[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 171 (Friday, September 2, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60758-60759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21133]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Investment Company Act Release No. 32241; 812-14630]


Starboard Investment Trust and Cavalier Investments, Inc.; Notice 
of Application

August 29, 2016.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').

ACTION: Notice of an application under section 6(c) of the Investment 
Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') for an exemption from section 15(a) of 
the Act and rule 18f-2 under the Act, as well as from certain 
disclosure requirements in rule 20a-1 under the Act, Item 19(a)(3) of 
Form N-1A, Items 22(c)(1)(ii), 22(c)(1)(iii), 22(c)(8) and 22(c)(9) of 
Schedule 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Sections 6-
07(2)(a), (b), and (c) of Regulation S-X (``Disclosure Requirements''). 
The requested exemption would permit an investment adviser to hire and 
replace certain sub-advisers without shareholder approval and grant 
relief from the Disclosure Requirements as they relate to fees paid to 
the sub-advisers.

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Applicants:  Starboard Investment Trust (the ``Trust''), a Delaware 
statutory trust registered under the Act as an open-end management 
investment company with multiple series, and Cavalier Investments, 
Inc., a Massachusetts corporation registered as an investment adviser 
under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the ``Adviser,'' and, 
collectively with the Trust, the ``Applicants'').

DATES Filing Dates: The application was filed March 18, 2016, and 
amended on June 20, 2016.

Hearing or Notification of Hearing:  An order granting the application 
will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing. Interested 
persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's Secretary 
and serving applicants with a copy of the request, personally or by 
mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by 5:30 
p.m. on September 23, 2016, and should be accompanied by proof of 
service on the applicants, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, 
a certificate of service. Pursuant to rule 0-5 under the Act, hearing 
requests should state the nature of the writer's interest, any facts 
bearing upon the desirability of a hearing on the matter, the reason 
for the request, and the issues contested. Persons who wish to be 
notified of a hearing may request notification by writing to the 
Commission's Secretary.

ADDRESSES: Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F 
Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090. Applicants: The Trust, 116 South 
Franklin Street, Rocky Mount, NC 27804; the Adviser, 50 Braintree Hill 
Park #105, Braintree, MA 02184.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hae-Sung Lee, Attorney-Adviser, at 
(202) 551-7345, or Mary Kay Frech, Branch Chief, at (202) 551-6821 
(Division of

[[Page 60759]]

Investment Management, Chief Counsel's Office).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the 
application. The complete application may be obtained via the 
Commission's Web site by searching for the file number, or an applicant 
using the Company name box, at http://www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or 
by calling (202) 551-8090.

Summary of the Application

    1. The Adviser will serve as the investment adviser to the 
Subadvised Series pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the 
Trust (the ``Investment Management Agreement'').\1\ The Adviser will 
provide the Subadvised Series with continuous and comprehensive 
investment management services subject to the supervision of, and 
policies established by, each Subadvised Series' board of trustees 
(``Board''). The Investment Management Agreement permits the Adviser, 
subject to the approval of the Board, to delegate to one or more sub-
advisers (each, a ``Sub-Adviser'' and collectively, the ``Sub-
Advisers'') the responsibility to provide the day-to-day portfolio 
investment management of each Subadvised Series, subject to the 
supervision and direction of the Adviser. The primary responsibility 
for managing the Subadvised Series will remain vested in the Adviser. 
The Adviser will hire, evaluate, allocate assets to and oversee the 
Sub-Advisers, including determining whether a Sub-Adviser should be 
terminated, at all times subject to the authority of the Board.
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    \1\ Applicants request relief with respect to any existing and 
any future series of the Trust and any other registered open-end 
management company or series thereof that: (a) Is advised by the 
Adviser or its successor or by a person controlling, controlled by, 
or under common control with the Adviser or its successor (each, 
also an ``Adviser''); (b) uses the manager of managers structure 
described in the application; and (c) complies with the terms and 
conditions of the application (each, a ``Subadvised Series''). For 
purposes of the requested order, ``successor'' is limited to an 
entity that results from a reorganization into another jurisdiction 
or a change in the type of business organization.
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    2. Applicants request an exemption to permit the Adviser, subject 
to Board approval, to hire certain Sub-Advisers pursuant to Sub-
Advisory Agreements and materially amend existing Sub-Advisory 
Agreements without obtaining the shareholder approval required under 
section 15(a) of the Act and rule 18f-2 under the Act.\2\ Applicants 
also seek an exemption from the Disclosure Requirements to permit each 
Subadvised Series to disclose (as both a dollar amount and a percentage 
of the Subadvised Series' net assets): (a) The aggregate fees paid to 
the Adviser and any Affiliated Sub-Advisers; and (b) the aggregate fees 
paid to Sub-Advisers other than Affiliated Sub-Advisers (collectively, 
``Aggregate Fee Disclosure''). For any Subadvised Series that employs 
an Affiliated Sub-Adviser, the Subadvised Series will provide separate 
disclosure of any fees paid to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser.
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    \2\ The requested relief will not extend to any sub-adviser that 
is an affiliated person, as defined in section 2(a)(3) of the Act, 
of the Subadvised Series, the Trust or the Adviser, other than by 
reason of serving as a sub-adviser to one or more of the Subadvised 
Series (``Affiliated Sub-Adviser'').
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    3. Applicants agree that any order granting the requested relief 
will be subject to the terms and conditions stated in the application. 
Such terms and conditions provide for, among other safeguards, 
appropriate disclosure to Subadvised Series shareholders and 
notification about sub-advisory changes and enhanced Board oversight to 
protect the interests of the Subadvised Series' shareholders.
    4. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt 
any person, security, or transaction or any class or classes of 
persons, securities, or transactions from any provisions of the Act, or 
any rule thereunder, if such relief is necessary or appropriate in the 
public interest and consistent with the protection of investors and 
purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of the Act. 
Applicants believe that the requested relief meets this standard 
because, as further explained in the application, the Investment 
Management Agreements will remain subject to shareholder approval, 
while the role of the Sub-Advisers is substantially similar to that of 
individual portfolio managers, so that requiring shareholder approval 
of Sub-Advisory Agreements would impose unnecessary delays and expenses 
on the Subadvised Series. Applicants believe that the requested relief 
from the Disclosure Requirements meets this standard because it will 
improve the Adviser's ability to negotiate fees paid to the Sub-
Advisers that are more advantageous for the Subadvised Series.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
under delegated authority.
Robert W. Errett,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-21133 Filed 9-1-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P