Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC): ANSOFF MATRIX [Dec-2025 Updated]

You're staring down the growth options for Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC), trying to figure out where the next dollar of net investment income (NII) will come from, so I've broken down their strategy using the Ansoff Matrix. Honestly, the choices range from doubling down-like deploying that $75 million in cash and revolver capacity to push the weighted average yield above 11.5%-to swinging for the fences with diversification, perhaps launching a new fund focused on infrastructure debt. We're looking at everything from targeted market development in the Pacific Northwest to structuring new products like a dedicated 'rescue capital' facility. Every path has its own risk/reward profile, and you need to see the specifics. Let's look at the four distinct strategies below.

Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) - Ansoff Matrix: Market Penetration

You're looking at how Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) can deepen its hold in its current markets, which for a BDC like this means maximizing returns and market share within its existing debt and specialty finance arenas. This is about getting more from what you already have, so the numbers here reflect current portfolio strength and immediate deployment plans.

The immediate action item involves putting available liquidity to work. Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) has $25 million in cash and money market securities, coupled with full $50 million revolver availability, totaling $75 million in deployable capacity as of September 30, 2025. The goal here is to deploy this $75 million directly into existing corporate credit deals, pushing for higher-yielding, lower-risk placements within the current investment mandate.

To win market share from competitors, Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) needs to make its offering more attractive on yield. The weighted average current yield on the debt portfolio stood at 11.5% as of September 30, 2025. The near-term objective is to push this figure above 11.5% on new and refinanced deals. For context, the $56.6 million deployed during the third quarter of 2025 carried a weighted average current yield of 10.7%, showing the need for better pricing on future originations.

Narrowing the Net Asset Value (NAV) discount is a direct way to signal confidence to the market and improve shareholder value. The Board has authorized an aggressive $10 million share repurchase program. This action directly supports the stock price, aiming to close the gap between the market price and the September 30, 2025 NAV per share of $10.01.

Income capture is heavily tied to interest rate exposure. Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) currently has approximately 67% of its debt investments in floating-rate instruments. The strategy here is to increase this percentage beyond 67% to better capitalize on any upward movement in benchmark rates, thus improving Net Investment Income (NII) capture.

Supporting existing relationships provides a competitive moat. The focus on the Specialty Finance platform is key; this segment increased its distribution to Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) to $450,000 from $120,000 in the prior quarter. Furthermore, management identified over $20 million in non-yielding assets slated for harvesting and redeployment into cash-generating investments, which can include offering competitive add-on financing to existing, performing portfolio companies to block out rival BDCs.

Here's a look at the key metrics driving this market penetration strategy as of the third quarter of 2025:

The execution of this strategy relies on disciplined capital allocation, which is supported by the balance sheet strength achieved through recent financing actions. Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) doubled its revolver capacity to $50 million and refinanced higher-cost debt, reducing borrowing costs.

The focus areas for deploying the available capital and increasing market penetration include:

• Targeting new corporate credit deals with yields exceeding the current 11.5% benchmark.
• Increasing the 67% allocation to floating-rate debt for better income capture.
• Utilizing the $10 million buyback to signal value at the $10.01 NAV per share level.
• Deploying capital harvested from over $20 million in non-yielding assets.
• Leveraging the Specialty Finance platform, which saw its distribution rise to $450,000 in Q3 2025.

Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) - Ansoff Matrix: Market Development

Target middle-market companies in a new US region, like the Pacific Northwest, for debt deployment.

Expand the Great Elm Specialty Finance platform into Canada, using the US structure as a template.

Market the current CLO JV investment product to new institutional investor types, such as smaller endowments.

Form a strategic partnership with a European private credit firm to access their middle-market deal flow.

Leverage the recent $27 million equity raise to establish a presence in a new, high-growth US state.

The third quarter of 2025 saw aggregate net proceeds from equity issuances totaling approximately $27 million, comprised of a private placement of $14 million and ATM issuances of approximately $13 million. As of the date of the October 7th update, Great Elm Capital Corp. retained over $20 million of deployable cash for investment in the coming quarters. As of September 30, 2025, the Company had availability of $50.0 million under its revolving line of credit, with $0 drawn.

The weighted average current yield on the debt portfolio as of September 30, 2025, stood at 11.5%. During the quarter ended September 30, 2025, Great Elm Capital Corp. deployed approximately $56.6 million across 36 investments at a weighted average current yield of 10.7%. Total debt outstanding (par value) was $205.4 million as of September 30, 2025. Pro forma for the over-allotment option of additional 7.75% Notes, the estimated debt-to-equity ratio is approximately 1.5x.

The Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share for the fourth quarter of 2025. This equates to an annualized yield of 19.8% based on Great Elm Capital Corp.'s November 3, 2025 closing price of $7.48. The Company also authorized a new share repurchase program up to an aggregate of $10 million of its outstanding common shares.

• Total investment income for Q3 2025 was $10.6 million, or $0.86 per share.
• Total expenses for Q3 2025 were approximately $8.2 million, or $0.67 per share.
• Net investment income (NII) for Q3 2025 was $2.4 million, or $0.20 per share.
• Net Asset Value (NAV) per share as of September 30, 2025, was $10.01, down from $12.10 at the end of the second quarter of 2025.
• Shares outstanding as of September 30, 2025, were approximately 14.0 million.

Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) - Ansoff Matrix: Product Development

You're looking at how Great Elm Capital Corp. can build new income streams after the hit from the First Brands bankruptcy, which caused an adverse impact to Net Asset Value (NAV) of approximately $16.5 million in the third quarter of 2025. That quarter saw Net Investment Income (NII) drop sharply to $0.20 per share from $0.51 per share in the second quarter of 2025. We need products that generate more stable, lower-volatility income, especially since total investments stood at $325.1 million as of September 30, 2025.

Structure a new, ultra-senior secured loan product with a lower risk profile for conservative investors. This directly counters the downside experienced when a junior position, like the First Brands Second Lien Loan, suffered significant write-downs. We want to focus on the senior-most part of the capital structure, aiming for security over the bulk of the portfolio, which as of September 30, 2025, included $189.3 million in corporate credit debt investments, representing 58.2% of fair market value.

Create a dedicated 'rescue capital' facility for middle-market companies facing liquidity issues, learning from the First Brands loss. The key here is sizing; management noted that exposure to First Brands was too large in retrospect. This new facility must enforce stricter position sizing limits, perhaps capping any single issuer exposure at a lower percentage than the previous average, and focus on shorter-duration, high-yield rescue financing where covenants are tighter.

Introduce a preferred equity product for existing portfolio companies to capture higher returns than debt alone. This is about enhancing yield on assets we already know. The current debt portfolio carried a weighted average current yield of 11.5% as of September 30, 2025. Preferred equity, especially in the healthcare sector where Great Elm Capital Corp. is focusing, can offer equity upside potential while maintaining a fixed dividend priority above common equity, potentially targeting yields above that 11.5% mark.

Develop a bespoke financing solution for the healthcare sector, a current focus area, to stabilize NII after the Q3 drop to $0.20 per share. Healthcare assets often provide more predictable cash flows, which is exactly what's needed to smooth out the unevenness seen in CLO JV distributions-which fell from $4.3 million in Q2 to $1.5 million in Q3. This bespoke product should target stable, recurring revenue businesses within healthcare.

Launch a new baby bond or preferred stock with a slightly lower coupon than the 7.75% GECCG notes to attract a broader retail investor base. The successful issuance of the 7.75% GECCG Notes due 2030, which replaced higher-cost debt like the 8.75% GECCZ Notes, proves retail appetite exists for Great Elm Capital Corp. paper. A new offering priced perhaps at 7.25% or 7.50% could capture demand from investors seeking yield just below the current benchmark, especially given the maintained $0.37 per share quarterly distribution.

Here's a quick look at the income pressure points from the third quarter of 2025:

To execute on these product development ideas, Great Elm Capital Corp. has the liquidity foundation in place:

• Cash and money market securities: $25 million as of September 30, 2025.
• Revolver availability: $50.0 million.
• Total debt outstanding (par value): $205.4 million.
• NAV per share: Fell to $10.01 from $12.10.

The focus must be on deploying this liquidity into the new, de-risked product structures.

Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) - Ansoff Matrix: Diversification

You're looking at Great Elm Capital Corp. (GECC) right after a quarter where net investment income (NII) dropped to $2.4 million, down from $5.9 million in the prior quarter, partly due to the absence of a distribution from an insurance-related investment. This signals a clear need to broaden the revenue base beyond the current concentration.

As of September 30, 2025, Great Elm Capital Corp. held total investments valued at fair value of $325.1 million, with net assets at $140.1 million. The current portfolio is heavily weighted toward credit. To execute diversification, you're mapping out moves into new asset classes, geographies, and product lines.

Here's a quick look at the current investment mix as of September 30, 2025, which sets the stage for these new directions:

The focus on infrastructure debt would introduce a completely different asset class, moving away from the current core, which saw 64 debt investments in corporate credit as of the third quarter end.

Consider the acquisition of a small asset manager focused on non-credit assets, like renewable energy equity. This directly addresses the current portfolio composition, where equity investments are a smaller component. For context, the Great Elm Specialty Finance investment included an equity piece of $13.4 million (4.1% of total investments) as of September 30, 2025.

Entering the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market builds on prior activity; remember, the Q3 2025 NII was impacted by the lack of a preference share dividend from an insurance-related investment. This suggests a known, albeit currently non-recurring, revenue stream to potentially stabilize or enhance income.

Establishing a joint venture for Latin American middle-market origination represents a geographic expansion. This contrasts with the current focus, where the corporate portfolio has first lien loans comprising two-thirds of its investments, and the Specialty Finance platform is focused on domestic areas like asset-based lending and invoice financing.

Developing a new product line for technology-enabled service companies' growth capital targets a specific sector needing funding. This move would complement the existing Great Elm Specialty Finance platform, which includes Great Elm Commercial Finance and Great Elm Healthcare Finance, aiming for a target allocation of approximately 50% of assets in specialty finance companies.

These diversification paths aim to create new revenue streams, which is critical given the recent need to redeploy over $45 million from cash and available revolver capacity ($50.0 million availability as of September 30, 2025) into income-generating opportunities.

The potential actions for diversification are:

• Launch infrastructure debt fund, a new asset class.
• Acquire manager for non-credit assets like renewable energy equity.
• Enter the insurance-linked securities (ILS) market.
• Joint venture for Latin American middle-market loans (new geography).
• New product line for technology-enabled service company growth capital.

Finance: draft pro-forma portfolio allocation model incorporating $50 million deployment across these new vectors by Friday.