Spyre Therapeutics, Inc. 6,500,000 Shares of Common Stock, Par Value $0.0001 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1.1
6,500,000 Shares of Common Stock, Par Value $0.0001
April 14, 2026
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & CO. LLC
EVERCORE GROUP L.L.C.
GUGGENHEIM SECURITIES, LLC
As Representatives of the several Underwriters
c/▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
c/o Goldman ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
c/o Evercore Group L.L.C.
▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
c/o Guggenheim Securities, LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Introductory. Spyre Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule A (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of 6,500,000 shares (the “Firm Shares”) of its common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”). In addition, the Company has granted to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 975,000 shares of Common Stock as provided in Section 2. The additional 975,000 shares of Common Stock to be sold by the Company pursuant to such option are collectively called the “Optional Shares.” The Firm Shares and, if and to the extent such option is exercised, the Optional Shares are collectively called the “Offered Shares.” ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC (“▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇”), ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC, Evercore Group L.L.C. and Guggenheim Securities, LLC have agreed to act as representatives of the several Underwriters (in such capacity, the “Representatives”) in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Shares. To the extent there are no additional underwriters listed on Schedule A, the term “Representatives” as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriters, and the term “Underwriters” shall mean either the singular or the plural, as the context requires.
The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a shelf registration statement on Form S-3, File No. 333-293600, including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”) to be used in connection with the public offering and sale of the
Offered Shares. Such registration statement, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, in the form in which it became effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), including all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein and any information deemed to be a part thereof at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A or 430B under the Securities Act, is called the “Registration Statement.” Any registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Shares is called the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,” and from and after the date and time of filing of any such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The preliminary prospectus supplement dated April 13, 2026 describing the Offered Shares and the offering thereof (the “Preliminary Prospectus Supplement”), together with the Base Prospectus, is called the “Preliminary Prospectus,” and the Preliminary Prospectus and any other prospectus supplement to the Base Prospectus in preliminary form that describes the Offered Shares and the offering thereof and is used prior to the filing of the Prospectus (as defined below), together with the Base Prospectus, is called a “preliminary prospectus.” As used herein, the term “Prospectus” shall mean the final prospectus supplement to the Base Prospectus that describes the Offered Shares and the offering thereof (the “Final Prospectus Supplement”), together with the Base Prospectus, in the form first used by the Underwriters to confirm sales of the Offered Shares or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act. References herein to the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus shall refer to both the prospectus supplement and the Base Prospectus components of such prospectus. As used herein, “Applicable Time” is 5:40 p.m. (New York City time) on April 14, 2026. As used herein, “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the Preliminary Prospectus, as amended or supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time. As used herein, “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means each written communication (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that is made in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act or Rule 163B under the Securities Act by the Company or any person authorized to act on behalf of the Company to one or more potential investors that are qualified institutional buyers (“QIBs”) and/or institutions that are accredited investors (“IAIs”), as such terms are respectively defined in Rule 144A and Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act, to determine whether such investors might have an interest in the offering of the Offered Shares; “Oral Testing-the-Waters Communication” means each oral communication, if any, made in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act or Rule 163B under the Securities Act by the Company or any person authorized to act on behalf of the Company made to one or more QIBs and/or one or more IAIs to determine whether such investors might have an interest in the offering of the Offered Shares; “Marketing Materials” means any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Offered Shares, including any roadshow or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically); and “Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communication” means the Written Testing-the-Waters Communication(s) and Marketing Materials listed on Schedule B attached hereto.
All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus and the Prospectus shall include the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which are “contained,” “included” or “stated” in, or “part of” the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, and all other references of like import, shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary
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prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. All references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) that is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, or the Prospectus, as the case may be. All references in this Agreement to (i) the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus, any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, shall include any copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“▇▇▇▇▇”) and (ii) the Prospectus shall be deemed to include any “electronic Prospectus” provided for use in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares as contemplated by Section 3(n) of this Agreement.
In the event that the Company has only one subsidiary, then all references herein to “subsidiaries” of the Company shall be deemed to refer to such single subsidiary, mutatis mutandis.
The Company hereby confirms its agreements with the Underwriters as follows:
Section 1. Representations and Warranties.
The Company hereby represents, warrants and covenants to each Underwriter, as of the date of this Agreement, as of the First Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) and as of each Option Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), if any, as follows:
(a) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act. The Company has complied, and will comply, to the Commission’s satisfaction, with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information, if any. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission. At the time the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 was filed with the Commission, or, if later, at the time the Registration Statement was originally filed with the Commission, the Company met the then-applicable requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act specified in FINRA Rule 5110(j)(6). The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, or became effective under the Exchange Act, as the case may be, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act.
(b) Disclosure. Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus when first used or filed, as applicable, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and, if filed by electronic transmission pursuant to ▇▇▇▇▇, was identical (except as may be permitted by Regulation S-T under the Securities Act) to the copy thereof delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Shares. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became or becomes effective, complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. As of the Applicable Time, the Time of Sale Prospectus did not, and at the First Closing Date (as defined in
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Section 2) and at each applicable Option Closing Date (as defined in Section 2), will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Prospectus, as of its date, did not, and at the First Closing Date and at each applicable Option Closing Date, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representations and warranties set forth in the three immediately preceding sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements thereto, made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the information described in Section 9(b) below. There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement which have not been described or filed as required.
(c) Eligible Issuer. As of the determination date referenced in Rule 164(h) under the Securities Act, the Company is not or will not be (as applicable) an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act.
(d) Distribution of Offering Material By the Company. Prior to the later of (i) the expiration or termination of the option granted to the several Underwriters in Section 2 and (ii) the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Offered Shares, the Company has not distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Shares other than the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus.
(e) The Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(f) Authorization of the Offered Shares. The Offered Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of any pledge, lien, encumbrance, security interest or other claim. The issuance and sale of the Offered Shares is not and will not be, subject to preemptive or other similar rights arising by operation of law, under the organizational documents of the Company or under any agreement to which the Company or its Subsidiaries (as defined below) is a party or otherwise, except as have been validly waived or complied with.
(g) No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, except for such rights as have been duly waived or complied with.
(h) No Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus: (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, operations or prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its Subsidiaries, considered as one entity (any such change is called a “Material Adverse
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Change”); (ii) the Company and its Subsidiaries, considered as one entity, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business nor entered into any material transaction or agreement not in the ordinary course of business; and (iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or, except for regular quarterly dividends publicly announced by the Company or dividends paid to the Company or other Subsidiaries, by any of its Subsidiaries on any class of capital stock or repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any class of capital stock.
(i) Independent Accountants. Each of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which has expressed its opinion with respect to the consolidated financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2024 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Commission or incorporated by reference as a part of the Registration Statement and included in the Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, and KPMG LLP, which has expressed its opinion with respect to the consolidated financial statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2025 and for the year ended December 31, 2025, is (i) an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), (ii) in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and (iii) a registered public accounting firm as defined by the PCAOB whose registration has not been suspended or revoked and who has not requested such registration to be withdrawn.
(j) Financial Statements. The financial statements, as restated, filed with the Commission as a part of or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and included in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of and at the dates indicated and the results of their operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the periods specified. The supporting schedules (if any) included in or incorporated in the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the information required to be stated therein. Such financial statements, as restated, and supporting schedules (if any) have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto and in the case of unaudited interim financial statements, which are subject to normal year-end adjustments and do not contain certain footnotes as permitted by the applicable rules of the Commission. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in or incorporated in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.
(k) XBRL. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto in all material respects.
(l) Company’s Accounting System. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company maintains a system of “internal control over financial reporting” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act (the “Exchange Act Rules”)) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as
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necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (A) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (B) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company maintains and will continue to maintain a standard system of accounting established and administered in accordance with U.S. GAAP and the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act.
(m) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇; Disclosure Controls and Procedures. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) designed to ensure that (i) material information relating to the Company and its Subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities and (ii) information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files, furnishes or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company has conducted evaluations of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.
(n) Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company and its Subsidiaries. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated herein and therein. Each material subsidiary of the Company (each a “Subsidiary”) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation or limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and has the requisite power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, except where the failure to be in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is duly qualified as a foreign corporation or foreign partnership to transact business and is in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation and each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except for such jurisdictions where the failure to so qualify or to be in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change. All of the issued and outstanding equity interests of the Subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by the Company, directly or through the Subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or adverse claim. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21.1 to
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the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year and other than (i) those Subsidiaries not required to be listed on Exhibit 21.1 by Item 601 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act and (ii) those Subsidiaries formed since the last day of the most recently ended fiscal year.
(o) Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” (other than for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to employee benefit plans, or upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, in each case described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus). The Common Stock (including the Offered Shares) conforms in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Time of Sale Prospectus. All of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and have been issued in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws. None of the outstanding shares of Common Stock were issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. There are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries other than those accurately described in all material respects in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. The description of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus accurately and fairly presents in all material respects the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights.
(p) Stock Exchange Listing. The Company is subject to and in compliance in all material respects with the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (the “Nasdaq”), and the Company has taken no action designed to, or reasonably likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or delisting the Common Stock from Nasdaq, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. All of the Offered Shares that have been or may be sold under this Agreement have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq, subject to official notice of issuance; the Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that, upon and at all times after the Nasdaq shall have approved the Offered Shares for listing, it will be in compliance with all applicable corporate governance requirements set forth in the Nasdaq’s listing rules that are then in effect.
(q) Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments; No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of its charter or bylaws or is in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (“Default”) under any indenture, mortgage, loan or credit agreement, note, contract, franchise, lease or other instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”), except for such Defaults as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares (including the use of proceeds from the sale of the Offered Shares as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) (i) have
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been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or bylaws of the Company or any Subsidiary, (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument, and (iii) will not result in any violation of any law, administrative regulation or administrative or court decree applicable to the Company or any Subsidiary, except in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. No consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency, is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, except such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act, applicable state securities or blue sky laws and from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(r) Compliance with Laws. The Company has not been advised, and has no reason to believe, that it and each of its Subsidiaries are not conducting business in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations of the jurisdictions in which it is conducting business, except where failure to be so in compliance would not result in a Material Adverse Change.
(s) No Material Actions or Proceedings. There are no legal or governmental actions, suits or proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened (i) against or affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) which has as the subject thereof any officer or director of, or property owned or leased by, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (iii) relating to environmental or discrimination matters, where in any such case (A) there is a reasonable possibility that such action, suit or proceeding might be determined adversely to the Company or such Subsidiary and (B) any such action, suit or proceeding, if so determined adversely, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change or adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries exists or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened or imminent.
(t) Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries own, possess, have valid license rights or can acquire on a reasonable terms, adequate rights to use all (i) patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark registrations, service marks, service mark registrations, Internet domain name registrations, copyrights, copyright registrations, licenses, trade secret rights (“Intellectual Property Rights”) and (ii) inventions, software, works of authorships, trademarks, service marks, trade names, databases, formulae, know how, Internet domain names and other intellectual property (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary confidential information, systems, or procedures) (collectively, “Intellectual Property Assets”) necessary to conduct their respective businesses as currently conducted, and as proposed to be conducted and described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company and its Subsidiaries have not received any opinion from their legal counsel concluding that any activities of their respective businesses infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate, valid and enforceable Intellectual Property Rights of any other person, and have not received written notice of any challenge, which is to their knowledge still
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pending, by any other person to the rights of the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to any Intellectual Property Rights or Intellectual Property Assets owned or used by the Company or its Subsidiaries. To the knowledge of the Company, the Company and its Subsidiaries’ respective businesses as now conducted do not give rise to any infringement of, any misappropriation of, or other violation of, any valid and enforceable Intellectual Property Rights of any other person in any material respect. All licenses for the use of the Intellectual Property Rights described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are valid, binding upon, and enforceable by or against the parties thereto in accordance to its terms. Since the Merger Date (as defined below), and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, the Company has complied in all material respects with, and is not in breach of, any intellectual property license and has not received any asserted or threatened claim of breach of any intellectual property license. The Company has no knowledge of any breach or anticipated breach by any other person to any intellectual property license. Since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, no written claim has been made against the Company alleging the infringement by the Company of any patent, trademark, service mark, trade name, copyright, trade secret, license in or other intellectual property right or franchise right of any person. The Company has taken all reasonable steps to protect, maintain and safeguard its Intellectual Property Rights, including the execution of appropriate nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements. The consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not result in the loss or impairment of or payment of any additional amounts with respect to, nor require the consent of any other person in respect of, the Company’s right to own, use, or hold for use any of the Intellectual Property Rights as owned, used or held for use in the conduct of the business as currently conducted.
(u) All Necessary Permits, etc. The Company and each Subsidiary possess such valid and current certificates, authorizations or permits issued by the appropriate state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct their respective businesses, other than those the failure to possess or own would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change.
(v) Tax Law Compliance. The Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries have filed all necessary federal, state and foreign income, property and franchise tax returns or have properly requested extensions thereof, other than those returns where the failure to file would not result in a Material Adverse Change, and have paid all taxes required to be paid by any of them and, if due and payable, any related or similar assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them, except as may be being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or such amounts where the failure to pay would not result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company has made adequate charges, accruals and reserves, in conformity with U.S. GAAP, in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 1(j) above in respect of all material federal, state and foreign income, property and franchise taxes for all periods as to which the tax liability of the Company or any of its consolidated Subsidiaries has not been finally determined.
(w) Insurance. The Company is insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility with policies in such amounts and with such deductibles and covering such risks as are generally deemed adequate and customary for the business for which it is engaged including, but not limited to, policies covering real and personal property owned or leased by the Company against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and earthquakes. The Company has no reason to believe that it will not be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (ii) to obtain comparable
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coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
(x) Compliance with Environmental Laws. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change (i) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign law or regulation relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including without limitation, laws and regulations relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum and petroleum products (collectively, “Materials of Environmental Concern”), or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Materials of Environmental Concern (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), which violation includes, but is not limited to, noncompliance with any permits or other governmental authorizations required for the operation of the business of the Company or its Subsidiaries under applicable Environmental Laws, or noncompliance with the terms and conditions thereof, nor has the Company or any of its Subsidiaries received any written communication, whether from a governmental authority, citizens group, employee or otherwise, that alleges that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any Environmental Law; (ii) there is no claim, action or cause of action filed with a court or governmental authority, no investigation with respect to which the Company has received written notice, and no written notice by any person or entity alleging potential liability for investigatory costs, cleanup costs, governmental responses costs, natural resources damages, property damages, personal injuries, attorneys’ fees or penalties arising out of, based on or resulting from the presence, or release into the environment, of any Material of Environmental Concern at any location owned, leased or operated by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, now or in the past (collectively, “Environmental Claims”), pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any person or entity whose liability for any Environmental Claim the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has retained or assumed either contractually or by operation of law; and (iii) to the Company’s knowledge, there are no past or present actions, activities, circumstances, conditions, events or incidents, including, without limitation, the release, emission, discharge, presence or disposal of any Material of Environmental Concern, that reasonably could result in a violation of any Environmental Law or form the basis of a potential Environmental Claim against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or against any person or entity whose liability for any Environmental Claim the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has retained or assumed either contractually or by operation of law.
(y) ERISA Compliance. The Company and its subsidiaries and any “employee benefit plan” (as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, “ERISA”)) established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or their “ERISA Affiliates” (as defined below) are in compliance in all material respects with ERISA. “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any member of any group of organizations described in Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”) of which the Company or such subsidiary is a member. No “reportable event” (as defined under ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with respect to any “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates. No “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates, if such “employee benefit plan” were terminated, would have any “amount of unfunded benefit liabilities” (as defined under ERISA). Neither the Company, its subsidiaries nor any of their ERISA Affiliates has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan” or (ii) Sections 412,
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4971, 4975 or 4980B of the Code. Each employee benefit plan established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.
(z) Company Not an “Investment Company.” The Company has been advised of the rules and requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). The Company is not, and will not be after receipt of payment for the Offered Shares or after the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, an “investment company” within the meaning of Investment Company Act.
(aa) No Price Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might be reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Shares or otherwise, and has taken no action which would directly or indirectly violate Regulation M under the Exchange Act (“Regulation M”).
(bb) Related-Party Transactions. There are no business relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any Subsidiary or any other person required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus which have not been described as required by applicable laws.
(cc) FINRA Matters. All of the information provided to the Underwriters or to counsel for the Underwriters by the Company, its counsel, its officers and directors and the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares is true, complete, correct and compliant with FINRA’s rules and any letters, filings or other supplemental information provided to FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rules or NASD Conduct Rules is true, complete and correct.
(dd) Parties to Lock-Up Agreements. The Company has furnished to the Underwriters a letter agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C (the “Lock-up Agreement”) from each of the persons listed on Exhibit D. Such Exhibit D lists under an appropriate caption the directors and officers of the Company. If any additional persons shall become directors or officers of the Company prior to the end of the Lock-up Period (as defined below), the Company shall cause each such person, prior to or contemporaneously with their appointment or election as a director or officer of the Company, to execute and deliver to the Underwriters a Lock-up Agreement.
(ee) Statistical and Market-Related Data. All statistical, demographic and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, after reasonable inquiry, to be reliable and accurate. To the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources.
(ff) No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments. Since June 22, 2023 (the “Merger Date”), and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has, and to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no employee or agent of the Company or any Subsidiary has, made any contribution or other payment to any official of, or candidate for, any
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federal, state or foreign office in violation of any law or of the character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus. Since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, each of the Company and the Subsidiaries has, and to the Company’s knowledge, each of its affiliates and any director, officer, agent or employee of, or other person associated with or acting on behalf of, the Company has, acted at all times in compliance with applicable Export and Import Laws (as defined below) and there are no claims, complaints, charges, investigations or proceedings pending or expected or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened between the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(gg) Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery Laws. Since the Merger Date and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, has any director, officer, employee, agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has, in the course of its actions for, or on behalf of, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (A) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; (B) made or taken any act in furtherance of an offer, promise, or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or benefit to any foreign or domestic government official or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or public international organization, or any political party, party official, or candidate for political office; (C) violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the “FCPA”), the UK Bribery Act 2010, or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law; or (D) made, offered, authorized, requested, or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment or benefit. Since the Merger Date and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, the Company and its Subsidiaries have, and to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s affiliates have, conducted their respective businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(hh) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, in compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and its Subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority, body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending, or to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(ii) Sanctions. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries, nor to the Company’s knowledge, after due inquiry, any director or officer thereof, nor to the Company’s knowledge, any employee, agent, affiliate, representative, or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is: (i) the subject of any economic, financial or trade sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union (“EU”), His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, the Swiss Secretariat of Economic Affairs, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor (ii) located,
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organized, or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, the non-government controlled areas of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions, Cuba, Iran and North Korea ).
(i) Since April 24, 2019, the Company and its Subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any direct or indirect dealings or transactions with any Person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions or any country or territory that, at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or target of Sanctions.
(ii) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of this offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person: (i) to finance or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or the target of Sanctions, or in any country or territory that, at the time of such financing or facilitation, is the subject or target of Sanctions; or (ii) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any person participating in the transaction whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(jj) Brokers. Except pursuant to this Agreement, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(kk) Forward-Looking Statements. Each financial or operational projection or other “forward-looking statement” (as defined by Section 27A of the Securities Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (i) was so included by the Company in good faith and with reasonable basis after due consideration by the Company of the underlying assumptions, estimates and other applicable facts and circumstances and (ii) is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying those factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statement. No such statement was made with the knowledge of an executive officer or director of the Company that it was false or misleading.
(ll) No Outstanding Loans or Other Extensions of Credit. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees or indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company.
(mm) Cybersecurity. (i) (x) To the Company’s knowledge, there has been no material security breach, attack or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s and its Subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, personal data, or other confidential, regulated, or sensitive data (including the data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of them), equipment or technology (“IT Systems and Data”), and (y) since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, the Company and its Subsidiaries have not been notified of, and have or had no knowledge of, any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any security breach, attack or compromise to their IT Systems and Data, (ii) the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have complied since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, and are presently in compliance with, all applicable laws, statutes, judgments, orders, rules or regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority and all industry guidelines, standards, internal policies
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and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification and (iii) the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices.
(nn) No Reliance. The Company has not relied upon the Underwriters or legal counsel for the Underwriters for any legal, tax or accounting advice in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Shares.
(oo) Lending Relationship. The Company does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Offered Shares to repay any outstanding debt owed to the Underwriters or any affiliate of the Underwriters.
(pp) Compliance with Data Privacy Laws. To the Company’s knowledge, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries are, and at all prior times have been, in material compliance with all applicable Privacy Laws. “Privacy Laws” means data privacy and security laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (42 U.S.C. Section 17921 et seq.), and the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (EU 2016/679), in each case, to the extent applicable to the Company, if at all. To ensure compliance with the Privacy Laws, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have in place, comply with, and take appropriate steps reasonably designed to ensure compliance in all material respects with their policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security and the collection, storage, use, disclosure, handling and analysis of Personal Data (the “Policies”). The Company provides accurate notice of its Policies to its customers, employees, third party vendors and representatives. The Policies provide accurate and sufficient notice of the Company’s then-current privacy practices relating to its subject matter and such Policies do not contain any material omissions of the Company’s then-current privacy practices. “Personal Data” means (i) a natural persons’ name, street address, telephone number, email address, social security number, or customer or account number in combination with any required password or log in information that would permit access to the financial account; (ii) any information which would qualify as “personally identifying information” under the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended; (iii) “protected health information” as defined by HIPAA; (iv) “personal data” as defined by GDPR; and (v) any other piece of information that allows the identification of such natural person, or his or her household, or permits the collection or analysis of any data related to an identified person’s health or sexual orientation. None of such disclosures made or contained in any of the Policies have been inaccurate, misleading, deceptive or in violation of any Privacy Laws or Policies in any material respect. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or any other agreement referred to in this Agreement will not result in a breach of any Privacy Laws or Policies by the Company. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries, (i) since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, has received notice of any actual or potential liability under or relating to, or actual or potential violation of, any of the Privacy Laws, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) is currently conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any investigation, remediation or other corrective action pursuant to any Privacy Law; or (iii) is a party to any order, decree, or agreement that imposed any obligation or liability under any Privacy Law.
(qq) Export and Import Laws. (i) Since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, each of the Company and the Subsidiaries has, and (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, each of their affiliates and any director, officer, agent or employee of, or other person associated with or acting on behalf of, the Company has, acted at all times in compliance with applicable
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Export and Import Laws (as defined below) and there are no claims, complaints, charges, investigations or proceedings pending or expected or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened between the Company or any of the Subsidiaries and any governmental authority under any Export or Import Laws. The term “Export and Import Laws” means the Arms Export Control Act, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the Export Administration Act of 1979, as amended, the Export Administration Regulations, and all other laws and regulations of the United States government regulating the provision of services to non-U.S. parties or the export and import of articles or information from and to the United States of America, and all similar laws and regulations of any foreign government regulating the provision of services to parties not of the foreign country or the export and import of articles and information from and to the foreign country to parties not of the foreign country.
(rr) Communications. The Company (i) has not alone engaged in communications with potential investors in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act or Rule 163B under the Securities Act other than Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives with entities that are QIBs or IAIs and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in such communications; the Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in providing Marketing Materials or in making Oral Testing-the-Waters Communications and Written Testing-the-Waters Communications; as of the Applicable Time, each Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, did not, as of the Applicable Time, include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communication, if any, does not, as of the date hereof, conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(ss) Compliance with Healthcare Laws. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have operated since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, and currently are in material compliance with all applicable Health Care Laws. “Health Care Laws” means health care laws, rules, regulations, accreditations and ethical standards, including, without limitation, (i) the Federal, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. § 301 et seq.); (ii) the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.); (iii) all applicable rules and regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), including, to the extent applicable, those requirements relating to investigational use, premarket notification and premarket approval, establishment registration, complaint handling, reporting of corrections and removals, and FDA’s Quality System Regulation at 21 C.F.R. Part 820; (iv) all applicable laws governing licensure, accreditation, certification and operation of clinical laboratories and the performance of laboratory-developed tests, including but not limited to the U.S. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988, 42 U.S.C. § 263a, and its implemental regulations at 42 C.F.R. Part 493, and state laws governing the operation of clinical laboratories; (v) all applicable federal, state, local and all applicable foreign healthcare related fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)), the federal Ethics in Patient Referrals or the “▇▇▇▇▇ Law” (42 U.S.C. §1395nn), the U.S. Physician Payments Sunshine Act (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7h), as well as any corollary state statutes governing disclosure of payments by manufacturers or suppliers to healthcare professionals, the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (18 U.S.C. §220), the civil False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 et seq.), the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act of 1986 (31 U.S.C. §§ 3891 et seq.), the criminal False Claims Law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(a)), all applicable criminal laws relating to healthcare fraud and abuse, including but not limited to 18 U.S.C. Sections 286 and 287, the healthcare fraud criminal provisions under HIPAA, the exclusion laws (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7), and the civil monetary penalties law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7a); (vi) and any other applicable federal or corollary state laws pertaining to the privacy and security of patient information, including laws pertaining to the
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protection of genetic data or biospecimens; (vii) the Medicare program (Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, including the amendments implemented by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 and the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008), (viii) the Medicaid program (Title XIX of the Social Security Act), (ix) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. 111-148) as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-152), (x) laws applicable to clinical research, including but not limited to the federal Policy for Protection of Human Subjects (42 C.F.R. Part 46), the FDCA and its applicable implementing regulations at 21 C.F.R. Parts 50, 54, 56, 58 and 312, the United States Animal Welfare Act, the International Conference on Harmonization’s (ICH) Guideline on Nonclinical Safety Studies for the Conduct of Human Clinical Trials for Pharmaceuticals and the ICH Guideline on Safety Pharmacology Studies for Human Pharmaceuticals, and all equivalent legal requirements in other jurisdictions in which the Company operates; and (xi) all applicable federal or state laws pertaining to genetic counseling and telehealth services (including but not limited to federal and state licensure requirements and informed consent requirements), in each case for clauses (i)-(xi), to the extent applicable to the Company, if at all. Since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have timely filed all material reports, applications, statements, documents, registrations, filings, corrections, updates, amendments, supplements, and submissions required to be filed by them under applicable Health Care Laws. Since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, each such filing was true and correct in all material respects as of the date of submission, or was corrected in or supplemented by a subsequent filing, and any material and legally necessary or required updates, changes, corrections, amendments, supplements, or modifications to such filings have been submitted to the applicable governmental or regulatory authorities. The Company maintains an operational healthcare compliance program that governs all employees and contractors and is consistent with guidance by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for effective compliance programs. The Company and its Subsidiaries further operates in material compliance with such healthcare compliance program. Since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have not received written notice or other correspondence of any claim, action, suit, audit, or survey finding, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action (“Health Care Action”) from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority or third party alleging that any of their product, operation or activity is in material violation of any Health Care Laws, and, to the Company’s knowledge, no such Health Care Action is threatened. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries are a party to or have any ongoing reporting obligations pursuant to any corporate integrity agreement, deferred prosecution agreement, monitoring agreement, consent decree, settlement order, plan of correction or similar agreement imposed by any governmental or regulatory authority. Since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries have received any FDA Form 483, notice of adverse finding, warning letter, untitled letter or other correspondence or notice from the FDA or any other governmental or regulatory authority alleging or asserting any material noncompliance with any Health Care Laws. Additionally, (i) since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has, and (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, none of its employees, officers or directors has, been excluded, suspended or debarred from participation in any U.S. state or federal health care program or human clinical research. To the Company’s knowledge, none of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of its employees, officers or directors, is subject to a governmental inquiry, investigation, proceeding, or other similar action that could reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion.
(tt) Studies and Tests. Since the Merger Date, and, to the Company’s knowledge, prior to the Merger Date, the studies and tests conducted by or, to the Company’s knowledge, on behalf of the
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Company, were and, if still ongoing, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with all permits and applicable laws, including, without limitation, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; the descriptions, if any, of the results of such studies and tests contained in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are, to the Company’s knowledge, accurate in all material respects and fairly present, in all material aspects, the data derived from such studies and tests; the Company is not aware of any studies or tests, the results of which the Company believes reasonably call into question the study, test, or trial results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus when viewed in the context in which such results are described and the clinical state of development; and the Company has not received any written notices or correspondence from the FDA or any governmental entity requiring the termination or suspension of any studies or tests conducted by or on behalf of the Company, other than ordinary course communications with respect to modifications in connection with the design and implementation of such studies or tests.
(uu) Off Balance Sheet Arrangements. There is no transaction, arrangement, or other relationship between the Company (or any Subsidiary) and an unconsolidated or other off balance sheet entity that is required to be disclosed by the Company in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission and is not so disclosed and would have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
(vv) Actively-Traded Security. The Common Stock is an “actively-traded security” exempted from the requirements of Rule 101 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act by subsection (c)(1) of such rule.
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and delivered to any Underwriter or to counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering, or the purchase and sale, of the Offered Shares shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.
The Company has a reasonable basis for making each of the representations set forth in this Section 1. The Company acknowledges that the Underwriters and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 6 hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to the Underwriters, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.
Section 2. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of the Offered Shares.
(a) The Firm Shares. Upon the terms herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters an aggregate of 6,500,000 Firm Shares. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their names on Schedule A. The purchase price per Firm Share to be paid by the several Underwriters to the Company shall be $58.28.
(b) The First Closing Date. Delivery of the Firm Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters and payment therefor shall be made at the offices of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP (or such other place as may be agreed to by the Company and the Representatives) at 9:00 a.m. New York City time, on April 16, 2026, or such other time and date not later than 1:30 p.m. New York City time, on April 16, 2026 as the Representatives shall designate by notice to the Company (the time and date of such closing are called the “First Closing Date”). The Company hereby acknowledges that circumstances
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under which the Representatives may provide notice to postpone the First Closing Date as originally scheduled include, but are not limited to, any determination by the Company or the Representatives to recirculate to the public copies of an amended or supplemented Prospectus or a delay as contemplated by the provisions of Section 11.
(c) The Optional Shares; Option Closing Date. In addition, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to an aggregate of 975,000 Optional Shares from the Company at the purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters for the Firm Shares, less an amount per share equal to any dividend or distribution declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on Optional Shares. The option granted hereunder may be exercised at any time and from time to time in whole or in part upon notice by the Representatives to the Company, which notice may be given at any time within 30 days from the date of this Agreement. Such notice shall set forth (i) the aggregate number of Optional Shares as to which the Underwriters are exercising the option and (ii) the time, date and place at which certificates for the Optional Shares will be delivered (which time and date may be simultaneous with, but not earlier than, the First Closing Date; and in the event that such time and date are simultaneous with the First Closing Date, the term “First Closing Date” shall refer to the time and date of delivery of the Firm Shares and such Optional Shares). Any such time and date of delivery, if subsequent to the First Closing Date, is called an “Option Closing Date,” and shall be determined by the Representatives and shall not be earlier than two or later than five full business days after delivery of such notice of exercise. If any Optional Shares are to be purchased, each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Optional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Optional Shares to be purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth on Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares. The Representatives may cancel the option at any time prior to its expiration by giving written notice of such cancellation to the Company.
(d) Public Offering of the Offered Shares. The Representatives hereby advise the Company that the Underwriters intend to offer for sale to the public, initially on the terms set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, their respective portions of the Offered Shares as soon after this Agreement has been executed as the Representatives, in their sole judgment, have determined is advisable and practicable.
(e) Payment for the Offered Shares. (i) Payment for the Offered Shares shall be made at the First Closing Date (and, if applicable, at each Option Closing Date) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the order of the Company.
(ii) It is understood that the Representatives have been authorized, for their own account and the accounts of the several Underwriters, to accept delivery of and receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Firm Shares and any Optional Shares the Underwriters have agreed to purchase. Each of the Representatives, individually and not as the Representatives of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment for any Offered Shares to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds shall not have been received by the Representatives by the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the account of such Underwriter, but any such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from any of its obligations under this Agreement.
(f) Delivery of the Offered Shares. The Company shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters, the Firm Shares at the First Closing Date
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against the release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price therefor. The Company shall also deliver, or cause to be delivered to the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters, certificates for the Optional Shares the Underwriters have agreed to purchase at the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, against the release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price therefor. If ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ so elects, delivery of the Offered Shares may be made by credit to the accounts designated by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ through The Depository Trust Company’s full fast transfer or DWAC programs. If ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ so elects, the certificates for the Offered Shares shall be registered in such names and denominations as the Representatives shall have requested at least two full business days prior to the First Closing Date (or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be) and shall be made available for inspection on the business day preceding the First Closing Date (or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be) at a location in New York City as the Representatives may designate. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified in this Agreement is a further condition to the obligations of the Underwriters.
Section 3. Additional Covenants.
The Company further covenants and agrees with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) Delivery of Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus. The Company shall furnish to you in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Shares is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) in connection with sales of the Offered Shares, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as you may reasonably request.
(b) Representatives’ Review of Proposed Amendments and Supplements. During the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Shares is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), the Company (i) will furnish to the Representatives for review, a reasonable period of time prior to the proposed time of filing of any proposed amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, a copy of each such amendment or supplement and (ii) will not amend or supplement the Registration Statement (including any amendment or supplement through incorporation of any report filed under the Exchange Act) without the Representatives’ prior written consent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed). Prior to amending or supplementing any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (including any amendment or supplement through incorporation of any report filed under the Exchange Act), the Company shall furnish to the Representatives for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the time of filing or use of the proposed amendment or supplement, a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement. The Company shall not file or use any such proposed amendment or supplement without the Representatives’ prior written consent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed). The Company shall file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.
(c) [Reserved.]
(d) No Underwriter Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall not take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to
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Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter.
(e) Amendments and Supplements to Time of Sale Prospectus. If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Offered Shares at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the Time of Sale Prospectus does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when delivered to a prospective purchaser, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, the Company shall (subject to Section 3(b) hereof) promptly prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when delivered to a prospective purchaser, not misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
(f) Certain Notifications and Required Actions. After the date of this Agreement, the Company shall promptly advise the Representatives in writing of (which may be by email): (i) the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission; (ii) the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus; (iii) the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective; and (iv) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, or of any proceedings to remove, suspend or terminate from listing or quotation the Common Stock from any securities exchange upon which they are listed for trading or included or designated for quotation, or of the threatening or initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order at any time, the Company will use its best efforts to obtain the lifting of such order as soon as reasonably practicable. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with all applicable provisions of Rule 424(b), Rule 433 and Rule 430B under the Securities Act and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 were received in a timely manner by the Commission.
(g) Amendments and Supplements to the Prospectus and Other Securities Act Matters. If any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus so that the Prospectus does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) to a purchaser, not misleading, or if in the opinion of the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, the Company agrees (subject to Section 3(b) hereof) to promptly prepare, file with the
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Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) to a purchaser, not misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law. Neither the Representatives’ consent to, nor delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the Company’s obligations under Section 3(b).
(h) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company shall cooperate with the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters to qualify or register the Offered Shares for sale under (or obtain exemptions from the application of) the state securities or blue sky laws of those jurisdictions designated by the Representatives, shall comply with such laws and shall continue such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Offered Shares. The Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any such jurisdiction where it is not presently qualified or where it would be subject to taxation as a foreign corporation. The Company will advise the Representatives promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Offered Shares for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof as soon as reasonably practicable.
(i) Use of Proceeds. The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Offered Shares sold by it in the manner described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(j) Transfer Agent. The Company shall engage and maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Common Stock.
(k) Earnings Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representatives as soon as practicable an earnings statement (which need not be audited) covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company commencing after the date of this Agreement that will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(l) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Offered Shares as contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered Shares is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), file on a timely basis with the Commission and the Nasdaq all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act.
(m) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Offered Shares on the Nasdaq.
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(n) Company to Provide Copy of the Prospectus in Form That May be Downloaded from the Internet. If requested by the Representatives, the Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered, at its expense, within one business day from the effective date of this Agreement, to the Representatives an “electronic Prospectus” to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Shares. As used herein, the term “electronic Prospectus” means a form of Prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representatives, that may be transmitted electronically by the Representatives and the other Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Offered Shares; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper Prospectus, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic Prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, satisfactory to ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, that will allow investors to store and have continuously ready access to the Prospectus at any future time, without charge to investors (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for on-line time). The Company hereby confirms that it has included or will include in the Prospectus filed pursuant to ▇▇▇▇▇ or otherwise with the Commission and in the Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective an undertaking that, upon receipt of a request by an investor or his or her representative, the Company shall transmit or cause to be transmitted promptly, without charge, a paper copy of the Prospectus.
(o) Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Additional Shares. During the period commencing on and including the date hereof and continuing through and including the 60th day following the date of the Prospectus (such period being referred to herein as the “Lock-up Period”), the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives (which consent may be withheld in their sole discretion), directly or indirectly: (i) sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend any Common Stock or Related Securities (as defined below); (ii) effect any short sale, or establish or increase any “put equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act) or liquidate or decrease any “call equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act) of any Common Stock or Related Securities; (iii) pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in any Common Stock or Related Securities; (iv) in any other way transfer or dispose of any Common Stock or Related Securities; (v) enter into any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of any Common Stock or Related Securities, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise; (vi) announce the offering of any Common Stock or Related Securities; (vii) submit or file any registration statement under the Securities Act in respect of any Common Stock or Related Securities (other than as contemplated by this Agreement with respect to the Offered Shares); (viii) effect a reverse stock split, recapitalization, share consolidation, reclassification or similar transaction affecting the outstanding Common Stock; or (ix) publicly announce the intention to do any of the foregoing; provided, however, that the Company may (A) effect the transactions contemplated hereby, (B) issue and sell, from time to time, its Common Stock pursuant to that certain sales agreement, dated September 6, 2024, by and between the Company and TD Securities (USA) LLC (the “Sale Agreement”), provided that no sales shall be made under the Sale Agreement until the earlier of (x) the exercise in full by the Underwriters of their option to purchase the Optional Shares and (y) the 30th day following the date of the Prospectus, and (C) issue Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock, or issue Common Stock upon exercise of options, pursuant to any stock option, stock bonus or other stock plan or arrangement described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided that each holder of such Common Stock or options who is a director or officer of the Company agrees in writing with the Underwriters not to sell, offer, dispose of or otherwise transfer any such Common Stock or options during such Lock-up Period without the prior written consent of the Representatives (which consent may be withheld in their sole discretion). For
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purposes of the foregoing, “Related Securities” shall mean any options or warrants or other rights to acquire Common Stock or any securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Common Stock, or to acquire other securities or rights ultimately exchangeable or exercisable for, or convertible into, Common Stock.
(p) Future Reports to the Representatives. During the period of five years hereafter, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, c/▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC, at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: Global Head of Syndicate; c/o Goldman ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC, at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇, Attention: Registration Department; c/o Evercore Group L.L.C., at ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: ECM General Counsel, and c/o Guggenheim Securities, LLC, at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: Equity Syndicate: (i) as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, copies of the Annual Report of the Company containing the balance sheet of the Company as of the close of such fiscal year and statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the year then ended and the opinion thereon of the Company’s independent public or certified public accountants; (ii) as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, copies of each proxy statement, Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Current Report on Form 8-K or other report filed by the Company with the Commission, FINRA or any securities exchange; and (iii) as soon as available, copies of any report or communication of the Company furnished or made available generally to holders of its capital stock; provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 3(p) shall be satisfied to the extent that such reports, statement, communications, financial statements or other documents are available on ▇▇▇▇▇.
(q) Investment Limitation. The Company shall not invest or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Offered Shares in such a manner as would require the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
(r) No Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. The Company will not take, and will ensure that no affiliate of the Company will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Common Stock or any reference security with respect to the Common Stock, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Shares or otherwise, and the Company will, and shall cause each of its affiliates to, comply with all applicable provisions of Regulation M.
(s) Enforce Lock-Up Agreements. During the Lock-up Period, the Company will enforce all agreements between the Company and any of its directors, officers or securityholders that restrict or prohibit, expressly or in operation, the offer, sale or transfer of Common Stock or Related Securities or any of the other actions restricted or prohibited under the terms of the form of Lock-up Agreement. In addition, the Company will direct the transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon any such securities of the Company that are bound by such “lock-up” agreements for the duration of the periods contemplated in such agreements, including, without limitation, “lock-up” agreements entered into by the Company’s officers and directors and securityholders pursuant to Section 6(i) hereof.
(t) Company to Provide Interim Financial Statements. Prior to the First Closing Date and each applicable Option Closing Date, the Company will furnish the Underwriters, as soon as they have been prepared by or are available to the Company, a copy of any unaudited interim financial statements of the Company for any period subsequent to the period covered by the most recent financial statements appearing in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
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(u) Amendments and Supplements to Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communications. If at any time following the distribution of any Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communication, there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
The Representatives, on behalf of the several Underwriters, may, in their sole discretion, waive in writing the performance by the Company of any one or more of the foregoing covenants or extend the time for their performance.
Section 4. Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation (i) all expenses incident to the issuance and delivery of the Offered Shares (including all printing and engraving costs), (ii) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Common Stock, (iii) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares to the Underwriters, (iv) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other advisors, (v) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, and each preliminary prospectus, each Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communication and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement, (vi) all filing fees, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the Underwriters in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Offered Shares for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws, if necessary, and, if requested by the Representatives, preparing and printing a “Blue Sky Survey” or memorandum and a “Canadian wrapper”, and any supplements thereto, advising the Underwriters of such qualifications, registrations and exemptions (including fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters up to $10,000), (vii) the costs, fees and expenses incurred by the Underwriters in connection with determining their compliance with the rules and regulations of FINRA related to the Underwriters’ participation in the offering and distribution of the Offered Shares, including any related filing fees and the legal fees of, and disbursements by, counsel to the Underwriters (including fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters up to $15,000), (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show”, any Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communication or any Oral Testing-the-Waters Communication undertaken in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives, employees and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show, (ix) the fees and expenses associated with listing the Offered Shares on the Nasdaq, and (x) all other fees, costs and expenses of the nature referred to in Item 14 of Part II of the Registration Statement. Except as provided in this Section 4 or in Section 7, Section 9 or Section 10 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay their own expenses, including the fees and disbursements of their counsel.
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Section 5. Covenant of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter severally and not jointly covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter.
Section 6. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The respective obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder to purchase and pay for the Firm Shares as provided herein on the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Optional Shares, each Option Closing Date, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company set forth in Section 1 hereof as of the date hereof and as of the First Closing Date as though then made and, with respect to the Optional Shares, as of each Option Closing Date as though then made, to the timely performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional conditions:
(a) Comfort Letters. On the date hereof, the Representatives shall have received from each of KPMG LLP and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, current and prior independent registered public accountants for the Company, respectively, letters dated the date hereof addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountant’s “comfort letters” to underwriters, delivered according to Statement of Auditing Standards No. 72 (or any successor bulletin), with respect to the audited and unaudited financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(b) Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order; No Objection from FINRA. For the period from and after the date of this Agreement and through and including the First Closing Date and, with respect to any Optional Shares purchased after the First Closing Date, each Option Closing Date:
(i) The Company shall have filed the Prospectus with the Commission (including the information previously omitted from the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act; or the Company shall have filed a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement containing the information previously omitted from the Registration Statement pursuant to such Rule 430B, and such post-effective amendment shall have become effective.
(ii) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been instituted or threatened by the Commission.
(iii) If a filing has been made with FINRA, FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.
(c) No Material Adverse Change or Ratings Agency Change. For the period from and after the date of this Agreement and through and including the First Closing Date and, with respect to any Optional Shares purchased after the First Closing Date, each Option Closing Date:
(i) in the judgment of the Representatives there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change; and
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(ii) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as that term is used in Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)(F) under the Exchange Act.
(d) Opinion of Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representatives shall have received the opinion and negative assurance letter of Ropes & Gray LLP, counsel for the Company, dated as of such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(e) Opinion of IP Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, LLP, counsel for the Company with respect to intellectual property matters, dated as of such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(f) Opinion of Counsel for the Underwriters. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representatives shall have received the opinion and negative assurance letter of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Shares, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, dated as of such date.
(g) Officers’ Certificate. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received a certificate executed by the Chief Executive Officer or President of the Company and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of such date, to the effect set forth in Section 6(b)(ii) and further to the effect that:
(i) for the period from and including the date of this Agreement through and including such date, there has not occurred any Material Adverse Change;
(ii) the representations, warranties and covenants of the Company set forth in Section 1 of this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made on and as of such date; and
(iii) the Company has complied with all the agreements hereunder and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such date.
(h) Bring-down Comfort Letters. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representatives shall have received from each of KPMG LLP and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, current and prior independent registered public accountants for the Company, respectively, letters dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, which letters shall: (i) reaffirm the statements made in the letters furnished by them pursuant to Section 6(a), except that the specified date referred to therein for the carrying out of procedures shall be no more than three business days prior to the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be; and (ii) cover certain financial information contained in the Prospectus.
(i) Lock-Up Agreements. On or prior to the date hereof, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives an agreement in the form of Exhibit A hereto from each of the persons listed on Exhibit B hereto, and each such agreement shall be in full force and effect on each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date.
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(j) Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. In the event that a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement, such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been filed with the Commission on the date of this Agreement and shall have become effective automatically upon such filing.
(k) CFO Certificate. On the date of this Agreement and on the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, of its chief financial officer with respect to certain financial data contained in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, providing “management comfort” with respect to such information, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(l) Additional Documents. On or before each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters shall have received such information, documents and opinions as they may reasonably request for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares as contemplated herein and in connection with the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.
If any condition specified in this Section 6 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice from ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ to the Company at any time on or prior to the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Optional Shares, at any time on or prior to the applicable Option Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 4, Section 7, Section 9 and Section 10 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
Section 7. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives pursuant to Section 6, Section 11 or Section 12, or if the sale to the Underwriters of the Offered Shares on the First Closing Date is not consummated because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or to comply with any provision hereof, the Company agrees to reimburse the Representatives and the other Underwriters (or such Underwriters as have terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves), severally, upon demand for all out-of-pocket expenses that shall have been reasonably incurred by the Representatives and the Underwriters in connection with the proposed purchase and the offering and sale of the Offered Shares, including, but not limited to, reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel, printing expenses, travel expenses, postage, facsimile and telephone charges.
Section 8. Effectiveness of this Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
Section 9. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which such Underwriter or such affiliate,
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director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or the laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Offered Shares have been offered or sold or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any Marketing Material, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing), or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (iii) any act or failure to act or any alleged act or failure to act by any Underwriter in connection with, or relating in any manner to, the Offered Shares or the offering contemplated hereby, and which is included as part of or referred to in any loss, claim, damage, liability or action arising out of or based upon any matter covered by clause (i) or (ii) above; and to reimburse each Underwriter and each such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent and controlling person for any and all expenses (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are reasonably incurred by such Underwriter or such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Representatives in writing expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any Marketing Material, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the information described in Section 9(b) below. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 9(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.
(b) Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of such Underwriter), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement) or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus, the
28
Time of Sale Prospectus, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement), in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Representatives in writing expressly for use therein; and to reimburse the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person for any and all expenses (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are reasonably incurred by the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information that the Representatives have furnished to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing) are the statements set forth in the first sentence of the fourth paragraph under the caption “Underwriting”, the first two sentences of the first paragraph under the caption “Commissions and Expenses” in the Underwriting section and the first sentence of the first paragraph under the caption “Stabilization” in the Underwriting section in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the Final Prospectus Supplement. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 9(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities that each Underwriter may otherwise have.
(c) Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 9 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 9, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the omission to so notify the indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party to the extent the indemnifying party is not materially prejudiced as a proximate result of such failure and shall not in any event relieve the indemnifying party from any liability that it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, that if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election to so assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 9 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the preceding sentence (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate counsel (together with local counsel), representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action), which counsel (together with any local counsel) for the indemnified parties shall be selected by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 9(a) above) or by the Company (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 9(b) above) or (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the
29
action or (iii) the indemnifying party has authorized in writing the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of the indemnifying party, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party and shall be paid as they are incurred.
(d) Settlements. The indemnifying party under this Section 9 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 9(c) hereof, the indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and does not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of such indemnified party.
Section 10. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 9 is for any reason held to be unavailable to or otherwise insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by such indemnified party, as incurred, as a result of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein (a) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement or (b) if the allocation provided by clause (a) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (a) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total proceeds from the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the front cover page of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Offered Shares as set forth on such cover. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 9(c), any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or
30
defending any action or claim. The provisions set forth in Section 9(c) with respect to notice of commencement of any action shall apply if a claim for contribution is to be made under this Section 10; provided, however, that no additional notice shall be required with respect to any action for which notice has been given under Section 9(c) for purposes of indemnification.
The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 10 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 10.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 10, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Offered Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 10 are several, and not joint, in proportion to their respective underwriting commitments as set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A. For purposes of this Section 10, each affiliate, director, officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.
Section 11. Default of One or More of the Several Underwriters. If, on the First Closing Date or any Option Closing Date any one or more of the several Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Offered Shares that it or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Offered Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase does not exceed 10% of the aggregate number of the Offered Shares to be purchased on such date, the Representatives may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Offered Shares by other persons, including any of the Underwriters, but if no such arrangements are made by such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as may be specified by the Representatives with the consent of the non-defaulting Underwriters, to purchase the Offered Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date. If, on the First Closing Date or any Option Closing Date any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Offered Shares and the aggregate number of Offered Shares with respect to which such default occurs exceeds 10% of the aggregate number of Offered Shares to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Offered Shares are not made within 48 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 4, Section 7, Section 9 and Section 10 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination. In any such case either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, but in no event for longer than seven days in order that the required changes, if any, to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or any other documents or arrangements may be effected.
31
As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” shall be deemed to include any person substituted for a defaulting Underwriter under this Section 11. Any action taken under this Section 11 shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
Section 12. Termination of this Agreement. Prior to the purchase of the Firm Shares on the First Closing Date, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice given to the Company if at any time: (a) trading or quotation in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or limited by the Commission or by the Nasdaq, or trading in securities generally on either the Nasdaq or the NYSE shall have been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices shall have been generally established on any of such stock exchanges; (b) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any of federal, New York or Massachusetts authorities; (c) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in United States’ or international political, financial or economic conditions, as in the judgment of the Representatives is material and adverse and makes it impracticable to market the Offered Shares in the manner and on the terms described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities; (d) in the judgment of the Representatives there shall have occurred any Material Adverse Change; or (e) the Company shall have sustained a loss by strike, fire, flood, earthquake, accident or other calamity of such character as in the judgment of the Representatives may interfere materially with the conduct of the business and operations of the Company regardless of whether or not such loss shall have been insured. Any termination pursuant to this Section 12 shall be without liability on the part of (i) the Company to any Underwriter, except that the Company shall be obligated to reimburse the expenses of the Representatives and the Underwriters pursuant to Section 4 or Section 7 hereof or (ii) any Underwriter to the Company; provided, however, that the provisions of Section 9 and Section 10 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
Section 13. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Offered Shares and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.
Section 14. Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, of its officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or
32
any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, will survive delivery of and payment for the Offered Shares sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.
Section 15. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or telecopied and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:
If to the Representatives: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
New York, New York 10022
Facsimile: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Attention: General Counsel
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
New York, New York 100282-2198
Attention: Registration Department
Evercore Group L.L.C.
▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
New York, New York 10055
Attention: ECM General Counsel
Guggenheim Securities, LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
New York, New York 10017
Attention: Equity Syndicate
with a copy to: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP
30 ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Yards
New York, NY 10001-2170
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
If to the Company: Spyre Therapeutics, Inc.
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇
Waltham, MA 02453
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Chief Financial Officer
with a copy to: Ropes & Gray LLP
Prudential Tower, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Boston, MA 02199
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
Email: ▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇
Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.
Section 16. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto, including any substitute Underwriters pursuant to Section 11 hereof, and to the
33
benefit of the affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 9 and Section 10, and in each case their respective successors, and personal representatives, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. The term “successors” shall not include any purchaser of the Offered Shares as such from any of the Underwriters merely by reason of such purchase.
Section 17. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
Section 18. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For purposes of this Agreement, (A) “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k); (B) “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b); (C) “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable; and (D) “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the ▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
Section 19. Governing Law Provisions. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in such state. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying
34
of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
Section 20. General Provisions. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., ▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇) or other transmission method, and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. The section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.
Each of the parties hereto acknowledges that it is a sophisticated business person who was adequately represented by counsel during negotiations regarding the provisions hereof, including, without limitation, the indemnification provisions of Section 9 and the contribution provisions of Section 10, and is fully informed regarding said provisions. Each of the parties hereto further acknowledges that the provisions of Section 9 and Section 10 hereof fairly allocate the risks in light of the ability of the parties to investigate the Company, its affairs and its business in order to assure that adequate disclosure has been made in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus (and any amendments and supplements to the foregoing), as contemplated by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.
35
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company the enclosed copies hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.
| Very truly yours, | |||||||||||
| SPYRE THERAPEUTICS, INC. | |||||||||||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | ||||||||||
| Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||||||||||
| Title: Chief Financial Officer | |||||||||||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by the Representatives in New York, New York as of the date first above written.
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC | ||||||||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & CO. LLC | ||||||||
| EVERCORE GROUP L.L.C. | ||||||||
| GUGGENHEIM SECURITIES, LLC | ||||||||
| Acting individually and as Representatives | ||||||||
| of the several Underwriters named in | ||||||||
the attached Schedule ▇. | ||||||||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||||||
| Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | ||||||||
| Title: Managing Director | ||||||||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & CO. LLC | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||||||
| Name: ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | ||||||||
| Title: Managing Director | ||||||||
| EVERCORE GROUP L.L.C. | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇ | |||||||
| Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇ | ||||||||
| Title: Senior Managing Director | ||||||||
| GUGGENHEIM SECURITIES, LLC | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||||||
| Name: ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, M.D. | ||||||||
| Title: Senior Managing Director | ||||||||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
Schedule A
Underwriters | Number of Firm Shares to be Purchased | |||||||||||||
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC | 2,080,000 | |||||||||||||
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC | 1,755,000 | |||||||||||||
Evercore Group L.L.C. | 1,365,000 | |||||||||||||
Guggenheim Securities, LLC | 845,000 | |||||||||||||
LifeSci Capital, LLC | 455,000 | |||||||||||||
Total | 6,500,000 | |||||||||||||
Schedule B
Permitted Testing-the-Waters Communications
None.
Exhibit A
Form of Lock-up Agreement
[●], 2026
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC
Evercore Group L.L.C.
Guggenheim Securities, LLC
As Representatives of the Several Underwriters
c/▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
New York, New York 10022
c/o Goldman ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
New York, New York 10282-2198
c/o Evercore Group L.L.C.
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New York, New York 10055
c/o Guggenheim Securities, LLC
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New York, New York 10017
RE: Spyre Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”)
Ladies & Gentlemen:
The undersigned is an owner of shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (“Shares”) or of securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Shares. The Company proposes to conduct a public offering of securities (the “Securities”) of the Company (the “Offering”) for which ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLC, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC, Evercore Group L.L.C. and Guggenheim Securities, LLC, will act as the representatives (the “Representatives”) of the underwriters. The undersigned recognizes that the Offering will benefit each of the Company and the undersigned. The undersigned acknowledges that the underwriters are relying on the representations and agreements of the undersigned contained in this letter agreement in conducting the Offering and, at a subsequent date, in entering into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) and other underwriting arrangements with the Company with respect to the Offering.
Annex A sets forth definitions for capitalized terms used in this letter agreement that are not defined in the body of this agreement. Those definitions are a part of this agreement.
In consideration of the foregoing, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees that, during the Lock-up Period, the undersigned will not (and will cause any Family Member not to), without the prior written consent of the Representatives, which may withhold their consent in their sole discretion:
•Sell or Offer to Sell any Shares or Related Securities currently or hereafter owned either of record or beneficially (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) by the undersigned or such Family Member,
•enter into any Swap,
•make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration under the Securities Act of the offer and sale of any Shares or Related Securities, or cause to be filed a registration statement, prospectus or prospectus supplement (or an amendment or supplement thereto) with respect to any such registration, or
•publicly announce any intention to do any of the foregoing.
The foregoing will not apply to the registration of the offer and sale of the Securities and any Shares underlying such Securities, and the sale of the Securities to the underwriters, in each case as contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement. The foregoing will not apply to: (A) the establishment of a new trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act providing for dispositions or sales of Shares, provided that (x) such plan does not permit dispositions or sales of Shares or any Related Securities during the Lock-up Period and (y) no public announcement or filing regarding such plan is required to be made, or is voluntarily made, during the Lock-up Period by or on behalf of the Company or the undersigned; (B) sales or transfers of up to [__] Shares made pursuant to a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act that has been entered into by the undersigned prior to the date of this letter agreement, provided, that no public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act is voluntarily made by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company and, provided further, that to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company regarding any such sales or transfers, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that the sale or transfer was made pursuant to a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1; (C) the exercise of options to purchase Shares granted under any stock incentive plan or stock purchase plan of the Company, provided that the underlying Shares shall continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in this letter agreement and provided further that any filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act with regard to this clause (C) shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the circumstances described in this clause (C), and no other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such exercise); (D) the transfer of Shares (or any Related Security) to the Company or sold in connection with a vesting event of the Company’s securities or upon the exercise of options to purchase the Company’s securities, on a “cashless” or “net exercise” basis or to cover tax withholding obligations of the undersigned in connection with such vesting or exercise provided that any filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act with regard to this clause (D) shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the circumstances described in this clause (D), and no other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such exercise; (E) the transfer or disposition of the undersigned’s Shares (or any Related Securities) that occurs by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a divorce settlement provided that each transferee shall sign and deliver a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this agreement; (F) the transfer of Shares (or any Related Securities) pursuant to a bona fide third party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all holders of the Shares involving a change of control of the Company provided that in the event that the tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, the Shares owned by the undersigned
shall remain subject to the restrictions contained in this letter agreement; or (G) by bona fide gift, provided that each donee executes and delivers to the Representatives an agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives stating that such transferee is receiving and holding such Shares and/or Related Securities subject to the provisions of this agreement and agrees not to Sell or Offer to Sell such Shares and/or Related Securities, engage in any Swap or engage in any other activities restricted under this agreement except in accordance with letter agreement (as if such transferee had been an original signatory hereto); provided, further, that, if required, any filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act with regard to this clause (G) shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the circumstances described in this clause (G), and no other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such exercise. In addition, the foregoing restrictions shall not apply to the transfer of Shares or Related Securities by (i) will or intestate succession to a legal representative, heir, beneficiary or Family Member, (ii) to a trust whose beneficiaries consist exclusively of one or more of the undersigned and/or a Family Member, (iii) to any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, investment fund or other entity controlled or managed, or under common control or management by the undersigned or a Family Member, or (iv) as distributions to partners, members or stockholders of the undersigned; provided, however, that in any such case, it shall be a condition to such transfer that:
•each transferee executes and delivers to the Representatives an agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives stating that such transferee is receiving and holding such Shares and/or Related Securities subject to the provisions of this letter agreement and agrees not to Sell or Offer to Sell such Shares and/or Related Securities, engage in any Swap or engage in any other activities restricted under this letter agreement except in accordance with this letter agreement (as if such transferee had been an original signatory hereto), and
•prior to the expiration of the Lock-up Period, no public disclosure or filing under the Exchange Act by any party to the transfer (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) shall be required, or made voluntarily, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Shares in connection with such transfer.
The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that written notice by the Representatives to the Company of any extension of the 60-day initial Lock-up Period will be deemed to have been given to, and received by, the undersigned.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the foregoing provisions shall be equally applicable to any Company-directed Shares the undersigned may purchase or otherwise receive in the Offering (including pursuant to a directed share program).
The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of Shares or Related Securities held by the undersigned and the undersigned’s Family Members, if any, except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.
With respect to the Offering only, from the date hereof until the expiration of the Lock-up Period, the undersigned waives any registration rights relating to registration under the Securities Act of the offer and sale of any Shares and/or any Related Securities owned either of record or beneficially by the undersigned, including any rights to receive notice of the Offering.
The undersigned confirms that the undersigned has not, and has no knowledge that any Family Member has, directly or indirectly, taken any action designed to or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale of the Shares. The undersigned will not, and will cause any Family Member not to take, directly or indirectly, any such action.
The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the underwriters have not provided any recommendation or investment advice nor have the underwriters solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the Offering and the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate.
Whether or not the Offering occurs as currently contemplated or at all depends on market conditions and other factors. The Offering will only be made pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the underwriters.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power, capacity and authority to enter into this letter agreement. This letter agreement is irrevocable and will be binding on the undersigned and the successors, heirs, personal representatives and assigns of the undersigned.
This letter agreement and related restrictions shall automatically terminate upon the earliest to occur, if any, of (a) the Representatives, on the one hand, or the Company, on the other hand, advising the other in writing that it has determined not to proceed with the Offering, (b) the termination of the Underwriting Agreement before the sale of any Securities to the underwriters or (c) April 30, 2026, if the Offering has not closed by such date.
This letter agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.
This letter agreement may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g. ▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇ or ▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
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Certain Defined Terms
Used in Lock-up Agreement
For purposes of the letter agreement to which this Annex A is attached and of which it is made a part:
•“Call Equivalent Position” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act.
•“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
•“Family Member” shall mean the spouse of the undersigned, an immediate family member of the undersigned or an immediate family member of the undersigned’s spouse, in each case living in the undersigned’s household or whose principal residence is the undersigned’s household (regardless of whether such spouse or family member may at the time be living elsewhere due to educational activities, health care treatment, military service, temporary internship or employment or otherwise). “Immediate family member” as used above shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(e) under the Exchange Act.
•“Lock-up Period” shall mean the period beginning on the date hereof and continuing through the close of trading on the date that is 60 days after the date of the Prospectus (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement).
•“Put Equivalent Position” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act.
•“Related Securities” shall mean any options or warrants or other rights to acquire Shares or any securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Shares, or to acquire other securities or rights ultimately exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Shares.
•“Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
•“Sell or Offer to Sell” shall mean to:
–sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend,
–effect any short sale or establish or increase a Put Equivalent Position or liquidate or decrease any Call Equivalent Position,
–pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in, or
–in any other way transfer or dispose of,
in each case whether effected directly or indirectly.
•“Swap” shall mean any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of Shares or Related Securities, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise.
Capitalized terms not defined in this Annex A shall have the meanings given to them in the body of this lock-up agreement.