Company.

6.       Other Activities of the Adviser.

The services of the Adviser to the Company are not exclusive, and the Adviser, and each of its affiliates, may engage in any other business or render similar or different services to others including, without limitation, the direct or indirect sponsorship or management of other investment-based accounts or commingled pools of capital, however structured, having investment objectives similar to those of the Company, so long as its services to the Company hereunder are not impaired thereby, and nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the right of any manager, partner, member (including its members and the owners of its members), officer or employee of the Adviser to engage in any other business or to devote his or her time and attention in part to any other business, whether of a similar or dissimilar nature, or to receive any fees or compensation in connection therewith (including

fees for serving as a director of, or providing consulting services to, one or more of the Company’s portfolio companies, subject to applicable law). So long as this Agreement or any extension, renewal or amendment remains in effect, the Adviser shall be the only investment adviser for the Company, subject to the Adviser’s right to enter into sub-advisory agreements, as set forth herein. The Adviser assumes no responsibility under this Agreement, other than to render the services called for hereunder. It is understood that directors, officers, employees and stockholders of the Company are or may become interested in the Adviser and its affiliates, as directors, officers, employees, partners, stockholders, members, managers or otherwise, and that the Adviser and directors, officers, employees, partners, stockholders, members and managers of the Adviser and its affiliates are, or may become, similarly interested in the Company as stockholders or otherwise.

7.       Responsibility of Dual Directors, Officers and/or Employees.

If any person who is a manager, partner, member, officer or employee of the Adviser is or becomes a director, officer and/or employee of the Company and acts as such in any business of the Company, then such manager, partner, member, officer and/or employee of the Adviser or the Administrator shall be deemed to be acting in such capacity solely for the Company, and not as a manager, partner, member, officer or employee of the Adviser or the Administrator or under the control or direction of the Adviser or the Administrator, even if paid by the Adviser or the Administrator.

8.       Limitation of Liability of the Adviser; Indemnification.

The Adviser (and its officers, managers, partners, members (and their members, including the owners of their members), agents, employees, controlling persons and any other person or entity affiliated with the Adviser) shall not be liable to the Company for any action taken or omitted to be taken by the Adviser in connection with the performance of any of its duties or obligations under this Agreement or otherwise as an investment adviser of the Company (except to the extent specified in Section 36(b) of the Investment Company Act concerning loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty (as the same is finally determined by judicial proceedings) with respect to the receipt of compensation for services), and the Company shall indemnify, defend and protect the Adviser (and its officers, managers, partners, members (and their members, including the owners of their members), agents, employees, controlling persons and any other person or entity affiliated with the Adviser, each of whom shall be deemed a third party beneficiary hereof) (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) and hold them harmless from and against all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) incurred by the Indemnified Parties in or by reason of any pending, threatened or completed action, suit, investigation or other proceeding (including an action or suit by or in the right of the Company or its security holders) arising out of, or otherwise based upon, the performance of any of the Adviser’s duties or obligations under this Agreement, or otherwise as an investment adviser of the Company. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence of this Paragraph 8 to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall protect or be deemed to protect the Indemnified Parties against, or entitle or be deemed to entitle the Indemnified Parties to, indemnification in respect of any liability to the Company or its security holders to which the Indemnified Parties would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Adviser’s duties, or by reason of the reckless disregard of the Adviser’s duties and obligations under this Agreement.

9.       Effectiveness, Duration and Termination of Agreement.

This Agreement shall become effective as of the first date above written. This Agreement shall continue in effect for two years from the date hereof, and thereafter shall continue automatically for successive annual periods, provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (a) the vote of the Board, or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company and (b) the vote of a majority of the Company’s directors who are not parties to this Agreement or “interested persons” (as such term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act) of any such party, in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act. This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, upon 60 days’ written notice, by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company, or by the vote of the Board, or by the Adviser. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as such term is defined for purposes of Section 15(a)(4) of the Investment Company Act). The provisions of Paragraph 8 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect, and the Adviser shall remain entitled to the benefits thereof, notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement.

10.       Notices.

Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered or mailed, postage prepaid, to the other party at its principal office.

11.       Amendments.

This Agreement may be amended pursuant to a written instrument by mutual consent of the parties.

12.       Entire Agreement; Governing Law.

This Agreement, the Administration Agreement and that certain License Agreement, dated as of July 27, 2021, as may be amended from time to time, by and between the Company and the Adviser, in its capacity as licensor, contain the entire agreement of the parties and supersede all prior agreements, understandings and arrangements with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York and the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act. To the extent the applicable laws of the State of New York, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the provisions of the Investment Company Act, the latter shall control. To the fullest extent permitted by law, in the event of any dispute arising out of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the parties hereto consent and submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York in the county of New York, and of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

13. No Third-Party Beneficiary.

Other than expressly provided for in Paragraph 8 of this Agreement, this Agreement does not, and is not intended to, confer any rights or remedies upon any person other than the parties to this Agreement; there are no third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement, including, but not limited to, stockholders of the Company.

14.       Severability.

Every term and provision of this Agreement is intended to be severable. If any term or provision hereof is illegal or invalid for any reason whatsoever, such term or provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law and, in any event, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the validity of the remainder of this Agreement.

15.       Counterparts.

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which taken together shall constitute a single agreement. Either party may deliver an executed copy of this Agreement, and of any documents contemplated hereby, by facsimile or other electronic transmission to the other party, and such delivery shall have the same force and effect as any other delivery of a manually signed copy of this Agreement or of such other documents.

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed on the date first above written.

[Signature Page to Investment Advisory Agreement]

Appendix A

Example 1: Incentive Fee on Income for Each Quarter

Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income does not exceed hurdle rate; therefore, there is no Incentive Fee on Income.

Scenario 2

Assumptions

Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income exceeds the hurdle rate, but does not fully satisfy the “catch-up” provision; therefore, the Incentive Fee on Income is 0.2625%.

Scenario 3

Assumptions

= 0.44%

Incentive Fee on Income = (100% × 0.44%) + (20% × (2.6125% - 2.19%))

     = 0.44% + (20% × 0.4225%)

 Assumptions

  Year 1: $20 million investment made in Company A (“Investment A”) and $30 million investment made in Company B (“Investment B”)

Scenario 2

Assumptions

The Incentive Fee on Capital Gains, if any, would be: