Allvue Systems S1 IPO registration | ALVU 3 Sep 21

Exhibit 10.17

January 8, 2021

James Black

[***]

Re: Employment with Allvue Systems, LLC

Dear Mr. Black:

This letter sets forth the terms of your employment by Allvue Systems, LLC (as such company’s name may change from time to time and including such company’s successors and assigns, the “Company”). We are very excited about this opportunity and value the role that you can serve on our team going forward. The terms of our offer are as follows:

1. You will be the Chief Operating Officer of the Company, reporting to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Managers of the Company (the “Board”). In this capacity, you will have the responsibilities and duties consistent with such position.

2. Your starting base salary will be $400,000.00 per year, less deductions and withholdings required by law or authorized by you, and will be subject to review annually (the “Base Salary”). Your Base Salary will be paid by the Company in regular installments in accordance with the Company’s general payroll practices as in effect from time to time.

With respect to your bonus opportunities for each bonus period beginning on and after January 1, 2021, you will be eligible to receive a bonus of up to 50% of your Base Salary (the “Bonus”). The Bonus will be awarded at the sole discretion of the Board, based on the Board’s determination as to your achievement of predetermined thresholds which may include, but are not limited to, management by objectives (“MBO”s) and financial targets such as revenue, recurring revenue, gross profit and/or EBITDA targets. In addition, you will be eligible each fiscal year for an additional bonus of up to 25% of your Base Salary, awarded at the sole discretion of the Board, based on the Board’s determination as to your achievement of “stretch” targets. Any Bonus and “stretch” bonus would be prorated for fiscal year 2021, based on your start date with the Company.

The bonus formulas, MBOs, performance milestones and all other elements of your bonus opportunities shall be established by the Board in its sole discretion, and communicated in writing (including by e-mail) to you from time to time. Any bonus earned for a fiscal year shall be paid within thirty (30) days after the Board has received, reviewed and approved the applicable fiscal year’s final audited financial statements, subject, in each case, to your continued employment on the applicable payment date.

3. You also will be eligible to participate in regular health, dental and vision insurance plans and other employee benefit plans established by the Company applicable to executive-level employees from time to time, so long as they remain generally available to the Company’s executive-level employees.

4. You will initially perform your duties for the Company remotely at your home office. When requested (and subject to any limitations or restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic), your position shall be based in the Company’s headquarters in Miami, Florida or such

other location as mutually agreed. You understand and agree that your duties may involve extensive domestic and international travel, in accordance with the Company’s guidelines for essential travel during the time period that travel is impacted by COVID-19. You will be expected to meet the expectations required of your position, perform all of the duties associated with your role, and comply with all Company policies while working remotely.

5. You shall be considered to receive equity and other long-term incentive awards under any applicable plan adopted by the Company for which employees are generally eligible. The level of your participation in any such plan, if any, shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Board from time to time.¹

6. You must complete the following as a condition of your employment:

In consideration of and as a condition of employment, you must carefully consider and sign the Company’s standard “Employment and Restrictive Covenants Agreement” (attached to this letter as Exhibit A). Because the Company and its affiliates are engaged in a continuous program of research, development, production and marketing in connection with their business, we wish to reiterate that it is critical for the Company and its affiliates to preserve and protect its proprietary information and its rights in inventions.

So that the Company has proper records of inventions that may belong to you, we ask that you also complete Schedule 1 attached to Exhibit A.

You and the Company mutually agree that any disputes that may arise regarding your employment will be submitted to binding arbitration by the American Arbitration Association. As a condition of your employment, you will need to carefully consider and voluntarily agree to the arbitration clause set forth in Section 14 of Exhibit A.

7. We also wish to remind you that, as a condition of your employment, you are expected to abide by the Parent’s, the Company’s, and their direct and indirect subsidiaries’ policies and procedures, which policies and procedures may be amended from time to time, at the Company’s sole discretion and employees will be notified of any amendments to such policies and procedures.

8. Your employment with the Company is at will. The Company may terminate your employment at any time with or without notice, and for any reason or no reason, with or without cause. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in Exhibit A, you may terminate your employment with the Company at any time and for any reason or no reason by giving notice in writing to the Company of not less than four (4) weeks (“Notice Period”), unless otherwise agreed to in writing by you and the Company. In the event of such notice, the Company reserves the right, in its discretion, to give immediate effect to your resignation in lieu of requiring or allowing you to continue work throughout the Notice Period; provided that the Company pays your Base Salary which would otherwise be payable with respect to the Notice Period. The

¹	As outlined in separate equity compensation overview.

Company may, during the Notice Period, relieve you of all of your duties and prohibit you from entering the Company’s offices. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you shall continue to be an employee of the Company during the Notice Period, and thus owe to the Company the same duty of loyalty you owed it prior to giving notice of your termination.

9. If the Company terminates your employment without “Cause” (excluding terminations for death or Disability) or you voluntarily terminate your employment for a “Good Reason”, you will be entitled to receive a severance payment in the form of continued Base Salary pay for 9 months and, at the sole discretion of the Board, a pro-rated portion of any bonus that may have been earned by you during the fiscal year in which such termination occurs, based on actual performance and paid when bonuses are otherwise paid for such fiscal year (but in any event, no later than March 15^th of the year following the year in respect of which such bonus is earned), in each case, less deductions and withholdings required by law or authorized by you (the “Severance Pay”). For purposes of this section, “Cause,” “Disability” and “Good Reason” have the meanings set forth in Exhibit B attached hereto. The Company will not be required to pay the Severance Pay unless (a) you execute and deliver to the Company an agreement (“Release Agreement”) in a form satisfactory to the Company releasing from all liability (other than the payments and benefits contemplated by this letter) the Company, each member of the Company, and any of their respective past or present officers, directors, managers, employees investors, agents or affiliates, including Vista, and you do not revoke such Release Agreement during any applicable revocation period, (b) such Release Agreement is executed and delivered (and no longer subject to revocation, if applicable) within sixty (60) days following the date of your termination of employment, and (c) you have not breached the provisions of Sections [Error! Reference source not found.] through 10 and 16 of Exhibit A, the terms of this letter, any other agreement between you and the Company or the provisions of the Release Agreement. If the Release Agreement is executed and delivered and no longer subject to revocation as provided in the preceding sentence, then the Severance Pay shall be paid in accordance with the Company’s general payroll practices at the time of termination and commencing on the second regularly scheduled payroll date after the sixtieth (60th) day after your termination of employment. The first payment of Severance Pay shall include payment of all amounts that otherwise would have been due prior thereto under the terms of this letter had such payments commenced immediately upon your termination of employment, and any payments made thereafter shall continue as provided herein. For the avoidance of doubt, if your employment is terminated for any reason other than by the Company without Cause (excluding terminations for death or Disability) or by you voluntarily for a Good Reason, you shall not be entitled to the Severance Pay.

10. You shall not make any statement that would libel, slander, defame or disparage the Company, any member of the Company or its affiliates or any of their respective past or present officers, directors, managers, stockholders, employees, independent contractors, or agents.

11. While we look forward to a long and profitable relationship, you will be an at-will employee of the Company as described in Section 8 of this letter and Section 3 of Exhibit A. Any statements or representations to the contrary (and, indeed, any statements contradicting any provision in this letter) are, and should be regarded by you, as ineffective. Further, your participation in any benefit program or other Company program, if any, is not to be regarded as assuring you of continuing employment for any particular period of time.

12. Please note that because of employer regulations adopted in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, within three (3) business days of starting your new position you will need to present documentation establishing your identity and demonstrating that you have authorization to work in the United States. If you have questions about this requirement, which applies to U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens alike, you may contact our personnel office.

13. It should also be understood that all offers of employment are conditioned on the Company’s completion of a satisfactory background check, including a drug screening process. The Company reserves the right to perform background checks during the term of your employment, subject to compliance with applicable laws. You will be required to execute forms authorizing such a background check.

14. This letter along with its Exhibits and the documents referred to herein constitute the entire agreement and understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter of this letter, and supersede all prior understandings and agreements, including but not limited to severance, employment or similar agreements, whether oral or written, between or among you and the Company or its predecessor with respect to the specific subject matter hereof.

15. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this letter and the provisions of Exhibit A, the terms of this letter shall prevail.

16. Notwithstanding any other provision herein, the Company shall be entitled to withhold from any amounts otherwise payable hereunder any amounts required to be withheld in respect of federal, state or local taxes.

17. The intent of the parties is that payments and benefits under this letter be exempt from or comply with Code Section 409A and the regulations and guidance promulgated thereunder (collectively “Code Section 409A”) and, accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted, this letter shall be interpreted to be in compliance therewith. In no event whatsoever shall the Company be liable for any additional tax, interest or penalty that may be imposed on you by Code Section 409A or damages for failing to comply with Code Section 409A. A termination of employment shall not be deemed to have occurred for purposes of any provision of this letter providing for the payment of any amounts or benefits upon or following a termination of employment unless such termination is also a “separation from service” within the meaning of Code Section 409A and, for purposes of any such provision of this letter, references to a “termination,” “termination of employment” or like terms shall mean “separation from service.” Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, if you are deemed on the date of termination to be a “specified employee” within the meaning of that term under Code Section 409A(a)(2)(B), then with regard to any payment or the provision of any benefit that is considered deferred compensation under Code Section 409A payable on account of a “separation from service,” such payment or benefit shall not be made or provided until the date which is the earlier of (A) the expiration of the six (6)-month period measured from the date of such “separation from service”, and (B) the date of your death, to the extent required under Code Section 409A. For purposes of Code Section 409A, your right to receive any installment payments pursuant to this letter shall be treated as a right to receive a series of separate and distinct payments. To the extent that reimbursements or other in-kind benefits under this letter constitute “nonqualified deferred compensation” for purposes of Code Section 409A, (a) all such expenses or other reimbursements hereunder shall be made on or prior to the

last day of the taxable year following the taxable year in which such expenses were incurred by you, (b) any right to such reimbursement or in-kind benefits shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit, and (c) no such reimbursement, expenses eligible for reimbursement, or in-kind benefits provided in any taxable year shall in any way affect the expenses eligible for reimbursement, or in-kind benefits to be provided, in any other taxable year. Notwithstanding any other provision of this letter to the contrary, in no event shall any payment under this letter that constitutes “nonqualified deferred compensation” for purposes of Code Section 409A be subject to offset by any other amount unless otherwise permitted by Code Section 409A.

18. The effective date of employment under the terms of this offer is expected to be on or about February 1, 2021. If you decide to accept the terms of this letter, and I hope you will, please signify your acceptance of these conditions of employment by signing and dating the enclosed copy of this letter and its Exhibit A and returning them to me, not later than January 15, 2021. Should you have anything that you wish to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact [***] at [***].

By signing this letter and Exhibit A attached hereto, you represent and warrant that you have had the opportunity to seek the advice of independent counsel before signing and have either done so, or have freely chosen not to do so, and either way, you sign this letter voluntarily.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Mark Heimbouch

I have read and understood this letter and Exhibit A attached and hereby acknowledge, accept and agree to the terms set forth therein.


/s/ James Black				Date signed: January 13, 2021
Signature
Name: James Black

LIST OF EXHIBITS

Exhibit A: Employment and Restrictive Covenants Agreement

Exhibit B: Certain Definitions

Allvue Systems (ALVU) S-1IPO registration