Note 1. ORGANIZATION

Rand Capital Corporation (“Rand”, the “Corporation”, “we”, “us” and “our”) was incorporated under the laws of New York in February 1969. We completed our initial public offering in 1971 and operated as an internally managed, closed end, management investment company from that time until November 2019.

In November 2019, Rand completed a stock sale transaction (the “Closing”) with East Asset Management (“East”). The transaction consisted of a $25 million investment in Rand by East, in the form of cash and contributed portfolio assets, in exchange for approximately 8.3 million shares of Rand common stock. East owns approximately 64% of Rand’s outstanding common stock at March 31, 2026. Concurrent with the Closing, Rand Capital Management, LLC (“RCM”), a registered investment adviser, was retained by Rand as its external investment adviser and administrator (the Closing and the retention of RCM as our investment adviser and administrator are collectively referred to herein as the “Transaction”). The term of the investment advisory and management agreement (the “Investment Management Agreement”) with RCM was extended after approval of its renewal by our Board of Directors (the “Board”) in October 2025 and is currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2026. In addition, the term of the administration agreement (the “Administration Agreement”) with RCM was extended after approval of its renewal by the Board in October 2025 and is currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2026. The Investment Management Agreement and Administration Agreement can continue for successive annual periods after December 31, 2026 provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) (A) the affirmative vote of a majority of the Board or (B) the affirmative vote of a majority of our outstanding voting securities, and (ii) the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors who are not “interested persons,” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), of us, RCM or our respective affiliates. Pursuant to the terms of the Investment Management Agreement, Rand pays RCM a base management fee and may pay an incentive fee, if specified benchmarks are met.

In connection with the Closing, we also entered into a shareholder agreement with East (the “Shareholder Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Shareholder Agreement, East has the right to designate two or three persons, depending upon the size of the Board, for nomination for election to the Board. East has the right to designate (i) up to two persons if the size of the Board is composed of fewer than seven directors or (ii) up to three persons if the size of the Board is composed of seven or more directors. East’s right to designate persons for nomination for election to the Board under the Shareholder Agreement is the exclusive means by which East may designate or nominate persons for election to the Board. The Board currently consists of five directors, and Adam S. Gusky and Benjamin E. Godley are East’s designees on the Board.

We currently operate as an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company. We have elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the 1940 Act. As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements specified in the 1940 Act. For instance, we generally have to invest at least 70% of our total assets in “qualifying assets” and provide managerial assistance to the portfolio companies in which we invest. See “Item 1. Business - Regulations, Business Development Company Regulations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.

In connection with the completion of the Transaction, we have shifted to an investment strategy focused on higher yielding debt investments and elected U.S. Federal tax treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”).

In order to continue to qualify as a RIC, Rand holds several of its equity investments in wholly-owned subsidiaries that facilitate a tax structure that is advantageous to the RIC election. Rand has the following wholly-owned blocker subsidiaries at March 31, 2026: Rand BMP Swanson Holdings Corp., Rand Carolina Skiff Holdings Corp., Rand DSD Holdings Corp., Rand Filterworks Holdings Corp., Rand FSS Holdings Corp., Rand INEA Holdings Corp., and Rand ITA Holdings Corp. (collectively the “Blocker Corps”). These subsidiaries are consolidated with the Corporation under United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for financial reporting purposes.

On November 14, 2025, Rand, RCM and certain of RCM’s affiliates were granted a new order for exemptive relief (the “Order”) by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) that superseded all prior co-investment exemptive relief orders issued to Rand and its affiliates by the SEC. The Order permits Rand to co-invest in portfolio companies with certain of RCM’s affiliates if such co-investments are done on the same terms and at the same time, as further detailed in the Order. The Order requires that a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of the Board make certain findings (1) in most instances when Rand co-invests with RCM’s affiliates in an issuer where RCM’s affiliates have an existing investment in the issuer, and (2) if Rand disposes of an investment acquired in a co-investment transaction unless the disposition is done on a pro rata basis. Pursuant to the Order, the Board oversees Rand’s participation in the co-investment program. As required by the Order, Rand has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the terms of the Order, and RCM’s and Rand’s Chief Compliance Officers will provide reporting to the Board regarding compliance with such policies and procedures.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements describe the operations of Rand and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Rand Capital Sub, LLC (“Rand Sub”) and the Blocker Corps (collectively, the “Corporation”).

Our corporate office is located in Buffalo, NY and our website address is www.randcapital.com. We make available on our website our annual and quarterly reports, proxy statements and other information as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is filed with the SEC. Our shares are traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “RAND.”