A. Firm Description; Fund Management Services to Fund-of-Funds
GLL Investors, LLC (“GLL”) is an SEC-registered investment adviser located in Chicago,
Illinois. It is majority owned by Stephen Gilboy and has been in operation since 1994 and
registered with the SEC since 2015.
GLL manages five of its own private funds (“the GLL Funds”), which in turn invest in
private hedge funds (“Portfolio Funds”). Therefore, the GLL Funds are each referred to as a
“fund-of-funds”. The five Funds which GLL manages are:
-- GLL Investors, L.P. for Accredited Investors. (a 3(c)(1) Fund)
-- GLL Investors II, L.P. for Qualified Purchasers * (a 3(c)(7) Fund)
-- GLL Investors Ltd, for U.S. Tax-Exempt Investors and for
non-U.S. Accredited Investors. (a 3(c)(1) Fund)
--GLL Health Sciences Fund, LLC for Qualified Purchasers (a 3(c)(7) Fund)
--GLL Health Sciences Fund Ltd for Qualified Purchaser (a 3(c)(7) Fund)
A strategy of investing into multiple other funds, fund managers, strategies, or portfolios,
rather than investing directly in stocks, bonds or other securities, is referred to as “fund-of-funds”
strategy, or a “multi-manager” strategy, or “multi-manager fund”, or a “multi-strategy” fund.
“Qualified Purchaser” includes natural persons who own $5 million or more in
investments, and persons who manage $25 million or more in investments for their account or
other accounts of other qualified purchasers, as defined under section 2(a)(51)(A) the 1940 Act.
1. Fund-of-Funds Approach
GLL invests the assets of its GLL Funds into approximately 10 private hedge funds
(“Portfolio Funds”), with varying and diversified investment strategies which are managed by
other managers (the “Portfolio Managers”).
Hedge funds are opportunistic, agile and flexible compared with some other asset
classes, which can be beneficial to investors during periods of risk aversion. The fund-of-funds
approach typically creates more diversification in strategy, agility and scalability, compared to an
investment model investing directly into stocks, bonds, options, commodities and other
securities. The fund-of-funds approach allows investors to achieve a broad diversification and
an appropriate asset allocation of investments in a variety of fund categories are all bundled into
one fund.
2. No Other Services or Products Offered
GLL is a Fund Manager of five private fund-of-funds. Other than selling the interests in
the five funds, and acting as the investment manager for those funds, GLL does not offer or sell
any other services or products. No wrap fee programs are offered.
GLL does not tailor its investment management services to individual needs of any
investor because the service GLL offers is only that of managing its own Funds and providing
investment management services to the Funds. The investor may choose to invest in one of the
GLL Funds, and by doing so it accepts GLL is the discretionary Investment Manager. Investors
do not have the option of imposing restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of
securities, because the investments into the Portfolio Funds are left completely in the discretion
of GLL.
3. Assets Under Management
GLL managed $ 188,069,279 in assets as of December 31, 2023, in the five Funds it
managed as of December 31, 2023, which includes two offshore funds. GLL manages a total
of
five clients (the five GLL Funds). The GLL Funds are considered “Securities Portfolios” or
“Accounts”, since the Funds invest into other Portfolio Funds, and those investments are
managed on a “discretionary” basis, since GLL as the Fund Manager has the authority to
determine into which Portfolio Funds the GLL Funds will invest.
4. Investment Decisions By Principals
Investment decisions and business decisions are made by GLL with the three principals
evaluating, discussing and agreeing. The three principals are Stephen Gilboy, Jason Gilboy
and Mike Newlander (“Three Principals”).
5. Principals Personally Invested in GLL Funds
The three Principals of GLL have each invested in the GLL Funds, including their own
retirement accounts. They invest by purchasing interests in the GLL Funds.
6. Investment Objective
The investment objective of GLL is to achieve capital appreciation by allocating the GLL
Fund assets among a number of outside investment managers, Portfolio Managers who, as a
group, employ a diverse range of alternative investment strategies and trading techniques
across various sectors. Strategies currently include: Health Sciences, Equity Volatility Trader,
Long/Short Equity Trader with historical negative beta and positive alpha, Long/Short Equity
Trader with S & P put option protection, Credit Investors/Traders, and Activist Investing. GLL
Health Sciences Fund LLC and GLL Health Sciences Fund Ltd. invest primarily in long/short
managers who implement alternative investment strategies focusing primarily in the global
health sciences sector as determined by the Portfolio Manager.
7. Leverage
The GLL Funds use no leverage. GLL is permitted to employ leverage (borrowing of
money or securities) as an element of its strategy. The underlying Portfolio Funds are also
permitted to employ leverage. See a detailed explanation and the risks of Leverage, described
in Item 8.A, i
n Leverage and Risks of Leverage.
8. GLL Managed Account, LLC
In 2020, GLL created the GLL Managed Account, LLC (the “Account”) for the purpose of
providing hedge protection for its five funds. The Account is managed by an outside manager,
and GLL does not receive any advisory fees or other benefits from the Account. The only
investors in the Account are three of the GLL funds.
B. Investment Advisory Committee
An advisory committee of five members outside of GLL serves GLL by providing general
business advice and advice that may assist GLL in evaluating investments in the Portfolio
Funds, based on the committee member’s specific background and expertise (“Investment
Advisory Committee”). The Investment Advisory Committee members’ backgrounds reflect their
diverse business experience and their many years of experience in the derivatives trading
business and in other disciplines. The Investment Advisory Committee has no authority over
the management and operations of GLL or the GLL Funds. However, GLL generally takes into
account the recommendations of the Investment Advisory Committee in GLL’s decision-making
process for the Funds. Each of the Investment Advisory Committee members is also an
investor in one or more of the GLL Funds.