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Item 1 – Cover Page
Bienville Capital Management, LLC
521 Fifth Avenue, 35th Floor
New York, NY 10175
(212) 226-7348
WWW.BIENVILLECAPITAL.COM
Part 2A of Form ADV: Firm Brochure
March 2025
This brochure (the “Brochure”) provides information about the qualifications and business practices of Bienville
Capital Management, LLC (“Bienville”, the “Firm” or “we”).
If you have any questions about the contents of this brochure, please contact Abigail Penzell at (212) 226-7348.
The information in this Brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”) or by any state securities authority.
Additional information about Bienville is also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. You can
view information on this website by searching Bienville’s name or its CRD number, 149320.
Bienville is a SEC registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply any level of skill or training.
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ITEM 2 – MATERIAL CHANGES
There have been no material changes to this Brochure since the last annual amendment filing dated March 2024.
Bienville does not consider any changes in its March 2025 annual update of this Brochure to be material but
recommends that you read this Brochure in its entirety.
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ITEM 3 – TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item 1 – Cover Page
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Item 2 – Material Changes
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Item 3 – Table of Contents
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Item 4 – Advisory Business
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Item 5 – Fees and Compensation
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Item 6 – Performance-Based Fees and Side-By-Side Management
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Item 7 – Types of Clients
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Item 8 – Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
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Item 9 – Disciplinary Information
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Item 10 – Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
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Item 11 – Code of Ethics, Participation or Interests in Client Transactions and Personal Trading
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Item 12 – Brokerage Practices
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Item 13 – Review of Accounts
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Item 14 – Client Referrals and Other Compensation
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Item 15 – Custody
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Item 16 – Investment Discretion
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Item 17 – Voting Client Securities
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Item 18 – Financial Information
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ITEM 4 – ADVISORY BUSINESS
Bienville Capital Management, LLC (“Bienville”, the “Firm” or “we”) is an investment firm that works with a select
group of sophisticated families and institutional clients as an advisor and fund manager. The Firm was formed in
December 2008, under the laws of the State of Delaware and has its principal place of business in New York City.
The principal owners of the Firm are M. Cullen Thompson, Jr., William H. Stimpson, II and Ralph F. Reynolds
(through his wholly owned limited liability company, MoonPie Management, LLC and the Ralph F. Reynolds
Children's Trust of 2011).
Bienville provides customized investment advisory services on a discretionary and non-discretionary basis to its
advisory clients (“Advisory Clients”), provides consulting services on a non-discretionary basis to a select number
of consulting clients (“Consulting Clients”) and serves as the investment manager to private funds and certain
institutional separately managed accounts as described below (collectively, the “Private Funds”, and together
with the Advisory Clients and Consulting Clients, the “Clients”).
The Firm works closely with its Advisory Clients to identify their goals, objectives, risk tolerance, tax sensitivities
and liquidity needs and then constructs portfolios tailored to the individual Client. The Firm also works closely
with a select number of Consulting Clients to identify their goals, objectives, risk tolerance and liquidity needs and
then advises on such Clients’ existing investment portfolios and asset allocation and upon request, provides
economic and financial market analysis and risk analysis. Importantly, the principals of the Firm and their families
are Advisory Clients of the Firm.
The Firm’s Private Funds are managed in accordance with the applicable Private Fund’s strategy, investment
objectives, restrictions and guidelines as set forth in the governing documents applicable to such Private Funds
and are not tailored to the individualized needs of any particular investor in the Private Funds. For the avoidance
of doubt, in connection with the Private Funds, investment advice is provided directly to the Private Funds and
not individually to the Private Funds’ investors. Therefore, prospective investors should consider whether a
particular Private Fund meets their investment objectives and risk tolerance prior to investing. Information about
each of the Private Funds can be found in its offering documents and its limited partnership agreement or limited
liability company agreement.
Bienville invests across geographies and asset classes in the Private Funds, utilizing an unconstrained and
opportunistic approach in constructing portfolios. Fundamental macro analysis is the starting point of the Firm’s
research process, enabling it to understand the landscape and identify areas of potential interest as well as areas
to avoid. Bienville allocates capital directly or to external managers or externally managed private funds.
Bienville serves as the investment manager to the following Private Funds:
• Concentrated Opportunity Funds: Bienville Private Holdings II, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities
Master Series Fund, LLC, Bienville Private Holdings III, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master
Series Fund, LLC, Bienville Fractal Seed Fund, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series
Fund, LLC, Bienville Fractal Early-Stage Fund, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series
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•
Fund, LLC, Bienville Fractal Seed Fund II, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund,
LLC and from time to time, certain thematic institutional separately managed accounts (collectively, the
“Opportunity Funds”);
Informatic Funds: Informatic Capital Onshore Fund, LP, Informatic Capital Offshore Fund, Ltd. and
Informatic Capital Master Fund, LP (collectively, the “Informatic Funds”); and
• Hybrid Strategy Funds: Bienville Capital Partners, LP, Bienville Ventures, LP, Bienville Private Opportunities
Fund, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC, Bienville Private Opportunities
Fund II, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC and Bienville Blockchain Fund,
a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC (collectively, the “Hybrid Funds”).
Interests in the Private Funds are privately offered pursuant to Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the “Securities Act”).
Bienville acts as a sub-advisor to a small number of separately managed accounts across our advisory and
institutional separate account clients.
Bienville does not participate in, nor is it a sponsor of, any wrap fee programs.
As of December 31, 2024, Bienville managed $3,750,804,666 in total Regulatory Assets Under Management (as
defined on Part 1 of Form ADV), which includes:
● $1,572,572,005 in assets managed on a discretionary basis; and
● $2,178,232,661 in assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.
The Firm also advises on other assets that are not included in its Regulatory Assets Under Management, which
include:
• $614,415,471 in assets for which the Firm provides consulting advice but does not arrange or effect
securities transactions.1
1 Please note that Bienville’s method for computing assets for which it provides consulting advice provided in this Item 4.E is different
from the method for computing “regulatory assets under management” required for Item 5.F in ADV Part 1A. Bienville’s “regulatory
assets under management” as of December 31, 2024 can be found in its response to Item 5.F of Form ADV Part 1A, which is available
at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
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ITEM 5 – FEES AND COMPENSATION
Fees for Managed Accounts – Advisory and Consulting Clients
Bienville’s fees are described generally below and are detailed in each of our Advisory Client and Consulting Client
agreements. Different fee schedules may apply to different types of Clients and advisory arrangements. Bienville,
in its sole discretion, may negotiate or waive advisory or management fees on a Client-by-Client basis. The Firm
typically values each Client’s portfolio for purposes of fee billing in accordance with Bienville’s valuation policies
and procedures and, as applicable, Clients’ governing documents (i.e., investment management agreement), as
further described below. Please see Item 8 for valuation risk disclosure.
The fee for Advisory Client services is typically charged and deducted quarterly, in advance, based upon a
percentage of the market value of the assets being managed by Bienville on the last day of the previous quarter.
Thus, the fee will vary depending on the market value of the assets under management. Bienville’s advisory fee
schedule is generally as follows:
PORTFOLIO VALUE
ANNUAL BASE FEE
Up to $50,000,000
1.00%
Above $50,000,000 - $150,000,000
Above $150,000,000
0.75%
0.50%
Bienville generally charges a negotiated fixed flat fee for its Consulting Client services.
Advisory Clients and Consulting Clients may elect to have fees billed rather than deducted.
In the event an Advisory Client or Consulting Client agreement is terminated prior to the conclusion of a billing
period, Bienville will refund a pro-rata portion of any pre-paid fees or bill a pro-rata portion based on date of
termination. Fees will generally not be adjusted or prorated based on the number of days remaining in the quarter
with respect to assets that are deposited into or withdrawn from an account after the inception of a quarter.
Certain Advisory Client agreements provide for prorated billing in the event Advisory Client account assets change
by more than 5% intra quarter based on account additions or withdrawals.
Advisory and Consulting Clients have access to Addepar, our online performance reporting software, which allows
them to view their portfolios. The Addepar portal allows Advisory and Consulting Clients to view portfolio
performance, asset allocation, security level exposure, additions and withdrawals from the account(s), all
transactions for a specified period, fees paid, realized and unrealized gains and liquidity analysis on a daily basis.
Advisory and Consulting Clients also receive performance reporting directly from their custodians.
Bienville reports the value of Advisory Clients’ investment portfolios to the Client on a periodic basis, generally
quarterly. Bienville provides such reporting according to the terms described in an Advisory Client’s investment
management agreement and Bienville’s valuation policies and procedures. The value of the portfolio of an
Advisory Client is often the basis of management fees paid to Bienville. Bienville generally will not value the
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securities in an Advisory Client’s account. Rather, Bienville generally relies upon values provided by the Advisory
Client’s custodian, unaffiliated third-party fund managers, separate accounts and/or direct private investments,
as applicable. Publicly-traded securities in Client portfolios will generally be valued at the price of such securities
as reported by exchanges, the Client’s custodian or an independent pricing service. For Client assets that are
invested in unaffiliated third-party manager funds, separate accounts and/or direct private investments, Bienville
will use the price provided by any such third-party fund manager, separate account or direct private investment
to value the assets. In the event that Bienville must internally “fair value” an investment, Bienville will use its best
efforts and all appropriate means to obtain all relevant information in order to determine a fair value. If it is
deemed necessary or prudent, Bienville may hire an independent third party to provide an appraisal of the
investment.
Fees for Private Funds
Below is a brief summary of certain fees and expenses paid by the Private Funds. Investors and prospective
investors are advised to review the relevant Private Fund’s governing documents for a more comprehensive
discussion of fees and expenses.
Concentrated Opportunity Funds
For management of the Opportunity Funds, Bienville deducts a management fee ranging from 0% to 2% of each
of the Opportunity Fund’s assets per annum. Bienville Private Holdings II holds a single private investment and
does not charge a management fee. Bienville Private Holdings III holds a single investment in each of its classes,
does not charge a management fee and, depending on the class, may generally be entitled to receive a percentage
of profits from the fund as described in the governing documents of the fund. For Bienville Private Holdings II,
Bienville is generally entitled to receive 20% of the profits from the fund after satisfaction of the preferred return
pursuant to a distribution waterfall described in the governing documents of the fund. For Bienville Fractal Seed
Fund, Bienville Fractal Early-Stage Fund and Bienville Fractal Seed Fund II, Bienville is generally entitled to receive
20% of the profits from the fund.
Informatic Funds
For management of the onshore and offshore Informatic Funds, Bienville deducts a management fee ranging from
0% to 1.5% per annum. The Informatic Funds calculate and pay the Management Fee quarterly in advance based
on net asset value and amortize the management fee monthly over the fiscal quarter for which such management
fee is paid. In addition, Bienville is generally entitled to receive an incentive allocation of 15% to 20% of the realized
and unrealized net capital appreciation of each investor’s capital account, subject to lock-up, hurdle and general
partner catch-up terms as described in the governing documents.
Hybrid Strategy Funds
For management of the Hybrid Funds, Bienville deducts a management fee ranging from 0% to 2% of each of the
Hybrid Fund’s assets, committed or invested capital, as applicable, per annum. The Management Fee is based on
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the net asset value of the applicable Hybrid Fund and is prorated and charged quarterly in advance. Additionally,
for Bienville Capital Partners, LP, Bienville will charge an incentive allocation of 10% of the realized and unrealized
net capital appreciation in the fund, subject to a high-water mark as described in the governing documents. For
Bienville Ventures, LP, Bienville is generally entitled to receive 10% of the profit of the fund after on an aggregate
basis 200% of contributed capital is returned to investors, as described in the governing documents of the fund.
Such amount is also subject to a clawback provision. For Bienville Private Opportunities Fund, a separate series of
Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC, Bienville is generally entitled to receive 15% of the profits from
the fund after satisfaction of the preferred return pursuant to a distribution waterfall, as described in the
governing documents of the fund. Such amount is also subject to a clawback provision. For Bienville Private
Opportunities Fund II, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC, Bienville is generally
entitled to receive 17.5% of the profits from the fund after satisfaction of the preferred return pursuant to a
distribution waterfall, as described in the governing documents of the fund. For Bienville Blockchain Fund, a
separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC, Bienville is generally entitled to receive 20% of
the profits from the fund after investors have received three times their capital contributions, and 25% thereafter,
as described in the governing documents of the fund.
Institutional Separately Managed Accounts
For institutional separately managed accounts that are or were managed parallel or thematic to a Private Fund,
Management Fees and performance fees are negotiated on a case-by-case basis. For institutional separately
managed accounts, Management Fees typically range from 1% to 1.5% and performance fees range from 10% to
15% of net profits for the relevant measurement period.
General
In the sole discretion of Bienville, the management fees, performance fees and carried interest arrangements
described above may be waived, reduced or calculated differently with respect to certain shares or interests in a
particular Private Fund. If an Advisory Client invests in the Private Funds, Bienville charges the applicable Private
Fund management fee but does not charge an additional advisory client management fee on the assets invested
in the Private Funds to avoid charging “double fees”. The management fees, performance fees and liquidity terms
applicable to an investor’s investment in the Private Funds may vary depending on the share class of the particular
Private Fund in which it invests. Certain investors that are members, shareholders, partners, officers, employees
and affiliates of Bienville, members of the immediate families of such persons and trusts or other entities
established by them or for their benefit are not subject to management fees, performance fees or carried interest.
Valuation methodologies for Private Funds and the specific administrator’s role should be set forth in the offering
memorandum for the Private Funds or the applicable governing documents.
The administrator performs monthly or quarterly valuation procedures on behalf of Private Funds. Investments
will generally be valued by the administrator as of the close of U.S. markets on each measurement date and/or
independent pricing services engaged by the administrator. In instances where an investment is denominated in
currencies of certain foreign markets, the closing time of the appropriate local exchange on that measurement
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date may be used. For Private Fund assets that are invested in unaffiliated third-party funds, separate accounts
and/or direct private investments, the administrator and Bienville will use the price provided by any such third-
party fund manager, separate account or direct private investment to value the assets. In the event that Bienville
must internally “fair value” an investment (e.g., direct private companies and certain side pocket investments),
Bienville will follow its valuation policies and procedures and applicable Private Fund governing documents (i.e.,
limited partnership agreement) and obtain all relevant information in order to determine a fair value. If it is
deemed necessary or prudent, Bienville may hire an independent third-party to provide an appraisal of the
investment. Please refer to Item 6 for additional disclosure regarding Private Fund fees.
Client Expenses
Clients will incur brokerage and other transaction costs. Please see Item 12 “Brokerage Practices” for more
information.
The Private Funds will generally bear their own expenses, as disclosed in each Private Fund’s offering documents
and governing documents. Expenses that the Private Funds may bear include, without limitation, all or some of
the following: organizational expenses, expenses incurred in offering and sale of interest and shares and other
similar expenses, investment expenses (i.e., expenses that, in Bienville’s discretion, are related to the investment
of a Private Fund’s assets, whether or not such investments are consummated), such as brokerage commissions
and transaction costs (including outsourced trading costs, please see Item 12 for more information), clearing and
settlement charges, custodial fees, research-related expenses (including, without limitation, consulting, legal and
other professional fees and expenses), third-party investment, sourcing, research and market data sourcing fees
(including information technology hardware, software or other technology), due diligence expenses (including
consulting and appraisal fees), investment-related travel expenses, professional fees (including expenses of
consultants, investment bankers, attorneys and accountants and other experts), operational expenses (including
information technology hardware, software or other technology, third-party trading-, risk management- and
portfolio-management-related systems and software, including trade order management software (i.e., software
used to transmit and receive trades and orders), legal and compliance expenses (including, without limitation,
responding to formal and informal inquiries, indemnification expenses and expenses associated with regulatory
filings), third-party audit and tax preparation expenses, insurance costs (including, without limitation, acquiring
and maintaining D&O and/or E&O insurance for the Private Fund general partners, Bienville and their affiliates),
fees and expenses of third-party professionals (including consultants, valuation service providers, attorneys and
accountants), side pocket expenses, litigation or investigation expenses, reorganization, dissolution, winding-up
or termination expenses, indemnification expenses and extraordinary expenses. Please see each Private Fund’s
respective offering documents for additional information related to expenses.
When Bienville incurs an expense, it must determine whether to pay the expense directly or allocate all or a
portion of the expense to one or more Clients. This creates a conflict of interest in that expenses allocated to
Clients are borne by Clients rather than by Bienville. Bienville has adopted and implemented written compliance
policies and procedures designed to address this conflict and ensure that Bienville abides by its fiduciary duty to
act in the best interests of Clients. Bienville makes these determinations in accordance with the language
contained in the Private Funds’ offering documents and our expense allocation policy, but there is some discretion
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involved. The Firm generally pays expenses that would otherwise be allocated to an Advisory or Consulting Client.
Clients that do not pay expenses may benefit from services paid for by other Clients or the Firm.
Bienville may recommend or invest a portion of Clients’ assets in accounts and/or funds managed by a third-party,
including but not limited to mutual funds, ETFs, private funds and separate accounts. Fees and expenses charged
by Bienville are separate and in addition to the fees and expenses charged by third-party managers and/or funds.
Clients are encouraged to read the governing documents of third-party managers and funds for a full description
of such fees and expenses.
Compensation for Sale of Securities
Bienville and Bienville’s supervised persons do not accept compensation for the sale of securities or other
investment products, including asset-based sales charges or service fees from the sale of mutual funds or other
investment products.
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ITEM 6 – PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
In general, Bienville does not charge performance-based fees directly to Advisory or Consulting Clients. As
discussed in Item 5, the Private Funds may pay Bienville performance-based fees. Although Bienville believes this
fee arrangement appropriately aligns the interests of the Firm and its Clients, including the Private Funds, it raises
certain conflicts of interest. For example, a performance fee may be an incentive for the Firm to make investments
that are riskier or more speculative than would be the case absent a performance fee arrangement. The
opportunity to earn more in fees is an inherent conflict of interest to recommend that Advisory and Consulting
Clients invest capital in the Private Funds. In addition, where Bienville charges performance-based fees and also
provides similar services to accounts not being charged performance-based fees, there is a perceived incentive to
favor accounts paying a performance-based fee. The Firm has implemented written compliance policies and
procedures that are designed to address conflicts of interest. Bienville’s investment allocation policies and
procedures are designed to allocate investment opportunities among Clients in a fair and equitable manner. The
Firm further mitigates conflicts through its policy to act in the best interests of Clients and to disclose (potential)
conflicts of interest to Clients and investors.
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ITEM 7 – TYPES OF CLIENTS
Bienville provides investment advice to individuals, family offices, endowments, foundations, charitable
organizations, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, business entities and the Private Funds.
For a new Advisory Client or Consulting Client relationship, Bienville generally requires a minimum initial
investment amount of $50,000,000. At its discretion, Bienville may waive this requirement.
Minimum initial investment and eligibility criteria for each of the Private Funds is described in the applicable
Private Fund’s offering documents and subscription application materials. The Private Funds generally require a
minimum initial investment of $1,000,000, subject to the sole discretion of each Private Fund’s general partner
or Bienville, as applicable, to accept lesser amounts. Minimum initial investment for institutional separately
managed accounts is determined by Bienville on a case-by-case basis. Further, each Private Fund investor,
including each institutional separately managed account client, is required to meet certain suitability and eligibility
criteria of the relevant Private Fund, such as being a “accredited investor” as defined in the Investment Company
Act of 1940.
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ITEM 8 – METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS
Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
Bienville’s research process and framework for evaluating investment opportunities includes, but is not limited to
macro and microeconomic analysis, fundamental research on individual companies, projects, digital assets, third-
party managers, industry sector analysis, country or geographically regional analysis and market based technical
and liquidity analysis. The Firm’s investment team has decades of experience conducting research and managing
investment portfolios but is consistently trying to refine and improve the tools and resources used in the research
process. The investment team travels believing that on the ground research and face to face meetings are crucial
to effective analysis. Additionally, Bienville spends a significant amount of time and resources vetting and
engaging independent, third-party consultants, advisors and partners to provide our team with differentiated
research and ideas.
The goal of the research process is to have an informed opinion on the risks and potential rewards of different
assets, asset classes, funds, strategies and investment opportunities. Bienville seeks to allocate capital to
opportunities it deems attractive and avoid those that are not while maintaining a diversified portfolio. Despite
the rigorous research process, not all investments are profitable. Some of the Firm’s private fund strategies
include additional risks that it discloses to all potential investors including foreign country risk, foreign currency
risk, illiquidity risk and increased volatility.
Managed Accounts – Advisory Clients and Consulting Clients
Bienville works with a limited number of individuals and family offices serving as their investment advisor.
Importantly, the principals of the Firm and their families are Clients of the Firm and invest alongside our external
Clients. We strive to create diversified portfolios for our Advisory and Consulting Clients—portfolios that can
withstand changing economic conditions while meeting the goals, risk tolerances, time horizon, tax sensitivities
and liquidity needs for each Client. To do so, we believe the assets within the portfolio need to have differing
drivers of returns, meaning they cannot be sensitive to the very same economic variables. Assessing the
prospective correlation of investments within a portfolio requires intense research, incorporating fundamental
analysis of different types of assets in light of constantly changing global macroeconomic conditions.
Advisory Clients may choose where to custody their assets, but Bienville encourages Advisory Clients to consider
Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services (“Fidelity”) and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab") when possible due to
Fidelity and Schwab’s low cost, ease of trading and reporting and client service. Bienville also advises or sub-
advises on investments held for a small number of Clients’ insurance products. In building and managing these
accounts, the Firm utilizes a combination of ETF’s, mutual funds, separately managed accounts, directly owned
securities, private funds, direct private equity and cash. Advisory and Consulting Clients have the option but are
not required to invest in any Bienville Private Fund. Please refer to Item 12 for additional disclosure regarding
brokerage practices.
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There are numerous risks for Advisory and Consulting Clients where Bienville serves as their investment advisor
directing managed accounts and allocating capital to external funds. These risks include under or overly diversified
portfolios, investments underperforming expectations resulting in either losses or smaller gains than expected,
correlation of assets changing resulting in more risk than anticipated and market liquidity changing such that
exiting existing positions becomes difficult to exit in a timely manner. The external managers that we recommend
(mutual funds, hedge funds, etc.) may modify their strategies, underperform expectations or respective
benchmarks or suspend or delay redemptions resulting in losses or diminished liquidity for the Advisory or
Consulting Client. Advisory and Consulting Clients are strongly encouraged to read all of the external managers’
and internal Private Funds’ governing documents as well as any marketing or research material to fully understand
the investment opportunities and various risks. Please see additional risks below.
Private Funds – Concentrated Opportunity Funds
Periodically the Firm will identify an investment opportunity that it believes can best be capitalized on by creating
and managing a stand-alone private fund. Current funds that follow this approach are Bienville Private Holdings
II, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC, Bienville Private Holdings III, a separate
series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC, Bienville Fractal Seed Fund, a separate series of Bienville
Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC, Bienville Fractal Early-Stage Fund, a separate series of Bienville
Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC and Bienville Fractal Seed Fund II, a separate series of Bienville
Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC. These funds tend to be focused on a single country, sector, investment,
company type or geographic region and usually have a defined life. They can be open or closed-ended funds and
are usually created to take advantage of a specific opportunity identified by Bienville. The goal of these funds is
to seek high returns. Often investments in these funds include additional liquidity risk, and therefore the funds
usually are close-ended or have hard lock ups for investors that range from 2 to 10 years. When the investment
thesis has played out, the fund is usually shut down and capital is returned to investors.
Bienville attempts to construct portfolios of high-conviction investment ideas and themes that result from
Bienville’s research process. Our approach to developing investment themes generally involves identifying specific
areas that we believe are primed for significant growth or transformation. We then seek to invest in assets that
are attractively valued and that will benefit from evolving economic and market dynamics, shifts in consumer
behavior or technological advancements. These changes can be powerful catalysts for asset prices and may or
may not be uncorrelated with the broader global economy.
Inherent in this process is an attempt to avoid fundamentally unattractive or overvalued assets, sectors and asset
classes, and therefore reduce risk in a portfolio. However, the profitability of our investments and
recommendations depend to a great extent upon correctly assessing the future course of price movements and
asset prices. There can be no assurance that Bienville will be able to predict those price movements accurately.
Bienville’s investment decisions may be adversely affected by general economic and market conditions such as
interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates, changes in laws in connection with national and international
political circumstances, as well as changes in individual company fundamentals.
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Prospective investors are strongly encouraged to read the Private Fund governing documents as well as any
marketing or research material to fully understand the investment opportunity and various risks. Please see
additional risks below.
Private Funds – Informatic Funds
The Informatic Funds are opportunistic investment funds focused on long-duration investments in emerging,
market leading technology companies. We believe that market corrections create compelling environments for
finding attractive long-term investments. Our focus is concentrated on a specific stage of the market leader life
cycle – the period when a company scales from high-growth disrupter to market dominance. During this stage,
we believe best-in-class market leaders maximize scale, extend into new markets and establish healthy and
durable unit economics.
The Informatic Funds’ investment process will focus on finding the value propositions, business models and
management teams that align to future market leadership in an attractive end market. The Informatic Funds will
seek to determine if a particular investment opportunity is compelling by analyzing it in light of several important
factors, including the long-term growth opportunity, competitive durability, returns on capital, balance sheet
health, valuation, and the company specific risk factors. As part of this process, the team will typically conduct
extensive research and due diligence, including quantitative and qualitative analysis of publicly available data, and
will generally seek to engage with company management teams. Prospective investors are strongly encouraged
to read the Private Fund governing documents for the Informatic Funds as well as any marketing or research
material to fully understand the investment opportunity and various risks. Please see additional risks below.
Private Funds – Hybrid Strategies
Bienville has created and manages certain private funds that employ a “hybrid” model whereby part of the
investor capital is allocated to external managers (e.g., hedge funds, venture capital funds, etc.), and part of the
capital is managed internally or invested directly by Bienville. Current funds that follow this approach are Bienville
Capital Partners, LP, Bienville Ventures, LP, Bienville Private Opportunities Fund, a separate series of Bienville
Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC, Bienville Private Opportunities Fund II, a separate series of Bienville
Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC and Bienville Blockchain Fund, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities
Master Series Fund, LLC. We believe this hybrid model is advantageous for investors, as it tends to provide
significant diversification, improved liquidity and provides the portfolio with more flexibility than a traditional fund
of funds while still allowing investors to access external specialist managers in an efficient manner. Often
investments in these funds include additional liquidity risk, and therefore with the exception of Bienville Capital
Partners, LP which is open-ended, these funds usually are close-ended or have hard lock ups for investors that
range from 2 to 10 years. When the investment thesis has played out, the fund is usually shut down and capital is
returned to investors.
For its hybrid strategies, Bienville allocates capital to external, specialist managers operating in niche markets or
sectors, where we believe they can deliver attractive, risk-adjusted returns. We look for external managers who
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complement our internal capabilities. The external manager selection process combines both qualitative and
quantitative analysis in order to gather a clear understanding of a manager’s strategy, style, team and process,
and how it would fit into the portfolio.
The Firm’s hybrid strategies introduce a number of risks for investors. External managers have varying liquidity
terms typically ranging from monthly to annual liquidity for hedge funds and typically 8-10+ years for private
equity and venture capital funds. The internally sourced ideas may include liquid or illiquid securities. Our
evaluation of another manager may prove incorrect, the manager may change its investment style or strategy,
external managers may delay or suspend redemptions for periods of time, and external managers may simply
underperform within their respective markets. Our internally sourced investments may also underperform
expectations for a variety of reasons resulting in losses for investors. Prospective investors are strongly
encouraged to read all of the Private Fund governing documents as well as any marketing or research material to
fully understand the investment opportunity and various risks.
Risk of Loss
The following risk factors do not purport to be a complete list or explanation of the risks involved in an Advisory
or Consulting Client’s investment with Bienville or an investor’s investment in any of the Private Funds advised by
Bienville. Existing and prospective Private Fund investors are strongly encouraged to consult the offering
documents as well as any marketing or research material to fully understand the investment opportunity and
various risks involved in making an investment.
All investing involves a risk of loss that Clients should be prepared to bear. The identification of securities and
other assets believed to be undervalued is a difficult task, and there are no assurances that such opportunities
will be successfully recognized or acquired. The Firm cannot give any guarantee that it will achieve a Client’s
investment objectives or that Clients will receive a return on their investment. Below is a summary of potentially
material risks for each significant investment strategy used, the methods of analysis used and/or the particular
type of security recommended.
General Market and Economic Conditions. The profitability of a significant portion of Bienville’s investment
recommendations may depend to a great extent upon correctly assessing the future course of price movements
of stocks and bonds. There can be no assurance that Bienville will be able to predict those price movements
accurately. Investing in securities involves the risk of loss, and Clients should be prepared to bear such loss.
Investments selected directly by Bienville and/or the Private Funds or external investment managers selected by
Bienville may decline in value for any number of reasons, including changes in the overall market for equity and/or
debt securities and factors pertaining to particular portfolio securities. The success of Bienville’s activities will also
be affected by general economic and market conditions, such as interest rates, availability of credit, credit
defaults, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws (including laws relating to taxation of Bienville’s
investments), trade barriers, currency exchange controls, and national and international political, environmental
and socioeconomic circumstances, recent market events (e.g., rise of user boards influence on specific securities),
and force majeure events (i.e., events beyond the control of the party claiming that the event has occurred,
16
including without limitation, acts of God, fire, flood, earthquakes, wars, terrorist acts, security operations,
outbreaks of infectious disease, pandemics, or any other serious public health concern).
Risks Related to Certain Types of Investments and Financial Instruments. The Private Funds and Advisory Clients
and Consulting Clients (either through direct investments, investments in external managers or investments in
the Private Funds) may have exposure to the following risks.
• Equity Risk. Regardless of any one company’s particular prospects, a declining stock market may produce
a decline in prices for all equity securities (whether or not publicly traded), which could also result in
losses. In addition to common stocks, the equity securities in a portfolio may include preferred stocks,
convertible preferred stocks, convertible bonds and warrants. Like common stocks, the value of these
securities may fluctuate in response to many factors, including the activities of the issuer, general market
and economic conditions, interest rates and specific industry changes. Convertible securities entitle the
holder to receive interest payments or a dividend preference until the security matures, is redeemed, or
the conversion feature is exercised. As a result of the conversion feature, the interest rate or dividend
preference is usually less than if the securities were non-convertible. Warrants entitle the holder to
purchase equity securities at specific prices for a certain period of time. The prices do not necessarily
move parallel to the prices of the underlying securities and the warrants have no voting rights, receive no
dividends, and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.
• Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). An investment in a mutual fund or ETF involves risk,
including the loss of principal. Mutual fund and ETF shareholders are necessarily subject to the risks
stemming from the individual issuers of a Private Fund’s or an external fund’s underlying portfolio
securities. Such shareholders are also liable for taxes on any fund-level capital gains, as mutual funds and
ETFs are required by law to distribute capital gains in the event that they sell securities for a profit that
cannot be offset by a corresponding loss. Shares of mutual funds are generally distributed and redeemed
on an ongoing basis by a Private Fund or external fund itself or a broker acting on its behalf. The trading
prices of certain mutual fund shares may differ significantly from the net asset value (“NAV”) during
periods of market volatility, which may, among other factors, lead to the mutual fund’s shares trading at
a premium or discount to actual NAV. Shares of ETFs are listed on securities exchanges and transacted at
negotiated prices in the secondary market. Certain inefficiencies may cause the shares of ETFs to trade at
a premium or discount to their pro rata NAV. There is also no guarantee that an active secondary market
for such shares will develop or continue to exist. Generally, an ETF only redeems shares when aggregated
as creation units (usually 50,000 shares or more). Therefore, if a liquid secondary market ceases to exist
for shares of a particular ETF, a shareholder may have no way to dispose of such shares.
• Derivatives Risk. A Client may acquire exposure to the risk of various kinds of securities through derivative
products. Certain swaps, options and other derivative instruments may be subject to various types of
risks, including market risk, liquidity risk, the risk of non-performance by the counterparty (including risks
related financial soundness and creditworthiness of the counterparty), legal risk and operations risk.
Derivatives may be riskier than other types of investments and may increase the volatility of the portfolio.
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Derivatives may be sensitive to changes in economic and market conditions and may create leverage,
which could result in losses that significantly exceed the portfolio’s original investment. When used for
hedging, the change in value of a derivative may not correlate as expected with the security or other risk
being hedged. In addition, given their complexity, derivatives expose the underlying fund to risks of
mispricing or improper valuation.
•
Interest Rate Risk. Some Clients, including the Private Funds, may invest in various types of fixed-income
securities. Since fixed income securities pay fixed, variable or floating rates of interest, the value of fixed
income securities will typically change in response to fluctuations in interest rates and other factors. Fixed
income securities are subject to the risk that the issuer cannot pay amounts due and to price volatility
due to various market conditions.
•
Smaller Company Risk. Investments may be made in smaller companies with limited financial resources
that may be unable to meet their obligations, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value
of their equity securities or any collateral or guarantees provided with respect to their debt. Further, there
may be little public information about such companies. As a result, investors may have to rely on the
ability of the equity sponsor to obtain adequate information for the purposes of evaluating potential
returns and making a fully informed investment decision. Such companies may not have a readily available
market for their securities. The possibility that a portfolio company will not be able to adequately
commercialize its technologies, products or business concepts presents significant risk.
• External Investment Managers and Funds and Lack of Control. For certain Clients, performance will be
highly dependent upon the expertise and abilities of the external investment managers selected or
recommended by Bienville and such external investment managers may or may not have extensive track
records. There is a risk that Bienville, in its selection process, may not identify appropriate external
investment managers or funds for certain Clients. Further, there is a risk that an external investment
manager or fund does not meet Bienville’s investment expectations over time. Bienville may not have a
role in the management of all or a portion of Clients’ third-party managed accounts, and it may not have
the opportunity to evaluate in advance the specific investments made by any third-party managers.
Similarly, if a Private Fund co-invests alongside another manager’s private equity fund, the Firm will have
limited ability to direct the management of the underlying portfolio company and/or control the timing
of the disposition of the investment. Given that Bienville may allocate Client assets to multiple funds or
accounts of external investment managers who make their trading decisions independently, it is possible
that one or more of such external investment managers and funds may, at any time, take positions which
may be opposite of positions taken by other external investment managers and funds. It is also possible
that external investment managers and funds may on occasion take substantial positions in the same
security or group of securities at the same time. The possible lack of diversification caused by these factors
may subject a Client’s portfolio to more rapid change in value than would be the case if the Client’s
portfolio were more widely diversified. As a result, the rates of return to Clients will primarily depend
upon the choice of investments and other investment and management decisions of third-party
managers, and returns could be adversely affected by the unfavorable performance of such managers.
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• Hedge Funds and Other Alternative Assets. Investing Clients in alternative assets managed by third-
parties, such as hedge funds and other private investment funds and direct investments in private
companies can be: (i) highly speculative with investments in complex instruments and structures including
derivatives and structured products; (ii) illiquid with limited withdrawal or redemption rights; (iii)
leveraged; (iv) subject to significant volatility; (v) subject to long holding periods; (vi) less transparent than
public investments; (vii) subject to significant restrictions on transfers; (viii) affected by complex tax
considerations; and (ix) in the case of private equity funds, affected by capital call default risk. In addition
to the above, investors in these strategies will be subject to fees and expenses which will reduce profits
or increase losses. Some Clients may invest in private companies that are in the early stages of growth,
and the performance of early-stage companies may be more volatile due to their limited product lines,
markets or financial reserves, their susceptibility to competitors’ actions, or major economic downturns.
Such investments may also depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons
and, as a result, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of those persons could
have a material adverse impact on the prospective business opportunities and the investments made.
Some of the private companies in which investments are made may require a significant investment of
capital to support their operating or finance the development of their products or markets and may be
highly leveraged and subject to significant debt service obligations, which could have a material adverse
impact of the investment.
•
Limited Liquidity. Certain investments of the Advisory Clients, Consulting Clients and Private Funds will
be in private companies and will require a long-term commitment of capital. A substantial amount of
the investments will also be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less
liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of these investments may make it difficult to sell
investments if the need arises or if Bienville determines such sale would be in the investors’ best
interests. In addition, if a situation arises in which Bienville is required to liquidate all or a portion of an
investment quickly, Bienville may realize significantly less than the value at which the investment was
previously recorded, which could result in a decrease in the portfolio’s net asset value.
• Risk Management. Bienville applies a risk management approach that it believes is appropriate for Clients.
The amount and quality of risk due diligence, measurement and monitoring is dependent on access to
the investments and risk management systems (if any) of third-party managers. When this information is
unavailable or incorrect, estimates of risk will be made which may turn out to be inaccurate. Efforts to
measure and reduce risk may not be successful. In addition, some of the third-party managers and funds
may have little or no performance histories which are necessary for quantitative risk budgeting and
scenario testing or other frameworks within which the Firm will attempt to manage risk.
• Cybersecurity Risks. In the ordinary course of business, Bienville and its service providers collect and store,
on such parties’ networks and/or on the networks of their third-party vendors, sensitive data including
the intellectual property, trading data and personally identifiable information of the Advisory Clients,
Consulting Clients and Private Fund investors. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of
this information is critical to the Bienville’s and the Private Funds’ operations. Despite the security
measures implemented by Bienville, the Private Funds and their service providers and/or vendors, such
19
parties’ information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers and/or
breaches as a result of employee error, malfeasance or other technological disruptions. These attacks or
breaches may remain undetected for an extended period of time and could compromise such networks,
resulting in the information stored therein being accessed, publicly disclosed, lost and/or stolen. Any such
access, disclosure or loss of information may have legal ramifications (including legal claims or
proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information and regulatory penalties
under federal and/or state securities laws) and may result in the disclosure or misuse of confidential
information concerning the Advisory Clients, Consulting Clients or Private Fund investors, cause
reputational harm to Bienville and/or the Private Funds and increase their respective costs. In addition, a
cybersecurity breach could result in the loss or theft of funds, the inability to access electronic systems
(“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary information or customer data, physical damage to a
computer or network system, or costs associated with system repairs. All of the foregoing potential
consequences of a cyberattack or systems breach could negatively impact the Advisory Clients, Consulting
Clients, Private Funds and their investors.
• Digital Assets and Cryptocurrencies. Bienville’s Clients may invest directly or indirectly in Bitcoin,
Ethereum and similar digital assets, security tokens and cryptocurrencies (collectively, "Digital Assets"),
which are nascent and highly speculative assets. While all investments entail a risk of loss of capital,
investments in Digital Assets should be considered substantially more speculative and significantly more
likely to result in a total loss of capital than many other investments.
The investment characteristics of Digital Assets differ from those of many traditional currencies,
commodities and securities. Importantly, Digital Assets are not backed by a central bank or a national,
supra-national or quasi-national organization, any hard assets, human capital, or other form of credit.
Rather, such assets are market-based: a Digital Asset's value is determined by (and fluctuates often,
according to) supply and demand factors, the number of merchants that accept it, and the value that
various market participants place on it through their mutual agreement, barter or transactions, among
other factors.
As a nascent technology, Digital Assets are not yet widely adopted as a means of payment for goods and
services. Banks and other established financial institutions may refuse to process funds for Digital Asset
transactions, process wire transfers to or from Digital Asset exchanges, cryptocurrency–related
companies or service providers, or maintain accounts for persons or entities transacting in Digital Assets.
Market capitalization for Digital Assets as a medium of exchange and payment method may always be
low. Digital assets also present custody compliance and information security risks. Further, any Digital
Asset's use as an international currency may be hindered by the fact that it may not be considered as a
legitimate means of payment or legal tender in some jurisdictions.
• Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. Bienville may invest in securities issued by special purpose
acquisition companies (“SPACs”). A SPAC is a publicly traded company formed for the purpose of raising
capital through an initial public offering to fund the acquisition, through a merger, capital stock exchange,
asset acquisition or other similar business combination, of one or more operating businesses that are
typically not publicly-listed. Following the acquisition of a target company, a SPAC's management team
may exercise control over the management of the combined company in an effort to increase its value.
Often now, though, management of the target company will continue to manage the now publicly-traded
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business subsequent to completion of its business combination with the SPAC. Capital raised through the
initial public offering of securities of a SPAC is typically placed into a trust account until acquired business
combination is completed or a predetermined period of time (typically 24 months) elapses. Investors in a
SPAC would receive a return on their investment in the event that a target company is acquired and the
combined publicly-traded company's shares trade above the SPAC’s initial public offering (“IPO”) price,
or alternatively, the market price at which an investor acquired a SPAC's shares subsequent to its IPO. In
the event that a SPAC is unable to locate and acquire a target business by the timeframe established at
the time of its IPO, the SPAC would be forced to liquidate its assets, which may result in losses due to the
expenses and liabilities of the SPAC, to the extent third-parties are permitted to bring claims against IPO
proceeds held in the SPAC's trust account. Investors in a SPAC are subject to the risk that, among other
things, (i) such SPAC may not be able to complete a qualifying business combination by the deadline
established at the time of its IPO, (ii) assets in the trust account may become subject to third-party claims
against such SPAC, which may reduce the per share liquidation value received by the investors in the SPAC
in the event it fails to complete a business combination within the required time period, (iii) such SPAC
may be exempt from the rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in “blank check” companies,
such as Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act, so that investors in such SPAC may not be afforded
the benefits or protections of those rules, (iv) such SPAC will likely only complete one business
combination, which will cause its returns and future prospects to be solely dependent on the performance
of a single acquired business, (v) the value of any target business, including its stock price as a public
company, may decrease following its acquisition by such SPAC, (vi) the value of the funds invested and
held in the trust account may decline, (vii) the inability to redeem due to the failure to hold the securities
in the SPAC on the applicable record date to do so, and (viii) if the SPAC is unable to consummate a
business combination, public stockholders will be forced to wait until the deadline before liquidating
distributions are made. Any Client may invest in a SPAC that, at the time of investment, has not selected
or approached any prospective target businesses with respect to a business combination. In such
circumstances, there may be limited basis for such Client to evaluate the possible merits or risks of such
SPAC’s investment in any particular target business. In addition, to the extent that a SPAC completes a
business combination, it may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of the
acquired company or companies. For these and additional reasons, investments in SPACs are speculative
and involve a high degree of risk.
Further, SPACs are structured as publicly-traded blank check companies. Accordingly, any Client will also
be subject to risks that arise from investments in vehicles that are managed by independent third parties,
as well as the risk that the underlying business combinations being pursued by the SPACs in which such
Client invests will not be consummated or will not be successful.
• Outsourced Trading Services. Bienville engaged Jefferies, LLC (“Jefferies”) to execute and/or direct most
of the trades of the Informatic Funds and certain other participating Client’s trades on an outsourced
basis, and additional or different external trading desks may be selected in the future. While Bienville
reviews the services performed by Jefferies on a periodic basis, it is possible that, in the exercise of its
discretion, Jefferies will execute and/or direct trades under sub-optimal conditions or make trading-
related errors that will negatively impact the Informatic Funds and certain other participating Clients.
Other client demands could place limitations on, or reduce the responsiveness of, Jefferies, which may
adversely affect the Informatic Funds and certain other participating Clients. In causing the Informatic
Funds and certain other participating Clients to enter into or maintain such arrangements, Bienville has a
conflict of interest, because the fees paid to (or commissions agreed to with) and expenses reimbursed
21
to Jefferies are borne by the Informatic Funds and certain other participating Clients, which reduces or
eliminates unreimbursed trading-related costs and expenses that would otherwise have been incurred by
Bienville. While Bienville will only maintain any such arrangement for so long as it remains satisfied that
such arrangement is consistent with Bienville’s duty to seek best execution, the foregoing means that
Bienville will be economically incentivized to continue such arrangement or enter into similar alternative
arrangements even if it has the capacity to provide the same services in-house at a comparable level.
• Valuation of Assets and Impact of Fees.
o Private Funds. The Private Funds’ assets and liabilities shall be valued in accordance with GAAP
(except as it relates to the amortization of the Private Funds’ organizational and offering
expenses) and Bienville’s valuation policies and procedures.
In making valuation
determinations, Bienville may be deemed subject to a conflict of interest, as the valuation of
such assets and liabilities affects its compensation and the compensation of the Private Funds’
general partners. There is no guarantee that the value determined with respect to a particular
asset or liability by Bienville will represent the value that will be realized by a Private Fund on
the eventual disposition of the related investment or that would, in fact, be realized upon an
immediate disposition of the investment.
o Reliance on Third-Party Pricing. In cases where Bienville invests an Advisory Clients’ assets into
a third-party fund or a Private Fund invests in a third-party fund, Bienville does not
independently verify each of the valuations made by the third-party managers. As a result, there
is a risk that a third-party manager may misprice a position, especially illiquid positions where
there is no established public market.
o Lack of Liquidity. The assets of Advisory Clients, Consulting Clients and Private Funds may, at
any given time, include securities and other financial instruments or obligations (including
illiquid private equity type securities) that are thinly traded or for which no market exists and/or
which are restricted as to their transferability under applicable securities laws. The sale of any
such investments may be possible only at substantial discounts, and it may be extremely difficult
to value accurately any such investments.
o Uncertain Asset Valuation. Certain investments will be presented in financial statements on a
“fair value basis.” In the case of many of certain of the investments of the Private Funds,
Advisory Clients and Consulting Clients, it is possible that readily available price quotations will
not exist. Accordingly, certain of the investors in the Private Funds and Advisory Clients and
Consulting Clients will need to rely on the judgment of Bienville for valuing and pricing such
investments both for financial statement purposes and in connection with disposing of such
investments. A valuation is only an estimate of value and is not a precise measure of realizable
value. Ultimate realization of the value of an asset depends to a great extent on economics and
conditions which may be beyond the control of certain of the Private Funds and Bienville.
Further, valuations do not necessarily represent the price at which an investment would sell
since market prices of investments can only be determined by negotiation between a willing
buyer and seller. If a certain Private Fund or Bienville were to liquidate a particular investment,
the realized value may be more than or less than the appraised valuation of such asset.
22
•
Foreign Investments. Certain Clients will invest assets in non-U.S. securities, which may give rise to risks
relating to political, social and economic developments abroad, as well as risks resulting from the
differences between the regulations to which U.S. and foreign issuers and markets are subject:
o These risks may include political or social instability, withholding taxes on dividends and interest,
high or confiscatory tax levels and limitations on the use or transfer of portfolio assets.
o Enforcing legal rights in some foreign countries is difficult, costly and slow, and there are
sometimes special problems enforcing claims against foreign governments.
o Non-U.S. securities markets may be less liquid, more volatile and less closely supervised by the
government than in the United States. Foreign countries often lack uniform accounting, auditing
and financial reporting standards, and there may be less public information about their
operations. See “Emerging Market Risks” below.
• Emerging Market Risks. In addition to risks generally associated with trading securities, Bienville will
invest in emerging markets which are subject to significant risks due to the general lack of infrastructure
in their legal, judicial, regulatory and settlement systems. Advisory Clients, Consulting Clients and
Private Fund investors investing in emerging market securities are subject to uncertainty regarding their
rights and legal recourse. In particular, the following risks are specifically associated with investments
made on behalf of such Clients and Private Fund investors in emerging market securities:
o Political Risk. Certain emerging markets are in the infancy of developing a stable governmental
framework. Clients in those markets are subject to significant political risks such as: (i) political
unrest and instability resulting in a rejection of westernization of such markets and the
possibility of nationalization or expropriation of assets without compensation;
(ii)
underdeveloped legal, accounting and regulatory frameworks; (iii) lack of private ownership and
shareholder rights legislation which could make enforcement of title uncertain; (iv) unclear
taxation, foreign exchange, repatriation of profits, environmental and other governmental and
regulatory policies which can change without notice; (v) lack of experience of the judicial system
in commercial, corporate and securities laws; (vi) and market officials not enforcing the law or
enforcing it inconsistently with the theory of the law even when appropriate legislation exists.
Political dissension and regional claims for greater autonomy or independence have hampered
the ability of the governments of some emerging market countries to pursue economic and
structural reform and/or to attract foreign investment. Independently thereof, there continues
to be the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets and/or increased regulation as
governments continue their attempts to strengthen their economies or to rectify perceived
social injustices. There can be no assurance that Clients’ investments in emerging markets will
not be adversely affected by political and social conditions prevailing in emerging market
countries or that adverse developments will not occur in any particular investment jurisdiction
while the Clients hold investments relating thereto.
o Economic Risk. Some emerging markets are still in the process of developing a stable economic
framework based on private property. Clients in those markets are subject to significant
economic risks such as: (i) the value of an investment may be adversely affected by fluctuations
in exchange rates of illiquid currencies; (ii) capital markets regulations are underdeveloped and
subject to major revisions as economic infrastructures continue to evolve; (iii) the use of
23
different accounting standards from other major accounting systems; (iv) underdeveloped
securities markets, including complex and sometimes archaic settlement and clearing
procedures; (v) market liquidity; and (vi) widespread corruption. The governments of various
emerging market countries have sought to respond to these conditions to achieve financial
stability and to introduce structural reforms that will contribute to their transition to market
economies. In many cases these goals have not yet been achieved, although, in some instances,
there have been signs of progress.
o Tax Risk. In the recent past, the tax systems of several emerging market countries have been
marked by rapid change, which has sometimes occurred without warning and has been applied
with retroactive effect. In these developing countries, a large national budget deficit often gives
rise to an acute government need for tax revenues, while the condition of the economy has
reduced the ability of potential taxpayers to meet their tax obligations. In some cases, there is
widespread non-compliance with tax laws, insufficient personnel to deal with the problem and
inconsistent enforcement of the laws by inexperienced tax inspectors.
• Conflicts of Interest. Bienville’s Clients are subject to a number of actual or potential conflicts of interest
involving Bienville. However, Bienville and its affiliates have substantial incentives to see that the assets
of its Clients appreciate in value, and merely because an actual or potential conflict of interest exists does
not mean that it will be acted upon to the detriment of a Client. Bienville has adopted policies and
procedures to address and mitigate conflicts of interest, including those referenced below. The following
descriptions of conflicts of interest and the conflicts discussed elsewhere in this Brochure do not purport
to be a complete list or explanation of the conflicts involved with the management of Clients advised by
Bienville. Private Fund investors should consult the offering memorandum or other governing documents
for the relevant Private Fund for more details on conflicts of interest associated with an investment in
such Private Fund.
The risks described above are not an exhaustive list of all risks associated with the described investment
strategies and securities. In addition, as a Private Fund’s or an Advisory or Consulting Client’s investment
program develops and changes over time, investments may be subject to additional and different risk factors.
Please refer to Items 5, 6, 10, 11 and 12 for additional disclosure regarding risks and conflicts of interest.
Investors in the Private Funds should refer to the Private Funds’ offering or governing documents for a more
complete description of the risks involved in investing in such Private Fund.
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ITEM 9 – DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
Registered investment advisors and their management are required to disclose all legal and disciplinary events
that are material to a client or prospective client’s evaluation of the advisory business or the integrity of
management.
The Firm and its management have not been involved in any legal or disciplinary events that would be material to
a Client or prospective Client’s evaluation of Bienville’s advisory business or the integrity of Bienville management.
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ITEM 10 – OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS
Bienville’s management persons are not registered, nor do any management persons have an application pending
to register, as a broker-dealer or a registered representative of a broker-dealer.
Bienville’s and its management persons are not registered, nor do any management persons have an application
pending to register, as a futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor or
an associated person of the foregoing entities. Bienville may trade a de minimis amount of futures contracts for
certain Client accounts in reliance on exemptions from membership with National Futures Association and from
registration under the Commodities Futures Trading Commission.
The following entities serve as the general partner or managing member to one or more Private Funds and are
under common control with Bienville: Bienville Capital GP, LLC, Bienville Ventures GP, LLC, BPOF Manager, a
separate series of Bienville Series Manager, LLC, Bienville Fractal Seed Manager, a separate series of Bienville
Series Manager, LLC, BPOF II Manager, a separate series of Bienville Series Manager, LLC, Bienville Fractal Early-
Stage Manager, a separate series of Bienville Series Manager, Bienville Fractal Seed Manager II, a separate series
of Bienville Series Manager, BBF Manager, LLC and Informatic Capital GP, LLC (collectively, the “General
Partners”). The General Partners, employees and the persons acting on their behalf are subject to Bienville’s (the
registered adviser’s) supervision and control and are therefore “persons associated with” Bienville and subject to
Bienville’s compliance program.
As disclosed in Item 4, Bienville is an investment adviser to the Private Funds. Bienville has a conflict of interest to
recommend the Private Funds to Advisory and Consulting Clients, as the Firm and its related persons have the
opportunity to earn higher fees in the Private Funds. The Firm has adopted and implemented written compliance
policies and procedures that are designed to mitigate conflicts of interest. For example, if an Advisory Client
invests in a Bienville Private Fund, Bienville excludes the assets invested in the Private Fund(s) from the Advisory
Client’s billable advisory asset calculation. Bienville does not “double charge” clients an advisory fee for its own
Private Fund and a management fee for the Private Funds. Advisory Clients are not required to invest in any Private
Fund, and Bienville only recommends Private Funds if in our fiduciary duty we believe the investment is in the
best interest of the Advisory Client. The Firm further mitigates conflicts through its policy to act in the best
interests of its Clients and to disclose (potential) conflicts of interest to Clients and investors. Please refer to the
conflicts of interest disclosure in Item 6.
Bienville Family Capital
Bienville has been engaged by the extended families of certain principals and employees of the Firm to serve as
investment advisor to their families and family offices. These extended family members and family entities are
Advisory Clients, have investment management agreements with the Firm and generally pay advisory fees and
management fees in line with Advisory Clients who are unrelated to any employee. Like other Advisory Clients,
these family members and family entities of employees may invest in the Private Funds but are not required to
do so. Also, Bienville’s principals and their families and certain Bienville employees and their families are Advisory
Clients of the Firm. As a percentage of the Firm’s overall assets under management, the amount of internal capital
26
(which includes principals and employees and their immediate and extended family members) is material to the
Firm (~22% of overall AUM as of 12/31/2024, and Bienville believes that the fact that employees and their families
are investing alongside other Clients aligns risks and mitigates conflicts. Please see Item 11 for additional
information regarding employees and their immediate family members.
While Bienville’s policy is to treat all Clients fairly and equitably in terms of the advice we provide, services we
offer and investment opportunities available, a (potential) conflict of interest could occur if Bienville offers an
opportunity to an Employee Account (as defined below in Item 11) before offering it to a non-related Advisory
Client. In allocating investment opportunities to any Advisory Client, Bienville takes into account, among other
things, an Advisory Client’s amount of capital, risk tolerance, liquidity constraints and investment objectives in
determining how to allocate investment opportunities. Further, as an additional control, Bienville’s Code of Ethics
includes certain restrictions and preapproval requirements. Please refer to Items 11 and 12 below for additional
disclosures.
Bienville does not recommend other investment advisers to its Clients for compensation that creates a material
conflict of interest.
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ITEM 11 – CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTERESTS IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS AND PERSONAL TRADING
Code of Ethics and Personal Trading
As an investment adviser, we stand in a position of trust and confidence with respect to our Clients, and we have
a fiduciary duty to place the interests of our Clients before our own interests. As such, and in accordance with
Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), we have adopted a
Code of Ethics (the “Code”) that (i) sets the standard of business conduct that we require from our employees,
(ii) requires compliance with applicable federal securities laws and (iii) contains written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to prevent the unlawful use of material non-public information by Bienville or its personnel.
The Code also (a) requires that all personnel and certain related accounts (e.g., immediate family members of
Bienville personnel) report their personal securities holdings and transactions and obtain pre-approval of certain
investments (e.g., initial public offerings, limited offerings, ETFs, certain digital assets), (b) restricts, subject to
limited exceptions, trading by personnel and certain related accounts in certain securities, (c) requires holding
periods for the sale of certain investments and (d) requires certain preapproval and reporting with respect to
outside business activities. We monitor the personal securities transactions and securities holdings of Bienville
personnel and their reportable accounts. All Bienville personnel are required to acknowledge the Code upon
commencement of their employment and at least annually thereafter. All Bienville personnel are also required to
report any violation of the Code to the Chief Compliance Officer.
Employee Accounts
Employees of the Company and their family members may have Advisory Client accounts (collectively, “Employee
Accounts”) managed by Bienville and so may invest in the same or similar securities recommended to Clients. This
practice presents inherent conflicts of interests, such as employees, and/or certain of their family members: (i)
trading before other Advisory Clients (i.e., front-running), and/or; (ii) receiving a better allocation or price than
other Advisory Clients. To address and mitigate (potential) conflicts of interest associated with personal trading,
Bienville has developed written policies and procedures to help ensure that Employee Accounts are not favored
over other Client accounts. Employee Account orders may be aggregated with orders placed on behalf of Advisory
Clients in order for Bienville to control the execution of the related person’s order in connection with (potential)
conflicts of interest described herein. Please refer to Item 12 for more information on order aggregation and
allocation processes for Advisory Clients and Private Funds, including instances when Bienville does not aggregate
orders. With respect to Employee Account transactions that Bienville decides to execute independently (i.e., not
alongside other Advisory Clients), the Chief Compliance Officer’s pre-approval is required. Bienville determines
whether to make trades independently by taking into account, among other things, an Advisory Client’s amount
of capital, risk tolerance, liquidity constraints and investment objectives in determining how to fairly and equitably
allocate investment opportunities. With respect to Bienville personnel’s reportable accounts not managed by
Bienville, the Firm’s Code includes certain order-approval requirements and restrictions. For example, Bienville
personnel are generally not permitted to trade single name equities or options in their personal trading accounts.
Sell orders on existing positions are allowed with pre-approval from the Chief Compliance Officer or another
designee and are subject to holding periods. Any exceptions must be pre-approved by the Chief Compliance
Officer or another designee. The restriction on owning single name equity securities does not apply to Employee
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Accounts managed by Bienville in which an Access Person and/or his or her family members have a beneficial
interest. Additionally, on occasion, through Employees Accounts or personal accounts, Bienville’s principals,
employees and affiliates invest or co-invest in private investment opportunities with one or more Clients, including
the Private Funds. To the extent an employee invests in a Private Fund, Bienville does not collect a fee or
commission. Please see Item 12 for additional disclosure regarding investment opportunities.
Clients or prospective clients may request a copy of the Code by contacting Bienville at the address or telephone
number listed on the first page of this document.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
As discussed above in response to Item 10 and as explained throughout the Brochure, affiliates of Bienville are
the general partners to the Private Funds and Advisory Clients may invest in such Private Funds. Please refer to
disclosures in Items 6 and 10 for more information.
A Bienville Partner is on the board of directors of a private company that is a legacy investment holding of the
Partner, his family members, some of whom are Advisory Clients of Bienville, and Bienville Capital Partners, LP.
Bienville receives compensation for the Partner’s board membership. Bienville does not recommend Advisory
Clients invest in the private company. Bienville does not find the Partner’s board membership and the
compensation received in connection with such role to present any material conflicts of interest to Clients of
Bienville.
Fractal
Certain partners and employees of Bienville are directly invested in convertible preferred equity units in Fractal
Software, LLC (“Fractal”) and in Bienville Fractal Seed Fund, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master
Series Fund, LLC, Bienville Fractal Early-Stage Fund, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series
Fund, LLC and Bienville Fractal Seed Fund II, a separate series of Bienville Opportunities Master Series Fund, LLC
(collectively, the “Series”). Further, an employee has an investment in certain portfolio companies of Fractal.
Accordingly, those partners and employees may benefit, through such investments, from the investment activities
of the Series (e.g., an investment made by the Series in a Fractal company may lead to an increase in or reduce a
decrease in the value of the Fractal securities held by such partner or diminish the volatility of such securities)
which may present a conflict of interest. All investors in the Series are not invested in Fractal. Bienville believes
that such conflict of interest is substantially mitigated since the interests of Bienville, the managing member of
the Series and the partners are aligned with the Series. Further, Bienville has adopted policies and procedures
that are designed to address conflicts of interest. For example, please refer above to the Code of Ethics and
personal trading disclosures. Finally, Bienville has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of its Clients, including
the Series.
Cross Trades
On occasion, Bienville may cross trade (i.e., where one Client purchases an investment from another Client) on
behalf of the Private Funds and certain institutional separately managed accounts. Bienville may determine that
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a cross trade is in the best interests of a Client(s) for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to: tax purposes,
liquidity purposes, to rebalance the portfolios of Clients or to reduce transaction costs that may arise in the open
market.
Inherent conflicts of interest associated with cross trading include, but may not be limited to, favoring higher fee-
paying Clients or accounts where employees are invested (e.g., principal transactions) over another account and
valuing the assets to favor one account over another account. The Firm has implemented written compliance
policies and procedures designed to address risks and conflicts of interest associated with cross trades, and any
cross trades must be in accordance with Client advisory agreements and Fund governing documents, as
applicable. Under Bienville’s current policies, Bienville does not expect to engage in principal transactions or
agency cross transactions. Further, neither Bienville nor its related persons act as broker, nor do they collect a fee
or commission on cross trades. To the extent Bienville uses a broker-dealer in connection with cross trades, such
broker will be independent. Bienville will seek to obtain best execution for each of the accounts involved in a cross
trade. Bienville generally intends to book and execute cross trades at the close of the market on the day of the
transaction. The Firm further mitigates conflicts through its policy to act in the best interests of Clients and to
disclose (potential) conflicts of interest to Clients and investors. Please refer to disclosures in Items 6 and 8 and
to additional disclosures in this Item 11 for more information regarding potential conflicts of interest.
Managing Multiple Clients
Certain inherent conflicts of interest arise from the fact that Bienville and its affiliates provide investment
management services to Advisory Clients, Consulting Clients and the Private Funds. The respective investment
programs and objectives of Clients may be substantially similar or overlap. Bienville may give advice, recommend
securities or take action with respect to one Client which may differ from advice given to, securities recommended
or bought for or action taken on behalf of another Client, even though their investment objectives may be the
same or similar. In determining how to manage multiple Clients, Bienville takes into account, among other things,
each Client’s amount of capital, risk tolerance, liquidity constraints and investment objectives in determining how
to allocate investment opportunities. Please refer to Items 10, 12 and above disclosures in Item 11 for more
information.
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ITEM 12 – BROKERAGE PRACTICES
Advisory Clients
Bienville does not utilize formal soft-dollar arrangements or engage in referral agreements with broker-dealers as
it relates to the investment management services provided to Advisory Clients. Our Advisory Clients have full
discretion to select a custodian/broker-dealer for the custody and trading of their account. Bienville generally
recommends the custodial, brokerage and clearing services of Fidelity and/or Schwab for investment
management accounts. In our evaluation of any custodian or broker-dealer, we consider numerous factors
including the firm’s financial strength, client service, commission rates, other fees, reputation, execution
capabilities, access and ability to trade diverse financial instruments and technology offerings.
Advisory Clients are required to enter into a formal investment management agreement with us setting forth the
terms and conditions under which we will manage the Advisory Client’s assets, and a separate custodial/clearing
agreement with each designated broker/custodian. Virtually all of the Advisory Client trading is done through the
broker-dealer who has custody of the Client’s assets. Advisory Clients may direct Bienville in writing to use a
particular broker to execute some or all transactions for the Advisory Client. If a Client wants to direct trading with
a particular broker, the Advisory Client will negotiate terms and arrangements for the account with that broker.
Bienville might not receive better execution services or prices from other financial institutions or be able to
“bunch” Advisory Client transactions for execution through other financial institutions with orders for other
accounts managed by Bienville (as described below). As a result, the Advisory Client might pay higher commissions
or other transaction costs or greater spreads, or receive less favorable net prices, on transactions for its account
than would otherwise be the case. Subject to its duty to seek to obtain best execution, Bienville may decline an
Advisory Client’s request to direct brokerage if, in Bienville’s sole discretion, such directed brokerage
arrangements would result in additional operational difficulties.
Bienville may receive support services without cost from Fidelity and Schwab which help us to better monitor and
service our Clients. Included are software and other technology solutions that provide access to Advisory Client
Account data, compliance-related publications, consulting services, invitations to conferences, meetings, other
educational and/or social events. Additionally, the benefits that Bienville receives from Fidelity (through the
Fidelity Registered Investment Advisor Group) and/or Schwab (through its Schwab Institutional division) may
include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) receipt of duplicate Advisory Client confirmations and bundled
duplicate statements; (ii) access to a trading desk that exclusively services Fidelity Registered Investment Advisor
Group participant or Schwab Institutional participants; (iii) access to block trading which provides the ability to
aggregate securities transactions and then allocate the appropriate shares to Advisory Client accounts, and (iv)
access to an electronic communication network for Advisory Client order entry and account information, among
other benefits. The availability of such products and services for Bienville, however, is not based on a specified
level of trading activity through Schwab or Fidelity. Our Advisory Clients do not pay more for investment
transactions effected and/or assets maintained at Fidelity and Schwab as a result of the services described above.
We do not make any corresponding commitment to Fidelity or Schwab or anyone else to invest any specific
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amount or percentage of assets in any specific mutual funds, securities or other investment products as a result
of the above arrangement.
To mitigate (potential) conflicts, Bienville conducts a best execution review in connection with its Advisory Client
accounts on at least an annual basis that includes an assessment of the pricing and services received from Fidelity
and Schwab as well as other broker-dealers where our clients have relationships.
With respect to Advisory Clients, Bienville will bear any costs associated with correcting any trade error. The
affected Advisory Client(s) will generally retain gains associated with trade errors; provided, however, that such
gains may be used to reimburse an applicable broker/dealer in certain circumstances, as determined by Bienville
in its sole discretion. Gains from trade errors may not offset losses from trade errors, unless the underlying
transactions constitute a single transaction.
Aggregation and Allocation of Investments
It is Bienville’s policy to allocate investment opportunities to the Advisory Clients fairly and equitably over time.
When more than one Advisory Client is capable of purchasing or selling a particular security based on investment
objectives, available cash and other factors, Bienville generally attempts to aggregate or bunch orders by
custodian unless aggregation is not consistent with the Firm’s duty to seek to obtain best execution and the terms
of the investment guidelines and restrictions of each Advisory Client for which trades are being aggregated. In
such cases, transactions may be effected independently. In the event that Bienville aggregates, transactions will
generally be averaged as to price and allocated among Bienville’s Advisory Clients pro rata to the purchase and
sale orders placed for each Advisory Client on any given day. Bienville does not receive any additional
compensation or remuneration as a result of the aggregation. In the event that an aggregated order is only
partially filled, the participating accounts will generally receive a pro rata allocation, subject to limited exceptions.
Bienville determines whether to make trades independently by taking into account, among other things, the
Advisory Client’s amount of capital, risk tolerance, liquidity constraints and investment objectives. Please refer to
the last paragraph in Item 12 for allocation disclosure with respect to investment capacity constraints.
Private Funds
Bienville has full authority to select custodians, prime brokers and broker-dealers to effect transactions on behalf
of the Private Funds, and full authority to negotiate the commissions or spreads paid on such transactions. For
the Private Funds, Bienville does not accept directed brokerage arrangements from investors, and Bienville does
not maintain any client referral arrangement with brokers.
In our evaluation of any custodian or broker-dealer, we consider numerous factors including the firm’s financial
strength, client service, commission rates, other fees, reputation, execution capabilities, access and ability to
trade diverse financial instruments, research and technology offerings. In selecting broker-dealers, Bienville
assesses the following factors, including but not limited to: (i) the ability to effect prompt and reliable executions
at favorable prices (including the applicable dealer spread or commission, if any); (ii) the operational efficiency
with which transactions are effected, taking into account the size of order and difficulty of execution; (iii) the
financial strength, integrity and stability of the broker; (iv) the reputation of the broker; (v) the Firm’s risk in
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positioning a block of securities; (vi) efficiency of execution and error resolution; (vii) the quality,
comprehensiveness and frequency of available research services considered to be of value; and (viii) the
competitiveness of commission rates in comparison with other brokers satisfying Bienville’s other selection
criteria.
Bienville is authorized to (i) pay higher prices for the purchase of securities from or accept lower prices for the
sale of securities to brokerage firms that provide it with such investment and research information or (ii) to pay
higher commissions to such firms if Bienville determines such prices or commissions are reasonable in relation to
the overall services provided. In seeking best execution, the determinative factor is not the lowest possible cost,
but whether the transaction represents the best quantitative and qualitative execution, taking into consideration
the full range of the broker’s services. The Private Funds are not required to allocate either a stated dollar or
stated percentage of their brokerage business to any broker for any minimum time period and will review such
relationships from time to time.
Any use of “soft dollars” for research and research-related services falls within the safe harbor for the use of soft
dollars provided under Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act (“Section 28(e)”). Research services furnished by brokers
may include (i) written information and analyses concerning specific securities, companies or sectors; (ii) market,
financial and economic studies and forecasts; (iii) statistics and pricing or appraisal services; (iv) discussions with
research personnel; and (v) invitations to attend conferences or meetings with management or industry
consultants. Private Funds do not intend to engage in any soft dollar transactions other than with respect to
products and services which fall within the Section 28(e) safe harbor or where such products or services would
otherwise be chargeable to the Private Fund pursuant to operative documents. Research services provided by
brokers used by the Private Funds may be utilized by Bienville or its affiliates in connection with their other
investment activities. To mitigate (potential) conflicts, Bienville conducts a best execution review in connection
with its Private Funds on at least an annual basis.
As disclosed in certain Private Funds’ offering documents, absent bad faith, gross negligence, willful misconduct
or fraud, the Private Funds will be responsible for any losses resulting from trade errors. The affected Private
Fund(s) will generally retain gains associated with trade errors; provided, however, that such gains may be used
to reimburse an applicable broker/dealer in certain circumstances, as determined by Bienville in its sole discretion.
Gains from trade errors may not offset losses from trade errors, unless the underlying transactions constitute a
single transaction.
In 2023, Bienville entered into an arrangement with Jefferies, a third- party trader, whereby Jefferies executes
and/or directs most trades on Bienville’s behalf for the Informatic Funds and on occasion, for certain other Clients.
Jefferies is a registered broker-dealer and is capable (depending on Bienville’s instructions) of directly executing
trades for the Informatic Funds and certain other Clients or instructing another broker-dealer to do so on its
behalf. When using Jefferies, Bienville may or may not select a specific broker-dealer that Jefferies must use to
execute the trade in question. Bienville’s decision to instruct Jefferies to use a specific broker-dealer (or otherwise)
is subject to the various broker-dealer selection criteria described above.
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Allocation and Aggregation of Investments
It is Bienville’s policy to allocate investment opportunities among Private Funds fairly and equitably over time.
Bienville may, but is not obligated to, purchase or sell such securities on behalf of more than one of the Private
Funds with an aggregated order in the event that (i) Bienville determines that certain securities will be suitable
for acquisition by more than one Private Fund and operationally feasible, and (ii) if in Bienville’s reasonable
judgment, such aggregation is reasonably likely to result in an overall economic benefit to the Private Funds based
on an evaluation that the Private Funds will be benefited by relatively better purchase or sale prices, lower
commission expenses or beneficial timing of transactions or a combination of these and other factors. Any
transaction costs arising from an aggregated transaction may be shared on a pro rata basis by participating
accounts, based upon the securities allocated to each such account in accordance with Bienville’s trade allocation
policy.
If Bienville is not able to acquire the desired aggregate amount of such securities on terms and conditions which
Bienville deems advisable, Bienville will endeavor to allocate in a fair and equitable manner the limited amount of
such securities acquired among the various Client accounts for which Bienville considers them to be suitable. In
making allocations over time in a fair and equitable manner, Bienville may consider various factors, including (i)
the diversity of its accounts’ investment objectives, guidelines and restrictions; (ii) differences in its accounts’ risk
tolerances and return targets; (iii) differences in its accounts’ existing portfolio holdings and related balancing and
diversification concerns; (iv) differences in its accounts’ relative sizes; (v) differences in its accounts’ available
investment resources (including the timing of capital contributions and withdrawals) and side pocket constraints;
(vi) differences in its accounts’ liquidity requirements; (vii) differences in its accounts’ investment time horizons;
(viii) tax considerations; and (ix) such other factors as Bienville may determine to be relevant at the time of
allocation. Although allocations may generally be made on a pro rata basis among accounts, allocations may be
made on a non-pro rata basis if such allocation is determined to be reasonable by Bienville in accordance with the
foregoing factors.
Due to investment capacity constraints established by certain third-party investment managers, companies, or
investment opportunities, such managers, companies or investment opportunities may limit the dollar amount
that it is willing to accept for investment. In such instances, we allocate investment opportunities first to the
applicable Bienville Private Fund. This allows us to provide access to a larger number of our Clients when capacity
is limited. If excess capacity exists after we make the desired allocation to the applicable Bienville Private Fund,
we may then introduce such opportunity to those Clients who have indicated both the ability and desire to invest
directly with that third-party investment manager, rather than via a diversified portfolio of such managers
provided by the Bienville Private Fund.
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ITEM 13 – REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
Bienville’s investment team monitors Advisory and Consulting Client portfolios on an ongoing basis. The
investment team and operations team regularly discuss Client asset allocation, cash flow needs and potential
investment changes for all Advisory and Consulting Clients. Bienville’s senior investment professionals regularly
offer to review reports with Advisory and Consulting Clients either in person or via conference calls, generally on
a quarterly basis, but at least annually. Bienville will proactively reach out to Advisory and Consulting Clients to
discuss their accounts if we believe a review is necessary, and our team is available to review accounts, goals,
investment strategy, new opportunities and potential risks should a Client request a meeting.
Advisory and Consulting Clients have access to Addepar, our online performance reporting software, which allows
them to view their portfolios. The Addepar portal allows Advisory and Consulting Clients to view portfolio
performance, asset allocation, security level exposure, additions and withdrawals from the account(s), all
transactions for a specified period, fees paid, realized and unrealized gains and liquidity analysis on a daily basis.
Advisory and Consulting Clients also receive performance reporting directly from their custodians.
The Private Funds’ public holdings and trading activity is monitored on a daily basis by members of our investment
team. The investment team members engage in process to source, research and size investments. Aspects of this
process include research, investment team meetings and risk-management discussions. In addition, on a daily
basis, in connection with the Private Funds’ public holdings, our operations team reviews all orders and
executions, positions and cash balances. Investors in Bienville’s Private Funds receive monthly or quarterly
performance estimates, monthly or quarterly net asset value statements from Bienville’s third-party
administrators detailing the value of the investor’s interest in the Private Funds and annual audited financial
statements and K-1s for tax purposes. For certain of the Private Funds, we provide written quarterly commentary
detailing performance, exposure and relevant market news. For certain private equity funds where portfolios and
performance change less frequently, we provide updates to Private Fund investors on a periodic basis.
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ITEM 14 – CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
Please refer to Item 12 regarding brokerage practices for disclosures about benefits made available to Bienville
by Schwab and Fidelity.
As of time of filing this annual amendment, Bienville does not currently compensate third-party solicitors or
placement agents for referring Clients. Bienville maintains policies and procedures to comply with the SEC’s
amended marketing Rule 206(4)-1 under the Advisers Act.
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ITEM 15 – CUSTODY
Client securities are held in custody by unaffiliated broker/dealers or banks. However, Bienville meets the Advisers
Act definition of having custody over certain Client accounts. For example, the Firm or its affiliates are general
partners or managers of the Private Funds; and are deemed to have custody of the Private Funds. To comply with
the Advisers Act custody rule (i.e., Rule 206(4)-2) (the “Custody Rule”) and to provide meaningful protection to
investors, the Private Funds’ are subject to an annual financial statement audit by an independent public
accountant registered with, and subject to regular inspection by, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
(PCAOB). The audited financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles (GAAP) and are distributed to investors within 120 days of a Private Fund’s fiscal year end (or 180 days,
if the Private Fund is a “fund of funds”).
With respect to Advisory Client accounts, Bienville may access certain Advisory Clients’ funds through our ability
to debit advisory fees. Certain Advisory Clients have standing letters of authorization in place that allow Bienville
to direct the Advisory Client’s custodian to send Advisory Client funds based on the standing letters of
authorization. In these cases, Bienville is considered to have custody of Advisory Client assets under the Custody
Rule. Account custodians send statements directly to the account owners, and Advisory Clients should carefully
review these statements, comparing them to account information provided by Bienville.
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ITEM 16 – INVESTMENT DISCRETION
Bienville has discretion and authority to manage and direct the investment of capital for several of its Clients. This
authority is provided to Bienville through an investment management agreement signed by the Client that sets
forth the terms and conditions under which Bienville will render its services. Limitations on Bienville’s
discretionary authority are included in investment management agreements, Private Fund offering and operating
documents, investor side letters and/or the Firm’s internal compliance policies and procedures. Some Clients have
an agreement or arrangement for Bienville to provide advisory services on a non-discretionary or consulting basis.
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ITEM 17 – VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
Bienville generally has the authority to act on proxies (vote or abstain) received on behalf of Private Funds and
Advisory Clients. Advisory Clients may notify us in writing if they do not want us to vote proxies on their behalf.
With limited exceptions, Advisory Clients may not direct Bienville to vote proxies in a particular solicitation. For
Bienville Client investments managed by a third-party, the operative agreement will indicate whether the third-
party manager is responsible for voting Client proxies. Bienville does not vote proxies on behalf of Consulting
Clients. Consulting Clients are responsible for voting any proxies and should contact their custodian(s) with
questions about receiving proxies. Bienville does not forward proxies to Consulting Clients, but they may contact
Bienville with questions about a particular solicitation. Please see contact information on cover page of this
Brochure.
Bienville’s proxy voting responsibilities are exercised in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Advisers
Act, the provisions of operative Client contracts, as well as with Bienville’s fiduciary duties under applicable law
to act in the best interests of its Clients. In furtherance of this objective, Bienville has contracted with Broadridge
Financial Solutions and utilizes its Proxy Edge® platform (“ProxyEdge”). ProxyEdge provides proxy analyses, vote
execution and record keeping services to Bienville. We have instructed ProxyEdge to follow the Glass Lewis voting
recommendations but retain the authority to override the recommendation on any proxy vote. In certain cases
where Bienville, in good faith, determines that Glass Lewis’ recommendations should not be used, the Firm may
instruct ProxyEdge to vote inconsistent with Glass Lewis’ recommendations. In circumstances where there is no
recommendation provided by Glass Lewis, Bienville will determine whether to process a manual vote or abstain
from voting.
On occasion, Bienville may refrain from voting a particular proxy. This may be done, for example where (i) a proxy
is received with respect to securities that have been sold before the date of the shareholder meeting and are no
longer held in an Advisory Client or Private Fund account; (ii) the terms of an applicable securities lending
agreement prevent Bienville from voting with respect to a loaned security; (iii) Bienville deems it in the best
interest of an Advisory Client or Private Fund to refrain from voting (e.g., conflict of interest); (iv) despite
reasonable efforts, Bienville receives proxy materials without sufficient time to reach an informed voting decision
and vote the proxies; (v) the terms of the security or any related agreement or applicable law preclude Bienville
from voting; (vi) in connection with certain Advisory Clients accounts, Bienville is unable to vote foreign securities
held at certain custodians or (vii) the terms of an applicable Advisory Client agreement reserve voting authority
to the Advisory Client or another party.
Bienville’s written proxy policies and procedures require the Firm to identify and address material conflicts of
interest between Bienville and its Clients. A conflict of interest could arise, for example, as a result of a business
relationship with a company, or a direct or indirect business interest in the matter being voted upon, or as a result
of a personal relationship with corporate directors or candidates for directorships. If a conflict exists which cannot
be otherwise addressed by the Chief Compliance Officer, or another designee, including voting in accordance with
Glass Lewis recommendations, Bienville may choose one of several options including but not limited to: (i) using
a different third-party proxy service provider to vote; (ii) if possible, erecting information barriers around the
person or persons making the voting decision sufficient to insulate the decision from the conflict; (iii) inform the
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Client (or the Investors in the Client if it is a Fund) of the material conflict of interest and obtain consent (majority
consent in the case of a Fund) to vote the proxy as recommended by Bienville; or (iv) if agreed upon in writing
with the Client, forwarding the proxies to affected Clients and allowing them to instruct the voting of their own
proxies.
A copy of Bienville’s proxy voting policies, procedures and information about how Client securities are voted is
available to Clients upon request by contacting Bienville. Please see contact information on cover page of this
Brochure.
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ITEM 18 – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Bienville is not required to include a balance sheet for its most recent fiscal year, is not aware of any financial
condition reasonably likely to impair its ability to meet contractual commitments to Clients and has not been the
subject of a bankruptcy petition at any time during the past ten years.
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