Generally
The firm was established in 1971 by Louis Kelso, who is commonly referred to as the inventor of
the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”). The firm operated as an advisory firm throughout
most of the 1970s, assisting numerous companies with change-of-control transactions structured
through ESOPs. The firm is one of the founding firms in private equity, with over 40 years of
investment experience. In 1980, the firm formed its first investment partnership to make direct
equity investments in companies, helping to pioneer the structures utilized in the early days of the
private equity industry. Kelso & Company, L.P. (“Kelso”) is a Delaware limited partnership, and
has been registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) since March, 2012. Kelso focuses on middle-market private equity investments primarily
in North America. Our principal place of business is New York, New York.
Principal Owners
The Adviser is principally controlled by its general partner, Kelso & Company, LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company, and is beneficially owned by the Partners (as defined below).
The day-to-day affairs of the Adviser are generally managed by Philip E. Berney, Frank J.
Loverro, Christopher L. Collins, A. Lynn Alexander, Frank K. Bynum, Jr., David L. Cohen, James
J. Connors, II, Stephen C. Dutton, Matthew S. Edgerton, William C. Frayer, Michael B. Goldberg,
Alec J. Hufnagel, Joseph M. Kopilak, Henry Mannix III, George E. Matelich, Howard A. Matlin,
Church M. Moore, Beth G. Neumann, Michael P. Nichols, Frank T. Nickell, Stanley de J. Osborne,
David I. Wahrhaftig, Thomas R. Wall, IV, and William Woo (collectively, the “Partners”).
Advisory Services
The Adviser provides investment advisory services to privately offered funds, which are
investment vehicles that are exempt from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940,
as amended (the “40 Act”), and whose securities are not registered under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended. The Adviser currently serves as the investment manager for Kelso Investment
Associates VII, L.P. and KIA VII Feeder, L.P. (collectively, “Fund VII”), Kelso Investment
Associates VIII, L.P. and KIA VIII Feeder, L.P. (collectively, “Fund VIII”), Kelso Investment
Associates IX, L.P. and KIA IX Feeder, L.P. (collectively, “Fund IX”), Kelso Investment
Associates X, L.P. and KIA X Feeder, L.P. (collectively, “Fund X”) and Kelso Investment
Associates XI, L.P. and KIA XI Feeder, L.P. (collectively, “Fund XI”, and together with Fund
VII, Fund VIII, Fund IX and Fund X, the “Primary Funds”), as well as certain related investment
vehicles and other funds described below. KIA VII Feeder, L.P, KIA VIII Feeder, L.P., KIA IX
Feeder, L.P., KIA X Feeder, L.P., and KIA XI Feeder, L.P. (each, a “Feeder Fund”, and
collectively, “Feeder Funds”) are “feeder” vehicles organized to invest exclusively in the relevant
Primary Fund.
The investment strategy of the Adviser is described in Item 8 below and set forth more
fully in the private placement memoranda (as supplemented or amended, the “Private Placement
Memoranda”) of each Primary Fund. The Adviser provides services to each Primary Fund or other
Fund (described below), as applicable, in accordance with the limited partnership or similar
governing agreement of such Primary Fund or other Fund, as applicable (each, a “Partnership
Agreement”), and the management agreement between the Adviser and such Primary Fund or
other Fund, as applicable (each, a “Management Agreement”). The Adviser’s investment advice
to the Primary Funds and to certain other Funds, is limited to the type of advice described in this
Brochure.
Fund Structure
As a general matter, the Primary Funds are managed by the Adviser, which investigates,
analyzes, structures and negotiates potential investments. The Adviser has general authority to
recommend investments to the general partner of each Primary Fund (the “General Partners”),
subject to the limitations set forth in the Management Agreements and Partnership Agreements of
the Primary Funds. The management and the conduct of the activities of each Primary Fund remain
the ultimate responsibility of such Primary Fund’s General Partner. The General Partner of each
Primary Fund is an affiliate of the Adviser.
The Adviser may establish additional vehicles to allow certain persons to invest alongside
a Primary Fund in one or more investment opportunities (each such vehicle, a “Co-Investment
Fund”). Such Co-Investment Funds include: KEP VI, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
(“KEP VI”), KEP X, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“KEP X”), KEP XI, LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company (“KEP XI”), KSN Fund IX, L.P., a Delaware limited
partnership (“KSN IX”), KSN Fund X, L.P. a Delaware limited partnership (“KSN X”) and KSN
Fund XI, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“KSN XI”, and together with KEP VI, KEP X,
KEP XI, KSN IX and KSN X and their related vehicles, the “Kelso Investment Funds”). The Kelso
Investment Funds provide the Adviser’s employees, outside directors, consultants and advisors,
other executives and portfolio company management teams (collectively, the “Kelso Investors”)
with the opportunity to invest alongside certain Primary Funds in all deals (e.g., KSN IX, KSN X
and KSN XI have been formed to invest alongside Fund IX, Fund X and Fund XI, respectively).
Commencing with Fund IX, the Adviser established a co-investment program pursuant to which
Co-Investment Funds have been formed to invest alongside Fund IX, Fund X, and Fund XI in
certain specific investments. The Advisor may form other Co-Investment Funds in the future.
Traditionally, KEP VI (which, historically, was the sole Kelso Investment Fund) had
elected an investment percentage in advance for each year to participate in all investments
(including follow-on investments) made by Fund VII
and Fund VIII during such year. However,
the Kelso Investment Funds investing alongside Fund IX (together with the general partner of
Fund IX) have instead committed in the aggregate a fixed amount equal to $625 million to invest
in or alongside Fund IX, which commitment will not be reduced except in connection with the
termination of employment or affiliation of certain persons with the Adviser (such amount, the
“Kelso IX Commitment”). The Kelso Investment Funds investing in or alongside Fund X have
committed to invest approximately 11% of third-party capital commitments (the “Kelso X
Commitment”). The Kelso Investment Funds investing in or alongside Fund XI have committed
to invest approximately 14% of third-party capital commitments (the “Kelso XI Commitment”).
As a general matter, any investment by a Co-Investment Fund (including Kelso Investment Funds)
will be on terms and conditions not more favorable than the terms and conditions of the investment
by the applicable Primary Fund. Co-investment opportunities may be made available through
limited partnerships or other entities, the terms of which are permitted to differ from those of the
applicable Primary Fund. Kelso is not expected to offer co-investment with respect to all of the
relevant Primary Fund’s investments. While the General Partner generally intends to make co-
investment opportunities available to Limited Partners (and may also make such opportunities
available to affiliates or designees of Limited Partners or other persons), there can be no assurances
with respect to the amount of any co-investment opportunity that will be made available in
connection with the applicable Primary Fund. Being a Limited Partner of the applicable Primary
Fund does not entitle any Limited Partner to a right to participate in any co-investment opportunity.
In connection with a follow-on investment, if the side-by-side investment percentage
changes with respect to the investment made by a Kelso Investment Fund during the period
between the date of the initial investment and the date of the follow-on investment, the share of
the follow-on investment allocated to such Kelso Investment Fund will be based upon the side-by-
side investment percentage at the time such follow-on investment is made in accordance with the
applicable Partnership Agreement or similar governing agreement of such Kelso Investment Fund.
Additionally, in the event that a Co-Investment Fund (other than a Kelso Investment Fund) is
called upon to provide follow-on funding, to the extent not obligated to provide follow-on funding,
such Co-Investment Fund will generally have the opportunity to participate in such follow-on
investment based upon its then existing sharing percentage. However, if the members of a Co-
Investment Fund elect not to participate in a follow-on investment, and certain but not all of the
members decide to participate in such additional investment, the members that do not participate
will generally suffer a proportional dilution of their overall investment.
In addition, the Adviser may offer certain interested co-investors and other third-parties the
opportunity to invest directly or indirectly in the debt and/or equity capital structure of a portfolio
company. The terms of any such debt investment opportunity may be more or less favorable than
terms that may be available from other third-party debt investors.
The General Partner will have the right in connection with any investment to structure the
participation of some or all of the Limited Partners in one or more portfolio investments through
one or more alternative investment vehicles (“Alternative Investment Vehicles”) if, in the
judgment of the relevant General Partner, the use of such vehicle or vehicles would allow the
applicable Primary Fund or its investors to address certain legal or regulatory constraints that may
arise in connection with a transaction or transactions or invest in such transaction or transactions
in a more tax efficient manner and/or would facilitate participation in certain types of investments.
Any Alternative Investment Vehicle generally will contain terms and conditions substantially
similar to those of the applicable Primary Fund (except as may be advisable to address such legal,
regulatory or tax constraints) and will be managed by Kelso or an affiliate thereof. The profits and
losses of an Alternative Investment Vehicle generally will be aggregated with those of the
applicable Primary Fund for purposes of determining distributions by either the applicable Primary
Fund or such vehicle, unless the General Partner elects otherwise in its sole discretion based on a
determination that such aggregation could increase the risk of any adverse tax or other
consequences.
The Primary Funds, Co-Investment Funds (including the Kelso Investment Funds), Feeder
Funds, Alternative Investment Vehicles and certain other funds are collectively referred to as the
“Funds.”
The general partners and other managing entities of the Funds described above are
collectively referred to as the “General Partners” in this Brochure. The limited partners, investors
and members of the Funds described above are collectively referred to as “Limited Partners” in
this Brochure.
Investment Restrictions
The advice provided by the Adviser and its affiliates to each Fund is tailored to meet the
individual investment objectives and restrictions of each Fund. Each Partnership Agreement
imposes restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of securities.
Management of Client Assets
As of December 31, 2023, the Adviser had Regulatory Assets Under Management totaling
$16,585,927,863 on a discretionary basis. Kelso does not manage assets on a nondiscretionary
basis. The term “Regulatory Assets Under Management” is defined by the SEC in the instructions
to Form ADV, and is calculated in accordance with the requirements prescribed by the SEC.