AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER dated as of March [ ● ], 2021 by and among CIPHER MINING TECHNOLOGIES INC., CURRENCY Merger Sub, Inc., and GOOD WORKS ACQUISITION CORP.
Exhibit 2.1
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
dated as of
March [ ● ], 2021
by and among
CIPHER MINING TECHNOLOGIES INC.,
CURRENCY Merger Sub, Inc.,
and
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | ||
Article I CERTAIN DEFINITIONS | 3 | |
1.01 | Definitions | 3 |
1.02 | Construction | 17 |
Article II THE MERGER; CLOSING | 18 | |
2.01 | The Merger | 18 |
2.02 | Effects of the Merger | 19 |
2.03 | Closing | 19 |
2.04 | Organizational Documents of the Company and Acquiror | 19 |
2.05 | Directors and Officers of the Companies | 19 |
Article III EFFECTS OF THE MERGER | 20 | |
3.01 | Effect on Capital Stock | 20 |
3.02 | Equitable Adjustments | 21 |
3.03 | Exchange of Company Certificates and Company Book-Entry Shares | 21 |
3.04 | Withholding | 23 |
3.05 | Cash in Lieu of Fractional Shares | 24 |
3.06 | Payment of Expenses | 24 |
Article IV REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY | 25 | |
4.01 | Organization, Standing and Corporate Power | 25 |
4.02 | Corporate Authority; Approval; Non-Contravention | 25 |
4.03 | Governmental Approvals | 26 |
4.04 | Capitalization | 26 |
4.05 | Subsidiaries | 27 |
4.06 | Financial Statements; Internal Controls | 27 |
4.07 | Compliance with Laws | 28 |
4.08 | Absence of Certain Changes or Events | 28 |
4.09 | No Undisclosed Liabilities | 29 |
4.10 | Information Supplied | 29 |
4.11 | Litigation | 29 |
4.12 | Contracts | 29 |
4.13 | Employment Matters | 31 |
4.14 | Taxes | 31 |
4.15 | Intellectual Property | 33 |
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4.16 | Data Protection | 33 |
4.17 | Information Technology | 34 |
4.18 | Real Property | 34 |
4.19 | Corrupt Practices; Sanctions | 34 |
4.20 | Competition and Trade Regulation | 35 |
4.21 | Environmental Matters | 35 |
4.22 | Brokers | 36 |
4.23 | Affiliate Agreements | 36 |
4.24 | No Other Representations or Warranties | 36 |
Article V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF ACQUIROR AND MERGER SUB | 37 | |
5.01 | Organization, Standing and Corporate Power | 37 |
5.02 | Corporate Authority; Approval; Non-Contravention | 37 |
5.03 | Litigation | 38 |
5.04 | Compliance with Laws | 38 |
5.05 | Employee Benefit Plans | 39 |
5.06 | Financial Ability; Trust Account | 39 |
5.07 | Taxes | 40 |
5.08 | Brokers | 41 |
5.09 | Acquiror SEC Reports; Financial Statements; Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act | 41 |
5.10 | Business Activities; Absence of Changes | 42 |
5.11 | Registration Statement | 44 |
5.12 | No Outside Reliance | 44 |
5.13 | Capitalization | 45 |
5.14 | NASDAQ Stock Market Quotation | 46 |
5.15 | Contracts; No Defaults | 46 |
5.16 | Title to Property | 47 |
5.17 | Investment Company Act | 47 |
5.18 | Affiliate Agreements | 47 |
5.19 | Corrupt Practices | 47 |
5.20 | Takeover Statutes | 48 |
5.21 | PIPE Investment Amount; Subscription Agreements | 48 |
5.22 | Tail Insurance | 49 |
5.23 | Insurance | 49 |
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5.24 | No Other Representations or Warranties | 49 |
Article VI COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY | 50 | |
6.01 | Conduct of Business | 50 |
6.02 | Inspection | 53 |
6.03 | HSR Act and Regulatory Approvals | 54 |
6.04 | No Claim Against the Trust Account | 55 |
6.05 | Proxy Solicitation; Other Actions | 55 |
6.06 | Non-Solicitation; Acquisition Proposals | 56 |
6.07 | Company Lock-Up Agreement | 58 |
6.08 | Power Purchase Agreements | 58 |
Article VII COVENANTS OF ACQUIROR | 59 | |
7.01 | HSR Act and Regulatory Approvals | 59 |
7.02 | Indemnification and Insurance | 61 |
7.03 | Conduct of Acquiror During the Interim Period | 62 |
7.04 | Trust Account | 64 |
7.05 | Inspection | 64 |
7.06 | Acquiror NASDAQ Listing | 64 |
7.07 | Acquiror Public Filings | 65 |
7.08 | Financing | 65 |
7.09 | Additional Insurance Matters | 65 |
7.10 | Director and Officer Appointments | 65 |
7.11 | Exclusivity | 66 |
7.12 | Management Incentive Package | 66 |
7.13 | Named Sponsor Lock-Up Agreement | 66 |
Article VIII JOINT COVENANTS | 66 | |
8.01 | Support of Transaction | 66 |
8.02 | Preparation of Registration Statement; Special Meeting; Solicitation of Company Stockholder Approvals | 67 |
8.03 | Tax Matters | 69 |
8.04 | Confidentiality; Publicity | 69 |
8.05 | Ratification of Covenants | 70 |
8.06 | Post-Closing Cooperation; Further Assurances | 70 |
Article IX CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS | 70 | |
9.01 | Conditions to Obligations of All Parties | 70 |
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9.02 | Additional Conditions to Obligations of Acquiror | 71 |
9.03 | Additional Conditions to the Obligations of the Company | 72 |
Article X TERMINATION/EFFECTIVENESS | 72 | |
10.01 | Termination | 73 |
10.02 | Effect of Termination | 75 |
Article XI MISCELLANEOUS | 75 | |
11.01 | Waiver | 75 |
11.02 | Notices | 75 |
11.03 | Assignment | 76 |
11.04 | Rights of Third Parties | 76 |
11.05 | Expenses | 76 |
11.06 | Governing Law | 77 |
11.07 | Captions; Counterparts | 77 |
11.08 | Schedules and Exhibits | 77 |
11.09 | Entire Agreement | 77 |
11.10 | Amendments | 77 |
11.11 | Severability | 77 |
11.12 | Jurisdiction; WAIVER OF TRIAL BY JURY | 78 |
11.13 | Trust Account Waiver | 79 |
11.14 | Enforcement | 79 |
11.15 | Non-Recourse | 80 |
11.16 | Non-survival of Representations, Warranties and Covenants | 80 |
11.17 | Acknowledgements | 80 |
Exhibits
Exhibit A – Form of Parent Subscription Agreement
Exhibit B – Form of Subscription Agreement
Exhibit C – Form of Company Support Agreement
Exhibit D – Form of Acquiror Support Agreement
Exhibit E – Form of Registration Rights Agreement
Exhibit F – Form of Master Services and Supply Agreement
Exhibit G – Form of Stockholder Restrictive Covenant Agreement
Exhibit H – Form of BHBV Restrictive Covenant Agreement
Exhibit I – Form of Certificate of Incorporation of Acquiror
Exhibit J – Form of Bylaws of Acquiror
Exhibit K – Acquiror Equity Incentive Plan Terms
Exhibit L – Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company
Exhibit M – Form of Letter of Transmittal
Exhibit N – Form of Company Lock-Up Agreement
Exhibit O – Form of Named Sponsor Lock-Up Agreement
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AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
This Agreement and Plan of Merger (this “Agreement”), dated as of March [ ● ], 2021, is entered into by and among Good Works Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Acquiror”), Currency Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”), and Cipher Mining Technologies Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”). Except as otherwise indicated, capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in Article I of this Agreement.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, Acquiror is a blank check company incorporated to acquire one or more operating businesses through a Business Combination;
WHEREAS, Merger Sub is a newly formed, wholly owned, direct Subsidiary of Acquiror, and was formed for the sole purpose of the Merger;
WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company pursuant to the Merger, with the Company surviving as the Surviving Company;
WHEREAS, the respective boards of directors of each of Acquiror, Merger Sub and the Company have each approved and declared advisable this Agreement and the Transactions upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement and in accordance with the laws of its jurisdiction;
WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, in connection with the Transactions, the Company Stockholder has entered into a Subscription Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (as amended or modified from time to time, the “Parent Subscription Agreement”), in substantially the same form as set forth on Exhibit A, for a private placement of Acquiror Common Stock (the “Parent Subscription”), such Parent Subscription to be consummated immediately prior to the consummation of the Transactions;
WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, in connection with the Transactions, Acquiror and each of the investors listed on Schedule 5.21 (collectively with the Company Stockholder, the “Subscribers”) have entered into certain Subscription Agreements, dated as of the date hereof (as amended or modified from time to time, collectively with the Parent Subscription Agreement, the “Subscription Agreements”), each in substantially the same form as set forth on Exhibit B, for a private placement of Acquiror Common Stock (such private placements of Acquiror Common Stock, together with the Parent Subscription, in the aggregate, the “PIPE Subscriptions”), such PIPE Subscriptions to be consummated immediately prior to the consummation of the Transactions;
WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, in connection with the Transactions, the Company Stockholder has entered into that certain Support Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “Company Support Agreement”), with Acquiror and the Company, in the form set forth on Exhibit C, pursuant to which, among other things, the Company Stockholder has agreed to execute and deliver a consent constituting the Company Stockholder Approvals;
WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, in connection with the Transactions, the Sponsor, Anchor Investors certain directors and officers of the Company, Acquiror and the Company have entered into a Support Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “Acquiror Support Agreement” and together with the Company Support Agreement, the “Support Agreements”), with the Company, in the form set forth on Exhibit D, pursuant to which, among other things, the Sponsor and such directors and officers have agreed to vote in favor of this Agreement and the Transactions;
WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the Closing, in connection with the Transactions, Acquiror, the Company, certain Acquiror Stockholders and the Company Stockholder will enter into that certain Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), in the form set forth on Exhibit E to be effective upon the Closing;
WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the Closing, in connection with the Transactions, Bitfury Holding B.V. and the Company will enter into that certain Master Services and Supply Agreement (the “Master Services and Supply Agreement”), in the form set forth on Exhibit F to be effective upon the Closing;
WHEREAS, as a condition and inducement to Acquiror entering into this Agreement, concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company Stockholder is entering into a restrictive covenant agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit G hereto (the “Stockholder Restrictive Covenant Agreement”) and Bitfury Holding B.V. is entering into a restrictive covenant agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit H hereto (the “BHBV Restrictive Covenant Agreement” and together with the Stockholder Restrictive Covenant Agreement, the “Restrictive Covenant Agreements”), which will become effective at the Closing;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Acquiror Organizational Documents, Acquiror shall provide an opportunity to its shareholders to have their Acquiror Common Stock redeemed for the consideration, and on the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations, set forth in this Agreement, the Acquiror Organizational Documents, the Trust Agreement, and the Proxy Statement in conjunction with, inter alia, obtaining approval from the shareholders of Acquiror for the Business Combination (the “Offer”);
WHEREAS, prior to the consummation of the Transactions, Acquiror shall, subject to obtaining the Acquiror Stockholder Approvals, adopt the certificate of incorporation (the “Acquiror Charter”) in the form set forth on Exhibit I, which shall be the certificate of incorporation of Acquiror, until thereafter supplemented or amended in accordance with its terms and the DGCL;
WHEREAS, prior to the consummation of the Transactions, Acquiror shall adopt the bylaws in the form set forth on Exhibit J, which shall be the bylaws of Acquiror, until thereafter supplemented or amended in accordance with its terms and the DGCL;
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WHEREAS, prior to the consummation of the Transactions, Acquiror shall, subject to obtaining the Acquiror Stockholder Approval, adopt the an equity incentive plan (the “Acquiror Equity Incentive Plan”) consistent with the terms set forth on Exhibit K;
WHEREAS, Acquiror shall be renamed “Cipher Mining Inc.” and shall trade publicly on NASDAQ under a new ticker symbol selected by the Company; and
WHEREAS, the parties intend that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Merger and the PIPE Subscriptions, taken together, constitute a transaction that qualifies under Section 351 of the Code and the applicable Treasury Regulations (the “Intended Tax Treatment”).
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the respective representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement, and intending to be legally bound hereby, Acquiror, Merger Sub and the Company agree as follows:
Article I
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
1.01 Definitions. As used herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Acquiror” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.
“Acquiror Affiliate Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 5.18.
“Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations” means the representations and warranties of each of Acquiror and Merger Sub expressly and specifically set forth in Article V of this Agreement, as qualified by the Schedules. For the avoidance of doubt, the Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations are solely made by Acquiror and Merger Sub.
“Acquiror Board” means the board of directors of Acquiror.
“Acquiror Board Recommendation” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(d).
“Acquiror Change in Recommendation” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(d).
“Acquiror Charter” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Acquiror Common Stock” means a shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the share capital of Acquiror.
“Acquiror Cure Period” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(c).
“Acquiror Equity Incentive Plan” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Acquiror Equity Plan Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).
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“Acquiror Material Contracts” has the meaning specified in Section 5.15.
“Acquiror Organizational Documents” means the Articles of Association and Acquiror’s memorandum of association, in each case as may be amended from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
“Acquiror Preferred Stock” means a shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the share capital of Acquiror.
“Acquiror SEC Reports” has the meaning specified in Section 5.09(a).
“Acquiror Share Redemption” means the election of an eligible (as determined in accordance with the Acquiror Organizational Documents) holder of Acquiror Common Stock to redeem all or a portion of the shares of Acquiror Common Stock held by such holder at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to a pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the Trust Account (including any interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account) (as determined in accordance with the Acquiror Organizational Documents) in connection with the Proposals.
“Acquiror Stockholder” means a holder of Acquiror Common Stock.
“Acquiror Stockholder Approval” means, with respect to any Proposal, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Acquiror Common Stock cast at the Special Meeting.
“Acquiror Support Agreement” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Acquiror Warrant” means each whole warrant exercisable for one Acquiror Common Stock.
“Acquisition Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 6.06(e)(i).
“Action” means any claim, action, suit, assessment, audit, investigation, examination, arbitration or proceeding, in each case that is by or before any Governmental Authority.
“Additional Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any specified Person, any Person that, directly or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such specified Person, through one or more intermediaries or otherwise.
“Agreement” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.
“Amendment Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).
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“Anchor Investors” means each of GW Sponsor 2, LLC, Magnetar Financial LLC, Mint Tower Capital Management B.V., Periscope Capital, Inc., and Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.
“Ancillary Agreements” means the Subscription Agreements, the Support Agreements, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Lock-Up Agreements, the Master Services and Supply Agreement, the Power Purchase Agreements, the Restrictive Covenants Agreement and any other agreement related to the Transactions.
“Anti-Corruption Laws” means any applicable Laws relating to anti-bribery or anti-corruption (governmental or commercial), including Laws that prohibit the corrupt payment, offer, promise, or authorization of the payment or transfer of anything of value (including gifts or entertainment), directly or indirectly, to any representative of a foreign Governmental Authority or commercial entity to obtain a business advantage, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and all national and international Laws enacted to implement the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Officials in International Business Transactions.
“Antitrust Law” means the HSR Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Xxxxxxx Act, the Xxxxxxx Act, and any applicable foreign antitrust Laws and all other applicable Laws that are designed or intended to prohibit, restrict or regulate actions having the purpose or effect of monopolization or restraint of trade or lessening of competition through merger or acquisition.
“Articles of Association” means the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Acquiror, dated October 9, 2020.
“Audited Financial Statements” has the meaning specified in Section 4.06(a).
“Audited Period” means the period from incorporation of the Company until January 31, 2021.
“Balance Sheet Date” means January 31, 2021.
“Benefit Plan” means any benefit or compensation plan, program, policy, practice, agreement, contract, arrangement or other obligation, whether or not in writing and whether or not funded, including, but not limited to, “employee benefit plans” within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA (whether or not subject to ERISA), “voluntary employees’ beneficiary associations,” under Section 501(c)(9) of the Code, employment, individual consulting, retirement, severance, termination pay, change in control, transaction or retention arrangements, deferred compensation, equity or equity-based compensation, incentive compensation, bonus, supplemental retirement, profit sharing, insurance, medical, welfare, vacation, fringe or other benefits or remuneration plan, program, policy, agreement or arrangement of any kind.
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“BHBV Restrictive Covenant Agreement” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Business Combination” has the meaning ascribed to such term in the Articles of Association.
“Business Combination Proposal” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.11.
“Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York, New York are authorized or required by Law to close.
“Cancelled Shares” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.01(b)
“Cash and Cash Equivalents” shall mean the cash and cash equivalents, including checks, money orders, marketable securities, short-term instruments, negotiable instruments, funds in time and demand deposits or similar accounts on hand, in lock boxes, in financial institutions or elsewhere, together with all accrued but unpaid interest thereon, and all bank, brokerage or other similar accounts.
“CBA” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.12(a)
“Certificate of Merger” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01.
“Closing” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03.
“Closing Acquiror Cash” means, without duplication, an amount equal to (a) the funds contained in the Trust Account as of immediately prior to the Effective Time; plus (b) all other Cash and Cash Equivalents of Acquiror; minus (c) the aggregate amount of cash proceeds that will be required to satisfy the redemption of any shares of Acquiror Common Stock pursuant to the Offer (to the extent not already paid); plus (d) the PIPE Investment Amount; minus (e) any unpaid Transaction Expenses.
“Closing Date” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03.
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Company” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.
“Company Benefit Plan” means any Benefit Plan which is sponsored or maintained by, contributed to or required to be contributed to by, or with respect to which any current or potential liability is borne by the Company or any of its Affiliates.
“Company Board” means the board of directors of the Company.
“Company Board Recommendation” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(e).
“Company Certificate” has the meaning specified in Section 3.03(a).
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“Company Change in Recommendation” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(e).
“Company Common Stock” means a share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share.
“Company Cure Period” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(b).
“Company Intellectual Property” means all Owned Intellectual Property and all Intellectual Property used in the business of the Company, as currently conducted.
“Company Lock-Up Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 6.07.
“Company Organizational Documents” means the certificate of incorporation and bylaws of the Company, in each case as may be amended from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
“Company Permits” has the meaning specified in Section 4.07(d).
“Company Properties” has the meaning specified in Section 4.18(a).
“Company Representations” means the representations and warranties of the Company expressly and specifically set forth in Article IV of this Agreement, as qualified by the Schedules. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company Representations are solely made by the Company.
“Company Software” means all Software used in the business of the Company, as currently conducted.
“Company Stockholder” means Bitfury Top HoldCo B.V., the holder of 100% of the shares of Company Common Stock as of the date hereof.
“Company Stockholder Approvals” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(e).
“Company Support Agreements” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Confidentiality Agreement” means that certain Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement, dated as of December 10, 2020, between Acquiror and Bitfury Holding B.V.
“Consent Solicitation Statement” means the consent solicitation statement included as part of the Registration Statement with respect to the solicitation by the Company of the Company Stockholder Approvals.
“Contracts” means any legally binding contracts, agreements, subcontracts, leases, and purchase orders (other than Company Benefit Plans).
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“COVID-19” means the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 or any mutation of the same, including any resulting epidemics, pandemics, disease outbreaks or public health emergencies.
“COVID-19 Measures” means any quarantine, isolation, “shelter in place,” “stay at home,” workforce reduction, social distancing, shut down, closure, sequester or any other Law, decree, judgment, injunction or other order, directive, guidelines or recommendations by any Governmental Authority or industry group in connection with or in response to COVID-19, including, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES).
“DGCL” means the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
“Effective Time” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01.
“Enforceability Exceptions” has the meaning specified in Section 4.02(a).
“Environmental Laws” means any and all applicable Laws relating to pollution or protection of the environment (including natural resources), worker health and safety (to the extent relating to exposure to Hazardous Materials), or the use, generation, storage, emission, transportation, disposal or release of or exposure to Hazardous Materials.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
“Ex-Im Laws” means all applicable Laws relating to export, re-export, transfer and import controls, including the Export Administration Regulations and the customs and import Laws administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
“Financial Derivative/Hedging Arrangement” means any transaction (including an agreement with respect thereto) which is a rate swap transaction, basis swap, forward rate transaction, commodity swap, commodity option, equity or equity index swap, equity or equity index option, bond option, interest rate option, foreign exchange transaction, cap transaction, floor transaction, collar transaction, currency swap transaction, cross-currency rate swap transaction, currency option or any combination of these transactions.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession in the United States, that are applicable to the circumstances as of the date of determination, consistently applied.
“Government Official” means any official or employee of any directly or indirectly government-owned or controlled entity, and any officer or employee of a public international organization, as well as any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any such entity or for or on behalf of any such public international organization.
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“Governmental Authority” means any federal, state, provincial, municipal, local or foreign government, governmental authority, regulatory or administrative agency, governmental commission, department, board, bureau, agency or instrumentality, arbitrator, court or tribunal.
“Governmental Order” means any order, judgment, injunction, decree, writ, stipulation, determination or award, in each case, entered by or with any Governmental Authority.
“Hazardous Material” means any material, substance or waste that is listed, regulated, or defined as “hazardous,” “toxic,” or “radioactive,” or as a “pollutant” or “contaminant” (or words of similar intent or meaning) under applicable Environmental Laws, including but not limited to petroleum, petroleum by-products, asbestos or asbestos-containing material, polychlorinated biphenyls, per- and pol-fluoroalkyl substances, flammable or explosive substances, toxic mold or pesticides.
“HSR Act” means the Xxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Indebtedness” means, with respect to any Person, without duplication, any obligations (whether or not contingent) consisting of (a) the outstanding principal amount of and accrued and unpaid interest on, and other payment obligations for, borrowed money, or payment obligations issued or incurred in substitution or exchange for payment obligations for borrowed money, (b) amounts owing as deferred purchase price for property or services, including “earnout” payments, (c) payment obligations evidenced by any promissory note, bond, debenture, mortgage or other debt instrument or debt security, (d) contingent reimbursement obligations with respect to letters of credit, bankers’ acceptance or similar facilities (in each case to the extent drawn), (e) payment obligations of a third party secured by (or for which the holder of such payment obligations has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any Lien, other than a Permitted Lien, on assets or properties of such Person, whether or not the obligations secured thereby have been assumed, (f) obligations under capitalized leases, (g) obligations under any Financial Derivative/Hedging Arrangement, (h) any other indebtedness or obligation reflected or required to be reflected as indebtedness in a consolidated balance sheet, in accordance with GAAP, (i) guarantees, make-whole agreements, hold harmless agreements or other similar arrangements with respect to any amounts of a type described in clauses (a) through (h) above and (j) with respect to each of the foregoing, any unpaid interest, breakage costs, prepayment or redemption penalties or premiums, or other unpaid fees or obligations (including unreimbursed expenses or indemnification obligations for which a claim has been made); provided, however, that Indebtedness shall not include accounts payable to trade creditors that are not past due and accrued expenses arising in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice.
“Information or Document Request” means any request or demand for the production, delivery or disclosure of documents or other evidence, or any request or demand for the production of witnesses for interviews or depositions or other oral or written testimony, by any Regulatory Consent Authority relating to the transactions contemplated hereby or by any third party challenging the transactions contemplated hereby, including any so called “second request” for additional information or documentary material or any civil investigative demand made or issued by the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice or the United States Federal Trade Commission or any subpoena, interrogatory or deposition.
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“Intellectual Property” means all intellectual property rights, as they exist anywhere in the world, whether registered or unregistered, including all: (i) patents and patent applications (including any divisions, continuations, continuations-in-part, reissues, reexaminations and interferences thereof); (ii) trademarks, service marks, trade dress, trade names, brand names, logos and corporate names; (iii) copyrights, mask works and designs; (iv) internet domain names; (v) trade secrets and other intellectual property rights in know-how, inventions, processes, procedures, database rights, confidential business information and other proprietary information and rights; and (vi) intellectual property rights in Software.
“Intended Tax Treatment” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Interim Period” has the meaning specified in Section 6.01.
“Intervening Event” has the meaning specified in Section 6.06(e)(iii).
“IT Systems” means all computer hardware (including hardware, firmware, peripherals, communication equipment and links, storage media, networking equipment, power supplies and any other components used in conjunction with such), data processing systems, Software, and all other information technology equipment owned or controlled by the Company and used in the operation of its business.
“Knowledge” shall mean the actual knowledge of (i) in the case of the Company, Tyler Page and Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, and (ii) in the case of Acquiror, Xxxx Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx Xxxxx and Xxxx Xxxxxxx.
“Law” means any statute, law (including common law), act, code, ordinance, rule, regulation or Governmental Order, in each case, of any Governmental Authority.
“Letter of Transmittal” has the meaning specified in Section 3.03(b)(i).
“Lien” means any mortgage, deed of trust, pledge, hypothecation, easement, right of way, purchase option, right of first refusal, covenant, restriction, security interest, title defect, encroachment or other survey defect, or other lien or encumbrance of any kind, except for (a) any restrictions arising under any applicable Securities Laws, and (b) immaterial easements, rights of way, covenants, encumbrances or restrictions that do not materially detract the value of the underlying asset or the use of the asset.
“Lock-Up Agreements” means the Company Lock-Up Agreement and the Named Sponsor Lock-Up Agreement.
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“Luminant LOI” means the term sheet, by and between Bitfury Holding B.V. and Luminant ET Services Company LLC (“Luminant”), dated as of January 14, 2020.
“Master Services and Supply Agreement” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Material Adverse Effect” means any event, change, circumstance or development that has a material adverse effect on (i) the assets, business, results of operations or financial condition of the Company or (ii) the ability of the Company to consummate the Transactions; provided, however, that in no event would any of the following (or the effect of any of the following), alone or in combination, be deemed to constitute, or be taken into account in determining whether there has been or will be, a “Material Adverse Effect” pursuant to clause (i) above: (a) any change or development in applicable Laws (including COVID-19 Measures) or GAAP or any official interpretation thereof, (b) any change or development in interest rates or economic, political, legislative, regulatory, business, financial, commodity, currency or market conditions generally affecting the economy or the industry in which the Company operates, (c) any change in the price or relative value of any digital currency or cryptocurrency, including but not limited to Bitcoin, (d) any change in trading volume of any digital currency or cryptocurrency, or any halt or suspension in trading of any such digital currency or cryptocurrency on any digital currency exchange, in each case including but not limited to Bitcoin, (e) the announcement or the execution of this Agreement, the pendency or consummation of the Merger or the performance of this Agreement, including the impact thereof on relationships, contractual or otherwise, with customers, suppliers, licensors, distributors, partners, providers and employees (provided, that the exceptions in this clause (e) shall not be deemed to apply to references to “Material Adverse Effect” in the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.02(b) and, to the extent related thereto, the condition in Section 9.02(a)), (f) any change generally affecting any of the industries or markets in which the Company operates or the economy as a whole, (g) the compliance with the terms of this Agreement or the taking of any action, or failure to take action, required or contemplated by this Agreement or with the prior written consent of Acquiror (provided, that the exceptions in this clause (g) shall not be deemed to apply to references to “Material Adverse Effect” in the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.02(b) and, to the extent related thereto, the condition in Section 9.02(a)), (h) any earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, tornado, flood, mudslide, wild fire or other natural disaster, epidemic, disease outbreak, pandemic (including COVID-19 (or any mutation or variation thereof or related health condition)), weather condition, explosion fire, act of God or other force majeure event, (i) any national or international political or social conditions in countries in which, or in the proximate geographic region of which, the Company operates, including the engagement by the United States or such other countries in hostilities or the escalation thereof, whether or not pursuant to the declaration of a national emergency or war, or the occurrence or the escalation of any military or terrorist attack upon the United States or such other country, or any territories, possessions, or diplomatic or consular offices of the United States or such other countries or upon any United States or such other country military installation, equipment or personnel, and (j) any failure of the Company to meet any projections, forecasts or budgets; provided, that clause (j) shall not prevent or otherwise affect a determination that any change or effect underlying such failure to meet projections or forecasts has resulted in, or contributed to, or would reasonably be expected to result in or contribute to, a Material Adverse Effect (to the extent such change or effect is not otherwise excluded from this definition of Material Adverse Effect), except in the case of clause (a), (b), (f), (h) and (j) to the extent that such change has a disproportionate impact on the Company, as compared to other industry participants.
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“Material Contracts” has the meaning specified in Section 4.12(a).
“Merger” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01.
“Merger Consideration” has the meaning specified in Section 3.01(c).
“Merger Sub” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.
“Named Sponsors” means Magnetar Financial LLC, Mint Tower Capital Management B.V., Periscope Capital, Inc., Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. and I-B Good Works, LLC.
“NASDAQ” means The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.
“NASDAQ Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).
“Offer” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Outstanding Acquiror Expenses” has the meaning specified in Section 3.06(c).
“Outstanding Company Expenses” has the meaning specified in Section 3.06(b).
“Owned Company Software” means all Software owned by the Company.
“Owned Intellectual Property” means all Intellectual Property owned by the Company.
“Parent Subscription” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.
“Parent Subscription Agreement” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.
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“Permitted Liens” means (i) statutory or common law Liens of mechanics, materialmen, warehousemen, landlords, carriers, repairmen, construction contractors and other similar Liens (A) that arise in the ordinary course of business, (B) relate to amounts not yet delinquent or (C) that are being contested in good faith through appropriate Actions and either are not material or appropriate reserves for the amount being contested have been established in accordance with GAAP on the Audited Financial Statements, (ii) Liens arising under original purchase price conditional sales contracts and equipment leases with third parties entered into in the ordinary course of business, (iii) Liens for Taxes not yet due and payable or which are being contested in good faith through appropriate Actions, and for which appropriate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP, (iv) non-monetary Liens, encumbrances and restrictions on real property (including easements, covenants, rights of way and similar restrictions of record) that do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially interfere with the present uses of such real property, (v) non-exclusive licenses of Intellectual Property, (vi) Liens that secure obligations that are reflected as liabilities in the Audited Financial Statements (which such Liens are referenced or the existence of which such Liens is referred to in the notes to the Audited Financial Statements), (vii) requirements and restrictions of zoning, building and other applicable Laws and municipal by-laws, and development, site plan, subdivision or other agreements with municipalities, which do not materially interfere with the current use or occupancy of any real property leased by the Company, and (viii) Liens described on Schedule 1.01(a).
“Person” means any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, joint stock company, Governmental Authority or other entity of any kind.
“Personal Information” means any personal information that specifically identifies any individual who has provided information to the Company, including names, addresses, telephone numbers, personal health information, drivers’ license numbers and government-issued identification numbers, as applicable.
“PIPE Investment Amount” has the meaning specified in Section 5.21.
“PIPE Subscriptions” has the meaning specified in the preamble hereto.
“Power Provider” means each of Luminant, WindHQ and SP.
“Power Provider LOI” means the Luminant LOI, the WindHQ and the SP LOI.
“Power Purchase Agreements” has the meaning specified in Section 6.08.
“Privacy Laws” means any and all Laws applicable to the Company relating to the collection, use, storage, safeguarding and security (both technical and physical) of Personal Information.
“Proposals” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).
“Proxy Statement” means the proxy statement filed by Acquiror as part of the Registration Statement with respect to the Special Meeting for the purpose of soliciting proxies from Acquiror Stockholders to approve the Proposals (which shall also provide the Acquiror Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Acquiror Common Stock in conjunction with a shareholder vote on the Business Combination).
“Redeeming Stockholder” means an Acquiror Stockholder who demands that Acquiror redeem its Acquiror Common Stock for cash in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and in accordance with the Acquiror Organizational Documents.
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“Registered IP” has the meaning specified in Section 4.15(a).
“Registration Rights Agreement” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Registration Statement” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(a).
“Regulatory Consent Authorities” means the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice or the United States Federal Trade Commission, as applicable.
“Related Party” means, with respect to any party hereto, any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof, or any business, entity or Person that any of the foregoing controls, is controlled by or is under common control with.
“Representative” means, as to any Person, any of the officers, directors, managers, employees, counsel, accountants, financial advisors, lenders, debt financing sources and consultants of such Person.
“Restrictive Covenant Agreements” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Sanctioned Person” means at any time any Person: (a) listed on any Sanctions-related list of designated or blocked persons; (b) a Governmental Authority of, resident in, or organized under the Laws of a country or territory that is the target of comprehensive Sanctions from time to time (as of the date of this Agreement, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the Crimea region); or (c) majority-owned or controlled by any of the foregoing.
“Sanctions” means those trade, economic and financial sanctions-related Laws, regulations, embargoes, and restrictive measures administered, enacted or enforced from time to time by (a) the United States (including without limitation the Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control), (b) the European Union and enforced by its member states, (c) the United Nations or (d) Her Majesty’s Treasury.
“Schedules” means the disclosure schedules of the Company or Acquiror, as applicable.
“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933.
“Securities Laws” means the securities laws of any state, federal or foreign entity and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
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“Software” means any and all (a) computer programs, including any and all software implementation of algorithms, models and methodologies, whether in source code, object code, human readable form or other form, (b) databases and compilations, including any and all data and collections of data, whether machine readable or otherwise, (c) descriptions, flow charts and other work products used to design, plan, organize and develop any of the foregoing, screens, user interfaces, report formats, firmware, development tools, templates, menus, buttons and icons and (d) all documentation including user manuals and other training documentation relating to any of the foregoing.
“SP LOI” means the Term Sheet for Bitcoin Mining Hosting Agreement with a Turnkey Infrastructure, by and between the Company and 000 X 0xx Xxxxxx LLC (“SP”), a Delaware limited liability company, dated as of February 3, 2021.
“Special Meeting” means a meeting of the holders of Acquiror Common Stock to be held for the purpose of approving the Proposals.
“Sponsor” means I-B Goodworks LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.
“Stockholder Restrictive Covenant Agreement” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Subscribers” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Subscription Agreements” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to a Person, any corporation or other organization (including a limited liability company or a partnership), whether incorporated or unincorporated, of which such Person directly or indirectly owns or controls a majority of the securities or other interests having by their terms ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors or others performing similar functions with respect to such corporation or other organization or any organization of which such Person or any of its Subsidiaries is, directly or indirectly, a general partner or managing member.
“Superior Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 6.06(e)(ii).
“Support Agreements” has the meaning specified in the Recitals hereto.
“Surviving Company” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01.
“Surviving Provisions” has the meaning specified in Section 10.02.
“Tail Insurance” means prepaid six-year non-cancellable run-off insurance policy with respect to the Acquiror’s existing directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage to provide insurance coverage for events, acts or omissions occurring prior to the Closing for all directors and officers and which shall have a scope substantially similar to the existing coverage under, and have other terms not less favorable to the insured persons than the terms of, the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage currently maintained.
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“Tax” means any federal, state, local, foreign and other net income, alternative or add-on minimum, franchise, gross income, adjusted gross income or gross receipts, employment, unemployment, compensation, utility, social security, withholding, payroll, ad valorem, transfer, windfall profits, franchise, license, branch, excise, severance, production, stamp, occupation, premium, personal property, real property, capital stock, profits, disability, registration, value added, capital gains, goods and services, estimated, sales, use, or other tax, governmental fee or assessment in the nature of a tax, whether disputed or, together with any interest, penalty, or addition to tax imposed with respect thereto by a Governmental Authority.
“Tax Authority” means any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction or authority to impose, administer, levy, assess or collect Tax.
“Tax Return” means any return, report, statement, refund, claim, election, disclosure, declaration, information report or return, statement, estimate or other document filed or required to be filed with a Tax Authority with respect to Taxes, including any schedule or attachment thereto and including any amendments thereof.
“Terminating Acquiror Breach” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(c).
“Terminating Company Breach” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(b).
“Termination Date” has the meaning specified in Section 10.01(b).
“Trading Day” means any day on which shares of Acquiror Common Stock are actually traded on the principal securities exchange or securities market on which shares of Acquiror Common Stock are then traded.
“Transaction Expenses” means any fees, costs and expenses incurred or subject to reimbursement by Acquiror and its Subsidiary, whether accrued for or not, in each case in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements, including (a) any brokerage fees, commissions, finders’ fees, or financial advisory fees, and, in each case, related costs and expenses, (b) any fees, costs and expenses of counsel, accountants or other advisors or service providers, and (c) any fees, costs and expenses or payments of any of Acquiror and its Subsidiary related to any transaction bonus, discretionary bonus, change-of-control payment, retention or other compensatory payments made to any employee of Acquiror or its Subsidiary as a result of the execution of this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements or in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including the employer portion of any payroll, social security, unemployment or similar Taxes).
“Transaction Proposal” has the meaning specified in Section 8.02(c).
“Transactions” means the transactions contemplated by this Agreement to occur at or immediately prior to the Closing, including the Merger.
“Transfer Taxes” has the meaning specified in Section 8.03(a).
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“Treasury Regulations” means the regulations promulgated under the Code.
“Trust Account” has the meaning specified in Section 5.06(a).
“Trust Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 5.06(a).
“Trustee” has the meaning specified in Section 5.06(a).
“VWAP” means, for any security as of any date(s), the dollar volume-weighted average price for such security on the principal securities exchange or securities market on which such security is then traded during the period beginning at 9:30:01 a.m., New York time, and ending at 4:00:00 p.m., New York time, as reported by Bloomberg through its “HP” function (set to weighted average) or, if the foregoing does not apply, the dollar volume-weighted average price of such security in the over-the-counter market on the electronic bulletin board for such security during the period beginning at 9:30:01 a.m., New York time, and ending at 4:00:00 p.m., New York time, as reported by Bloomberg, or, if no dollar volume-weighted average price is reported for such security by Bloomberg for such hours, the average of the highest closing bid price and the lowest closing ask price of any of the market makers for such security as reported by OTC Markets Group Inc. If the VWAP cannot be calculated for such security on such date(s) on any of the foregoing bases, the VWAP of such security on such date(s) shall be the fair market value per share on such date(s) as reasonably determined by Acquiror.
“Warrant Agreement” means that certain Warrant Agreement, dated as of October 19, 2020, between Acquiror and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, as warrant agent.
“Willful Breach” means, with respect to any agreement, a party’s knowing and intentional material breach of any of its representations or warranties as set forth in such agreement, or such party’s material breach of any of its covenants or other agreements set forth in such agreement, which material breach constitutes, or is a consequence of, a purposeful act or failure to act by such party with the knowledge that the taking of such act or failure to take such act would cause a material breach of such agreement.
“WindHQ LOI” means the Letter of Intent, by and between Bitfury Holding B.V. and WindHQ LLC (“WindHQ”), dated as of January 11, 2021, as subsequently assigned to the Company pursuant to that certain assignment letter from Bitfury Holding B.V. to WindHQ LLC, dated as of February 19, 2021.
1.02 Construction.
(a) Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, (i) words of any gender include each other gender, (ii) words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively, (iii) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby,” “hereto” and derivative or similar words refer to this entire Agreement, (iv) the terms “Article”, “Section”, “Schedule”, “Exhibit” and “Annex” refer to the specified Article, Section, Schedule, Exhibit or Annex of or to this Agreement unless otherwise specified, (v) the word “including” shall mean “including without limitation”, (vi) the word “or” shall be disjunctive but not exclusive and (vii) any reference to a Law shall mean such Law as amended.
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(b) Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, references to agreements and other documents shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments and other modifications thereto.
(c) Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, references to statutes shall include all regulations promulgated thereunder and references to statutes or regulations shall be construed as including all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending or replacing the statute or regulation.
(d) The language used in this Agreement shall be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent and no rule of strict construction shall be applied against any party.
(e) Whenever this Agreement refers to a number of days, such number shall refer to calendar days unless Business Days are specified. If any action is to be taken or given on or by a particular calendar day, and such calendar day is not a Business Day, then such action may be deferred until the next Business Day.
(f) All accounting terms used herein and not expressly defined herein shall have the meanings given to them under GAAP.
(g) The phrases “delivered,” “provided to,” “furnished to,” “made available” and phrases of similar import when used herein, unless the context otherwise requires, means that a copy of the information or material referred to has been provided no later than two (2) Business Days prior to the date of this Agreement to the party to which such information or material is to be provided or furnished (i) in the virtual “data room” set up by the Company in connection with this Agreement or (ii) by delivery to such party or its legal counsel via electronic mail or hard copy form.
(h) References to “dollars”, “USD” or “$” are references to the lawful currency from time to time of the United States of America.
Article II
THE MERGER; CLOSING
2.01 The Merger. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Effective Time, Merger Sub shall be merged with and into the Company (the “Merger”), with the Company being the surviving corporation (which is sometimes hereinafter referred to for the periods at and after the Effective Time as the “Surviving Company”) following the Merger and the separate corporate existence of Merger Sub shall cease. The Merger shall be consummated in accordance with this Agreement and the DGCL and evidenced by a certificate of merger (the “Certificate of Merger”), such Merger to be consummated upon filing of the Certificate of Merger or at such later time as may be agreed by Acquiror and the Company in writing and specified in the Certificate of Merger (the “Effective Time”).
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2.02 Effects of the Merger. The Merger shall have the effects set forth in this Agreement and the DGCL. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and subject thereto, by virtue of the Merger and without further act or deed, at the Effective Time, all of the property, rights, privileges, powers and franchises of the Company and Merger Sub shall vest in the Surviving Company and all of the debts, liabilities and duties of the Company and Merger Sub shall become the debts, liabilities and duties of the Surviving Company.
2.03 Closing. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”) shall take place electronically through the exchange of documents via e-mail or facsimile on the date which is three (3) Business Days after the date on which all conditions set forth in Article IX shall have been satisfied or waived (other than those conditions that by their terms are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver thereof) or such other time and place as Acquiror and the Company may mutually agree in writing. The date on which the Closing actually occurs is referred to in this Agreement as the “Closing Date.” Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all of the conditions set forth in Article IX of this Agreement, and provided this Agreement has not theretofore been terminated pursuant to its terms, on the Closing Date, the Company shall cause the Certificate of Merger to be executed, acknowledged and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as provided in Sections 251 and 103 of the DGCL. Acquiror shall be renamed “Cipher Mining Inc.” and shall trade publicly on the NASDAQ under a new ticker symbol selected by the Company.
2.04 Organizational Documents of the Company and Acquiror.
(a) At the Effective Time, the certificate of incorporation of the Company, as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall be amended and restated in its entirety as set forth on Exhibit L attached hereto, and as so amended, shall be the certificate of incorporation of the Surviving Company, until thereafter supplemented or amended in accordance with its terms and the DGCL.
(b) At the Effective Time, the bylaws of the Company, as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall be the bylaws of the Surviving Company, until thereafter supplemented or amended in accordance with its terms, the Surviving Company’s certificate of incorporation and the DGCL.
2.05 Directors and Officers of the Companies.
(a) At the Effective Time, the board of directors and executive officers of the Surviving Company shall be the board of directors and executive officers of the Company immediately prior to the Effective Time, each to hold office in accordance with the bylaws of the Surviving Company until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal or until their respective successors are duly appointed.
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(b) Except as otherwise agreed in writing by the Company and Acquiror prior to the Closing, and conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing, subject to any limitation imposed under applicable Laws and NASDAQ listing requirements, Acquiror shall take all necessary action prior to the Effective Time such that (i) each director of Acquiror in office immediately prior to the Effective Time shall cease to be a director immediately following the Effective Time (including by causing each such director to tender an irrevocable resignation as a director, effective as of the Effective Time), (ii) six (6) individuals designated by the Company (the “Company Director Designees”), two (2) of whom shall qualify as “independent directors” under the applicable listing and corporate governance rules and regulations of NASDAQ, pursuant to this Section 2.05(b) shall be appointed to the Acquiror Board, effective as of immediately following the Effective Time, (iii) one (1) individual designated by Acquiror (the “Acquiror Director Designee”), shall be appointed to the Acquiror Board, effective as of immediately following the Effective Time, and (iv) as of immediately following the Effective Time, the Company Director Designees and the Acquiror Director Designee shall be the only directors of Acquiror, and there shall be no vacancies or unfilled newly created directorships. If necessary to effect the foregoing, the Acquiror Board shall adopt resolutions prior to the Effective Time that expand or decrease the size of the Acquiror Board and appoint such persons to the vacancies resulting from the incumbent directors’ respective resignations or, if applicable, the newly created directorships upon any expansion of the size of the Acquiror Board. Each person appointed as a director of Acquiror pursuant to this Section 2.05(b) shall remain in office as a director of Acquiror until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal. If any of the directors designated by the parties shall be unable or unwilling to serve at the Closing, the Company or Acquiror, respectively, shall promptly designate a replacement director and provide any relevant information about such appointee as the other party may reasonably request.
(c) Acquiror shall take all necessary action prior to the Effective Time such that (i) each officer of Acquiror in office immediately prior to the Effective Time shall cease to be an officer immediately following the Effective Time and (ii) the persons constituting the officers of the Company prior to the Effective Time shall, as of immediately following the Effective Time, be appointed the officers of Acquiror in identical positions until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal or until their respective successors are duly appointed.
Article III
EFFECTS OF THE MERGER
3.01 Effect on Capital Stock. At the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of the Company, Acquiror, Merger Sub or the holder of any Company Common Stock:
(a) Conversion of Merger Sub Common Stock. Each share of common stock of Merger Sub, par value $0.0001 per share, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be converted into one validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable share of common stock of the Surviving Company, par value $0.001 per share.
(b) Cancellation of Certain Company Common Stock. Each share of Company Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time that is held by the Company in treasury shall no longer be outstanding and shall be automatically canceled and shall cease to exist (the “Cancelled Shares”), and no consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor.
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(c) Conversion of All Other Company Common Stock. Each share of Company Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, other than any Cancelled Shares, shall be converted into the right to receive four hundred thousand (400,000) shares of duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable Acquiror Common Stock (deemed to have a value of ten dollars ($10) per share) (the “Merger Consideration”) (the “Exchange Ratio”); provided that the Exchange Ratio shall be adjusted as needed to ensure the aggregate Merger Consideration received by the Company Stockholder equals two hundred million (200,000,000) shares of Acquiror Common Stock (at a value of ten dollars ($10) per share).
3.02 Equitable Adjustments. If, between the date of this Agreement and the Closing, the outstanding shares of Company Common Stock or shares of Acquiror Common Stock shall have been changed into a different number of shares or a different class or series, by reason of any stock dividend, subdivision, reclassification, recapitalization, split, change, combination or exchange of shares, or any similar event shall have occurred, then any number, value (including dollar value) or amount contained herein which is based upon the number of shares of Company Common Stock or shares of Acquiror Common Stock will be appropriately adjusted to provide to the holders of Company Common Stock and the holders of Acquiror Common Stock the same economic effect as contemplated by this Agreement; provided, however, that this Section 3.02 shall not be construed to permit Acquiror, the Company or Merger Sub to take any action with respect to their respective securities that is prohibited by the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
3.03 Exchange of Company Certificates and Company Book-Entry Shares.
(a) Exchange Agent. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company and Acquiror shall appoint a bank or trust company to act as exchange agent (the “Exchange Agent”) for the payment and delivery of the aggregate Merger Consideration in accordance with this Section 3.03. At or immediately following the Effective Time, Acquiror shall deposit (or cause to be deposited) with the Exchange Agent the number of shares of Acquiror Common Stock comprising the aggregate Merger Consideration in respect of (i) certificates that immediately prior to the Effective Time represented Company Common Stock (“Company Certificates”) and (ii) non-certificated outstanding Company Common Stock represented by book entry (“Company Book-Entry Shares”), in each case other than Cancelled Shares, for exchange in accordance with this Section 3.03 through the Exchange Agent (the “Exchange Fund”). The Exchange Agent shall, pursuant to irrevocable instructions, deliver the aggregate Merger Consideration contemplated to be issued pursuant to Section 3.01(c) out of the Exchange Fund. The Exchange Fund shall not be used for any other purpose.
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(b) Exchange Procedures.
(i) Promptly following the Effective Time, Acquiror shall send, or shall cause the Exchange Agent to send, to each record holder of a Company Certificate, which shares were converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration in respect thereof at the Effective Time pursuant to this Agreement: (i) a letter of transmittal substantially in the form of Exhibit M hereto, with such changes as may be required by the Exchange Agent and reasonably acceptable to the Company (the “Letter of Transmittal”) which shall specify that delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to the Company Certificates shall pass, only upon delivery of the Company Certificates to the Exchange Agent, and shall otherwise be in such form and have such other provisions as the Company, Acquiror and the Exchange Agent may reasonably specify and (ii) instructions for effecting the surrender of the Company Certificates (or affidavits in lieu thereof in accordance with Section 3.03(e)) in exchange for the aggregate Merger Consideration in respect thereof. Upon surrender of Company Certificates (or affidavits in lieu thereof in accordance with Section 3.03(e)) for cancellation to the Exchange Agent and upon delivery of a Letter of Transmittal, duly executed and in proper form with all required enclosures and attachments, with respect to such Company Certificates, the holder of such Company Certificates shall be entitled to receive the Merger Consideration for each share of Company Common Stock formerly represented by such Company Certificates. Any Company Certificates so surrendered shall forthwith be cancelled. If payment of any Merger Consideration is to be made to a Person other than the Person in whose name any surrendered Company Certificate is registered, it shall be a condition precedent to payment that the Company Certificate so surrendered shall be properly endorsed or shall be otherwise in proper form for transfer, and the Person requesting such payment shall have paid any transfer and other similar Taxes required by reason of the delivery of the aggregate Merger Consideration in respect thereof, as applicable, to a Person other than the registered holder of the Company Certificate so surrendered and shall have established to the satisfaction of Acquiror that such Taxes either have been paid or are not required to be paid. Until surrendered as contemplated hereby, each Company Certificate shall be deemed at any time after the Effective Time to represent only the right to receive the aggregate Merger Consideration in respect thereof.
(ii) Promptly following the Effective Time, Acquiror shall send, or shall cause the Exchange Agent to send, each holder of Company Book-Entry Shares the Merger Consideration for each share of Company Common Stock formerly represented by such Company Book-Entry Shares. Any Company Book-Entry Shares so surrendered shall forthwith be cancelled. Delivery of the aggregate Merger Consideration, as applicable, with respect to Company Book-Entry Shares shall only be made to the Person in whose name such Company Book-Entry Shares are registered. Until surrendered as contemplated hereby, each Company Book-Entry Share shall be deemed at any time after the Effective Time to represent only the right to receive the aggregate Merger Consideration in respect thereof.
(c) Transfer Books. At the Effective Time, the stock transfer books of the Company shall be closed and thereafter there shall be no further registration of transfers of Company Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time on the records of the Company. From and after the Effective Time, the holders of Company Certificates and Company Book-Entry Shares representing Company Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall cease to have any rights with respect to such shares except as otherwise provided for herein or by applicable Law. If, after the Effective Time, Company Certificates representing Company Common Stock are presented to Acquiror for any reason, they shall be cancelled and exchanged for the aggregate Merger Consideration in respect thereof as provided in this Agreement.
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(d) Termination of Exchange Fund; Abandoned Property. At any time following one (1) year after the Closing Date, Acquiror shall be entitled to require the Exchange Agent to deliver to it any shares of Acquiror Common Stock remaining in the Exchange Fund made available to the Exchange Agent and not delivered to holders of Company Certificates or Company Book-Entry Shares, and thereafter such holders shall be entitled to look only to Acquiror (subject to abandoned property, escheat or other similar Laws) as general creditors thereof with respect to the aggregate Merger Consideration payable upon due surrender of their Company Certificates or Company Book-Entry Shares and compliance with the procedures in this Section 3.03. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither Acquiror, the Surviving Company nor the Exchange Agent shall be liable to any holder of a Company Certificate or Company Book-Entry Shares for any Merger Consideration delivered to a public official pursuant to any applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar Law.
(e) Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates. In the event that any Company Certificates shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, the Exchange Agent shall issue in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed Company Certificates, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the holder thereof, the aggregate Merger Consideration payable in respect thereof pursuant to Section 3.01(c); provided, however, that Acquiror or the Exchange Agent may, in its reasonable discretion and as a condition precedent to the payment of such aggregate Merger Consideration, require the owners of such lost, stolen or destroyed Company Certificates to deliver a customary indemnity against any claim that may be made against Acquiror, the Surviving Company or the Exchange Agent with respect to the Company Certificates alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed.
(f) Distributions with Respect to Unexchanged Shares. No dividends or other distributions declared or made after the Effective Time with respect to the Acquiror Common Stock with a record date after the Effective Time shall be paid to the holder of any unsurrendered Company Certificate or Company Book-Entry Share with respect to the Acquiror Common Stock issuable in respect thereof unless and until the holder of such Company Certificate or Company Book-Entry Share shall surrender such Company Certificate or Company Book-Entry Share. Subject to the effect of escheat, Tax or other applicable Laws, following surrender of any such Company Certificate or Company Book-Entry Share, there shall be paid by Acquiror to the holder of whole shares of Acquiror Common Stock issued in exchange therefor, without interest, (i) promptly, the amount of dividends or other distributions with a record date after the Effective Time theretofore paid with respect to such whole shares of Acquiror Common Stock and (ii) at the appropriate payment date, the amount of dividends or other distributions, with a record date after the Effective Time but prior to surrender and a payment date occurring after surrender, payable with respect to such whole shares of Acquiror Common Stock.
3.04 Withholding.
Acquiror or the Exchange Agent shall only be entitled to deduct and withhold from any amount otherwise payable to any Company Stockholder pursuant to this Agreement, such amounts that are required to be deducted and withheld with respect to the making of any such payment under the Code. In the event that any such deduction or withholding is required by the Code, before making any such deduction or withholding, Acquiror or the Exchange Agent shall make a good faith efforts to provide the Company Stockholder at least ten (10) days’ notice of Acquiror’s intention to make such deduction or withholding and, in reasonable detail, the authority, basis and method of calculation for the proposed deduction or withholding, provided that Acquiror and the Exchange Agent shall have the right to withhold pursuant to this Section 3.04 regardless of whether such notice is provided and no such notice shall be required if the Company does not comply with the requirements of Section 8.03(c). To the extent that any amounts so deducted or withheld, Acquiror or the Exchange Agent shall timely and properly remit such amounts to the applicable Governmental Authority.
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3.05 Cash in Lieu of Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, no certificates or scrip representing fractional shares of Acquiror Common Stock shall be issued upon the conversion of Company Common Stock pursuant to Section 3.01, and such fractional share interests shall not entitle the owner thereof to vote or to any other rights of a holder of Acquiror Common Stock. In lieu of the issuance of any such fractional share, Acquiror shall pay to each former Company Stockholder who otherwise would be entitled to receive such fractional share an amount in cash, without interest, rounded down to the nearest cent, equal to the product of (i) the amount of the fractional share interest in a share of Acquiror Common Stock to which such holder otherwise would have been entitled (but for this Section 3.05) multiplied by (ii) an amount equal to the VWAP of shares of Acquiror Common Stock for the 20 Trading Days prior to the date that is three (3) Business Days prior to the Closing.
3.06 Payment of Expenses.
(a) Unless otherwise provided for in this Agreement, all Advisor Expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be paid by the party incurring such expenses. As used in this Agreement, “Advisor Expenses” shall include all out-of-pocket fees and disbursements of a party for outside counsel incurred in connection with the Transactions and fees and expenses of such party for any other agents, advisors, consultants, experts and financial advisors employed by such party incurred in connection with the authorization, preparation, negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement related hereto and all other matters related to the consummation of this Agreement, provided that Advisor Expenses shall not include any Outstanding Company Expenses and Outstanding Acquiror Expenses, which shall be paid by Acquiror in pursuant to Section 3.06(b) and Section 3.06(c) respectively.
(b) On the Closing Date following the Closing, Acquiror shall pay or cause to be paid by wire transfer of immediately available funds all (i) documented out-of-pocket fees and disbursements of the Company incurred in connection with preparing and filing the Registration Statement and the receipt of stock exchange approval in connection with the listing of the Acquiror Common Stock that is the Merger Consideration; (ii) filing fees in connection with any antitrust or other governmental approvals with respect to the Transactions; (iii) Tail Insurance premiums; and (iv) the NASDAQ initial listing fee; (collectively, the “Outstanding Company Expenses”).
(c) On the Closing Date following the Closing, Acquiror shall pay or cause to be paid by wire transfer of immediately available funds all reasonable, documented out-of-pocket fees and disbursements of Acquiror or Merger Sub for outside counsel and fees and expenses of Acquiror or Merger Sub or for any other agents, advisors, consultants, experts and financial advisors employed by or on behalf of Acquiror or Merger Sub incurred in connection with the Transactions (collectively, the “Outstanding Acquiror Expenses”).
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Article IV
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
Except as set forth in the Schedules to this Agreement (each of which qualifies (a) the correspondingly numbered representation, warranty or covenant if specified therein and (b) such other representations, warranties or covenants where its relevance as an exception to (or disclosure for purposes of) such other representation, warranty or covenant is reasonably apparent on its face), the Company represents and warrants to Acquiror and Merger Sub as follows:
4.01 Organization, Standing and Corporate Power. The Company is an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of the State of Delaware, and has all requisite legal entity power and authority to carry on its business as now being conducted. The Company is duly qualified or licensed to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of its business or the ownership, leasing or operation of its properties makes such qualification or licensing necessary, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to prevent, materially delay or materially impair the ability of the Company to consummate the Transactions or have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company Organizational Documents that have been made available to Acquiror are true, correct and complete and are in effect as of the date of the Agreement and the Company is not in default under or in violation of any provision thereunder.
4.02 Corporate Authority; Approval; Non-Contravention.
(a) The Company has all requisite corporate or other legal entity power and authority, and has taken all corporate or other legal entity action necessary in order to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements to which it is a party and, subject to satisfaction of the conditions to Closing contemplated hereby, to consummate the Transactions. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements to which it is a party, and the consummation by it of the Transactions, have been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate consent and authorizations on the part of the Company, and no other corporate actions on the part of the Company are necessary to authorize the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements to which it is a party and the consummation by it of the Transactions, in each case, subject to receipt of the Company Stockholder Approvals. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery hereof by the other parties, is a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms (subject to applicable bankruptcy, solvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by general principles of equity (the “Enforceability Exceptions”)).
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(b) The execution, delivery and, subject to receipt of the Company Stockholder Approvals, performance of this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements to which the Company is a party, and the consummation of the Transactions, do not, and will not, constitute or result in (i) a breach or violation of, or a default under, the Company Organizational Documents or (ii) with or without notice, lapse of time or both, a breach or violation of, a termination (or right of termination) of or default or change of control under, the creation or acceleration of any obligations under or the creation of a Lien on any of the assets of the Company or any of its Affiliates pursuant to, any Material Contract to which the Company or any of its Affiliates is a party or, assuming (solely with respect to performance of this Agreement and consummation of the Transactions) compliance with the matters referred to in Section 4.02(a), under any Law to which the Company or any of its Affiliates is subject (except Laws that are applicable due to the Company’s business, or the Contracts or licenses of the Company), except (in the case of clause (ii) above) for such violations, breaches, defaults or changes of control which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(c) The Company Support Agreement executed and delivered contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the other parties, is a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company and, to the Knowledge of the Company, the Company Stockholder party thereto, enforceable against the Company and the Company Stockholder in accordance with its terms (subject to the Enforceability Exceptions). As of the date of this Agreement, the Company Stockholder party to the Company Support Agreement holds Company Common Stock representing the voting power sufficient to obtain the Company Stockholder Approvals.
4.03 Governmental Approvals. No consent of, or registration, declaration, notice or filing with, any Governmental Authority is required by or with respect to the Company in connection with the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement or the consummation by the Company of the Transactions, except for (i) the pre-merger notification requirements under the HSR Act, (ii) such other consents, registrations, declarations, notices and filings which, if not obtained or made, would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and (iii) the filing of the Certificate of Merger with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
4.04 Capitalization.
(a) The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of: (i) 5,000 shares of Company Common Stock, of which 500 shares Company Common Stock were outstanding as of the close of business on the Business Day immediately prior to the date hereof. Set forth on Schedule 4.04 is a true, correct and complete list of each holder of issued and outstanding capital stock or other equity securities (including notes and other securities convertible into equity securities) of the Company and the number of shares or other equity interests held by each such holder as of the date hereof. Each of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company (i) is duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, (ii) was issued in compliance in all material respects with applicable Laws, (iii) was not issued in breach or violation of any preemptive rights or Contract to which the Company is a party, and (iv) is owned free and clear of any Lien imposed by or resulting from any Contract to which the Company is party (other than the Company Organizational Documents and Contracts that have been provided to Acquiror that set forth the Company Stockholder’s obligations to the Company).
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(b) Except as set forth on Schedule 4.04, there are no other outstanding equity interest in the Company, including any warrants, options, calls, pre-emptive rights, subscriptions, “phantom” stock rights or other rights, agreements, arrangements, convertible or exchangeable securities or other commitments (other than this Agreement) pursuant to which the Company is obligated to issue, transfer, sell, purchase, return or redeem or cause to be issued, transferred, sold, purchased, returned or redeemed any equity securities of the Company
(c) The Company has no equity interest in, nor has it agreed to acquire, any share capital or other equity security of any other company (wherever incorporated).
4.05 Subsidiaries. The Company does not currently own or control, directly or indirectly, any interest in any other Person and is not a participant in any joint venture, partnership or similar arrangement.
4.06 Financial Statements; Internal Controls.
(a) The audited statements of financial position, statements of comprehensive income, statements of changes in shareholders’ equity and statements of cash flows of the Company for the Audited Period (the “Audited Financial Statements”), were prepared and audited in accordance with the standards, principles and practices specified therein and, subject thereto, in accordance with GAAP, the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and applicable Law as at the Balance Sheet Date, except as otherwise noted therein. Prior to the date hereof, true, complete and correct copies of the Audited Financial Statements, and the accompanying independent auditors’ reports, as applicable, have been made available to Acquiror.
(b) The Audited Financial Statements were derived from the books and records of the Company and prepared in accordance with GAAP, except as may be indicated in the notes thereto. The Audited Financial Statements fairly present in all material respects the assets, liabilities, cash flow and financial condition and results of operations of the Company as of the times and for the periods referred to therein. Since the Balance Sheet Date, the Company has not made any material change in the accounting practices or policies applied in the preparation of the Audited Financial Statements, except as required by applicable Law or GAAP.
(c) The Company maintains a system of accounting and internal controls designed to provide reasonable assurances regarding the reliability of the financial reporting and the preparation of the financial statements of the Company in accordance in all material respects with GAAP. Since January 31, 2021, the Company (including the Company’s personnel and independent accountants who participated in the preparation or review of financial statements or the internal accounting controls employed by the Company) have not identified nor been made aware of (i) any significant deficiency or material weakness in the system of internal accounting controls utilized by the Company, (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management of the Company or any personnel involved in financial reporting or (iii) any written claim or allegation regarding any of the foregoing. The Audited Financial Statements, when delivered by the Company for inclusion in the Registration Statement for filing with the SEC following the date of this Agreement in accordance with Section 8.02, will comply in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements and with the rules and regulations of the SEC and the Securities Act in effect as of such date.
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4.07 Compliance with Laws.
(a) The Company is, and since January 31, 2021 has been, operating in all material respects in a manner that is customary for businesses similar to the Company’s business. The Company is conducting and, since January 31, 2021, has conducted its business in material compliance with all Laws applicable to it and the Company’s business, properties or other assets.
(b) There is, and since January 31, 2021 there has been no, Action by or against the Company, or any Person for whose acts or defaults the Company may be vicariously liable is pending or threatened in writing, nor has any Governmental Authority indicated in writing to the Company an intention to conduct the same.
(c) Since January 31, 2021, the Company has not received any written notice or other communication (official or otherwise) from any Governmental Authority (i) with respect to an alleged, actual or potential violation and/or failure to comply, in any material respect, with any such applicable Law or (ii) requiring the Company to take or omit any action to ensure compliance with any such applicable Law.
(d) The Company possesses all material governmental permits, approvals, orders, authorizations, consents, licenses, certificates, franchises, exemptions of, or filings or registrations with, or issued by, any Governmental Authority necessary for the ownership and use of the assets of the Company and the operation of the Company’s business as currently conducted (the “Company Permits”), except where the failure to possess the same has not had or would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as has not had or would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, all such Company Permits are valid and in full force and effect, and there are no lawsuits or other proceedings pending or threatened before any Governmental Authority that seek the revocation, cancellation, suspension or adverse material modification thereof. Except as has not had or would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company is not in default, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no condition exists that with notice or lapse of time or both would constitute a default, under the Company Permits.
4.08 Absence of Certain Changes or Events. Since the Balance Sheet Date and except as expressly required by this Agreement, (a) the Company has conducted its business in all material respects in the ordinary course of business, (b) the Company has not entered into any material transactions outside the ordinary course of business, (c) no action has been taken by the Company that would require consent under Section 6.01 if such action were taken after signing of this Agreement and prior to Closing (other than for any such actions for which such consent has been received in accordance with Section 6.01) and (d) there has not been any change, effect, event, circumstance, occurrence or state of facts that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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4.09 No Undisclosed Liabilities. Except (a) as disclosed, reflected or reserved against in the Audited Financial Statements, (b) for liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business since the Balance Sheet Date, (c) as expressly permitted or contemplated by this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with the Transactions, (d) as disclosed on Schedule 4.09, (e) contingent liabilities under executory contracts and (f) for liabilities that have been discharged or paid in full in the ordinary course of business, as of the date hereof, the Company does not have any material liabilities of any nature, whether accrued, contingent or otherwise.
4.10 Information Supplied. The information supplied in writing by the Company for inclusion in the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement will not (a) in the case of the Registration Statement, at the time the Registration Statement is declared effective under the Securities Act and (b) in the case of the Proxy Statement, as of the date the Proxy Statement is first mailed to the Acquiror Stockholders and at the time of any meeting of the Acquiror Stockholders to be held in connection with the Transactions, contain any untrue statement of a material fact, or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not false or misleading. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the Company makes no representation or warranty or covenant with respect to: (a) statements made or incorporated by reference therein in any of the foregoing documents based on information supplied by Acquiror for inclusion therein or (b) any projections or forecasts or forward looking statements included in the Registration Statement or Proxy Statement.
4.11 Litigation.
(a) Neither the Company nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any of its officers, directors, agents or employees, in their capacities as such, is the subject of or engaged in any material Action or other dispute resolution process before a third party unrelated to the dispute, whether as claimant, defendant or otherwise, and no such Action or dispute resolution process is pending or threatened in writing on the date hereof, in each case, that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. As of the date hereof, the Company is not, nor to the Knowledge of the Company is any of its officers, directors, agents or employees, in their capacities as such, subject to any settlement agreements or arrangements, whether written or oral, or is in discussions for a settlement or arrangement, regarding any material Actions.
(b) The Company is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any outstanding Governmental Order (except if generally applicable without the Company being named therein) that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
4.12 Contracts.
(a) Schedule 4.12(a) sets forth a true and complete list as of the date hereof, of the following Contracts that are effective as of the date hereof and to which the Company is a party or is bound, excluding any Ancillary Agreements (all such Contracts set forth on Schedule 4.12(a), or which are required to be so disclosed, the “Material Contracts”):
(i) all such Contracts with a supplier of the Company with a total annual payment or financial commitment exceeding $2,500,000 on an annual basis;
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(ii) all such Contracts with third party manufacturers and suppliers for the manufacture and supply of products providing for minimum order quantities, minimum purchase requirements or exclusive supply, manufacturing or purchase requirements with a total annual payment or financial commitment exceeding $2,500,000 on an annual basis;
(iii) all such Contracts with (or with obligations of the Company to) a Related Party;
(iv) all such Contracts that contain any covenant materially limiting or prohibiting the right of the Company (A) to engage in any line of business or conduct business in any geographic area, (B) to distribute or offer any products or services, (C) to compete with any other person in any line of business or in any geographic area or levying a fine, charge or other payment for doing any of the foregoing or (D) to employ, hire or enter into a consultancy agreement with any person or entity, in each case other than provisions of non-solicitation in the ordinary course in agreements with suppliers and customers;
(v) any partnership, joint venture or other similar agreement or arrangement providing for the formation, creation, operation, management or control of any partnership or joint venture with a third party to which the Company is a party, other than bona fide customer-supplier relationships or a trade association;
(vi) all such contracts or agreements with any employee, officer, director or other individual service provider that (A) provide for annual compensation in excess of $250,000 or (B) are not terminable by the Company on no more than thirty (30) days’ notice and without liability or financial obligation to the Company; and
(vii) all such material Contracts pursuant to which the Company grants or is granted a license to, or other rights under, any Intellectual Property, excluding any (A) “shrink-wrap”, “click-through” and “off-the-shelf” agreements involving an annual or payment of less than $1,000,000, (B) open source licenses and (C) agreements with customers/clients entered into in the ordinary course of business.
(b) The Company (i) is not, nor has it received written notice that any other party to any Material Contract is, in material violation or material breach of or material default (immediately or upon notice or lapse of time) under or (ii) has not waived or failed to enforce any material rights or material benefits under any Material Contract to which it is a party or any of its properties or other assets is subject. No Material Contract is the subject of a notice to terminate, except for any expiration of the term of a Material Contract following the date of this Agreement in accordance with its terms. Each Material Contract is in full force and effect and, subject to the Enforceability Exceptions, is legal, valid and binding on the Company, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, each other party thereto, except as would not be material and adverse to the Company. There is no default under any such Material Contracts by the Company, or, to the Knowledge of the Company, any other party thereto, and no event has occurred that with the lapse of time or the giving of notice or both would constitute a default thereunder by the Company, or, to the Knowledge of the Company, any other party thereto, in each case, except as would be material and adverse to the Company.
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4.13 Employment Matters.
(a) Except as set forth on Schedule 4.13(a), (i) the Company is not a party to or bound by any collective bargaining agreement (including agreements with works councils and trade unions and side letters), and no employees of the Company are represented by any labor union, works council, or other labor organization with respect to their employment; (ii) in the past three (3) years, no labor union, works council, other labor organization, or group of employees of the Company has made a demand for recognition or certification, and there are no representation or certification proceedings presently pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened to be brought or filed with the National Labor Relations Board or any other labor relations tribunal or authority; (iii) to the Knowledge of the Company, in the past three (3) years, there have been no actual or threatened organizing activities with respect to any employees of the Company, and no such activities are currently pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened; (iv) in the past three (3) years, there has been no actual or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened strike, lockout, work stoppage, slowdown, picketing, hand billing, unfair labor practice charge, material labor grievance, material labor arbitration or other material labor dispute against or affecting the Company, and no such dispute is currently pending or to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened; and (v) with respect to the Transactions, the Company has satisfied all notice, bargaining, consent, consultation or other obligations to its employees and employees’ representatives under applicable Law and any CBA.
(b) The Company is not a party to or bound by any Benefit Plan.
(c) Neither the execution of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, either alone or in combination with the occurrence of any other event, would be reasonably likely to result in (i) any material payment or benefit becoming due to, or a material increase in, or acceleration of the timing of payment, funding or vesting of, the compensation or benefits of, any current or former employee, officer, director or other individual service provider of the Company; or (ii) the receipt (whether in cash, property or the vesting of property) by any “disqualified individual” or any “parachute payment” (as such terms are defined in Section 280G of the Code).
(d) Except as would not result in material liability for the Company: the Company has fully and timely paid all (i) wages, salaries, wage premiums, commissions, bonuses, severance and termination payments, fees, and other compensation that has come due and payable to its current or former employees and independent contractors under applicable Laws, Contract or Company policy, and (ii) fines, Taxes, interest, or other penalties for any failure to pay or delinquency in paying such compensation.
4.14 Taxes.
(a) The Company has timely filed with the appropriate Tax Authority, or has caused to be timely filed on its behalf (taking into account any valid extension of time within which to file), all material Tax Returns required to be filed by it, and all such Tax Returns were and are true, correct and complete in all material respects. The Company has timely paid all material amounts of Taxes due and payable (whether or not shown on any Tax Return).
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(b) The Company has (i) withheld all material amounts of Taxes required to have been withheld by it in connection with amounts paid to any employee, independent contractor, creditor, stockholder or any other third party, and (ii) timely remitted such amounts required to have been remitted to the appropriate Tax Authority.
(c) The unpaid Taxes of the Company did not, as of the Balance Sheet Date, exceed the reserve for Tax liability (excluding any reserve for deferred Taxes established to reflect timing differences between book and Tax income) set forth on the face of the Audited Financial Statements (rather than in any notes thereto). No claim, assessment, deficiency or proposed adjustment for any material amount of Tax has been asserted or assessed by any Tax Authority against the Company that remains unresolved or unpaid except for claims, assessments, deficiencies or proposed adjustments being contested in good faith for which adequate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP. There is no material Tax audit or other examination of the Company presently in progress, and there are no waivers, extensions or requests for any waivers or extensions of any statute of limitations currently in effect with respect to any material Taxes or Tax Returns of the Company which would be effective after the Closing.
(d) The Company is not and has not been (i) a party to any Tax sharing, indemnification, allocation or similar agreement or arrangement (excluding any commercial contract entered into in the ordinary course of business the primary purpose of which is not related to Taxes), (ii) a member of an affiliated, consolidated, combined, unitary or similar Tax group (other than any such Tax group the common parent of which was the Company), or (iii) a party to any “listed transaction” under Treasury Regulations Section 1.6011-4(b)(2) (or any similar or corresponding provision of state, local or foreign Law).
(e) The Company does not have any liability for Taxes of any other Person (other than any such Tax group the common parent of which is the Company) as a result of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-6, as a transferee or successor, or by operation of Law.
(f) The Company will not be required to include any material item of income in, or exclude any material deduction from, taxable income for any taxable period (or portion thereof) ending after the Closing Date as a result of any: (i) change in method of accounting, or use of an improper method of accounting, for a taxable period ending on or prior to the Closing Date; (ii) “closing agreement” as described in Section 7121 of the Code (or any corresponding or similar provision of state, local or foreign Law) executed on or prior to the Closing Date; (iii) installment sale or open transaction disposition made on or prior to the Closing Date; or (iv) prepaid amount or deferred revenue received on or prior to the Closing Date outside of the ordinary course of business.
(g) The Company has not distributed stock of another Person, or had its stock distributed by another Person, in a transaction that was purported or intended to be governed in whole or in part by Section 355 of the Code (or so much of Section 356 of the Code as relates to Section 355 of the Code).
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(h) The Company has not taken any action, nor to the Knowledge of the Company are there any facts or circumstances, that would reasonably be expected to prevent the Merger and PIPE Subscriptions, taken together, from qualifying for the Intended Tax Treatment.
4.15 Intellectual Property.
(a) Schedule 4.15(a) contains a complete and accurate list of all (i) issued patents and pending patent applications, (ii) trademark and service xxxx registrations and applications and (iii) copyright registrations, in each case that are owned by the Company (collectively, “Registered IP”), indicating for each item, as applicable, the registration or application number, the applicable filing jurisdiction and the date of filing or issuance. To the Knowledge of the Company, the Registered IP is subsisting and, excluding any Registered IP which is the subject of an application for registration or issuance, is valid and enforceable, in each case, except as would not be material and adverse to the Company.
(b) To the Knowledge of the Company: (i) the operation of the business of the Company as currently conducted does not infringe, misappropriate, dilute or otherwise violate, and since January 31, 2021, has not infringed, misappropriated, diluted or otherwise violated, any third-party Intellectual Property and (ii) no third party infringes, misappropriates, dilutes or otherwise violates on the date of this Agreement, and no third party has infringed, misappropriated, diluted or otherwise violated since January 31, 2021, any Intellectual Property owned by the Company, in each case, except as would not be material and adverse to the Company.
(c) As of the date hereof, there is no Action pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened (including “cease and desist” letters or invitations to take a license) against the Company (i) challenging the ownership, validity, registrability, patentability, or enforceability of the Intellectual Property owned by the Company (excluding office actions and similar ex-parte proceedings in connection with the prosecution of applications for the registration or issuance of any Intellectual Property) or (ii) asserting that the Company has infringed, misappropriated, diluted or otherwise violated any third-party Intellectual Property since January 31, 2021, in each case, except as would not be material and adverse to the Company.
(d) To the Knowledge of the Company, all former and current officers, directors, employees, personnel, consultants, advisors, agents, and independent contractors of the Company, who have contributed to or participated in the conception and development of material Intellectual Property for the Company have entered into valid and binding proprietary rights agreements vesting ownership of such Intellectual Property in the Company.
4.16 Data Protection.
(a) Since January 31, 2021, the Company (i) has been in compliance in all material respects with all Privacy Laws and (ii) has not been subject to any regulatory audits or investigations by any Governmental Authority relating to Privacy Laws. The Company has taken commercially reasonable steps to ensure that all Personal Information is protected in all material respects against loss and against unauthorized access, use, modification, disclosure or other use or misuse. To the Knowledge of the Company, since January 31, 2021, there has been no loss, theft or unauthorized access to or misuse of any Personal Information, in each case, that has resulted in, or is reasonably likely to result in, material liability to the Company.
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(b) The Company has not received any written requests, complaints or objections to its collection or use of Personal Information from any data protection authority or third party (including data subjects) that remains unresolved. To the Knowledge of the Company, no individual has been awarded compensation from the Company under any Privacy Laws, and no written claim for such compensation is outstanding.
(c) The Company does not sell, rent or otherwise make available to any Person any Personal Information, except in a manner that complies in all material respects with the applicable Privacy Laws. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated herein comply, and will comply, in all material respects, with all Privacy Laws and other contractual commitments related to the privacy and security of Personal Information to which the Company is bound.
4.17 Information Technology.
(a) The IT Systems: (i) operate and perform in accordance with their documentation and functional specifications and otherwise as required by the Company for the operation of its business as currently conducted and (ii) to the Knowledge of the Company, are free from bugs and other defects, in each case, except as would not be material and adverse to the Company.
(b) To the Knowledge of the Company, since January 31, 2021, there has been no security breach or unauthorized access to the IT Systems, which resulted in the unauthorized use, misappropriation, modification, encryption, corruption, disclosure, or transfer of any information or data contained therein, in each case, that has resulted in, or is reasonably likely to result in, material liability to the Company.
4.18 Real Property.
(a) The Company does not own or lease any real property.
4.19 Corrupt Practices; Sanctions.
(a) Since January 31, 2021, to the Knowledge of the Company, neither the Company nor any of its Representatives have directly or indirectly paid, offered or promised to pay, or authorized or ratified the payment, directly or indirectly, of any monies or anything of value to any national, provincial, municipal or other Government Official or any political party or candidate for political office for the purpose of influencing any act or decision of such official or of any Governmental Authority to obtain or retain business, or direct business to any Person or to secure any other improper benefit or advantage in each case in violation in any material respect any Anti-Corruption Laws. The Company (x) has instituted policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the Anti-Corruption Laws and other anti-bribery, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering Laws in each jurisdiction in which the Company operates and (y) has maintained such policies and procedures in force. To the Knowledge of the Company, no Government Official nor any of his or her immediate family members is an officer or director or owns any securities of the Company.
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(b) Since January 31, 2021, neither the Company nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any of its Representatives, has, or is presently or has agreed to become, engaged in any conduct that violates in any material respect any applicable Anti-Corruption Laws.
(c) Since January 31, 2021, to the Knowledge of the Company, the Company is not conducting and has not conducted, directly or indirectly, any business (including, without limitation, sales, reselling, licensing or sub-licensing arrangements, funding, making payments, procuring, insurance or otherwise providing assistance or support in connection with operations, business or any other activity) with or for the direct or indirect benefit of or on behalf of any Sanctioned Person, nor otherwise violated any applicable Sanction or Ex-Im Law.
4.20 Competition and Trade Regulation.
(a) Since January 31, 2021, the Company has been and currently is in compliance with relevant sanctions and export control Laws and regulations in jurisdictions in which the Company does business or to which the Company is otherwise subject, including the United States International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the Export Administration Regulations and United States sanctions Laws and regulations administered by the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, except as would not be material and adverse to the Company. The Company also has policies and procedures in place designed to ensure compliance with the applicable trade sanctions Laws and are following such policies and procedures in all material respects.
(b) The Company is in compliance with all applicable Antitrust Laws in all material respects. The Company is not nor has it been a party to or is or has been concerned in any agreement or arrangement with a Governmental Authority under any anti-trust, competition or similar legislation in any jurisdiction in which the Company has assets or carries or intends to carry on business or where its activities may have an effect.
4.21 Environmental Matters. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect:
(a) the Company is, and since January 31, 2021 has been, in compliance in all material respects with all Environmental Laws and, without limiting the foregoing, all Company Permits required under Environmental Laws in connection with the operation of the Company’s business, which Company Permits have been obtained by the Company and are current and valid;
(b) there are no Actions pending, or to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened, against the Company, nor has the Company received any written notification of, nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, is the Company otherwise responsible for any material violation of or material liability under, Environmental Laws, including for the contamination of or manufacture, generation, storage, disposal, release or threatened release at any location by, or exposure of any Person to, any Hazardous Material; and
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(c) there have been no known releases of any Hazardous Material at the current or former Company Properties in quantities that could trigger the need for investigation and/or remediation costs pursuant to Environmental Laws.
4.22 Brokers. No broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other Person, other than those set out in Schedule 4.22, the fees and expenses of which will be paid by the Company pursuant to an engagement letter entered into therewith, is entitled to any broker’s, finder’s, financial advisor’s or other similar fee or commission in connection with the Transactions based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Affiliates.
4.23 Affiliate Agreements. Except as set forth on Schedule 4.23, the Company is not a party to any transaction, agreement, arrangement or understanding with any (a) present or former executive officer or director of the Company, (b) beneficial owner (within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) of 5% or more of the capital stock or equity interests of Acquiror, Merger Sub or the Company or (c) Affiliate, “associate” or member of the “immediate family” (as such terms are respectively defined in Rules 12b-2 and 16a-1 of the Exchange Act) of any of the foregoing.
4.24 No Other Representations or Warranties. The representations and warranties made by the Company in this Article IV are the exclusive representations and warranties made by the Company, its Affiliates and their respective Representatives. Except for the representations and warranties contained in this Article IV, neither the Company nor any other Person has made or makes any other express or implied representation or warranty, either written or oral, on behalf of the Company, to the accuracy or completeness of any information regarding the Company available to the other parties or their respective Representatives and expressly disclaims any such other representations or warranties. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company, its Affiliate and each of their respective Representative has not made and does not make any express or implied representation or warranty, either written or oral, with respect to the Company. In particular, without limiting the foregoing, neither the Company nor any other Person makes or has made any representation or warranty to the other parties hereto, and shall have no liability in respect of, (a) any financial projection, forecast, estimate, budget or prospect information relating to the Company or (b) any oral or, except for the representations and warranties expressly made by the Company in this Article IV, written information made available to the other parties hereto in the course of their evaluation of the Company and the negotiation of this Agreement or in the course of the Transactions.
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Article V
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
OF ACQUIROR AND MERGER SUB
Except as set forth in the Schedules to this Agreement (each of which qualifies (a) the correspondingly numbered representation, warranty or covenant if specified therein and (b) such other representations, warranties or covenants where its relevance as an exception to (or disclosure for purposes of) such other representation, warranty or covenant is reasonably apparent on its face) or in the Acquiror SEC Reports filed or furnished by Acquiror on or after June 24, 2020 (excluding (x) any disclosures in such Acquiror SEC Reports under the headings “Risk Factors,” “Forward-Looking Statements” or “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” and other disclosures that are predictive, cautionary or forward looking in nature and (y) any exhibits or other documents appended thereto), each of Acquiror and Merger Sub represents and warrants to the Company as follows:
5.01 Organization, Standing and Corporate Power.
(a) Acquiror is an entity duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the DGCL, and has all requisite legal entity power and authority to carry on its business as now being conducted. Acquiror is duly qualified or licensed to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of its business or the ownership, leasing or operation of its properties makes such qualification or licensing necessary, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to prevent, materially delay or materially impair the ability of Acquiror to consummate the Transactions or be material and adverse to Acquiror.
(b) Merger Sub is an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of Delaware, with full corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and perform its obligations hereunder. Other than Merger Sub, Acquiror has no other Subsidiaries or any equity or other interests in any other Person.
5.02 Corporate Authority; Approval; Non-Contravention.
(a) Each of Acquiror and Merger Sub has all requisite corporate or other legal entity power and authority, and has taken all corporate or other legal entity action necessary in order to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements to which it is a party and, subject to satisfaction of the conditions to Closing contemplated hereby and the adoption of this Agreement by Acquiror as the sole stockholder of Merger Sub, to consummate the Transactions. The execution, delivery and performance by Acquiror and Merger Sub of this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements to which it is a party, and the consummation by it of the Transactions, have been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate consent and authorizations on the part of Acquiror and Merger Sub, and no other corporate or other actions on the part of Acquiror or Merger Sub are necessary to authorize the execution and delivery by Acquiror or Merger Sub of this Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements to which it is a party and the consummation by it of the Transactions, in each case, subject to receipt of the Acquiror Stockholder Approvals and the adoption of this Agreement by Acquiror as the sole stockholder of Merger Sub. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by Acquiror and Merger Sub and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery hereof by the other parties, is a legal, valid and binding obligation of Acquiror and Merger Sub, enforceable against Acquiror and Merger Sub in accordance with its terms (subject to the Enforceability Exceptions).
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(b) The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements to which Acquiror and/or Merger Sub is a party, and the consummation of the Transactions, and (in the case of Acquiror) subject to receipt of the Acquiror Stockholder Approvals, do not, and will not, constitute or result in (i) a breach or violation of, or a default under, the Acquiror Organizational Documents or any organizational documents of Merger Sub or (ii) with or without notice, lapse of time or both, a breach or violation of, a termination (or right of termination) of or default under, the creation or acceleration of any obligations under or the creation of a Lien on any of the assets of Acquiror, Merger Sub or any of their Affiliates pursuant to, any Contract to which Acquiror, Merger Sub or any of their Affiliates is a party or, assuming (solely with respect to performance of this Agreement and consummation of the Transactions) compliance with the matters referred to in Section 5.02(a), under any Law to which Acquiror, Merger Sub or any of their Affiliates is subject, except (in the case of clause (ii) above) for such violations, breaches or defaults which has not had or would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions.
(c) The Acquiror Support Agreement executed and delivered contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by Acquiror and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the other parties, is a legal, valid and binding obligation of Acquiror and, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, the other parties thereto, enforceable against Acquiror and the other parties thereto in accordance with its terms (subject to the Enforceability Exceptions).
5.03 Litigation.
(a) Neither Acquiror nor, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, any of its officers, in their capacities as such, is the subject of or engaged in any material Action before a Governmental Authority, arbitration or other dispute resolution process before a third party unrelated to the dispute, whether as claimant, defendant or otherwise, and no such litigation, arbitration or dispute resolution process is pending or threatened in writing on the date hereof, in each case, that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions. As of the date hereof, Acquiror is not, nor to the Knowledge of Acquiror is any of its officers, in their capacities as such, subject to any settlement agreements or arrangements, whether written or oral, or is in discussions for a settlement or arrangement, regarding any material disputes or material claims.
(b) As of the date of this Agreement, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub is a party to or subject to the provisions of any outstanding judgment, order, writ, injunction, decree or award of any Governmental Authority (except if generally applicable without Acquiror or Merger Sub being named therein) that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions.
5.04 Compliance with Laws. Acquiror and Merger Sub are, and since their respective dates of incorporation, have been, operating in all material respects in a manner that is customary for businesses similar to Acquiror and Merger Sub, and each of Acquiror and Merger Sub is conducting and, since their respective dates of incorporation, has conducted its business in material compliance with all Laws.
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5.05 Employee Benefit Plans. Except as may be contemplated by the Acquiror Equity Plan Proposal, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub maintains, contributes to or has any obligation or liability, or could reasonably be expected to have any obligation or liability, under, any Benefit Plan with respect to which Acquiror, Merger Sub or any of their respective Affiliates have any remaining obligations or liabilities and neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (either alone or in combination with another event) will (i) result in any payment (including severance, unemployment compensation, golden parachute, bonus or otherwise) becoming due to any stockholder, director, officer or employee of Acquiror or Merger Sub, or (ii) result in the acceleration, vesting or creation of any rights of any stockholder, director, officer or employee of Acquiror or Merger Sub to payments or benefits or increases in any existing payments or benefits or any loan forgiveness.
5.06 Financial Ability; Trust Account.
(a) As of the date hereof, there is at least one hundred and seventy million dollars ($170,000,000) invested in a trust account at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A (the “Trust Account”), maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, acting as trustee (the “Trustee”), pursuant to the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated October 19, 2020, by and between Acquiror and the Trustee (the “Trust Agreement”). The Trust Agreement is in full force and effect and is a legal, valid and binding obligation of Acquiror and, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, the Trustee, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject, as to enforceability, to general principles of equity. The Trust Agreement has not been terminated, repudiated, rescinded, amended or supplemented or modified, in any respect, and, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, no such termination, repudiation, rescission, amendment, supplement or modification is contemplated. To the Knowledge of Acquiror, there are no side letters and there are no agreements, Contracts, arrangements or understandings, whether written or oral, with the Trustee or any other Person that would (i) cause the description of the Trust Agreement in the Acquiror SEC Reports to be inaccurate or (ii) entitle any Person (other than any Acquiror Stockholder who is a Redeeming Stockholder) to any portion of the proceeds in the Trust Account. Prior to the Closing, none of the funds held in the Trust Account may be released except in accordance with the Trust Agreement, Acquiror Organizational Documents and Acquiror’s final prospectus dated October 19, 2020, as amended. Amounts in the Trust Account are invested in United States Government securities or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Acquiror has performed all material obligations required to be performed by it to date under, and is not in material default, breach or delinquent in performance or any other respect (claimed or actual) in connection with, the Trust Agreement, and no event has occurred which, with due notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default or breach thereunder. There are no Actions pending or, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, threatened with respect to the Trust Account. Since October 19, 2020, Acquiror has not released any money from the Trust Account (other than interest income earned on the principal held in the Trust Account as permitted by the Trust Agreement). As of the Effective Time, the obligations of Acquiror to dissolve or liquidate pursuant to the Acquiror Organizational Documents shall terminate, and, as of the Effective Time, Acquiror shall have no obligation whatsoever pursuant to the Acquiror Organizational Documents to dissolve and liquidate the assets of Acquiror by reason of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. Following the Effective Time, no Acquiror Stockholder shall be entitled to receive any amount from the Trust Account except to the extent such Acquiror Stockholder is a Redeeming Stockholder and solely to the extent receipt of any such amount is for an Acquiror Share Redemption.
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(b) As of the date hereof, assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein and the compliance by the Company with its respective obligations hereunder, Acquiror has no reason to believe that any of the conditions to the use of funds in the Trust Account will not be satisfied or funds available in the Trust Account will not be available to Acquiror on the Closing Date.
(c) As of the date hereof, Acquiror does not have, or have any present intention, agreement, arrangement or understanding to enter into or incur, any obligations with respect to or under any Indebtedness.
5.07 Taxes.
(a) Each of Acquiror and Merger Sub has timely filed with the appropriate Tax Authority, or has caused to be timely filed on its behalf (taking into account any valid extension of time within which to file), all material Tax Returns required to be filed by it, and all such Tax Returns were and are true, correct and complete in all material respects. Each of Acquiror and Merger Sub has timely paid all material amounts of Taxes (whether or not shown on any Tax Return).
(b) Each of Acquiror and Merger Sub has (i) withheld all material amounts of Taxes required to have been withheld by it in connection with amounts paid to any employee, independent contractor, creditor, stockholder or any other third party, and (ii) timely remitted such amounts required to have been remitted to the appropriate Tax Authority.
(c) No claim, assessment, deficiency or proposed adjustment for any material amount of Tax has been asserted or assessed by any Tax Authority against Acquiror or Merger Sub that remains unresolved or unpaid except for claims, assessments, deficiencies or proposed adjustments being contested in good faith for which adequate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP. There is no material Tax audit or other examination of Acquiror or Merger Sub presently in progress, and there are no waivers, extensions or requests for any waivers or extensions of any statute of limitations currently in effect with respect to any material Taxes or Tax Returns of Acquiror or Merger Sub which would be effective after the Closing.
(d) Neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub is or has been (i) a party to any Tax sharing, indemnification, allocation or similar agreement or arrangement (excluding any commercial contract entered into in the ordinary course of business the primary purpose of which is not related to Taxes), (ii) a member of an affiliated, consolidated, combined, unitary or similar Tax group (other than any such Tax group the common parent of which was Acquiror or Merger Sub, as applicable), or (iii) a party to any “listed transaction” under Treasury Regulations Section 1.6011-4(b)(2) (or any similar or corresponding provision of state, local or foreign Law).
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(e) Neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub has any liability for Taxes of any other Person (other than any such Tax group the common parent of which is Acquiror or Merger Sub, as applicable) as a result of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-6, as a transferee or successor, or by operation of Law.
(f) Neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub will be required to include any material item of income in, or exclude any material deduction from, taxable income for any taxable period (or portion thereof) ending after the Closing Date as a result of any: (i) change in method of accounting, or use of an improper method of accounting, for a taxable period ending on or prior to the Closing Date; (ii) “closing agreement” as described in Section 7121 of the Code (or any corresponding or similar provision of state, local or foreign Law) executed on or prior to the Closing Date; (iii) installment sale or open transaction disposition made on or prior to the Closing Date; or (iv) prepaid amount or deferred revenue received on or prior to the Closing Date outside of the ordinary course of business.
(g) Neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub has distributed stock of another Person, or had its stock distributed by another Person, in a transaction that was purported or intended to be governed in whole or in part by Section 355 of the Code (or so much of Section 356 of the Code as relates to Section 355 of the Code).
(h) Neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub have taken any action, nor to the knowledge of Acquiror or Merger Sub are there any facts or circumstances, that would reasonably be expected to prevent the Merger and PIPE Subscriptions, taken together, from qualifying for the Intended Tax Treatment.
5.08 Brokers. No broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other Person, other than those set out in Schedule 5.08, the fees and expenses of which will be paid by Acquiror or Merger Sub pursuant to an engagement letter entered into therewith, is entitled to any broker’s, finder’s, financial advisor’s or other similar fee or commission in connection with the Transactions based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of Acquiror, Merger Sub or any of their Affiliates.
5.09 Acquiror SEC Reports; Financial Statements; Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
(a) Acquiror has filed in a timely manner all required registration statements, reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by it with the SEC since October 19, 2020 (collectively, as they have been amended since the time of their filing and including all exhibits thereto, the “Acquiror SEC Reports”). None of the Acquiror SEC Reports, as of their respective dates (or if amended or superseded by a filing prior to the date of this Agreement or the Closing Date, then on the date of such filing), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The audited financial statements and unaudited interim financial statements (including, in each case, the notes and schedules thereto) included in the Acquiror SEC Reports complied as to form in all material respects with the published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto, were prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (except as may be indicated therein or in the notes thereto and except with respect to unaudited statements as permitted by Form 10-Q of the SEC), and fairly present (subject, in the case of the unaudited interim financial statements included therein, to normal year-end adjustments and the absence of complete footnotes) in all material respects the financial position of Acquiror as of the respective dates thereof and the results of their operations and cash flows for the respective periods then ended.
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(b) Acquiror has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act). Such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that material information relating to Acquiror and other material information required to be disclosed by Acquiror in the reports and other documents that it files or furnishes under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC, and that all such material information is accumulated and communicated to Acquiror’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and to make the certifications required pursuant to Sections 302 and 906 of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act. Such disclosure controls and procedures are effective in timely alerting Acquiror’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer to material information required to be included in Acquiror’s periodic reports required under the Exchange Act.
(c) Acquiror has established and maintained a system of internal controls. Such internal controls are sufficient to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of Acquiror’s financial reporting and the preparation of Acquiror’s financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP.
(d) There are no outstanding loans or other extensions of credit made by Acquiror to any executive officer (as defined in Rule 3b-7 under the Exchange Act) or director of Acquiror. Acquiror has not taken any action prohibited by Section 402 of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
(e) Neither Acquiror (including any employee thereof) nor Acquiror’s independent auditors has identified or been made aware of (i) any significant deficiency or material weakness in the system of internal accounting controls utilized by Acquiror, (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves Acquiror’s management or other employees who have a role in the preparation of financial statements or the internal accounting controls utilized by Acquiror or (iii) any claim or allegation regarding any of the foregoing.
(f) To the Knowledge of Acquiror, as of the date hereof, there are no outstanding SEC comments from the SEC with respect to the Acquiror SEC Reports. To the Knowledge of Acquiror, none of the Acquiror SEC Reports filed on or prior to the date hereof is subject to ongoing SEC review or investigation as of the date hereof.
5.10 Business Activities; Absence of Changes.
(a) Since January 31, 2021, Acquiror has not conducted any business activities other than activities directed toward the accomplishment of a Business Combination. Except as set forth in the Acquiror Organizational Documents, there is no agreement, commitment or Governmental Order binding upon Acquiror or to which Acquiror is a party which has had or would reasonably be expected to have the effect of prohibiting or impairing any business practice of Acquiror or any acquisition of property by Acquiror or the conduct of business by Acquiror as currently conducted or as contemplated to be conducted as of the Closing other than such effects, individually or in the aggregate, which have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions.
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(b) Acquiror does not own or have a right to acquire, directly or indirectly, any interest or investment (whether equity or debt) in any corporation, partnership, joint venture, business, trust or other entity. Except for this Agreement and the Transactions, Acquiror has no interests, rights, obligations or liabilities with respect to, and is not party to, bound by or has its assets or property subject to, in each case whether directly or indirectly, any Contract or transaction which is, or could reasonably be interpreted as constituting, a Business Combination.
(c) Except for (i) this Agreement and the agreements expressly contemplated hereby (including any agreements permitted by Section 7.03), (ii) as set forth on Schedule 5.10(c) and (iii) with respect to fees and expenses of Acquiror’s legal, financial and other advisors, Acquiror is not party to any Contract with any other Person that would require payments by Acquiror in excess of $500,000 in the aggregate with respect to any individual Contract or when taken together with all other Contracts (other than this Agreement and the agreements expressly contemplated hereby (including any agreements permitted by Section 7.03) and Contracts set forth on Schedule 5.10(c)).
(d) There is no liability, debt or obligation against Acquiror or Merger Sub, except for liabilities and obligations (i) reflected or reserved for on Acquiror’s consolidated balance sheet for the financial year ended December 31, 2020 or disclosed in the notes thereto (other than any such liabilities not reflected, reserved or disclosed as are not and would not be, in the aggregate, material to Acquiror and Merger Sub, taken as a whole), (ii) that have arisen since the date of Acquiror’s consolidated balance sheet for the financial year December 31, 2020 in the ordinary course of the operation of business of Acquiror and Merger Sub (other than any such liabilities as are not and would not be, in the aggregate, material to Acquiror and Merger Sub, taken as a whole) or (iii) disclosed in Schedule 5.10(d).
(e) Since its organization, Merger Sub has not conducted any business activities other than activities directed toward the accomplishment of the Merger. Except as set forth in Merger Sub’s organizational documents, there is no agreement, commitment, or Governmental Order binding upon Merger Sub or to which Merger Sub is a party which has had or would reasonably be expected to have the effect of prohibiting or impairing any business practice of Merger Sub or any acquisition of property by Merger Sub or the conduct of business by Merger Sub as currently conducted or as contemplated to be conducted as of the Closing other than such effects, individually or in the aggregate, which have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Merger Sub to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement.
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(f) Merger Sub does not own or have a right to acquire, directly or indirectly, any interest or investment (whether equity or debt) in any corporation, partnership, joint venture, business, trust or other entity.
(g) Merger Sub was formed solely for the purpose of effecting the Merger, has not engaged in any business activities or conducted any operations other than in connection with the Merger and has no, and at all times prior to the Effective Time except as contemplated by this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements, will have no, assets, liabilities or obligations of any kind or nature whatsoever other than those incident to its formation.
(h) (i) Since the date of Acquiror’s incorporation, there has not been any change, development, condition, occurrence, event or effect relating to Acquiror or Merger Sub that, individually or in the aggregate, resulted in, or would reasonably be expected to result in, a material adverse effect on the ability of Acquiror or Merger Sub to enter into, perform its obligations under this Agreement and consummate the Transactions and (ii) from October 19, 2020 through the date of this Agreement, Acquiror and Merger Sub have not taken any action that would require the consent of the Company pursuant to Section 7.03 if such action had been taken after the date hereof.
5.11 Registration Statement. As of the time the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Securities Act, the Registration Statement (together with any amendments or supplements thereto) 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; provided, however, that Acquiror makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to Acquiror by or on behalf of the Company specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement.
5.12 No Outside Reliance. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Article V or any other provision hereof, Acquiror and its Affiliates and any of its and their respective directors, officers, employees, partners, members or representatives, acknowledge and agree that Acquiror has made its own investigation of the Company and that neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, partners, members, agents or representatives is making any representation or warranty whatsoever, express or implied, beyond those expressly given by the Company in Article IV or any certificate delivered in accordance with Section 9.02(b), including any implied warranty or representation as to condition, merchantability, suitability or fitness for a particular purpose or trade as to any of the assets of the Company, and each of Acquiror and Merger Sub, on its own behalf and on behalf of their Affiliates and its and their directors, officers, employees, partnership, members or representatives, disclaim reliance on any representations and warranties, express or implied, other than those expressly given by the Company in Article IV or any certificate delivered in accordance with Section 9.02(b). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, it is understood that any cost or other estimates, financial or other projections or other predictions that may be contained or referred to in the Schedules or elsewhere, as well as any information, documents or other materials (including any such materials contained in any “data room” (whether or not accessed by Acquiror or its representatives) or reviewed by Acquiror pursuant to the Confidentiality Agreement) or management presentations that have been or shall hereafter be provided to Acquiror or any of its Affiliates, agents or representatives are not and will not be deemed to be representations or warranties of the Company, and no representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of any of the foregoing except as may be expressly set forth in Article IV of this Agreement or any certificate delivered in accordance with Section 9.02(b). Except as otherwise expressly set forth in this Agreement, Acquiror understands and agrees that any assets, properties and business of the Company are furnished “as is”, “where is” and subject to and except as otherwise provided in the representations and warranties contained in Article IV or any certificate delivered in accordance with Section 9.02(b), with all faults and without any other representation or warranty of any nature whatsoever.
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5.13 Capitalization.
(a) The authorized capital stock of Acquiror consists of (i) 100,000,000 of Acquiror Common Stock, of which (A) 21,478,000 shares of Acquiror Common Stock are issued and outstanding as of the date of this Agreement and (B) 8,614,000 Acquiror Warrants are issued and outstanding as of the date of this Agreement, (ii) 1,000,000 shares of Acquiror Preferred Stock, par value $0.001, none of which are issued and outstanding. All of the issued and outstanding shares of Acquiror Common Stock and Acquiror Warrants (w) have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, (x) were issued in compliance in all material respects with applicable Law, (y) were not issued in breach or violation of any preemptive rights or Contract and (z) are fully vested and not otherwise subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture within the meaning of Code Section 83, except as disclosed in the Acquiror SEC Reports with respect to certain Acquiror Common Stock held by the Sponsor.
(b) Except for this Agreement, the Acquiror Warrants, the Acquiror preferred shares and the Subscription Agreements, as of the date hereof, there are (i) no subscriptions, calls, options, warrants, rights or other securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Acquiror Common Stock or the equity interests of Acquiror, or any other Contracts to which Acquiror is a party or by which Acquiror is bound obligating Acquiror to issue or sell any shares of capital stock of, other equity interests in or debt securities of, Acquiror, and (ii) no equity equivalents, stock appreciation rights, phantom stock ownership interests or similar rights in Acquiror. Except as disclosed in the Acquiror SEC Reports or the Acquiror Organizational Documents, there are no outstanding contractual obligations of Acquiror to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any securities or equity interests of Acquiror. There are no outstanding bonds, debentures, notes or other indebtedness of Acquiror having the right to vote (or convertible into, or exchangeable for, securities having the right to vote) on any matter for which Acquiror Stockholders may vote. Except as disclosed in the Acquiror SEC Reports, there are no registration rights, and Acquiror is not a party to any stockholders agreement, voting agreement or registration rights agreement, rights plan, anti-takeover plan or similar agreements relating to Acquiror Common Stock or any other equity interests of Acquiror. Other than Merger Sub, Acquiror does not own any capital stock or any other equity interests in any other Person or has any right, option, warrant, conversion right, stock appreciation right, redemption right, repurchase right, agreement, arrangement or commitment of any character under which a Person is or may become obligated to issue or sell, or give any right to subscribe for or acquire, or in any way dispose of, any shares of the capital stock or other equity interests, or any securities or obligations exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into any shares of the capital stock or other equity interests, of such Person. There are no securities or instruments issued by or to which Acquiror is a party containing anti-dilution or similar provisions that will be triggered by the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Subscription Agreements that have not been or will not be waived on or prior to the Closing Date.
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(c) As of the date hereof, the authorized share capital of Merger Sub consists of 5,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which 100 shares are issued and outstanding and beneficially held (and held of record) by Acquiror as of the date of this Agreement.
(d) Subject to approval of the Proposals, the shares of Acquiror Common Stock to be issued by Acquiror in connection with the Transactions, upon issuance in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and will not be subject to any preemptive rights of any other stockholder of Acquiror and will be capable of effectively vesting in the Company Stockholder title to all such securities, free and clear of all Liens (other than Liens arising pursuant to applicable Securities Laws).
5.14 NASDAQ Stock Market Quotation. The issued and outstanding shares of Acquiror Common Stock are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and are listed for trading on NASDAQ under the symbol “GWAC”. Acquiror is in compliance in all material respects with the rules of NASDAQ and there is no action or proceeding pending or, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, threatened against Acquiror by NASDAQ, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or the SEC with respect to any intention by such entity to deregister the Acquiror Common Stock or terminate the listing of Acquiror Common Stock on NASDAQ. None of Acquiror or its Affiliates has taken any action in an attempt to terminate the registration of the Acquiror Common Stock or Acquiror Warrants under the Exchange Act except as contemplated by this Agreement.
5.15 Contracts; No Defaults.
(a) The Acquiror SEC Reports disclose every “material contract” (as such term is defined in Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K of the SEC) (other than confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, this Agreement and the Subscription Agreements) to which, as of the date of this Agreement, Acquiror or Merger Sub is a party or by which any of their respective assets are bound (the “Acquiror Material Contracts”). True, correct and complete copies of the Acquiror Material Contracts have been delivered to or made available to the Company or its agents or representatives.
(b) Neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub is, nor has it received written notice that any other party to any such Acquiror Material Contract is, in material violation or material breach of or material default (immediately or upon notice or lapse of time) under any such Acquiror Material Contract to which it is a party or any of its properties or other assets is subject. No such Acquiror Material Contract is the subject of a notice to terminate, except for any expiration of the term of such Contract following the date of this Agreement in accordance with its terms. Each Acquiror Material Contract is in full force and effect and, subject to the Enforceability Exceptions, is legal, valid and binding on Acquiror or Merger Sub, as applicable, and, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, each other party thereto, except as would not be material and adverse to Acquiror and Merger Sub, taken as a whole. There is no default under any such Acquiror Material Contract by Acquiror or Merger Sub, or, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, any other party thereto, and no event has occurred that with the lapse of time or the giving of notice or both would constitute a default thereunder by Acquiror or Merger Sub, or, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, any other party thereto, in each case, except as would be material and adverse to Acquiror and Merger Sub, taken as a whole.
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5.16 Title to Property. Except as set forth on Schedule 5.16, neither the Acquiror nor Merger Sub (a) owns or leases any real or personal property or (b) is a party to any agreement or option to purchase any real property, personal property or other material interest therein.
5.17 Investment Company Act. Neither the Acquiror nor Merger Sub is an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
5.18 Affiliate Agreements. Except as set forth on Schedule 5.18, neither of the Acquiror nor Merger Sub is a party to any transaction, agreement, arrangement or understanding with any (a) present or former executive officer or director of either of the Acquiror or Merger Sub, (b) beneficial owner (within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) of 5% or more of the capital stock or equity interests of Acquiror or (c) Affiliate, “associate” or member of the “immediate family” (as such terms are respectively defined in Rules 12b-2 and 16a-1 of the Exchange Act) of any of the foregoing (each of the foregoing, an “Acquiror Affiliate Agreement”).
5.19 Corrupt Practices.
(a) Since their respective dates of incorporation, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub, nor any of their respective Representatives, have directly or indirectly paid, offered or promised to pay, or authorized or ratified the payment, directly or indirectly, of any monies or anything of value to any national, provincial, municipal or other Government Official or any political party or candidate for political office for the purpose of influencing any act or decision of such official or of any Governmental Authority to obtain or retain business, or direct business to any person or to secure any other improper benefit or advantage in each case in violation in any material respect any Anti-Corruption Laws. Acquiror (x) has instituted policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the Anti-Corruption Laws and other anti-bribery, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering Laws in each jurisdiction in which Acquiror operates and (y) has maintained such policies and procedures in force. To the Knowledge of Acquiror, no Government Official nor any of his or her immediate family members is an officer or director or owns any securities of Acquiror.
(b) Since their respective dates of incorporation, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub nor, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, any of their respective Representatives, has, or is presently or has agreed to become, engaged in any conduct that violates in any material respect any applicable Anti-Corruption Laws.
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(c) Since their respective dates of incorporation, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub is conducting and has not conducted, directly or indirectly, any business (including, without limitation, sales, reselling, licensing or sub-licensing arrangements, funding, making payments, procuring, insurance or otherwise providing assistance or support in connection with operations, business or any other activity) with or for the direct or indirect benefit of or on behalf of any Sanctioned Person, nor otherwise violated any applicable Sanction or Ex-Im Law.
5.20 Takeover Statutes. Acquiror has taken all action necessary so that the restrictions on a “business combination” (as such term is used in Section 203 of the DGCL) contained in Section 203 of the DGCL will be inapplicable to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger and the issuance of the Merger Consideration. As of the date hereof and through the Effective Time, no “fair price,” “moratorium,” “control share acquisition” or other anti-takeover statute or similar Law applies with respect to Acquiror or Merger Sub in connection with this Agreement, the Merger, the issuance of the Merger Consideration or any of the other transactions contemplated hereby. As of the date hereof and through the Effective Time, there is no stockholder rights plan, “poison pill” or similar anti-takeover agreement or plan in effect to which Acquiror or Merger Sub is subject, party or otherwise bound.
5.21 PIPE Investment Amount; Subscription Agreements. Acquiror has delivered to the Company true, correct and complete copies of each of the fully executed Subscription Agreements pursuant to which the Subscribers have committed, subject to the terms and conditions therein, to purchase [ ● ] shares of Acquiror Common Stock in the aggregate for consideration, comprising payments of cash and a benefit-in-kind commitment (such benefit-in-kind as may be provided from time to time), of an aggregate value equal to [ ● ] million dollars ($[ ● ]) (the “PIPE Investment Amount”). Each of the Subscription Agreements is in full force and effect and is legal, valid and binding upon Acquiror and, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, the Subscribers, enforceable in accordance with its terms. None of the Subscription Agreements has been withdrawn, terminated, amended or modified since the date of delivery hereunder and prior to the execution of this Agreement, and, to the Knowledge of Acquiror, as of the date of this Agreement no such withdrawal, termination, amendment or modification is contemplated, and as of the date of this Agreement the commitments contained in the Subscription Agreements have not been withdrawn, terminated or rescinded by the Subscriber in any respect. As of the date hereof, there are no side letters or Contracts to which Acquiror or Merger Sub is a party related to the provision or funding, as applicable, of the purchases contemplated by the Subscription Agreements or the transactions contemplated hereby other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the Subscription Agreements or any other agreement entered into (or to be entered into) in connection with the Transactions delivered to the Company. Acquiror has fully paid any and all commitment fees or other fees required in connection with the Subscription Agreements that are payable on or prior to the date hereof and will pay any and all such fees when and as the same become due and payable after the date hereof pursuant to the Subscription Agreements. Acquiror has, and to the Knowledge of Acquiror, the Subscriber has, complied with all of its obligations under the Subscription Agreements. There are no conditions precedent or other contingencies related to the consummation of the purchases set forth in the Subscription Agreements, other than as expressly set forth in the Subscription Agreements. To the Knowledge of Acquiror, as of the date hereof, no event has occurred which, with or without notice, lapse of time or both, would or would reasonably be expected to (i) constitute a default or breach on the part of Acquiror or the Subscribers, (ii) assuming the conditions set forth in Section 9.01 and Section 9.02 will be satisfied, constitute a failure to satisfy a condition on the part of Acquiror or the Subscriber or (iii) assuming the conditions set forth in Section 9.01 and Section 9.02 will be satisfied result in any portion of the amounts to be paid by the Subscribers in accordance with the Subscription Agreements being unavailable on the Closing Date. As of the date hereof, assuming the conditions set forth in Section 9.01 and Section 9.02 will be satisfied, Acquiror has no reason to believe that any of the conditions to the consummation of the purchases under the Subscription Agreements will not be satisfied, and, as of the date hereof, Acquiror is not aware of the existence of any fact or event that would or would reasonably be expected to cause such conditions not to be satisfied.
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5.22 Tail Insurance. From and for a period of six (6) years following the Closing, the Acquiror and its subsidiaries shall not amend, repeal or modify any provision in the governing documents of the Acquiror and its subsidiaries relating to the exculpation, indemnification or advancement of expenses of any individuals who served as a director, manager or officer of any member of the Acquiror, Merger Sub or the Company (or any predecessor-in-interest thereof) at any time prior to the Closing (each, a “D&O Indemnified Person”) in a manner that would reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the right of any D&O Indemnified Person to be indemnified, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law, the governing documents of the Acquiror, or as otherwise agreed by contract with such D&O Indemnified Person as they existed prior to the Closing against any costs or expenses (including reasonable out-of-pocket attorneys’ fees and expenses of investigation, defense and ongoing monitoring), judgments, penalties, fines, losses, charges, demands, actions, suits, proceedings, settlements, assessments, deficiencies, Taxes, interest, obligations, damages, liabilities or amounts paid in settlement incurred in connection with any claim, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, arising out of or pertaining to matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Closing to the extent relating to the fact that the D&O Indemnified Person was a manager or officer of the Company, whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Closing.
5.23 Insurance. The Acquiror shall obtain all material and customary insurance policies including, fire, liability, product liability, umbrella liability, real and personal property, workers’ compensation, vehicular, directors’ and officers’ liability, fiduciary liability and other casualty and property insurance, to be bound and effective as of the Closing.
5.24 No Other Representations or Warranties. The representations and warranties made by Acquiror and Merger Sub in this Article V are the exclusive representations and warranties made by Acquiror, Merger Sub, their Affiliates, and their respective Representatives. Except for the representations and warranties contained in this Article V, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub, nor any other Person, has made or makes any other express or implied representation or warranty, either written or oral, on behalf of Acquiror or Merger Sub, to the accuracy or completeness of any information regarding Acquiror or Merger Sub available to the other parties or their respective Representatives and expressly disclaims any such other representations or warranties. Without limiting the foregoing, neither Acquiror nor Merger Sub, nor any other Person, makes or has made any representation or warranty to the other parties hereto with respect to, and shall have no liability in respect of, (a) any financial projection, forecast, estimate, budget or prospect information relating to Acquiror or Merger Sub or (b) any oral or, except for the representations and warranties expressly made by Acquiror or Merger Sub in this Article V, written information made available to the other parties hereto in the course of their evaluation of Acquiror and Merger Sub and the negotiation of this Agreement or in the course of the Transactions.
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Article VI
COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
6.01 Conduct of Business. From the date of this Agreement until the earlier of the Closing Date or the termination of this Agreement in accordance with its terms (the “Interim Period”), the Company shall, except as set forth on Schedule 6.01, as expressly contemplated by this Agreement or as consented to by Acquiror in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), or as may be required by Law (including COVID-19 Measures), (i) use its commercially reasonable efforts to conduct and operate its business in the ordinary course in all material respects, (ii) use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve intact the current business organization and ongoing businesses of the Company, and maintain the existing relations and goodwill of the Company with customers, suppliers, distributors and creditors of the Company and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to keep available the services of its present officers; provided, that, in the case of each of the preceding clauses (i)-(iii), during any period of full or partial suspension of operations related to COVID-19, the Company may, in connection with COVID-19, take such actions in good faith as are reasonably necessary (A) to protect the health and safety of the Company’s employees and other individuals having business dealings with the Company or (B) to respond to third-party supply or service disruptions caused by COVID-19, including, but not limited to COVID-19 Measures, and any such actions taken (or not taken) as a result of, in response to, or otherwise related to COVID-19 shall be deemed to be taken in the “ordinary course of business” for all purposes of this Section 6.01 and not be considered a breach of this Section 6.01; provided, further, that following any such suspension, to the extent that the Company took any actions pursuant to the immediately preceding proviso that caused deviations from its business being conducted in the ordinary course of business, to resume conducting its business in the ordinary course of business in all material respects as soon as reasonably practicable. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, except as set forth on Schedule 6.01, as expressly contemplated by this Agreement or as consented to by Acquiror in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), or as may be required by Law, the Company shall not during the Interim Period:
(a) change or amend the certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents of the Company;
(b) declare, make or pay any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, equity or property, including any deemed distribution for Tax purposes) to stockholders of the Company or repurchase or redeem any Company Common Stock;
(c) create, allot, issue, redeem or repurchase or agree to create, allot, issue, redeem or repurchase any shares or other securities of whatsoever nature convertible into shares (or any option to subscribe for the same) of the Company, in each case outstanding as of the date hereof;
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(d) enter into, or amend or modify any material term of, terminate, or waive or release any material rights, claim or benefits under any Material Contract (or any Contract, that if existing on the date hereof, would be a Material Contract), to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound, other than entry into, amendments of, modifications of, terminations of, or waivers or releases under, such Contracts in the ordinary course of business;
(e) enter into, or amend or modify any material term of, terminate, or waive or release any material rights, claim or benefits under any Contract or other arrangement to which the Company, on one hand, and the Company Stockholder or its Affiliate, on the other hand, are parties or by which they are bound or which is for the benefit of the Company Stockholder or its Affiliates, other than entry into, amendments of, modifications of, terminations of, or waivers or releases under, such Contracts or arrangements in the ordinary course of business consistent;
(f) sell, transfer, lease, pledge or otherwise encumber or subject to any Lien, abandon, cancel, let lapse or convey or dispose of any assets, properties or business of the Company (including Company Intellectual Property and Company Software), except for (i) dispositions of obsolete or worthless assets, (ii) sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (iii) sales, abandonment, lapses of assets or items or materials (other than Owned Intellectual Property and Owned Company Software) in an amount not in excess of $2,500,000 in the aggregate, other than (A) as set forth on Schedule 6.01(e), (B) where the Company has, in its reasonable business judgment, decided to cancel, abandon, allow to lapse or not renew any Registered IP, (C) Permitted Liens or (D) pledges, non-exclusive licenses and encumbrances on property and assets in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice (including performance and warranty bonds for the benefit of customers) and that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to be material to the Company;
(g) except as set forth on Schedule 6.01(f) or as otherwise required pursuant to applicable Law, (i) grant any material increase in compensation, benefits or severance to any current or former executive officer or director of the Company, except in connection with a promotion based on job performance or workplace requirements, (ii) except for immaterial changes to welfare benefit plans (other than severance arrangements) in connection with annual renewals in the ordinary course of business, adopt, enter into, amend, modify, or terminate any material Company Benefit Plan or any collective bargaining or similar agreement (including agreements with works councils and trade unions and side letters) to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound, (iii) grant or provide any severance or termination payments, deferred compensation, or transaction, retention or change in control payments or benefits to any current or former director, employee, officer or other individual service provider of the Company, except in connection with the promotion, hiring or firing (in each case, to the extent permitted by clause (iv)) of any employee in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice, (iv) hire, engage, terminate (without cause), furlough, or temporarily layoff any employee or independent contractor of the Company with annual base compensation in excess of $300,000 (excluding any COVID-19 Measures), (v) recognize or certify any labor union, works council, other labor organization or group of employees as the bargaining representative for any employees of the Company, (vi) implement or announce any employee layoffs, plant closings, reductions-in-force, furloughs, temporary layoffs, reduction in terms and conditions of employment, or other actions that could implicate the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988, as amended, or any similar Laws (excluding any COVID-19 Measures), or (vii) waive or release any noncompetition, nonsolicitation, nondisclosure, noninterference, nondisparagement or other restrictive covenant obligation of any current or former employee or independent contractor;
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(h) (i) fail to maintain its existence or acquire by merger or consolidation with, or merge or consolidate with, or purchase a material portion of the assets or equity of, any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture or other business organization or division thereof, other than such acquisitions and purchases that would not require financial statements of the acquired business to be included in the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act; or (ii) adopt or enter into a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Company (other than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement);
(i) make any capital expenditures (or commitment to make any capital expenditures) that in the aggregate exceed $10,000,000, other than any capital expenditure (or series of related capital expenditures) consistent in all material respects with the Company’s annual capital expenditure budget for periods following the date hereof, made available to Acquiror prior to the date hereof;
(j) make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (including to any of its officers, directors, agents or consultants), make any material change in its existing borrowing or lending arrangements for or on behalf of such Persons, or enter into any “keep well” or similar agreement to maintain the financial condition of any other Person, except advances to employees or officers of the Company in the ordinary course of business and extended payment terms for customers in the ordinary course of business;
(k) make, revoke or change any material Tax election, adopt or change any material Tax accounting method or period, file any material Tax Return in a manner inconsistent with past practices in any material respect, file any amendment to a material Tax Return, enter into any agreement with a Tax Authority with respect to a material amount of Taxes, settle or compromise any examination, audit or other Action with a Tax Authority of or relating to any material Taxes, consent to any extension or waiver of the statutory period of limitations applicable to any claim or assessment in respect of material Taxes if such extension or waiver would be in effect after the Closing, or incur any material liability for Taxes outside the ordinary course of business;
(l) waive, release, compromise, settle or satisfy any pending or threatened material claim (which shall include, but not be limited to, any pending or threatened Action) or compromise or settle any liability, other than in the ordinary course of business or where such waiver, release, compromise, settlement or satisfaction involves monetary damages not to exceed $5,000,000 in the aggregate;
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(m) incur, issue, assume, guarantee or otherwise become liable for any Indebtedness, or in any material respect, modify any Indebtedness, other than (A) borrowings in the ordinary course of business and (B) intercompany Indebtedness;
(n) enter into any material new line of business outside of the business currently conducted by the Company as of the date of this Agreement;
(o) make any material change in financial accounting methods, principles or practices, except insofar as may have been required by a change in GAAP (including pursuant to standards, guidelines and interpretations of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or any similar organization) or applicable Law;
(p) voluntarily fail to maintain, cancel or materially change coverage under, in a manner detrimental to the Company, any insurance policy maintained with respect to the Company and their assets and properties; and
(q) enter into any agreement or undertaking to do any action prohibited under this Section 6.01.
6.02 Inspection. Subject to confidentiality obligations and similar restrictions that may be applicable to information furnished to the Company by third parties that may be in the Company’s possession from time to time, and except for any information which (a) relates to interactions with prospective buyers of the Company or the negotiation of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby or (b) in the judgment of legal counsel (including in-house counsel) of the Company would result in the loss of attorney-client privilege or other privilege from disclosure or would conflict with any applicable Law or confidentiality obligations to which the Company is bound, the Company shall afford to Acquiror and its Representatives reasonable access during the Interim Period, during normal business hours and with reasonable advance notice, in such manner as to not interfere with the normal operation of the Company, to all of its properties, books, projections, plans, systems, Contracts, commitments, Tax Returns, records, commitments, analyses and appropriate officers and employees of the Company, and shall furnish such Representatives with all financial and operating data and other information concerning the affairs of the Company and that are in the possession of the Company as such Representatives may reasonably request; provided, that such access shall not include any unreasonably invasive or intrusive investigations or other testing, sampling or analysis of any properties, facilities or equipment of the Company without the prior written consent of the Company. The parties shall use commercially reasonable efforts to make alternative arrangements for such disclosure where the restrictions in the preceding sentence apply. All information obtained by Acquiror and its Representatives under this Agreement shall be subject to the Confidentiality Agreement prior to the Effective Time.
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6.03 HSR Act and Regulatory Approvals. In connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Company shall comply promptly but in no event later than ten (10) Business Days after the date hereof with the notification and reporting requirements of the HSR Act. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to submit, as soon as practicable, any other required applications or filings pursuant to any Antitrust Laws and furnish to Acquiror as promptly as reasonably practicable all information required for any application or other filing required to be made by Acquiror pursuant to any Antitrust Law. The Company shall (a) substantially comply with any Information or Document Requests and (b) request early termination of any waiting period under the HSR Act. The Company shall exercise its reasonable best efforts to (x) obtain termination or expiration of the waiting period under the HSR Act and consents or approvals pursuant to any other applicable Antitrust Laws, (y) prevent the entry in any Action brought by a Regulatory Consent Authority or any other Person of any Governmental Order which would prohibit, make unlawful or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and (z) if any such Governmental Order is issued in any such Action, cause such Governmental Order to be lifted. The Company shall promptly notify Acquiror of any substantive communication with any Governmental Authority or third party with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and furnish to Acquiror upon request copies of any notices or written communications received by the Company or any of its Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and the Company shall permit counsel to Acquiror an opportunity to review in advance, and the Company shall consider in good faith the views of such counsel in connection with, any proposed written communications by the Company or its Affiliates to any Governmental Authority concerning the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided, that the Company shall not extend any waiting period or comparable period under the HSR Act or enter into any agreement with any Governmental Authority to delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement without the written consent of Acquiror (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed). The Company agrees to provide, to the extent permitted by the applicable Governmental Authority, Acquiror and its counsel the opportunity, on reasonable advance notice, to participate in any substantive meetings or discussions, either in person or by telephone, between the Company or any of its Affiliates, agents or advisors, on the one hand, and any Governmental Authority, on the other hand, concerning or in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. Any materials exchanged in connection with this Section 6.03 may be redacted or withheld as necessary to address reasonable privilege or confidentiality concerns of legal counsel (including in-house counsel) of the Company, and to remove competitively sensitive material; provided, that the Company may, as it deems advisable and necessary, designate any materials provided to Acquiror under this Section 6.03 as “outside counsel only.” Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, nothing in this Section 6.03 or any other provision of this Agreement shall require or obligate the Company or any of its Affiliates to, and Acquiror and Merger Sub and Affiliates shall not, without the prior written consent of the Company, agree or otherwise be required to, take any action with respect to the Company or any of its Affiliates, including selling, divesting, or otherwise disposing of, licensing, holding separate, or taking or committing to take any action that limits in any respect its freedom of action with respect to, or its ability to retain, any business, products, rights, services, licenses, assets or properties of the Company or any of its Affiliates, or any interest therein.
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6.04 No Claim Against the Trust Account. The Company acknowledges that Acquiror is a blank check company with the power and privileges to effect a merger, asset acquisition, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses or assets, and the Company has read Acquiror’s final prospectus, dated October 19, 2020 and other Acquiror SEC Reports, the Acquiror Organizational Documents, and the Trust Agreement and understands that Acquiror has established the Trust Account described therein for the benefit of Acquiror’s public stockholders and that disbursements from the Trust Account are available only in the limited circumstances set forth therein. The Company further acknowledges and agrees that Acquiror’s sole assets consist of the cash proceeds of Acquiror’s initial public offering and private placements of its securities, and that substantially all of these proceeds have been deposited in the Trust Account for the benefit of its public stockholders. The Company further acknowledges that, if the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or, in the event of termination of this Agreement, another Business Combination, are or is not consummated by July 22, 2022 or such later date as approved by the stockholders of Acquiror to complete a Business Combination, Acquiror will be obligated to return to its stockholders the amounts being held in the Trust Account. Accordingly, the Company (on behalf of itself and its Affiliates) hereby waives any past, present or future claim of any kind against, and any right to access, the Trust Account, any trustee of the Trust Account and Acquiror to collect from the Trust Account any monies that may be owed to them by Acquiror or any of its Affiliates for any reason whatsoever, and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account at any time for any reason whatsoever, including, without limitation, for any Willful Breach of this Agreement. This Section 6.04 shall survive the termination of this Agreement for any reason.
6.05 Proxy Solicitation; Other Actions.
(a) The Company shall be available to, and the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to make their officers and employees available to, in each case, during normal business hours and upon reasonable advanced notice, Acquiror and its counsel in connection with (i) the drafting of the Registration Statement and (ii) responding in a timely manner to comments on the Registration Statement from the SEC. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company shall reasonably cooperate with Acquiror in connection with Acquiror’s preparation for inclusion in the Registration Statement of pro forma financial statements that comply with the requirements of Regulation S-X under the rules and regulations of the SEC (as interpreted by the staff of the SEC) to the extent such pro forma financial statements are required by Form S-4.
(b) From and after the date on which the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Securities Act until the Closing Date, the Company will give Acquiror prompt written notice of any action taken or not taken by the Company or of any development regarding the Company, in any such case which is known by the Company, that would cause the Registration Statement to contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, that, if any such action shall be taken or fail to be taken or such development shall otherwise occur, Acquiror and the Company shall cooperate fully to cause an amendment or supplement to be made promptly to the Registration Statement, such that the Registration Statement no longer contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, further, however, that no information received by Acquiror pursuant to this Section 6.05 shall operate as a waiver or otherwise affect any representation, warranty or agreement given or made by the party who disclosed such information, and no such information shall be deemed to change, supplement or amend the Schedules.
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6.06 Non-Solicitation; Acquisition Proposals.
(a) From the date of this Agreement until the Effective Time or, if earlier, the valid termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 10.01, the Company shall not, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause its Representatives not to, directly or indirectly:
(i) initiate, solicit or knowingly encourage or knowingly facilitate any inquiries or requests for information with respect to, or the making of, any inquiry regarding, or any proposal or offer that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to result in or lead to, any Acquisition Proposal;
(ii) engage in, continue or otherwise participate in any negotiations or discussions concerning, or provide access to its properties, books and records or any confidential information or data to, any Person relating to any proposal, offer, inquiry or request for information that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to result in or lead to, any Acquisition Proposal;
(iii) approve, endorse or recommend, or propose publicly to approve, endorse or recommend, any Acquisition Proposal;
(iv) execute or enter into, any letter of intent, memorandum of understanding, agreement in principle, confidentiality agreement, merger agreement, acquisition agreement, exchange agreement, joint venture agreement, partnership agreement, option agreement or other similar agreement for or relating to any Acquisition Proposal; or
(v) resolve or agree to do any of the foregoing.
The Company also agrees that immediately following the execution of this Agreement it shall, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause its Representatives to, cease any solicitations, discussions or negotiations with any Person (other than the parties hereto and their respective Representatives) conducted heretofore in connection with an Acquisition Proposal or any inquiry or request for information that could reasonably be expected to lead to, or result in, an Acquisition Proposal. The Company also agrees that within three (3) Business Days of the execution of this Agreement, the Company shall request each Person (other than the parties hereto and their respective Representatives) that has prior to the date hereof executed a confidentiality agreement in connection with its consideration of acquiring the Company (and with whom the Company has had contact in twelve (12) months prior to the date of this Agreement regarding the acquisition of the Company) to return or destroy all confidential information furnished to such Person by or on behalf of it prior to the date hereof and terminate access to any physical or electronic data room maintained by or on behalf of the Company. The Company shall promptly (and in any event within one (1) Business Day) notify, in writing, Acquiror of the receipt of any inquiry, proposal, offer or request for information received after the date hereof that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to result in or lead to, any Acquisition Proposal, which notice shall include a summary of the material terms of, and the identity of the Person or group of Persons making, such inquiry, proposal, offer or request for information and an unredacted copy of any Acquisition Proposal or inquiry, proposal or offer made in writing or, if not in writing, a written description of the material terms and conditions of such inquiry, proposal or offer. The Company shall promptly (and in any event within one (1) Business Day) keep Acquiror informed of any material developments with respect to any such inquiry, proposal, offer, request for information or Acquisition Proposal (including any material changes thereto and copies of any additional written materials received by the Company or its Representatives). Without limiting the foregoing, it is understood that any violation of the restrictions contained in this Section 6.06 by any of the Company’s Representatives acting on the Company’s behalf, shall be deemed to be a breach of this Section 6.06 by the Company.
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(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 6.06(a) or Section 8.02(e), this Agreement shall not prevent the Company or the Company Board, prior to obtaining the Company Stockholder Approvals, from making a Company Change in Recommendation (only to the extent permitted by Section 6.06(c) or Section 6.06(d)).
(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 6.06 to the contrary, if, at any time prior to obtaining the Company Stockholder Approvals, the Company Board determines in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisor(s) and outside legal counsel, in response to a bona fide written Acquisition Proposal that did not result from a material breach of Section 6.06(a), that (i) such proposal constitutes a Superior Proposal and (ii) the failure to take the actions specified in this Section 6.06(c) would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under applicable Law, the Company or the Company Board may, prior to obtaining the Company Stockholder Approvals, make a Company Change in Recommendation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall in no event be permitted to engage in the actions enumerated in clauses (i) through (v) of Section 6.06(a) or to terminate this Agreement in connection therewith and the Company shall otherwise remain subject to the terms of this Agreement, including the Company’s obligation to solicit written consents from the Company Stockholders to give the Company Stockholder Approvals in accordance with Section 8.02(e).
(d) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 6.06 to the contrary, if, at any time prior to obtaining the Company Stockholder Approvals, the Company Board determines in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, in response to an Intervening Event, that the failure to make a Company Change in Recommendation would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under applicable Law, the Company or the Company Board may, prior to obtaining the Company Stockholder Approvals, make a Company Change in Recommendation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall in no event be permitted to terminate this Agreement due to the foregoing and the Company shall otherwise remain subject to the terms of this Agreement, including the Company’s obligation to solicit written consents from the Company Stockholder to give the Company Stockholder Approvals in accordance with Section 8.02(e).
(e) For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings assigned below:
(i) “Acquisition Proposal” means any proposal or offer from any Person or “group” (as defined in the Exchange Act) (other than Acquiror, Merger Sub or their respective Affiliates) relating to, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, (A) any direct or indirect acquisition or purchase of a business that constitutes 20% or more of the net revenues, net income or assets of the Company, (B) any direct or indirect acquisition of 20% or more of the consolidated assets of the Company (based on the fair market value thereof, as determined in good faith by the Company Board), (C) acquisition of beneficial ownership, or the right to acquire beneficial ownership, of 20% or more of the total voting power of the equity securities of the Company, any tender offer or exchange offer that if consummated would result in any Person beneficially owning 20% or more of the total voting power of the equity securities of the Company, or any merger, reorganization, consolidation, share exchange, business combination, recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution or similar transaction involving the Company or (D) any issuance or sale or other disposition (including by way of merger, reorganization, division, consolidation, share exchange, business combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction) of 20% or more of the total voting power of the equity securities of the Company.
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(ii) “Superior Proposal” means a bona fide and written Acquisition Proposal made after the date hereof, that did not result from a material breach of Section 6.06(a), that the Company Board in good faith determines (after consultation with its outside legal counsel and financial advisor(s)) is reasonably likely to be consummated in accordance with its terms and would, if consummated, result in a transaction that is more favorable from a financial point of view to the stockholders of the Company (solely in their capacity as such) than the transactions contemplated hereby after taking into account all such factors and matters deemed relevant in good faith by the Company Board, including legal, financial (including the financing terms of any such proposal), regulatory, timing or other aspects of such proposal and this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby (including any offer by Acquiror to amend the terms of this Agreement, termination or break-up fee and conditions to consummation); provided, that for purposes of the definition of “Superior Proposal,” the term “Acquisition Proposal” shall have the meaning assigned to such term herein, except that the references to “20%” in such definition shall be deemed to be references to “80%”.
(iii) “Intervening Event” means an event, fact, development, circumstance or occurrence (but specifically excluding any Acquisition Proposal, Superior Proposal, any change generally affecting any of the industries or markets (including the capital and financial markets) in which the Company operates or the economy as a whole, and any event or change that is primarily attributable to the action(s) or inaction(s) of the Company) that materially affects the business, assets, operations or prospects of the Company and that was not known and was not reasonably foreseeable to the Company or the Company Board as of the date hereof (or the consequences of which were not reasonably foreseeable to the Company Board as of the date hereof), and that becomes known to the Company or the Company Board after the date of this Agreement.
6.07 Company Lock-Up Agreement. At the Closing, the Company shall procure that the Company Stockholder shall enter into a Lock-Up Agreement with Acquiror in substantially the form attached as Exhibit N hereto (the “Company Lock-Up Agreement”).
6.08 Power Purchase Agreements.
(a) The Company shall, by the Closing Date have entered into legally binding agreements in respect of the procurement of power, each having definitive terms and conditions comporting in all material respects with the terms and conditions set forth in each of the Power Provider XXXx; or
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(b) where in respect of any Power Provider LOI the Company shall not have executed a legally binding agreement by the Closing Date in accordance with 6.08(a), the Company shall have procured the megawatts represented by such Power Provider LOI in an equal or greater amount by or from (aa) any of the other Power Providers or (bb) an alternative regulated and U.S. located power provider, in each case through an executed and legally binding agreement on materially similar terms as the relevant Power Provider LOI, including as to megawatt availability, applicable timing on such availability, and price.
Article VII
COVENANTS OF ACQUIROR
7.01 HSR Act and Regulatory Approvals.
(a) In connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, Acquiror shall comply promptly but in no event later than ten (10) Business Days after the date hereof with the notification and reporting requirements of the HSR Act. Acquiror shall use its reasonable best efforts to submit, as soon as practicable, any other required applications or filings pursuant to any Antitrust Laws and furnish to the Company as promptly as reasonably practicable all information required for any application or other filing required to be made by the Company pursuant to any Antitrust Law. Acquiror shall substantially comply with any Information or Document Requests.
(b) Acquiror shall request early termination of any waiting period under the HSR Act and exercise its reasonable best efforts to (i) obtain termination or expiration of the waiting period under the HSR Act and consents or approvals pursuant to any other applicable Antitrust Laws, (ii) prevent the entry in any Action brought by a Regulatory Consent Authority or any other Person of any Governmental Order which would prohibit, make unlawful or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and (iii) if any such Governmental Order is issued in any such Action, cause such Governmental Order to be lifted.
(c) Acquiror shall cooperate in good faith with the Regulatory Consent Authorities and exercise its reasonable best efforts to undertake promptly any and all action required to complete lawfully the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as soon as practicable (but in any event prior to the Termination Date) and any and all action necessary or advisable to avoid, prevent, eliminate or remove any impediment under Antitrust Law or the actual or threatened commencement of any proceeding in any forum by or on behalf of any Regulatory Consent Authority or the issuance of any Governmental Order that would delay, enjoin, prevent, restrain or otherwise prohibit the consummation of the Merger; provided that notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, nothing in this Section 7.01 or any other provision of this Agreement shall require or obligate Acquiror to take any actions, including selling, divesting, or otherwise disposing of, licensing, holding separate, or taking or committing to take any action that limits in any respect Acquiror’s or the Company’s freedom of action with respect to, or its ability to retain, any business, products, rights, services, licenses, assets or properties of Acquiror or the Company; and further provided, that, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, nothing in this Section 7.01 or any other provision of this Agreement shall require or obligate Acquiror or any other Person to take any actions with respect to Acquiror’s Affiliates, the Sponsor, the Subscriber, their respective Affiliates and any investment funds or investment vehicles affiliated with, or managed or advised by, Acquiror’s Affiliates, the Sponsor, the Subscriber or any portfolio company (as such this term is commonly understood in the private equity industry) or investment of Acquiror’s Affiliates, Sponsor or of any such investment fund or investment vehicle.
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(d) Acquiror shall promptly notify the Company of any substantive communication with, and furnish to the Company upon request copies of any notices or written communications received by, Acquiror or any of its Affiliates and any third party or Governmental Authority with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and Acquiror shall permit counsel to the Company an opportunity to review in advance, and Acquiror shall consider in good faith the views of such counsel in connection with, any proposed communications by Acquiror or its Affiliates to any Governmental Authority concerning the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided, that Acquiror shall not extend any waiting period or comparable period under the HSR Act or enter into any agreement with any Governmental Authority to delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement without the written consent of the Company (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed). Acquiror agrees to provide, to the extent permitted by the applicable Governmental Authority, the Company and its counsel the opportunity, on reasonable advance notice, to participate in any substantive meetings or discussions, either in person or by telephone, between Acquiror or any of its Affiliates, agents or advisors, on the one hand, and any Governmental Authority, on the other hand, concerning or in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. Any materials exchanged in connection with this Section 7.01 may be redacted or withheld as necessary to address reasonable privilege or confidentiality concerns of legal counsel of Acquiror, and to remove competitively sensitive material; provided, that Acquiror may, as it deems advisable and necessary, designate any materials provided to the Company under this Section 7.01 as “outside counsel only.”
(e) Acquiror shall bear all filing fees payable to the Regulatory Consent Authorities in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(f) Acquiror shall not, and shall cause Merger Sub not to, acquire or agree to acquire, by merging with or into or consolidating with, or by purchasing a portion of the assets of or equity in, or by any other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership, association or other business organization or division thereof, or otherwise acquire or agree to acquire any assets, or take any other action, if the entering into of a definitive agreement relating to, or the consummation of such acquisition, merger or consolidation, or the taking of any other action, would reasonably be expected to (i) impose any material delay in the obtaining of, or materially increase the risk of not obtaining, any authorizations, consents, orders or declarations of any Regulatory Consent Authorities or the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period; (ii) materially increase the risk of any Governmental Authority entering an order prohibiting the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby; (iii) materially increase the risk of not being able to remove any such order on appeal or otherwise; or (iv) materially delay or prevent the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
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7.02 Indemnification and Insurance.
(a) From and after the Effective Time, Acquiror and the Surviving Company agree that they shall indemnify and hold harmless each present and former director and officer of the Company against any costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, losses, claims, damages or liabilities incurred in connection with any Action, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, arising out of or pertaining to matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Effective Time, whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Effective Time, to the fullest extent that the Company would have been permitted under applicable Law and its certificate of incorporation, bylaws and indemnification agreements in effect on the date of this Agreement to indemnify such Person (including the advancing of expenses as incurred to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law). Without limiting the foregoing, Acquiror shall, and shall cause the Surviving Company to, (i) maintain for a period of not less than six (6) years from the Effective Time provisions in its certificate of incorporation, bylaws, and indemnification agreements, to the extent applicable, concerning the indemnification and exoneration (including provisions relating to expense advancement) of officers and directors that are no less favorable to those Persons than the provisions of its certificate of incorporation, bylaws, and indemnification agreements, to the extent applicable, as of the date of this Agreement and (ii) not amend, repeal or otherwise modify such provisions in any respect that would adversely affect the rights of those Persons thereunder, in each case, except as required by Law. Acquiror shall assume, and be liable for, and shall cause the Surviving Company and their respective Subsidiaries to honor, each of the covenants in this Section 7.02.
(b) For a period of six years from the Effective Time, Acquiror shall, or shall cause one or more of its Subsidiaries to, maintain in effect directors’ and officers’ liability insurance covering those Persons who are currently covered by the Company’s directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies (true, correct and complete copies of which have been heretofore made available to Acquiror or its agents or representatives) on terms not less favorable than the terms of such current insurance coverage; provided, however, that (i) Acquiror may cause coverage to be extended under the current directors’ and officers’ liability insurance by obtaining a six-year “tail” policy containing terms not materially less favorable than the terms of such current insurance coverage with respect to claims existing or occurring at or prior to the Effective Time and (ii) if any claim is asserted or made within such six-year period, any insurance required to be maintained under this Section 7.02 shall be continued in respect of such claim until the final disposition thereof.
(c) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, this Section 7.02 shall survive the consummation of the Merger indefinitely and shall be binding, jointly and severally, on Acquiror and the Surviving Company and all successors and assigns of Acquiror and the Surviving Company. In the event that Acquiror, the Surviving Company or any of their respective successors or assigns consolidates with or merges into any other Person and shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger or transfers or conveys all or substantially all of its properties and assets to any Person, then, and in each such case, Acquiror and the Surviving Company shall ensure that proper provision shall be made so that the successors and assigns of Acquiror or the Surviving Company, as the case may be, shall succeed to the obligations set forth in this Section 7.02. The obligations of Acquiror and the Surviving Company under this Section 7.02 shall not be terminated or modified in such a manner as to materially and adversely affect any present and former director and officer of the Company without the consent of the affected Person.
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7.03 Conduct of Acquiror During the Interim Period.
(a) During the Interim Period, Acquiror and Merger Sub shall, subject to Section 7.11, carry on their business in the ordinary course of business and in accordance with applicable Law. During the Interim Period, except as set forth on Schedule 7.03 or as expressly contemplated by this Agreement or as consented to by the Company in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), or as may be required by Law, Acquiror shall not and each shall not permit Merger Sub to:
(i) change, modify or amend the Trust Agreement, the Acquiror Organizational Documents or the organizational documents of Merger Sub;
(ii) (A) make, declare, set aside or pay any dividends on, or make any other distribution (whether in cash, stock or property) in respect of any of its outstanding capital stock or other equity interests; (B) split, combine, reclassify or otherwise change any of its capital stock or other equity interests; or (C) other than the redemption of any shares of Acquiror Common Stock required by the Offer or as otherwise required by Acquiror’s Organizational Documents in order to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, or offer to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, any capital stock of, or other equity interests in, Acquiror;
(iii) make, revoke or change any material Tax election, adopt or change any material Tax accounting method or period, file or amend any material Tax Return in a manner inconsistent with past practices in any material respect, enter into any agreement with a Tax Authority with respect to a material amount of Taxes, settle or compromise any examination, audit or other Action with a Tax Authority of or relating to any material Taxes, consent to any extension or waiver of the statutory period of limitations applicable to any claim or assessment in respect of material Taxes if such extension or waiver would be in effect after the Closing, or incur any material liability for Taxes outside the ordinary course of business;
(iv) other than as set forth on Schedule 7.03(a)(iii), enter into, renew or amend in any material respect, any Acquiror Affiliate Agreement (or any Contract, that if existing on the date hereof, would have constitute an Acquiror Affiliate Agreement);
(v) enter into, or amend or modify any material term of (in a manner adverse to Acquiror or Merger Sub (including the Company)), terminate (excluding any expiration in accordance with its terms), or waive or release any material rights, claims or benefits under, any Contract of a type required to be listed on Schedule 5.15(a) (or any Contract, that if existing on the date hereof, would have been required to be listed on Schedule 5.15(a)) or any collective bargaining or similar agreement (including agreements with works councils and trade unions and side letters) to which Acquiror or Merger Sub is a party or by which it is bound;
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(vi) waive, release, compromise, settle or satisfy any pending or threatened claim (which shall include, but not be limited to, any pending or threatened Action) or compromise or settle any material liability, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(vii) incur, create, assume, refinance, guarantee or otherwise become liable for (whether directly, contingently or otherwise) any Indebtedness;
(viii) (A) offer, issue, deliver, grant or sell, or authorize or propose to offer, issue, deliver, grant or sell, any capital stock of, or other equity interests in, Acquiror or Merger Sub or any securities convertible into, or any rights, warrants or options to acquire, any such capital stock or equity interests, other than (i) in connection with the exercise of any Acquiror Warrants outstanding on the date hereof or (ii) the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (including the transactions contemplated by the Subscription Agreements) or (B) amend, modify or waive any of the terms or rights set forth in, any Acquiror Warrant or the Warrant Agreement, including any amendment, modification or reduction of the warrant price set forth therein;
(ix) (A) adopt or amend any Benefit Plan, or enter into any employment contract or collective bargaining agreement other than the Acquiror Equity Incentive Plan or as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement, (B) hire any employee or any other individual to provide services to Acquiror or its Subsidiaries following Closing or (C) enter into any agreement to pay compensation to any of its officers or directors;
(x) (A) fail to maintain its existence or acquire by merger or consolidation with, or merge or consolidate with, or purchase a material portion of the assets or equity of, any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture or other business organization or division thereof; or (B) adopt or enter into a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of Acquiror or Merger Sub (other than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement);
(xi) make any capital expenditures;
(xii) make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (including to any of its officers, directors, agents or consultants), make any change in its existing borrowing or lending arrangements for or on behalf of such Persons, or enter into any “keep well” or similar agreement to maintain the financial condition of any other Person;
(xiii) enter into any new line of business outside of the business currently conducted by Acquiror and Merger Sub as of the date of this Agreement;
(xiv) make any change in financial accounting methods, principles or practices, except insofar as may have been required by a change in GAAP (including pursuant to standards, guidelines and interpretations of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or any similar organization) or applicable Law;
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(xv) voluntarily fail to maintain, cancel or materially change coverage under any insurance policy in form and amount equivalent in all material respects to the insurance coverage currently maintained with respect to Acquiror and Merger Sub and their assets and properties; or
(xvi) enter into any agreement or undertaking to do any action prohibited under this Section 7.03.
(b) During the Interim Period, Acquiror shall, and shall cause Merger Sub to comply with, and continue performing under, as applicable, the Acquiror Organizational Documents, the Trust Agreement and all other agreements or Contracts to which Acquiror or Merger Sub may be a party.
7.04 Trust Account. Prior to or at the Closing (subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in Article IX), Acquiror shall make appropriate arrangements to cause the funds in the Trust Account to be disbursed in accordance with the Trust Agreement for the following: (a) the redemption of any shares of Acquiror Common Stock in connection with the Offer; (b) the payment of the Outstanding Company Expenses and Outstanding Acquiror Expenses pursuant to Section 3.06 and the payment of the cash in lieu of the issuance of any fractional shares pursuant to Section 3.05; and (c) the balance of the assets in the Trust Account, if any, after payment of the amounts required under the foregoing clauses (a) and (b), to be disbursed to Acquiror.
7.05 Inspection. Subject to confidentiality obligations and similar restrictions that may be applicable to information furnished to Acquiror or Merger Sub by third parties that may be in Acquiror’s or Merger Sub’s possession from time to time, and except for any information which in the opinion of legal counsel (including in-house counsel) of Acquiror would result in the loss of attorney-client privilege or other privilege from disclosure or would conflict with any applicable Law or confidentiality obligations to which Acquiror or Merger Sub is bound, Acquiror shall afford to the Company, its Affiliates and their respective Representatives reasonable access during the Interim Period, during normal business hours and with reasonable advance notice, to all of their respective properties, books, projections, plans, systems, Contracts, commitments, Tax Returns, records, commitments, analyses and appropriate officers and employees of Acquiror, and shall furnish such Representatives with all financial and operating data and other information concerning the affairs of Acquiror that are in the possession of Acquiror as such Representatives may reasonably request. The parties shall use commercially reasonable efforts to make alternative arrangements for such disclosure where the restrictions in the preceding sentence apply. All information obtained by the Company, its Affiliates and their respective Representatives under this Agreement shall be subject to the Confidentiality Agreement prior to the Effective Time.
7.06 Acquiror NASDAQ Listing.
(a) From the date hereof through the Closing, Acquiror shall use reasonable best efforts to ensure Acquiror remains listed as a public company on, and for shares of Acquiror Common Stock to be listed on, NASDAQ.
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(b) Acquiror shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the Acquiror Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Transactions or otherwise reserved for issuance to be approved for listing on NASDAQ as promptly as practicable following the issuance thereof, subject to official notice of issuance, on or prior to the Closing Date.
7.07 Acquiror Public Filings. From the date hereof through the Closing, Acquiror will keep current and timely file all reports required to be filed or furnished with the SEC and otherwise comply in all material respects with its reporting obligations under applicable Securities Laws.
7.08 Financing. Acquiror and Merger Sub shall take, or cause to be taken, as promptly as practicable after the date hereof, all actions, and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary (including enforcing its rights under the Subscription Agreements), on or prior to the Closing Date, to consummate the purchases contemplated by the Subscription Agreements on the terms and conditions described or contemplated therein, including using its reasonable efforts to enforce its rights under the Subscription Agreements to cause the Subscribers to pay to (or as directed by) Acquiror the applicable purchase price under each Subscriber’s applicable Subscription Agreement in accordance with its terms.
7.09 Additional Insurance Matters. Prior to the Closing, Acquiror shall obtain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that shall be effective as of Closing and will cover those Persons who will be the directors and officers of Acquiror and its Subsidiaries (including the directors and officers of the Company) at and after the Closing on terms customary for a typical directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy for a company whose equity is listed on NASDAQ which policy has a scope and amount of coverage that is reasonably appropriate for a company of similar characteristics (including the line of business and revenues) as Acquiror and its Subsidiaries (including the Company).
7.10 Director and Officer Appointments. Except as otherwise agreed in writing by the Company and Acquiror prior to the Closing, and conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing, subject to any limitation imposed under applicable Laws and NASDAQ listing requirements, Acquiror shall take all actions necessary or appropriate to cause (a) the number of directors constituting the Acquiror Board to be seven (7) directors, (b) the individuals set forth on Schedule 7.10(b) to be elected as members of the Acquiror Board, effective as of the Closing and (c) the individuals set forth on Schedule 7.10(c) to be the executive officers of Acquiror effective as of the Closing. On the Closing Date, Acquiror shall enter into customary indemnification agreements reasonably satisfactory to the Company with the individuals set forth on Schedule 7.10, which indemnification agreements shall continue to be effective following the Closing.
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7.11 Exclusivity. Acquiror agrees that immediately following the execution of this Agreement it shall, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause its Representatives to, cease any solicitations, discussions or negotiations with any Person (other than the parties hereto and their respective Representatives) conducted heretofore in connection with Business Combination or any inquiry or request for information that could reasonably be expected to lead to, or result in, a Business Combination. Acquiror shall promptly (and in any event within one (1) Business Day) notify, in writing, the Company of the receipt of any inquiry, proposal, offer or request for information received after the date hereof that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to result in or lead to, any Business Combination other than with the Company, which notice shall include a summary of the material terms of, and the identity of the Person or group of Persons making, such inquiry, proposal, offer or request for information and an unredacted copy of proposal or indication of interest, written or oral relating to any Business Combination (a “Business Combination Proposal”). Acquiror shall promptly (and in any event within one (1) Business Day) keep the Company reasonably informed of any material developments with respect to any such Business Combination Proposal.
7.12 Management Incentive Package. Acquiror shall adopt the Acquiror Equity Incentive Plan, consistent with the terms attached as Exhibit K. The Company may propose further edits to the Acquiror Equity Incentive Plan based on recommendations from the Company’s compensation consultant and the Company Board, which, after consideration and approval by Acquiror, not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed, shall be incorporated into the Acquiror Equity Incentive Plan.
7.13 Named Sponsor Lock-Up Agreement. At the Closing, Acquiror shall enter into a Lock-Up Agreement with the Named Sponsors in substantially the form attached as Exhibit O hereto (the “Named Sponsor Lock-Up Agreement”).
Article VIII
JOINT COVENANTS
8.01 Support of Transaction. Without limiting any covenant contained in Article VI or Article VII, including the obligations of the Company and Acquiror with respect to the notifications, filings, reaffirmations and applications described in Section 6.03 and Section 7.01, respectively, which obligations shall control to the extent of any conflict with the succeeding provisions of this Section 8.01, Acquiror and the Company shall each, and Acquiror shall cause Merger Sub to: (a) use commercially reasonable efforts to assemble, prepare and file any information (and, as needed, to supplement such information) as may be reasonably necessary to obtain as promptly as practicable all governmental and regulatory consents required to be obtained in connection with the Transactions, (b) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all material consents and approvals of third parties that any of Acquiror, the Company, or their respective Affiliates are required to obtain in order to consummate the Transactions, including any required approvals of parties to Material Contracts with the Company, and (c) take such other action as may reasonably be necessary or as another party may reasonably request to satisfy the conditions of Article IX or otherwise to comply with this Agreement and to consummate the Transactions as soon as practicable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall Acquiror, Merger Sub or the Company be obligated to bear any expense or pay any fee or grant any concession in connection with obtaining any consents, authorizations or approvals pursuant to the terms of any Contract to which the Company is a party or otherwise in connection with the consummation of the Transactions.
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8.02 Preparation of Registration Statement; Special Meeting; Solicitation of Company Stockholder Approvals.
(a) As promptly as practicable following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, Acquiror shall prepare, with the assistance of the Company, and cause to be filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 (as amended or supplemented from time to time, and including the Proxy Statement and the Consent Solicitation Statement contained therein, the “Registration Statement”) in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of the Acquiror Common Stock to be issued under this Agreement, which Registration Statement will also contain the Proxy Statement and the Consent Solicitation Statement. Each of Acquiror and the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Registration Statement, the Proxy Statement and the Consent Solicitation Statement to comply with the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC, to have the Registration Statement declared effective under the Securities Act as promptly as practicable after such filing and to keep the Registration Statement effective as long as is necessary to consummate the Merger. Each of Acquiror and the Company shall furnish all information concerning it as may reasonably be requested by the other party in connection with such actions and the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Proxy Statement and the Consent Solicitation Statement. Promptly after the Registration Statement is declared effective under the Securities Act, Acquiror will cause the Proxy Statement to be mailed to stockholders of Acquiror. Acquiror shall bear all fees and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement and the receipt of stock exchange approval in connection with the listing of Acquiror Common Stock to be issued as Merger Consideration on the Closing Date, other than fees and expenses of advisors (which shall be borne by party incurring such fees).
(b) Each of Acquiror and the Company shall cooperate and mutually agree upon (such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), any response to comments of the SEC or its staff with respect to the Registration Statement and any amendment to the Registration Statement filed in response thereto. If Acquiror or the Company becomes aware that any information contained in the Registration Statement shall have become false or misleading in any material respect or that the Registration Statement is required to be amended in order to comply with applicable Law, then (i) such party shall promptly inform the other party and (ii) Acquiror, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand, shall cooperate and mutually agree upon (such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement. Acquiror and the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the Registration Statement as so amended or supplemented, to be filed with the SEC and to be disseminated to the holders of shares of Acquiror Common Stock, as applicable, in each case pursuant to applicable Law and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Acquiror Organizational Documents. Each of the Company and Acquiror shall provide the other parties with copies of any written comments, and shall inform such other parties of any oral comments, that Acquiror receives from the SEC or its staff with respect to the Registration Statement promptly after the receipt of such comments and shall give the other parties a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on any proposed written or oral responses to such comments prior to responding to the SEC or its staff.
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(c) Acquiror agrees to include provisions in the Proxy Statement and to take reasonable action related thereto, with respect to (i) approval of the Transactions, including the Business Combination (as defined in the Articles of Association), and the adoption and approval of this Agreement (the “Transaction Proposal”), (ii) approval of the Acquiror Charter (the “Amendment Proposal”) and each change to the Acquiror Charter that is required to be separately approved, (iii) approval of the issuance of the Acquiror Common Stock as Merger Consideration and pursuant to the Subscription Agreements in accordance with the rules of NASDAQ (the “NASDAQ Proposal”), (iv) the approval and adoption of the Acquiror Equity Incentive Plan (the “Acquiror Equity Plan Proposal”), (v) adjournment of the Special Meeting, if necessary, to permit further solicitation of proxies because there are not sufficient votes to approve and adopt any of the foregoing proposals and (vi) approval of any other proposals reasonably agreed by Acquiror and the Company to be necessary or appropriate in connection with the Transactions contemplated hereby (the “Additional Proposal” and together with the Transaction Proposal, the Amendment Proposal, the NASDAQ Proposal and the Acquiror Equity Plan Proposal, the “Proposals”). Without the prior written consent of the Company, the Proposals shall be the only matters (other than procedural matters) which Acquiror shall propose to be acted on by Acquiror Stockholders at the Special Meeting.
(d) Acquiror shall use reasonable best efforts to, as promptly as practicable after the Registration Statement is declared effective under the Securities Act, (i) establish the record date (which record date shall be mutually agreed with the Company) for, duly call, give notice of, convene and hold the Special Meeting in accordance with the DGCL, (ii) cause the Proxy Statement to be disseminated to Acquiror Stockholders in compliance with applicable Law and (iii) solicit proxies from the holders of Acquiror Common Stock to vote in favor of each of the Proposals. Acquiror shall, through the Acquiror Board, recommend to its stockholders that they approve the Proposals (the “Acquiror Board Recommendation”) and shall include the Acquiror Board Recommendation in the Proxy Statement. The Acquiror Board shall not (and no committee or subgroup thereof shall) change, withdraw, withhold, qualify or modify, or publicly propose to change, withdraw, withhold, qualify or modify, the Acquiror Board Recommendation (an “Acquiror Change in Recommendation”). Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 8.02(d), if on a date for which the Special Meeting is scheduled, Acquiror has not received proxies representing a sufficient number of shares of Acquiror Common Stock to obtain the Acquiror Stockholder Approvals, as applicable, whether or not a quorum is present, Acquiror shall have the right to make one or more successive postponements or adjournments of the Special Meeting; provided, that the Special Meeting, without the prior written consent of the Company, (x) may not be adjourned to a date that is more than ten (10) Business Days after the date for which the Special Meeting was originally scheduled or the most recently adjourned Special Meeting (excluding any adjournments required by applicable Law) and (y) is held no later than four (4) Business Days prior to the Termination Date.
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(e) As promptly as practicable after the Registration Statement becomes effective, the Company shall solicit a consent in writing or by electronic transmission from the Company Stockholder approving and adopting this Agreement, the Merger and, to the extent required by Law, the Transactions (the “Company Stockholder Approvals”). In connection therewith, the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to, as promptly as practicable, (i) establish the record date (which record date shall be mutually agreed with Acquiror) for determining the Company Stockholders entitled to provide such written consent, (ii) cause the Consent Solicitation Statement to be disseminated to the Company Stockholder in compliance with applicable Law and (iii) solicit written consents from the Company Stockholder to give the Company Stockholder Approvals. The Company shall, through the Company Board, recommend to the Company Stockholder that it adopt this Agreement (the “Company Board Recommendation”) and shall include the Company Board Recommendation in the Consent Solicitation Statement, subject to the provisions of this Section 8.02(e). The Company Board shall not (and no committee or subgroup thereof shall) change, withdraw, withhold, qualify or modify, or publicly propose to change, withdraw, withhold, qualify or modify, the Company Board Recommendation (such action, a “Company Change in Recommendation”) except in accordance with Sections 6.06(c) and 6.06(d). The Company will provide Acquiror with copies of all stockholder consents it receives within one (1) Business Day of receipt. Unless this Agreement has been terminated in accordance with its terms, the Company’s obligation to solicit written consents from the Company Stockholder to give the Company Stockholder Approvals in accordance with this Section 8.02(e) shall not be limited or otherwise affected by the making, commencement, disclosure, announcement or submission of any Acquisition Proposal or by any Company Change in Recommendation.
8.03 Tax Matters.
(a) Transfer Taxes. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, all transfer, documentary, sales, use, stamp, registration, value added or other similar Taxes incurred in connection with the Transactions (“Transfer Taxes”) shall be paid by Acquiror. The Company and Acquiror further agree to reasonably cooperate to reduce or eliminate the amount of any such Transfer Taxes.
(b) Tax Treatment. The parties intend that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Merger and the PIPE Subscriptions, taken together, qualify for the Intended Tax Treatment. None of the parties knows of any fact or circumstance (without conducting independent inquiry or diligence of the other relevant party), or has taken or will take any action, if such fact, circumstance or action would be reasonably expected to impede the Intended Tax Treatment. The PIPE Subscriptions and the Merger shall be reported by the parties for all applicable Tax purposes in accordance with the Intended Tax Treatment, unless otherwise required by a Tax Authority as a result of a “determination” within the meaning of Section 1313(a) of the Code (or any similar or corresponding provision of applicable Law).
(c) FIRPTA. At the Closing, the Company shall deliver to Acquiror (i) a certification from the Company in the manner described under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1445-2(c)(3) and (ii) a notice of such certification to the Internal Revenue Service in the manner described under Treasury Regulations Section 1.897-2(h)(2), in each case, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Acquiror, dated as of the Closing Date and duly signed by a responsible corporate officer of the Company.
8.04 Confidentiality; Publicity.
(a) Acquiror acknowledges that the information being provided to it in connection with this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby is subject to the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement, the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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(b) The parties agree that the initial press release to be issued with respect to the Transactions shall be in a form mutually agreed to by the parties. None of Acquiror, Merger Sub, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates shall make any public announcement or issue any public communication regarding this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, or any matter related to the foregoing, without first obtaining the prior consent of the Company or Acquiror, as applicable (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), except if such announcement or other communication is required by applicable Law or legal process (including pursuant to the Securities Laws or the rules of any national securities exchange), in which case Acquiror or the Company, as applicable, shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to coordinate such announcement or communication with the other party, prior to announcement or issuance and allow the other party a reasonable opportunity to comment thereon (which shall be considered by Acquiror or the Company, as applicable, in good faith); provided, however, that, notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, (i) each party and its Affiliates may make announcements and may provide information regarding this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby to their respective owners, their Affiliates, and its and their respective directors, officers, employees, managers, advisors, direct and indirect investors and prospective investors without the consent of any other party hereto and (ii) the Company may exercise its rights and communicate with third parties as contemplated by Section 6.06; and provided, further, that subject to Section 6.02 and this Section 8.03(b), the foregoing shall not prohibit any party hereto from communicating with third parties to the extent necessary for the purpose of seeking any third party consent.
8.05 Ratification of Covenants. Following the Closing, the Company and Acquiror shall cause Acquiror to ratify, confirm and approve in all respects the covenant in Section 4(b) of the Acquiror Support Agreement.
8.06 Post-Closing Cooperation; Further Assurances. Following the Closing, each party shall, on the request of any other party, execute such further documents, and perform such further acts, as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate to give full effect to the allocation of rights, benefits, obligations and liabilities contemplated by this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.
Article IX
CONDITIONS TO OBLIGATIONS
9.01 Conditions to Obligations of All Parties. The obligations of the parties hereto to consummate, or cause to be consummated, the Merger are subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions, any one or more of which may be waived (if legally permitted) in writing by all of such parties:
(a) Antitrust Law Approval. (i) All applicable waiting periods (and any extensions thereof) under the HSR Act in respect of the Transactions shall have expired or been terminated, (ii) all waiting periods (and any extensions thereof) under any Antitrust Laws in the jurisdictions listed in Schedule 9.01(a) that are required to be terminated or expired prior to the Closing shall have terminated or expired, and all approvals, clearances or authorizations under any Antitrust Laws in the jurisdictions listed in Schedule 9.01(a) required to be obtained prior to the Closing shall have been obtained, and (iii) any agreement with any Governmental Authority not to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby shall have expired or been terminated.
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(b) No Prohibition. No Governmental Authority shall have enacted, issued, promulgated, enforced or entered any Law, judgment, decree, executive order or award which is then in effect and has the effect of making the Transactions, including the Merger, illegal or otherwise prohibiting or enjoining consummation of the Transactions, including the Merger.
(c) Offer Completion. The Offer shall have been completed in accordance with the terms hereof and the Proxy Statement.
(d) Registration Statement. The Registration Statement shall have become effective under the Securities Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the SEC and not withdrawn.
(e) Acquiror Stockholder Approvals. The Acquiror Stockholder Approvals shall have been obtained.
(f) Company Stockholder Approvals. The Company Stockholder Approvals shall have been obtained.
(g) No Material Adverse Effect. Since the date of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Effect that is subsisting and that has not been remedied.
9.02 Additional Conditions to Obligations of Acquiror. The obligations of Acquiror to consummate, or cause to be consummated, the Merger are subject to the satisfaction of the following additional conditions, any one or more of which may be waived in writing by Acquiror:
(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 4.01 (Organization, Standing and Corporate Power), Section 4.02(a) (Corporate Authority; Approval; Non-Contravention), Section 4.08(d) (Absence of Certain Changes or Events) and Section 4.22 (Brokers) shall each be true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing Date as though made on the Closing Date, except to the extent that any such representation and warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such earlier date. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 4.04 (Capitalization), shall be true and correct in all respects other than de minimis inaccuracies as of the Closing Date as though made on the Closing Date, except to the extent that any such representation and warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such earlier date. All other representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct (without giving any effect to any limitation as to “materiality” or “Material Adverse Effect” or any similar limitation set forth therein) as of the Closing Date, as though made on and as of the Closing Date, except (i) to the extent that any such representation and warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such earlier date and (ii) where the failure of such representations and warranties to be true and correct (whether as of the Closing Date or such earlier date), taken as a whole, does not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(b) Agreements and Covenants. Each of the covenants of the Company to be performed or complied with as of or prior to the Closing shall have been performed or complied with in all material respects.
(c) Officer’s Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to Acquiror a certificate signed by an officer of the Company, dated the Closing Date, certifying that, to the knowledge and belief of such officer, the conditions specified in Section 9.02(a) and Section 9.02(b) have been fulfilled.
(d) Tail Insurance. The Company shall have delivered to Acquiror evidence of satisfactory Tail Insurance to be bound as of the Closing.
(e) Ancillary Agreements. The Company shall have delivered to Acquiror executed counterparts to all of the Ancillary Agreements to which the Company, or the Company Stockholder, is party.
9.03 Additional Conditions to the Obligations of the Company. The obligation of the Company to consummate the Merger is subject to the satisfaction of the following additional conditions, any one or more of which may be waived in writing by the Company:
(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of Acquiror and Merger Sub contained in Section 5.01 (Organization, Standing and Corporate Power), Section 5.02(a) (Corporate Authority; Approval; Non-Contravention), Section 5.10(h)(i) (Absence of Certain Changes or Events) and Section 5.08 (Brokers) shall each be true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing Date as though made on the Closing Date, except to the extent that any such representation and warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such earlier date. The representations and warranties of Acquiror and Merger Sub contained in Section 5.13 (Capitalization), shall be true and correct in all respects other than de minimis inaccuracies as of the Closing Date as though made on the Closing Date, except to the extent that any such representation and warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such earlier date. All other representations and warranties of Acquiror and Merger Sub contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct (without giving any effect to any limitation as to “materiality” or “material adverse effect” or any similar limitation set forth therein) as of the Closing Date, as though made on and as of the Closing Date, except (i) to the extent that any such representation and warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such earlier date and (ii) where the failure of such representations and warranties to be true and correct (whether as of the Closing Date or such earlier date), taken as a whole, does not result in a material adverse effect on Acquiror.
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(b) Agreements and Covenants. Each of the covenants of Acquiror to be performed or complied with as of or prior to the Closing shall have been performed or complied with in all material respects.
(c) Officer’s Certificate. Acquiror shall have delivered to the Company a certificate signed by an officer of Acquiror, dated the Closing Date, certifying that, to the knowledge and belief of such officer, the conditions specified in Section 9.03(a) and Section 9.03(b) have been fulfilled.
(d) NASDAQ. The Acquiror Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Transactions shall have been approved for listing on NASDAQ, subject only to official notice of issuance thereof and the requirement to have a sufficient number of round lot holders.
(e) Acquiror’s Required Funds. The Closing Acquiror Cash shall equal or exceed four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000.00), and Acquiror shall have made arrangements for the Closing Acquiror Cash held in the Trust Account to be released from the Trust Account at the Effective Time.
(f) Acquiror’s Indebtedness. The Acquiror’s total outstanding Indebtedness shall be less than twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000.00).
(g) Ancillary Agreements. Acquiror shall have delivered to the Company executed counterparts to all of the Ancillary Agreements to which Acquiror or Sponsor is party.
(h) Resignations. The directors and executive officers of Acquiror listed on Schedule 9.03(h) shall have been removed from their respective positions or tendered their irrevocable resignations, in each case effective as of the Effective Time.
Article X
TERMINATION/EFFECTIVENESS
10.01 Termination. This Agreement may be terminated, and the transactions contemplated hereby abandoned:
(a) by mutual written consent of the Company and Acquiror;
(b) prior to the Closing, by written notice to the Company from Acquiror if (i) there is any breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement on the part of the Company set forth in this Agreement, such that any condition specified in Section 9.02(a), or Section 9.02(b) would not be satisfied at the Closing (a “Terminating Company Breach”), except that, if any such Terminating Company Breach is curable by the Company through the exercise of its commercially reasonable efforts, then, for a period of up to 30 days (or any shorter period of the time that remains between the date Acquiror provides written notice of such violation or breach and the Termination Date) after receipt by the Company of notice from Acquiror of such breach, but only as long as the Company continues to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cure such Terminating Company Breach (the “Company Cure Period”), such termination shall not be effective, and such termination shall become effective only if the Terminating Company Breach is not cured within the Company Cure Period, (ii) the Closing has not occurred on or before the date that is six months from the date hereof (the “Termination Date”), or (iii) the consummation of the Merger is permanently enjoined or prohibited by the terms of a final, non-appealable Governmental Order or other Law; provided, that the right to terminate this Agreement under Section 10.01(b)(ii) shall not be available if Acquiror’s failure to fulfill any obligation under this Agreement has been the primary cause of, or primarily resulted in, the failure of the Closing to occur on or before such date; provided, further, that the right to terminate this Agreement under Section 10.01(b)(ii) shall not be available if Acquiror is in breach of this Agreement on such date, which breach could give rise to a right of the Company to terminate this Agreement;
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(c) prior to the Closing, by written notice to Acquiror from the Company if (i) there is any breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement on the part of Acquiror set forth in this Agreement, such that any condition specified in Section 9.03(a) or Section 9.03(b) would not be satisfied at the Closing (a “Terminating Acquiror Breach”), except that, if any such Terminating Acquiror Breach is curable by Acquiror through the exercise of its commercially reasonable efforts, then, for a period of up to 30 days (or any shorter period of the time that remains between the date the Company provides written notice of such violation or breach and the Termination Date) after receipt by Acquiror of notice from the Company of such breach, but only as long as Acquiror continues to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cure such Terminating Acquiror Breach (the “Acquiror Cure Period”), such termination shall not be effective, and such termination shall become effective only if the Terminating Acquiror Breach is not cured within the Acquiror Cure Period, (ii) the Closing has not occurred on or before the Termination Date, or (iii) the consummation of the Merger is permanently enjoined or prohibited by the terms of a final, non-appealable Governmental Order or other Law; provided, that the right to terminate this Agreement under Section 10.01(c)(ii) shall not be available if the Company’s failure to fulfill any obligation under this Agreement has been the primary cause of, or primarily resulted in, the failure of the Closing to occur on or before such date; provided, further, that the right to terminate this Agreement under Section 10.01(c)(ii) shall not be available if the Company is in breach of this Agreement on such date, which breach could give rise to a right of Acquiror to terminate this Agreement;
(d) by written notice from either the Company or Acquiror to the other if either Acquiror Stockholder Approval is not obtained at the Special Meeting (subject to any adjournment or recess of the meeting);
(e) by written notice from Acquiror to the Company if the Company Stockholder Approvals have not been obtained within ten (10) Business Days following the date that the Consent Solicitation Statement is disseminated by the Company to the Company Stockholders pursuant to Section 8.02(e) or
(f) by written notice from the Company to the Acquiror if the Acquiror Board Recommendation is publicly withdrawn, modified or changed in any manner that is adverse to the Company, the Company Stockholder Approvals or the Company Board Recommendation.
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10.02 Effect of Termination. Except as otherwise set forth in this Section 10.02, in the event of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 10.01, this Agreement shall forthwith become void and have no effect, without any liability on the part of any party hereto or its respective Affiliates, officers, directors, employees or stockholders, other than liability of any party hereto for any Willful Breach of this Agreement by such party occurring prior to such termination. The provisions of Sections 6.04, 8.03(b), 10.02 and Article XI (collectively, the “Surviving Provisions”) and the Confidentiality Agreement, and any other Section or Article of this Agreement referenced in the Surviving Provisions, to the extent required to survive in order to give appropriate effect to the Surviving Provisions, shall in each case survive any termination of this Agreement.
Article XI
MISCELLANEOUS
11.01 Waiver. Any party to this Agreement may, at any time prior to the Closing, by action taken by its board of directors, or officers thereunto duly authorized, waive any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement, or agree to an amendment or modification to this Agreement in the manner contemplated by Section 11.10 and by an agreement in writing executed in the same manner (but not necessarily by the same Persons) as this Agreement.
11.02 Notices. All notices and other communications among the parties shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i) when delivered in person, (ii) when delivered after posting in the United States mail having been sent registered or certified mail return receipt requested, postage prepaid, (iii) when delivered by FedEx or other nationally recognized overnight delivery service or (iv) when e-mailed during normal business hours (and otherwise as of the immediately following Business Day), addressed as follows:
(a) If to Acquiror or Merger Sub, to:
0000 Xxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxx, 00000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx of America
Attn: | Xxxx Xxxxxxxx, President |
Email: | xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx |
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx LLP
000 X Xxxxxx XX
Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: | Xxxxx X. Xx Xxxxxxx |
E-mail: | XXxXxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx |
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(b) If to the Company to:
Cipher Mining Technologies Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, #000
Xxx, XX 00000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx of America
Attn: | Tyler Page |
E-mail: | Xxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx |
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxx (London) LLP
00 Xxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx, XX0X 0XX
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Attn: | J. Xxxxx Xxxxxxx |
Xxxx Xxxxxxxx
E-mail: | x.xxxxx.xxxxxxx@xx.xxx |
xxxx.xxxxxxxx@xx.xxx
or to such other address or addresses as the parties may from time to time designate in writing.
11.03 Assignment. No party hereto shall assign this Agreement or any part hereof without the prior written consent of the other parties. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns. Any attempted assignment in violation of the terms of this Section 11.03 shall be null and void, ab initio.
11.04 Rights of Third Parties. Nothing expressed or implied in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any Person, other than the parties hereto, any right or remedies under or by reason of this Agreement; provided, however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing (a) in the event the Closing occurs, the present and former officers and directors of the Company and Acquiror (and their successors and representatives) are intended third-party beneficiaries of, and may enforce, Section 7.02 and Section 7.10 and (b) the past, present and future directors, officers, employees, incorporators, members, partners, stockholders, Affiliates, agents, attorneys, advisors and representatives of the parties, and any Affiliate of any of the foregoing (and their successors, heirs and representatives), are intended third-party beneficiaries of, and may enforce, Sections 11.15 and 11.17.
11.05 Expenses. Except as otherwise provided herein (including Section 3.06, Section 7.01(e) and Section 8.03(a)), each party hereto shall bear its own expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions herein contemplated whether or not such transactions shall be consummated, including all fees of its legal counsel, financial advisers and accountants.
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11.06 Governing Law. This Agreement, and all claims or causes of action based upon, arising out of, or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles or rules of conflict of laws to the extent such principles or rules would require or permit the application of Laws of another jurisdiction.
11.07 Captions; Counterparts. The captions in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be considered a part of or affect the construction or interpretation of any provision of this Agreement. This Agreement may be executed in two (2) or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
11.08 Schedules and Exhibits. The Schedules and Exhibits referenced herein are a part of this Agreement as if fully set forth herein. All references herein to Schedules and Exhibits shall be deemed references to such parts of this Agreement, unless the context shall otherwise require. Any disclosure made by a party in the Schedules with reference to any section or schedule of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a disclosure with respect to all other sections or schedules to which such disclosure may apply solely to the extent the relevance of such disclosure is reasonably apparent on the face of the disclosure in such Schedule. Certain information set forth in the Schedules is included solely for informational purposes.
11.09 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (together with the Schedules and Exhibits to this Agreement), the Ancillary Agreements and the Confidentiality Agreement constitute the entire agreement among the parties relating to the transactions contemplated hereby and supersede any other agreements, whether written or oral, that may have been made or entered into by or among any of the parties hereto or any of their respective Subsidiaries relating to the transactions contemplated hereby. No representations, warranties, covenants, understandings, agreements, oral or otherwise, relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement exist between the parties except as expressly set forth or referenced in this Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement.
11.10 Amendments. This Agreement may be amended or modified in whole or in part, only by a duly authorized agreement in writing executed in the same manner as this Agreement (but not necessarily by the same natural persons who executed this Agreement) and which makes reference to this Agreement. The approval of this Agreement by the stockholders of any of the parties shall not restrict the ability of the board of directors of any of the parties to terminate this Agreement in accordance with Section 10.01 or to cause such party to enter into an amendment to this Agreement pursuant to this Section 11.10.
11.11 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, the other provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. The parties further agree that if any provision contained herein is, to any extent, held invalid or unenforceable in any respect under the Laws governing this Agreement, they shall take any actions necessary to render the remaining provisions of this Agreement valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by Law and shall amend or otherwise modify this Agreement to replace any provision contained herein that is held invalid or unenforceable with a valid and enforceable provision giving effect to the intent of the parties.
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11.12 Jurisdiction; WAIVER OF TRIAL BY JURY. Any Action based upon, arising out of or related to this Agreement, or the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court lacks jurisdiction, the state or federal courts in the State of Delaware, and each of the parties irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of each such court in any such Action, waives any objection it may now or hereafter have to personal jurisdiction, venue or to convenience of forum, agrees that all claims in respect of the Action shall be heard and determined only in any such court, and agrees not to bring any Action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any other court. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to affect the right of any party to serve process in any manner permitted by Law, or to commence legal proceedings or otherwise proceed against any other party in any other jurisdiction, in each case, to enforce judgments obtained in any Action brought pursuant to this Section 11.12. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY and unconditionally WAIVES to the fullest extent permitted by law ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY. Each of the parties hereto certifies and acknowledges that (a) no representative of any other party has represented, expressly or otherwise, that such other party would not, in the event of litigation, seek to enforce the foregoing waiver, (b) each such party understands and has considered the implications of this waiver, (c) each such party makes this waiver voluntarily, and (d) each such party has been induced to enter into this Agreement and the Transactions by, among other things, the mutual waivers in this SECTION 11.12.
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11.13 Trust Account Waiver. Reference is made to the final prospectus of Acquiror, filed with the SEC (File No. 333-248333, on October 9, 2020 (the “Prospectus”)). The Company acknowledges and agrees and understands that Acquiror has established the Trust Account containing the proceeds of its IPO and the overallotment shares acquired by Acquiror’s underwriters in connection therewith and from certain private placements occurring simultaneously with the IPO (including interest accrued from time to time thereon) for the benefit of Acquiror’s public shareholders (including overallotment shares acquired by Acquiror’s underwriters, the “Public Shareholders”), and Acquiror may disburse monies from the Trust Account only in the express circumstances described in the Prospectus. For and in consideration of Acquiror entering into this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the Company hereby agrees on behalf of itself and its Representatives that, notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary in this Agreement, none of the Company, or any of its respective Representatives does now or shall at any time hereafter have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account, or make any claim against the Trust Account (including any distributions therefrom to the Public Shareholders or in respect of deferred underwriting commissions from the IPO), regardless of whether such claim arises as a result of, in connection with or relating in any way to, this Agreement or any proposed or actual business relationship between Acquiror or any of its Representatives, on the one hand, and, the Company, or any of its respective Representatives, on the other hand, or any other matter, and regardless of whether such claim arises based on contract, tort, equity or any other theory of legal liability (any and all such claims are collectively referred to hereafter as the “Trust Account Released Claims”). The Company, on its own behalf and on behalf of its Representatives, hereby irrevocably waives any Trust Account Released Claims that it or any of its Representatives may have against the Trust Account (including any distributions therefrom to the Public Shareholders or in respect of deferred underwriting commissions from the IPO) now or in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, or Contracts with Acquiror or its Representatives and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account (including any distributions therefrom to the Public Shareholders or in respect of deferred underwriting commissions from the IPO) for any reason whatsoever (including for an alleged breach of any agreement with Acquiror or its Affiliates). Nothing herein shall serve to limit or prohibit the Company’s, or any of its Representatives’, right to pursue a claim against Acquiror for legal relief against monies or other assets held outside the Trust Account, for specific performance or other equitable relief in connection with the consummation of the transactions (including a claim for Acquiror to specifically perform its obligations under this Agreement and cause the disbursement of the balance of the cash remaining in the Trust Account (after giving effect to the Acquiror Share Redemptions) in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Trust Agreement) so long as such claim would not affect Acquiror’s ability to fulfill its obligation to effectuate the Acquiror Share Redemptions, nothing herein shall serve to limit or prohibit any claims that the Company or any of its Representatives may have in the future against Acquiror’s assets or funds that are not held in the Trust Account (including any funds that have been released from the Trust Account and any assets that have been purchased or acquired with any such funds).
11.14 Enforcement. The parties agree that irreparable damage for which monetary damages, even if available, would not be an adequate remedy, would occur in the event that the parties do not perform their obligations under the provisions of this Agreement (including failing to take such actions as are required of them hereunder to consummate this Agreement) in accordance with its specified terms or otherwise breach such provisions. The parties acknowledge and agree that (a) the parties shall be entitled to an injunction, specific performance, or other equitable relief, to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof, without proof of damages, prior to the valid termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 10.01, this being in addition to any other remedy to which they are entitled under this Agreement, (b) the Company shall be entitled to cause Acquiror to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of the Subscription Agreements, including with respect to causing Acquiror to cause the counterparties to the Subscription Agreements to fund their Subscription Amounts (as defined in the Subscription Agreements) in connection with Closing, in each case, subject to the terms and conditions of the Subscription Agreements, and (c) the right of specific enforcement is an integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and without that right, none of the parties would have entered into this Agreement. Each party agrees that it will not oppose the granting of specific performance and other equitable relief on the basis that the other parties have an adequate remedy at Law or that an award of specific performance is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at Law or equity. The parties acknowledge and agree that any party seeking an injunction to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement in accordance with this Section 11.14 shall not be required to provide any bond or other security in connection with any such injunction.
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11.15 Non-Recourse. This Agreement may only be enforced against, and any claim or cause of action based upon, arising out of, or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may only be brought against, the entities that are expressly named as parties hereto, and then only with respect to the specific obligations set forth herein with respect to such party. Except to the extent a named party to this Agreement (and then only to the extent of the specific obligations undertaken by such named party in this Agreement), (a) no past, present or future director, officer, employee, incorporator, member, partner, stockholder, Affiliate, agent, attorney, advisor or representative or Affiliate of any named party to this Agreement and (b) no past, present or future director, officer, employee, incorporator, member, partner, stockholder, Affiliate, agent, attorney, advisor or representative or Affiliate of any of the foregoing shall have any liability (whether in contract, tort, equity or otherwise) for any one or more of the representations, warranties, covenants, agreements or other obligations or liabilities of any one or more of the Company, Acquiror or Merger Sub under this Agreement of or for any claim based on, arising out of, or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
11.16 Non-survival of Representations, Warranties and Covenants. None of the representations, warranties, covenants, obligations or other agreements in this Agreement or in any certificate, statement or instrument delivered pursuant to this Agreement, including any rights arising out of any breach of such representations, warranties, covenants, obligations, agreements and other provisions, shall survive the Closing and shall terminate and expire upon the occurrence of the Effective Time (and there shall be no liability after the Closing in respect thereof), except for (a) those covenants and agreements contained herein that by their terms expressly apply in whole or in part after the Closing and then only with respect to any breaches occurring after the Closing and (b) this Article XI.
11.17 Acknowledgements. Each of the parties acknowledges and agrees (on its own behalf and on behalf of its respective Affiliates and its and their respective Representatives) that: (i) it has conducted its own independent investigation of the financial condition, results of operations, assets, liabilities, properties and projected operations of the other parties (and their respective Subsidiaries) and has been afforded satisfactory access to the books and records, facilities and personnel of the other parties (and their respective Subsidiaries) for purposes of conducting such investigation; (ii) the Company Representations constitute the sole and exclusive representations and warranties of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby; (iii) the Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations constitute the sole and exclusive representations and warranties of Acquiror and Merger Sub; (iv) except for the Company Representations by the Company and the Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations by Acquiror and Merger Sub, respectively, none of the parties hereto or any other Person makes, or has made, any other express or implied representation or warranty with respect to any party hereto (or any party’s Affiliates) or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and all other representations and warranties of any kind or nature expressed or implied (including (x) regarding the completeness or accuracy of, or any omission to state or to disclose, any information, including in the estimates, projections or forecasts or any other information, document or material provided to or made available to any party hereto or their respective Affiliates or Representatives in certain “data rooms,” management presentations or in any other form in expectation of the Transactions, including meetings, calls or correspondence with management of any party hereto (or any party’s Subsidiaries), and (y) any relating to the future or historical business, condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, prospects, assets or liabilities of any party hereto (or its Subsidiaries), or the quality, quantity or condition of any party’s or its Subsidiaries’ assets) are specifically disclaimed by all parties hereto and their respective Subsidiaries and all other Persons (including the Representatives and Affiliates of any party hereto or its Subsidiaries); and (v) each party hereto and its respective Affiliates are not relying on any representations and warranties in connection with the Transactions except the Company Representations by the Company, the Acquiror and Merger Sub Representations by Acquiror and Merger Sub and the other representations expressly made by a Person in the Subscription Agreements, the Support Agreements, the Master Services and Supply Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Acquiror, Merger Sub and the Company have caused this Agreement to be executed and delivered as of the date first written above by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized.
CIPHER MINING TECHNOLOGIES INC. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Agreement and Plan of Merger]
GOOD WORKS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Agreement and Plan of Merger]
CURRENCY MERGER SUB | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Agreement and Plan of Merger]
EXHIBIT A
Form of Parent Subscription Agreement
See attached.
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF
SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT
This SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT (this “Subscription Agreement”) is entered into this [_] day of March, 2021, by and among Good Works Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Issuer”), and the undersigned (“Subscriber”). Defined terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings ascribed thereto in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).
WHEREAS, the Issuer, Cipher Mining Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and the other parties named therein will concurrently with the execution of this Subscription Agreement, enter into that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of the date hereof (as amended, amended and restated, modified, supplemented, or waived from time to time in accordance with its terms, the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which the Issuer, its merger subsidiary and the Company shall enter into a business combination transaction, with the Company surviving as the surviving entity, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein (together with the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “Transactions”);
WHEREAS, in connection with the Transactions, Subscriber desires to subscribe for and purchase from the Issuer that number of shares of the common stock of the Issuer, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), set forth on Subscriber’s signature page hereto (the “Shares”) for a purchase price of $10.00 per share, for the aggregate purchase price set forth on Subscriber’s signature page hereto (the “Purchase Price”), and the Issuer desires to issue and sell to Subscriber the Shares in consideration of the payment of the Purchase Price therefor by or on behalf of Subscriber to the Issuer, with such payment comprising a benefit-in-kind commitment (such benefit-in-kind as may be provided from time to time), all on the terms and conditions set forth herein; and
WHEREAS, certain other “qualified institutional buyers” (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)) or institutional “accredited investors” (within the meaning of Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act) (each, an “Other Subscriber”) have, severally and not jointly, entered into separate subscription agreements with the Issuer (the “Other Subscription Agreements”), pursuant to which such Other Subscribers have agreed to purchase Common Stock on the Closing Date at the same per share purchase price as the Subscriber, and the aggregate amount of securities to be sold by the Issuer pursuant to this Subscription Agreement and the Other Subscription Agreements equals, as of the date hereof, [l] shares of Common Stock and the aggregate value of the consideration received by the Issuer in connection with the purchase and sale of the Shares equals $[l].
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual representations, warranties, and covenants, and subject to the conditions, herein contained, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
1. Subscription. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing, Subscriber hereby agrees to subscribe for and purchase, and the Issuer hereby agrees to issue and sell to Subscriber, upon the payment of the Purchase Price the Shares (such subscription and issuance, the “Subscription”).
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2. Representations, Warranties, and Agreements.
2.1 Subscriber’s Representations, Warranties, and Agreements. To induce the Issuer to issue the Shares to Subscriber, Subscriber hereby represents and warrants to the Issuer and acknowledges and agrees with the Issuer as follows:
2.1.1 Subscriber has been duly formed or incorporated and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, with power and authority to enter into, deliver, and perform its obligations under this Subscription Agreement.
2.1.2 This Subscription Agreement has been duly authorized, validly executed and delivered by Subscriber. Assuming that this Subscription Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Issuer, this Subscription Agreement is the valid and binding obligation of Subscriber and is enforceable against Subscriber in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited or otherwise affected by (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium, or other laws relating to or affecting the rights of creditors generally and (ii) principles of equity, whether considered at law or equity (including concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith, and fair dealing with respect to those jurisdictions that recognize such concepts).
2.1.3 The execution, delivery and performance by Subscriber of this Subscription Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein do not and will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, or encumbrance upon any of the property or assets of Subscriber or any of its subsidiaries, if any, pursuant to the terms of any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease, license, or other agreement or instrument to which Subscriber or any of its subsidiaries, if any, is a party, or by which Subscriber or any of its subsidiaries, if any, is bound or to which any of the property or assets of Subscriber or any of its subsidiaries, if any, is subject, which would reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the ability of Subscriber to enter into and timely perform its obligations under, this Subscription Agreement (a “Subscriber Material Adverse Effect”), (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the organizational documents of Subscriber or any of its subsidiaries, if any, or (iii) result in any violation of any law, statute or any judgment, order, rule, regulation or other legally enforceable requirement of any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over Subscriber or any of its subsidiaries, if any, or any of their respective properties that would reasonably be expected to have a Subscriber Material Adverse Effect.
2.1.4 Subscriber is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority, self-regulatory organization or other person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of this Subscription Agreement.
2.1.5 Subscriber is (i) a “qualified institutional buyer” (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act) or an “accredited investor” (within the meaning of Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act) satisfying the applicable requirements set forth on Schedule I attached hereto, (ii) an institutional account as defined in FINRA Rule 4512(c), (iii) acquiring the Shares only for its own account and not for the account of others, or if Subscriber is subscribing for the Shares as a fiduciary or agent for one or more investor accounts, each owner of such account is a qualified institutional buyer, and Subscriber has full investment discretion with respect to each such account, and the full power and authority to make the acknowledgements, representations, warranties, and agreements herein on behalf of each owner of each such account, and (iv) not acquiring the Shares with a view to, or for offer or sale in connection with, any distribution thereof in violation of the Securities Act (and shall provide the requested information on Schedule I attached hereto). Subscriber is not an entity formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the Shares.
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2.1.6 Subscriber is a sophisticated investor, experienced in investing in securities transactions and capable of evaluating investment risks independently, both in general and with regard to all transactions and investment strategies involving a security or securities, and has exercised independent judgment in evaluating its participation in the purchase of the Shares.
2.1.7 Subscriber understands that the Shares are being offered in a transaction not involving any public offering within the meaning of the Securities Act and that the Shares have not been registered under the Securities Act. Subscriber understands that the Shares may not be resold, transferred, pledged, or otherwise disposed of by Subscriber absent an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, except (i) to the Issuer or a subsidiary thereof, (ii) to non-U.S. persons pursuant to offers and sales that occur solely outside the United States within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act, or (iii) pursuant to another applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, and in each of cases (i) and (iii), in accordance with any applicable securities laws of the states and other jurisdictions of the United States, and that any certificates or book entries representing the Shares (if any) shall contain a legend to such effect. Subscriber acknowledges that the Shares will not be eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act. Subscriber understands and agrees that the Shares will be subject to the foregoing transfer restrictions and, as a result of these transfer restrictions, Subscriber may not be able to readily resell the Shares and may be required to bear the financial risk of an investment in the Shares for an indefinite period of time. Subscriber understands that it has been advised to consult legal counsel prior to making any offer, resale, pledge, or transfer of any of the Shares.
2.1.8 Subscriber understands and agrees that Subscriber is purchasing the Shares directly from the Issuer. Subscriber further acknowledges that there have been no representations, warranties, covenants, or agreements made to Subscriber by the Issuer, the Company, the Placement Agents (as defined below) or any of their respective affiliates, officers or directors, expressly or by implication, other than those representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements expressly set forth in this Subscription Agreement, and Subscriber is not relying on any representations, warranties or covenants other than those expressly set forth in this Subscription Agreement.
2.1.9 Subscriber represents and warrants that it (i) is purchasing the Shares for investment, (ii) has no current plan or intention to dispose of or otherwise transfer the Shares and (iii) is under no binding agreement to dispose of or otherwise transfer the Shares.
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2.1.10 2.1.10 If Subscriber is an employee benefit plan that is subject to Title 1 of Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), Subscriber represents and warrants that its acquisition and holding of the Shares will not constitute or result in a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISAthe Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), or any applicable similar law. In making its decision to purchase the Shares, Subscriber represents that it has relied solely upon independent investigation made by Subscriber and the Issuer’s representations, warranties and agreements in Section 2.2 hereof. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Subscriber has not relied on any statements or other information provided by anyone other than the Issuer concerning the Issuer, the Company or the Shares or the offer and sale of the Shares. Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that Subscriber has received access to and has had an adequate opportunity to review such financial and other information as Subscriber deems necessary in order to make an investment decision with respect to the Shares, including with respect to the Issuer, the Company, and the Transactions and has made its own assessment and is satisfied concerning the relevant tax and other economic considerations relevant to the Subscriber’s investment in the Shares. Subscriber acknowledges that it has reviewed the SEC Documents (as defined below). Subscriber represents and agrees that Subscriber and Subscriber’s professional advisor(s), if any, have had the full opportunity to ask such questions, receive such answers, and obtain such information as Subscriber and such Subscriber’s professional advisor(s), if any, have deemed reasonably necessary to make an investment decision with respect to the Shares. Subscriber acknowledges that the Placement Agents (as defined below) and their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and controlling persons have made no independent investigation with respect to the Issuer, the Company or the Shares or the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of any information supplied to the Subscriber by the Issuer and/or the Company. Subscriber acknowledges that (i) it has not relied on any statements or other information provided by any Placement Agent or any of the Placement Agents’ respective affiliates with respect to its decision to invest in the Shares, including information related to the Issuer, the Company, the Shares and the offer and sale of the Shares, (ii) none of the Placement Agents or any of their respective affiliates has prepared any disclosure or offering document in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares and (iii) in connection with the issue and purchase of the Shares, none of the Placement Agents has acted as the Subscriber’s financial advisor or fiduciary.
2.1.11 Subscriber became aware of this offering of the Shares solely by means of direct contact between Subscriber and the Issuer or its representative. Subscriber has a pre-existing substantive relationship (as interpreted in guidance from the Commission (as defined below) under the Securities Act) with the Issuer or its representative, and the Shares were offered to Subscriber solely by direct contact between Subscriber and the Issuer or its representative. Subscriber did not become aware of this offering of the Shares, nor were the Shares offered to Subscriber, by any other means. Subscriber acknowledges that it has not become aware of this offering (i) by any form of general solicitation or general advertising, including methods described in Section 502(c) of Regulation D under the Securities Act, or (ii) in a manner involving a public offering under, or in a distribution in violation of, the Securities Act or any state securities laws.
2.1.12 Subscriber acknowledges that it is aware that there are substantial risks incident to the purchase and ownership of the Shares. Subscriber is able to fend for itself in the transactions contemplated herein, has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Shares, and Subscriber has sought such accounting, legal, and tax advice as Subscriber has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision. The Subscriber understands and acknowledges that the purchase and sale of the Shares hereunder meets (i) the exemptions from filing under FINRA Rule 5123(b)(1)(A) and (ii) the institutional customer exemption under FINRA Rule 2111(b).
2.1.13 Alone, or together with any professional advisor(s), if any, Subscriber has adequately analyzed and fully considered the risks of an investment in the Shares and determined that the Shares are a suitable investment for Subscriber and that Subscriber is able at this time and in the foreseeable future to bear the economic risk of a total loss of Subscriber’s investment in the Issuer. Subscriber acknowledges specifically that a possibility of total loss exists.
2.1.14 Subscriber understands and agrees that no federal or state agency has passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Shares or made any findings or determination as to the fairness of an investment in the Shares.
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2.1.15 Neither Subscriber nor any of its directors, officers, employees or other persons acting on behalf of Subscriber for the purposes of this Subscription Agreement is (i) a person or entity named on the List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, the Executive Order 13599 List, the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List, or the Sectoral Sanctions Identification List, each of which is administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) or in any other Executive Order issued by the President of the United States and administered by OFAC (collectively, “OFAC Lists”), or a person or entity prohibited by any OFAC sanctions program, (ii) owned or controlled by, or acting on behalf of, a person, that is named on an OFAC List; (iii) organized, incorporated, established, located, resident or born in, or a citizen, national, or the government, including any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, of, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, the Crimea region of Ukraine, or any other country or territory embargoed or subject to substantial trade restrictions by the United States, (iv) a Designated National as defined in the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 515, or (v) a non-U.S. shell bank or providing banking services indirectly to a non-U.S. shell bank. Subscriber agrees to provide law enforcement agencies, if requested thereby, such records as required by applicable law; provided, that Subscriber is permitted to do so under applicable law. Subscriber represents that if it is a financial institution subject to the Bank Secrecy Act (31 U.S.C. Section 5311 et seq.), as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and its implementing regulations (collectively, the “BSA/PATRIOT Act”), that Subscriber maintains policies and procedures reasonably designed to comply with applicable obligations under the BSA/PATRIOT Act. Subscriber also represents that, to the extent required, it maintains policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with OFAC-administered sanctions programs, including for the screening of its investors against the OFAC sanctions programs, including the OFAC Lists. Subscriber further represents and warrants that, to the extent required, it maintains policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the funds held by Subscriber and used to purchase the Shares were legally derived.
2.1.16 If Subscriber is an employee benefit plan that is subject to Title I of ERISA, a plan, an individual retirement account or other arrangement that is subject to Section 4975 of the Code or an employee benefit plan that is a governmental plan (as defined in Section 3(32) of ERISA), a church plan (as defined in Section 3(33) of ERISA), a non-U.S. plan (as described in Section 4(b)(4) of ERISA), or other plan that is not subject to the foregoing but may be subject to provisions under any other federal, state, local, non-U.S., or other laws or regulations that are similar to such provisions of ERISA or the Code, or an entity whose underlying assets are considered to include “plan assets” of any such plan, account, or arrangement (each, a “Plan”) subject to the fiduciary or prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, Subscriber represents and warrants that neither the Issuer nor any of its affiliates (the “Transaction Parties”) has acted as the Plan’s fiduciary, or has been relied on for advice, with respect to its decision to acquire and hold the Shares, and none of the Transaction Parties shall at any time be relied upon as the Plan’s fiduciary with respect to any decision to acquire, continue to hold, or transfer the Shares.
2.1.17 Subscriber is not currently (and at all times through Closing will refrain from being or becoming) a member of a “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or any successor provision), including any group acting for the purpose of acquiring, holding, or disposing of equity securities of the Issuer (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act).
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2.1.18 The Subscriber hereby acknowledges and agrees that it will not, nor will any person acting at the Subscriber’s direction or pursuant to any understanding with the Subscriber, directly or indirectly offer, sell, pledge, contract to sell, sell any option, engage in hedging activities or execute any “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act, including all types of direct and indirect stock pledges (other than pledges in the ordinary course of business as part of prime brokerage or other similar financing arrangements), forward sale contracts, options, puts, calls, swaps and similar arrangements (including on a total return basis), and sales and other transactions through non-U.S. broker dealers or foreign regulated brokers, of the Common Stock or the Shares until the consummation of the Transactions (or such earlier termination of this Subscription Agreement in accordance with its terms).
2.1.19 No foreign person (as defined in 31 C.F.R. Part 800.224) in which the national or subnational governments of a single foreign state have a substantial interest (as defined in 31 C.F.R. Part 800.244) will acquire a substantial interest in the Issuer as a result of the purchase and sale of Shares hereunder such that a declaration to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States would be mandatory under 31 C.F.R. Part 800.401, and no foreign person will have control (as defined in 31 C.F.R. Part 800.208) over the Issuer from and after the Closing as a result of the purchase and sale of Shares hereunder.
2.1.20 Subscriber is an entity having total liquid assets and net assets in excess of the Purchase Price as of the date hereof and as of each date the Purchase Price would be required to be paid to the Issuer pursuant to Section 3.
2.1.21 The Subscriber hereby acknowledges that it has been informed that (a) each of X.X. Xxxxxx Securities LLC (“X.X. Xxxxxx”) and Xxxxx Fargo Securities, LLC (“Xxxxx Fargo” and together with X.X. Xxxxxx, in their respective capacities as placement agents with respect to the issuance and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Subscription Agreement and the Other Subscription Agreements, the “Placement Agents”) is each acting solely as Placement Agent in connection with the Transactions and is not acting as an underwriter or in any other capacity and is not and shall not be construed as a fiduciary for the undersigned, the Company or any other person or entity in connection with the Transactions, (b) the Placement Agents have not made and will not make any representation or warranty, whether express or implied, of any kind or character and have not provided any advice or recommendation in connection with the Transactions, (c) the Placement Agents will have no responsibility with respect to (i) any representations, warranties or agreements made by any person or entity under or in connection with the Transactions or any of the documents furnished pursuant thereto or in connection therewith, or the execution, legality, validity or enforceability (with respect to any person) of any thereof, or (ii) the business, affairs, financial condition, operations, properties or prospects of, or any other matter concerning the Company or the Transactions, and (d) the Placement Agents shall have no liability or obligation (including without limitation, for or with respect to any losses, claims, damages, obligations, penalties, judgments, awards, liabilities, costs, expenses or disbursements incurred by the Subscriber, the Company or any other person or entity), whether in contract, tort or otherwise, to the Subscriber, or to any person claiming through the Subscriber, in respect of the Transactions.
2.1.22 No broker, finder, or other financial consultant has acted on behalf of or at the direction of Subscriber in connection with this Subscription Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in such a way as to create any liability on the Issuer, the Company or any of their respective subsidiaries.
2.2 Issuer’s Representations, Warranties, and Agreements. For purposes of this Section 2.2, the term “Issuer” shall refer to the Issuer as of the date hereof and, for purposes of only the representations contained in Sections 2.2.5, 2.2.9, 2.2.15, 2.2.17 and 2.2.18 and to the extent such representations and warranties are made as of the Closing, the combined company after giving effect to the Transactions. To induce Subscriber to purchase the Shares, the Issuer hereby represents and warrants to Subscriber and agrees with Subscriber as follows:
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2.2.1 The Issuer has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), with corporate power and authority to own, lease, and operate its properties and conduct its business as presently conducted and to enter into, deliver, and perform its obligations under this Subscription Agreement.
2.2.2 The Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered to Subscriber against full payment for the Shares will be free and clear of any liens or other restrictions whatsoever in accordance with the terms of this Subscription Agreement and registered with the Issuer’s transfer agent, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable, and will not have been issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive or similar rights created under the Issuer’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation or under the DGCL or otherwise.
2.2.3 This Subscription Agreement has been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Issuer and, assuming that this Subscription Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by Subscriber, is the valid and binding obligation of the Issuer and is enforceable against the Issuer in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited or otherwise affected by (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium, or other laws relating to or affecting the rights of creditors generally and (ii) principles of equity, whether considered at law or equity (including concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith, and fair dealing with respect to those jurisdictions that recognize such concepts).
2.2.4 The execution, delivery, and performance of this Subscription Agreement (including compliance by the Issuer with all of the provisions hereof), issuance and sale of the Shares, and the consummation of the Transactions and certain other transactions contemplated herein will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, or encumbrance upon any of the property or assets of the Issuer or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to the terms of any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease, license, or other agreement or instrument to which the Issuer or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Issuer or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Issuer or any of its subsidiaries is subject, which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Merger Agreement) or a material adverse effect on the assets, business, results of operation or financial operations of the Issuer and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (including the combined company after giving effect to the Transaction), or prevents, materially impairs, materially delays or materially impedes the legal authority of the Issuer to enter into and timely perform its obligations under this Subscription Agreement or the Merger Agreement or to consummate the Transactions or the validity or enforceability of the Shares (collectively, an “Issuer Material Adverse Effect”), (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the organizational documents of the Issuer or any of its subsidiaries, or (iii) result in any violation of any law, statute or any judgment, order, rule, regulation or other legally enforceable requirement of any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Issuer or any of its subsidiaries or any of its and their respective properties that would reasonably be expected to have an Issuer Material Adverse Effect.
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2.2.5 The Issuer is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or self-regulatory organization in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of this Subscription Agreement or the Transactions (including, without limitation, the issuance of the Shares), other than (i) filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), (ii) filings required by applicable state securities laws, (iii) any filings required under the Xxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 or similar antitrust laws, (iv) filings required by Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), including with respect to obtaining Issuer stockholder approval, (v) consents, waivers, authorizations or filings that have been obtained or made on or prior to the Subscription, and (vi) where the failure of which to obtain would not reasonably be expected to have an Issuer Material Adverse Effect or have a material adverse effect on the Issuer’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, including the issuance and sale of the Shares.
2.2.6 Concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Subscription Agreement, the Issuer is entering into the Other Subscription Agreements providing for the sale of an aggregate of [l] Shares for an aggregate value equal to $[l] (including the Shares purchased and sold under this Subscription Agreement). There are no Other Subscription Agreements, side letter agreements or other agreements or understandings (including written summaries of any oral understandings) with any Other Subscriber or any other investor or potential investor with respect to the purchase of equity securities of the Issuer (other than pursuant to the Merger Agreement) which include economic terms that are materially more advantageous to any such Other Subscriber, investor or potential investor (as compared to Subscriber).
2.2.7 Assuming the accuracy of Subscriber’s representations and warranties set forth in Section 2.1 of this Subscription Agreement and each of the Other Subscription Agreements, no registration under the Securities Act is required for the offer and sale of the Shares by the Issuer to Subscriber and the Other Subscribers pursuant to the Other Subscription Agreements.
2.2.8 The Issuer is, and since its date of incorporation, has been, operating in all material respects in a manner that is customary for businesses similar to the Issuer, and the Issuer is conducting and, since its date of incorporation, has conducted its business in material compliance with all applicable laws.
2.2.9 The Issuer is in compliance with all applicable laws, except where such non-compliance would not have a Material Adverse Effect. The Issuer has not received any written, or to its knowledge, other communication from a governmental entity that alleges that the Issuer is not in compliance with or is in default or violation of any applicable law, except where such non-compliance, default or violation would not, individually or in the aggregate, have an Issuer Material Adverse Effect.
2.2.10 The issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Issuer are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and are listed for trading on the Nasdaq under the symbol “GWAC” (it being understood that the trading symbol will be changed in connection with the Closing). There is no suit, action, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge of the Issuer, threatened against the Issuer by Nasdaq or the Commission, respectively, to prohibit or terminate the listing of the Issuer’s Common Stock on Nasdaq or to deregister the Common Stock under the Exchange Act. The Issuer has taken no action that is designed to terminate, or that would reasonably be expected to result in the termination of the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act.
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2.2.11 The Issuer has made available to Subscriber (including via the Commission’s XXXXX system) a true, correct, and complete copy of each form, report, statement, schedule, prospectus, proxy, registration statement, and other documents filed by the Issuer with the Commission prior to the date of this Subscription Agreement (the “SEC Documents”). None of the SEC Documents filed under the Exchange Act, contained, when filed or, if amended prior to the date of this Subscription Agreement, as of the date of such amendment with respect to those disclosures that are amended, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Issuer has timely filed each report, statement, schedule, prospectus, and registration statement that the Issuer was required to file with the Commission since its inception and through the date hereof. There are, and upon Closing there shall be, no material outstanding or unresolved comments in comment letters from the Commission staff with respect to any of the SEC Documents.
2.2.12 The Proxy Statement (as defined in the Merger Agreement), when filed or, if amended, as of the date of such amendment with respect to those disclosures that are amended, will not include 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, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
2.2.13 As of the date hereof and as of immediately prior to the Transactions, the authorized capital stock of the Issuer is 100,000,000 shares, consisting of (a) 100,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, and (b) 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Preferred Shares”). As of the date hereof: (i) no Preferred Shares are issued and outstanding; (ii) 21,478,000 shares of Common Stock are issued and outstanding; and (iii) 8,614,000 warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock (the “Warrants”) are outstanding. All (A) issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and are non-assessable and are not subject to preemptive rights and (B) outstanding Warrants have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and are not subject to preemptive rights. Except as set forth above and pursuant to the Other Subscription Agreements and the Merger Agreement, there are no outstanding options, warrants or other rights to subscribe for, purchase or acquire from the Issuer any shares of Common Stock, or any other equity interests in the Issuer, or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for such equity interests. There are no securities or instruments issued by or to which the Issuer is a party containing anti-dilution or similar provisions that will be triggered by the issuance of the Shares or the shares to be issued pursuant to any Other Subscription Agreement, that have not been or will not be validly waived on or prior to the Closing Date.
2.2.14 The Issuer is not, and immediately after receipt of payment for the Shares will not be, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
2.2.15 Neither the Issuer nor, to the knowledge of the Issuer, any of its officers, in their capacities as such, or the Company, is the subject of or engaged in any action before a governmental authority, arbitration or other dispute resolution process before a third party unrelated to the dispute, whether as claimant, defendant or otherwise, and no such litigation, arbitration or dispute resolution process is pending or threatened in writing on the date hereof, in each case, that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have an Issuer Material Adverse Effect. As of the date hereof, the Issuer is not, nor to the knowledge of the Issuer is any of its officers, in their capacities as such, or the Company, subject to any settlement agreements or arrangements, whether written or oral, or is in discussions for a settlement or arrangement, regarding any disputes or claims, in each case, that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have an Issuer Material Adverse Effect. As of the date of this Subscription Agreement, neither the Issuer nor the Company is a party to or subject to the provisions of any outstanding or unsatisfied judgment, order, writ, injunction, decree or award of any governmental authority (except if generally applicable without the Issuer being named therein) that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have an Issuer Material Adverse Effect.
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2.2.16 Other than to the Placement Agents, no broker, finder, or other financial consultant has acted on behalf of or at the direction of the Issuer in connection with this Subscription Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in such a way as to create any liability on Subscriber.
2.2.17 Neither the Issuer nor any person acting on its behalf has engaged or will engage in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D of the Securities Act) in connection with any offer or sale of the Shares, and are not being offered in a manner involving a public offering under, or in a distribution in violation of, the Securities Act or any state securities laws.
2.2.18 Except as would not reasonably be expected to have an Issuer Material Adverse Effect, (i) the Issuer and its subsidiaries own or possess valid and adequate rights to use any and all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service xxxx registrations, copyrights, licenses and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) used in or necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as presently conducted and as described and as proposed to be conducted, in the SEC Documents, (ii) the conduct of their respective businesses does not conflict in any material respect with any such rights of others, and (iii) the Issuer and its subsidiaries have not received any written notice of any claim of infringement, misappropriation or violation of, or conflict with, any intellectual property right of others.
2.2.19 Since its date of incorporation, neither the Issuer nor, to the Issuer’s knowledge, any of its representatives, have directly or indirectly paid, offered or promised to pay, or authorized or ratified the payment, directly or indirectly, of any monies or anything of value to any national, provincial, municipal or other government official or any political party or candidate for political office for the purpose of influencing any act or decision of such official or of any governmental authority to obtain or retain business, or direct business to any person or to secure any other improper benefit or advantage in each case in violation in any material respect any Anti-Corruption Laws (as defined in the Merger Agreement). The Issuer (x) has instituted policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the Anti-Corruption Laws and other anti-bribery, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws in each jurisdiction in which the Issuer operates and (y) has maintained such policies and procedures in force. To the Issuer’s knowledge, no government official nor any of his or her immediate family members is an officer or director or owns any securities of the Issuer. Since its date of incorporation, neither the Issuer nor, to the Issuer’s knowledge, any of its representatives, has, or is presently or has agreed to become, engaged in any conduct that violates in any material respect any applicable Anti-Corruption Laws. Since its date of incorporation, to the Issuer’s knowledge, the Issuer is not conducting and has not conducted, directly or indirectly, any business (including, without limitation, sales, reselling, licensing or sub-licensing arrangements, funding, making payments, procuring, insurance or otherwise providing assistance or support in connection with operations, business or any other activity) with or for the direct or indirect benefit of or on behalf of any Sanctioned Person (as defined in the Merger Agreement), nor otherwise violated any applicable Sanction (as defined in the Merger Agreement) or Ex-Im Law (as defined in the Merger Agreement).
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2.2.20 As of the date hereof, all representations and warranties of the Company that are contained in the Merger Agreement are true and correct in all material respects, to the knowledge of the Issuer after due inquiry.
3. Settlement Date and Delivery; Closing Conditions.
3.1 The closing of the Subscription contemplated hereby (the “Closing”) is contingent upon the substantially concurrent consummation of the Transactions and shall occur immediately prior to and is conditional upon the subsequent occurrence of, consummation of the Transactions. Upon written notice from (or on behalf of) the Issuer to Subscriber (the “Closing Notice”) at least four (4) Business Days prior to the date that the Issuer reasonably expects all conditions to the closing of the Transactions to be satisfied or waived (the “Expected Closing Date”), Subscriber shall, no later than one (1) Business Day prior to the Expected Closing Date, (x) have entered into that certain master services and supply agreement with the Issuer setting forth the Subscriber’s benefit-in-kind commitment as payment for the Purchase Price for the Shares and (y) deliver to the Issuer such information as is reasonably requested in the Closing Notice in order for the Issuer to issue the Shares to Subscriber, including the legal name of the person in whose name the Shares are to be issued and a duly completed and executed Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 or an appropriate duly completed and executed Internal Revenue Service Form W-8. Unless otherwise agreed by the Company in writing, the Issuer shall deliver the Closing Notice at least four (4) Business Days prior to the date of the Special Meeting. At the Closing, the Issuer shall deliver to Subscriber (i) the Shares in book entry form, free and clear of any liens or other restrictions whatsoever (other than those arising under state or federal securities laws or as set forth herein or in any other agreement between the Issuer and the Subscriber), in the name of Subscriber (or its nominee in accordance with its delivery instructions) and (ii) a copy of the records of the Issuer’s transfer agent showing the Subscriber (or such nominee or custodian) as the owner of the Shares on and as of the Closing. For purposes of this Subscription Agreement, “Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or other day on which commercial banks in New York, New York are authorized or required by law to close.
3.1.1 The obligations of the Issuer to consummate the transactions contemplated hereunder are subject to the satisfaction (or waiver by the Issuer in writing) of the conditions that, at the Closing:
(1) all representations and warranties of the Subscriber contained in this Subscription Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects (other than representations and warranties that are qualified as to materiality which representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all respects) at and as of the Closing, and consummation of the Closing shall constitute a reaffirmation by the Subscriber of each of the representations, warranties and agreements of such party contained in this Subscription Agreement as of the Closing; and
(2) Subscriber shall have performed or complied in all material respects with all agreements and covenants required by this Subscription Agreement required to be performed or complied with at or prior to the Closing, except where the failure of such performance or compliance would not reasonably be expected to prevent, materially delay, or materially impair the ability of the Subscriber to consummate the Closing.
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3.1.2 The obligations of the Subscriber to consummate the transactions contemplated hereunder are subject to the satisfaction (or waiver by the Subscriber in writing) of the conditions that, at the Closing:
(1) all representations and warranties of the Issuer contained in this Subscription Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects (other than representations and warranties that are qualified as to materiality or an Issuer Material Adverse Effect, which representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all respects) at and as of the Closing, and consummation of the Closing shall constitute a reaffirmation of each of the applicable representations, warranties and agreements of the Issuer and the combined company contained in this Subscription Agreement as of the Closing;
(2) the Issuer shall have performed or complied in all material respects with all agreements and covenants required by this Subscription Agreement required to be performed or complied with at or prior to the Closing, except where the failure of such performance or compliance would not or would not reasonably be expected to prevent, materially delay, or materially impair the ability of the Issuer to consummate the Closing;
(3) no suspension of the qualification of the Common Stock for offering or sale or trading in any jurisdiction, or initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any such purposes shall have occurred, and the Shares shall have been approved for listing on Nasdaq (subject to official notice of issuance); and
(4) the Merger Agreement shall not have been amended to, and there shall have been no waiver or modification to the Merger Agreement that would, materially and adversely affect the undersigned relative to the economic benefits that the Subscriber would reasonably expect to receive under this Subscription Agreement without the Subscriber’s prior written consent.
3.1.3 The obligations of each of the Issuer and the Subscriber to consummate the transactions contemplated hereunder are subject to the satisfaction of the conditions that, at the Closing:
(1) no governmental authority of competent jurisdiction shall have enacted, issued, promulgated, enforced or entered any law, rule, regulation, judgment, decree, executive order or award after the date hereof which is then in effect and has the effect of making the Subscription illegal or otherwise prohibiting consummation of the Subscription;
(2) all conditions precedent to the closing of the Transactions set forth in the Merger Agreement, including all necessary approvals of the Issuer’s stockholders and regulatory approvals, if any, shall have been satisfied or waived (other than those conditions that may only be satisfied at the closing of the Transactions, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver of such conditions as of the closing of the Transactions); and
(3) the Transactions shall have been or will be consummated concurrently with the Closing.
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4. Registration Statement.
4.1 The Issuer agrees that, Subscriber may make a written demand for a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective (a “Registration”), for resale of the Shares (the “Registrable Securities”), which written demand shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such Registration and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof (such written demand a “Demand Registration”). Following a Demand Registration, the Subscriber shall be entitled to have its Registrable Securities included in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration and the Issuer shall file, as soon thereafter as practicable, but not more than thirty (30) days immediately after the Issuer’s receipt of the Demand Registration (the “Filing Date”), the Registration of all Registrable Securities requested by the Subscriber pursuant to such Demand Registration. Under no circumstances shall the Company be obligated to effect more than one (1) Demand Registrations under this Agreement with respect to any or all of the Registrable Securities; provided, however, that a Registration shall not be counted for such purposes unless a Form S-1 or any similar long-form registration statement that may be available at such time (“Form S-1”) has become effective and all of the Registrable Securities requested by the Subscriber to be registered on behalf of the Subscriber in such Form S-1 Registration have been sold. The Subscriber shall not have any right to a Demand Registration before the day that is 30 days before the expiration of the Lock-Up Period (as defined below).
4.2 The Subscriber shall have the right to withdraw from a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Issuer and the underwriter or underwriters (if any) of its intention to withdraw from such Registration at least three (3) business days prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Registration of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration (or in the case of an underwritten registration pursuant to Rule 415, at least five (5) business days prior to the time of pricing of the applicable offering).
4.3 The Issuer shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to have the registration statement with respect to the Registrable Securities (the “Registration Statement”) declared effective as soon as practicable after the filing thereof (such date, the “Effectiveness Date”), provided that no request to accelerate effectiveness of such Registration Statement shall be made prior to the end of the Lock-Up Period (as defined below) and; provided, further, that the Issuer’s obligations to include the Registrable Securities in the Registration Statement are contingent upon Subscriber furnishing a completed and executed selling shareholders questionnaire in customary form to the Issuer that contains the information required by Commission rules for a Registration Statement regarding Subscriber, the securities of the Issuer held by Subscriber, and the intended method of disposition of the Registrable Securities to effect the registration of the Registrable Securities, and Subscriber shall execute such documents in connection with such registration as the Issuer may reasonably request that are customary of a selling stockholder in similar situations, including providing that the Issuer shall be entitled to postpone and suspend the effectiveness or use of the Registration Statement during any customary blackout or similar period or as permitted hereunder; provided that, except pursuant to this Agreement, the Subscriber shall not in connection with the foregoing be required to execute any lock-up or similar agreement or otherwise be subject to any contractual restriction on the ability to transfer the Shares. Any failure by the Issuer to file the Registration Statement by the Filing Date or to effect such Registration Statement by the Effectiveness Date shall not otherwise relieve the Issuer of its obligations to file or effect the Registration Statement as set forth above in this Section 4. Unless required under applicable laws and Commission rules, in no event shall the Subscriber be identified as a statutory underwriter in the Registration Statement; provided, that if the Subscriber is required to be so identified as a statutory underwriter in the Registration Statement, the Subscriber will have an opportunity to withdraw its Registrable Securities from the Registration Statement.
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4.4 In the case of the registration effected by the Issuer pursuant to this Subscription Agreement, the Issuer shall, upon reasonable request, inform Subscriber as to the status of such registration. At its expense, the Issuer shall:
4.4.1 except for such times as the Issuer is permitted hereunder to suspend the use of the prospectus forming part of a Registration Statement, use its commercially reasonable efforts to keep such registration, and any qualification, exemption, or compliance under state securities laws which the Issuer determines to obtain, continuously effective with respect to Subscriber, and to keep the applicable Registration Statement or any subsequent shelf registration statement free of any material misstatements or omissions, until the earlier of the following: (i) Subscriber ceases to hold any Registrable Securities; (ii) the date all Registrable Securities held by Subscriber may be sold without restriction under Rule 144, including without limitation, any volume and manner of sale restrictions which may be applicable to affiliates under Rule 144 and without the requirement for the Issuer to be in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144(c)(1) (or Rule 144(i)(2), if applicable) and (iii) three years from the date of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement;
4.4.2 advise Subscriber as expeditiously as reasonably possible (and not later than within three (3) Business Days)::
(a) when a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has become effective;
(b) after it shall receive notice or obtain knowledge thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of any Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for such purpose;
(c) of the receipt by the Issuer of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Registrable Securities included therein for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and
(d) subject to the provisions in this Subscription Agreement, of the occurrence of any event that requires the making of any changes in any Registration Statement or prospectus so that, as of such date, the statements therein are not misleading and do not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of a prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Issuer shall not, when so advising Subscriber of such events, provide Subscriber with any material, nonpublic information regarding the Issuer other than to the extent that providing notice to Subscriber of the occurrence of the events listed in (a) through (d) above may constitute material, nonpublic information regarding the Issuer; Subscriber hereby consents to receipt of any material, non-public information with respect to the occurrence of the events listed in (a) through (d) above;
4.4.3 use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of any Registration Statement as soon as reasonably practicable;
4.4.4 upon the occurrence of any event contemplated in Section 4.2.2(d), except for such times as the Issuer is permitted hereunder to suspend, and has suspended, the use of a prospectus forming part of a Registration Statement, the Issuer shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to as soon as reasonably practicable prepare a post-effective amendment to such Registration Statement or a supplement to the related prospectus, or file any other required document, so that, as thereafter delivered to purchasers of the Registrable Securities included therein, such prospectus will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and
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4.4.5 use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause all Shares to be listed on each securities exchange or market, if any, on which the Issuer’s Common Stock is then listed.
4.5 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Subscription Agreement, if the Commission prevents the Issuer from including in the Registration Statement any or all of the Shares due to limitations on the use of Rule 415 of the Securities Act for the resale of the Shares by the Subscriber, the Registration Statement shall register for resale such number of Shares which is equal to the maximum number of Shares as is permitted by the Commission. In such event, as promptly as practicable after being permitted to register additional Shares under Rule 415 under the Securities Act, the Issuer shall use commercially reasonable efforts to amend the Registration Statement or file a new Registration Statement to register such Shares not included in the initial Registration Statement.
4.6 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Subscription Agreement, the Issuer shall be entitled to delay or postpone the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and from time to time to require Subscriber not to sell under the Registration Statement or to suspend the effectiveness thereof, if it determines that in order for the Registration Statement not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, (i) an amendment thereto would be needed to include information that would at that time not otherwise be required in a current, quarterly, or annual report under the Exchange Act, (ii) the negotiation or consummation of a transaction by Issuer or its subsidiaries is pending or an event has occurred, which negotiation, consummation or event Issuer’s board of directors reasonably believes would require additional disclosure by Issuer in the Registration Statement of material information that Issuer has a bona fide business purpose for keeping confidential and the non-disclosure of which in the Registration Statement would be expected, in the reasonable determination of Issuer’s board of directors to cause the Registration Statement to fail to comply with applicable disclosure requirements (each such circumstance, a “Suspension Event”); provided, however, that the Issuer may not delay or suspend the Registration Statement on more than two (2) occasions or for more than forty-five (45) consecutive calendar days, or more than ninety (90) total calendar days, in each case during any twelve (12) month period. Upon receipt of any written notice from the Issuer of the happening of any Suspension Event during the period that the Registration Statement is effective or if as a result of a Suspension Event the Registration Statement or related prospectus contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made (in the case of the prospectus) not misleading, Subscriber agrees that (a) it will immediately discontinue offers and sales of the Shares under the Registration Statement until Subscriber receives copies of a supplemental or amended prospectus (which the Issuer agrees to promptly prepare) that corrects the misstatement(s) or omission(s) referred to above and receives notice that any post-effective amendment has become effective or unless otherwise notified by the Issuer that it may resume such offers and sales, and (b) it will maintain the confidentiality of any information included in such written notice delivered by the Issuer as required by law. If so directed by the Issuer, Subscriber will deliver to the Issuer or, in Subscriber’s sole discretion destroy, all copies of the prospectus covering the Shares in Subscriber’s possession; provided, however, that this obligation to deliver or destroy all copies of the prospectus covering the Shares shall not apply (1) to the extent Subscriber is required to retain a copy of such prospectus (A) in order to comply with applicable legal, regulatory, self-regulatory, or professional requirements, or (B) in accordance with a bona fide pre-existing document retention policy, or (2) to copies stored electronically on archival servers as a result of automatic data back-up.
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5. Lock-Up.
5.1 For purposes of this Section 4:
5.1.1 The term “Affiliate” means, with respect to any specified Person, any Person that, directly or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such specified Person, through one or more intermediaries or otherwise;
5.1.2 the term “Permitted Transferees” means any Person to whom the Subscriber is permitted to transfer the Shares prior to the expiration of the Lock-up Period pursuant to Section 4.2;
5.1.3 the term “Lock-Up Period” means the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the date that is six (6) months after the Closing Date;
5.1.4 the term “Transfer” means the (A) sale of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, with respect to, any security, (B) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (C) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (A) or (B).
5.2 Notwithstanding the restriction set forth in Section 4.3, the Subscriber or its Permitted Transferees may Transfer the Shares during the Lock-Up Period (i) to Subscriber’s officers or directors, (ii) to any Affiliates of the Subscriber; (iii) in respect of (i) or (ii), in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of such individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such individual’s immediate family, an Affiliate of such individual or to a charitable organization; (iv) in respect of (i), (ii) or (iii), in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such individual; or (v) by virtue of the laws of the State of Delaware.
5.3 The Subscriber hereby agrees that it shall not, and shall cause any of its Permitted Transferees not to, Transfer any Shares during the Lock-Up Period.
5.4 If any Transfer is made or attempted contrary to the provisions of this Agreement, such Transfer shall be null and void ab initio, and the Issuer shall refuse to recognize any such transferee of the Shares as one of its equity holders for any purpose. In order to enforce this Section 4, the Issuer may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Shares (and any permitted transferees and assigns thereof) until the end of the Lock-Up Period.
(a) During the Lock-Up Period, each certificate (if any are issued) evidencing any Shares shall be stamped or otherwise imprinted with a legend in substantially the following form, in addition to any other applicable legends:
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER SET FORTH IN A SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT, DATED AS OF MARCH [l], 2021, BY AND AMONG THE ISSUER OF SUCH SECURITIES (THE “ISSUER”) AND THE ISSUER’S SECURITY HOLDER NAMED THEREIN, AS AMENDED. A COPY OF SUCH SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT WILL BE FURNISHED WITHOUT CHARGE BY THE ISSUER TO THE HOLDER HEREOF UPON WRITTEN REQUEST.”
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(b) For the avoidance of any doubt, the Subscriber shall retain all of its rights as a shareholder of the Issuer with respect to the Shares during the Lock-Up Period, including the right to vote any Shares.
5.5 Pursuant that certain registration rights agreement among the Issuer and the Subscriber, among others, to be entered into contemporaneously with Closing, the Issuer will grant certain registration rights to the Subscriber for resale of the Shares under the Securities Act.
6. Termination. Except for the provisions of this Section 5 and Section 6, which shall survive any termination hereunder, this Subscription Agreement shall terminate and be void and of no further force and effect, and all rights and obligations of the parties hereunder shall terminate without any further liability on the part of any party in respect thereof, upon the earliest to occur of (i) the Merger Agreement is validly terminated in accordance with its terms, (ii) upon the mutual written agreement of the Company and each of the parties hereto to terminate this Subscription Agreement and (iii) the date that is six months from the date hereof, if the Closing has not occurred by such date;; provided, that nothing herein will relieve any party from liability for any willful breach hereof prior to the time of termination, and each party will be entitled to any remedies at law or in equity to recover losses, liabilities, or damages arising from such breach. The Issuer shall promptly notify Subscriber of the termination of the Merger Agreement promptly after the termination of such agreement (if applicable), and any monies paid by the Subscriber to the Issuer in connection herewith shall promptly (and in any event within one (1) Business Day) following a termination be returned to the Subscriber without any deduction for or on account of any tax withholding, charges or set-off, in each case, to the extent permitted by law.
7. Miscellaneous.
7.1 Further Assurances. The parties hereto shall execute and deliver such additional documents and take such additional actions as the parties reasonably may deem to be practical and necessary in order, or cause to be taken, all things necessary, proper or advisable to consummate the Subscription as contemplated by this Subscription Agreement on the terms and conditions described herein no later than immediately prior to the Closing.
7.1.1 Subscriber acknowledges that the Issuer, the Company, and others will rely on the acknowledgments, understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties made by Subscriber contained in this Subscription Agreement. Prior to the Closing, Subscriber agrees to promptly notify the Issuer and the Company if any of the acknowledgments, understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties set forth herein are no longer accurate in all material respects.
7.1.2 Each of the Issuer, Subscriber, and the Company is entitled to rely upon this Subscription Agreement and is irrevocably authorized to produce this Subscription Agreement or a copy hereof to any interested party in any administrative or legal proceeding or official inquiry with respect to the matters covered hereby.
7.1.3 The Issuer may request from Subscriber such additional information as the Issuer may reasonably deem necessary to evaluate the eligibility of Subscriber to acquire the Shares, and Subscriber shall promptly provide such information as may be reasonably requested to the extent readily available and to the extent consistent with its internal policies and procedures; provided that the Issuer expressly agrees to keep any such information provided by the Subscriber confidential, except as required by the applicable securities laws or pursuant to proceedings of regulatory authorities.
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7.1.4 Subscriber shall pay all of its own expenses in connection with this Subscription Agreement and the transactions contemplated herein.
7.1.5 Each of Subscriber and the Issuer shall take, or cause to be taken, all actions and do, or cause to be done, all things necessary, proper, or advisable to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Subscription Agreement on the terms and conditions described therein no later than immediately prior to the consummation of the Transactions.
7.2 Notices. Any notice or communication required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and either delivered personally, emailed, sent by overnight mail via a reputable overnight carrier, or sent by certified or registered mail, postage prepaid, and shall be deemed to be given and received (i) when so delivered personally, (ii) when sent, with no mail undeliverable or other rejection notice, if sent by email, or (iii) three (3) Business Days after the date of mailing to the address below or to such other address or addresses as such person may hereafter designate by notice given hereunder:
(a) | if to Subscriber, to such address or addresses set forth on Subscriber’s signature page hereto; |
(b) | if to the Issuer, to: |
Good
Works Acquisition Corp.
0000 Xxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attention: Xxxx Xxxxxxxx
Email: xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
with a required copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx LLP
000 X Xxxxxx XX Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxx Xx Xxxxxxx
Email: xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
(c) | if to the Company, to: |
Cipher
Mining Technologies Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, #000
Xxx, XX 00000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx of America
Attn: Tyler
Page
E-mail: Xxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxx (London) LLP
00 Xxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx XX0X 0XX
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Attn: | J. Xxxxx Xxxxxxx |
Xxxx Xxxxxxxx
E-mail: | x.xxxxx.xxxxxxx@xx.xxx xxxx.xxxxxxxx@xx.xxx |
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7.3 Entire Agreement. This Subscription Agreement constitutes the entire agreement, and supersedes all other prior agreements, understandings, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, among the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof, including any commitment letter entered into relating to the subject matter hereof.
7.4 Modifications; Amendments; Waivers. This Subscription Agreement may not be amended, modified, supplemented, or waived (i) except by an instrument in writing, signed by the party against whom enforcement of such amendment, modification, supplement, or waiver is sought and (ii) without the prior written consent of the Company. No failure or delay of either party in exercising any right or remedy hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such right or power, or any course of conduct, preclude any other or further exercise thereto or the exercise of any other right or power.
7.5 Assignment. Neither this Subscription Agreement nor any rights, interests, or obligations that may accrue to the parties hereunder (including Subscriber’s rights to purchase the Shares) may be transferred or assigned without the prior written consent of each of the Company and the other party hereto (other than the Shares acquired hereunder and then only in accordance with this Subscription Agreement).
7.6 Benefit.
7.6.1 Except as otherwise provided herein, this Subscription Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives, and permitted assigns, and the agreements, representations, warranties, covenants, and acknowledgments contained herein shall be deemed to be made by, and be binding upon, such heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives, and permitted assigns. The parties hereto agree that each of the Company and its subsidiaries are express third-party beneficiaries (the “Beneficiaries”) of this Subscription Agreement. Each of the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that (i) each of the Beneficiaries shall be entitled to seek and obtain equitable relief, without proof of actual damages, including an injunction or injunctions or order for specific performance to prevent breaches of this Subscription Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Subscription Agreement to cause the Issuer to cause, or directly cause, Subscriber to pay the Purchase Price and cause the Closing to occur substantially concurrently with the Transactions, and (ii) without in any way limiting the foregoing, the Company is an express-third party beneficiary of Sections 3 (Closing), 5, (Termination), 6.1 (Further Assurances), 6.4 (Modifications and Amendments), 6.5 (Assignment), 6.11 (Remedies) and 7.2 (Cleansing Statement; Disclosure ) and shall be entitled to seek and obtain equitable relief, without proof of actual damages, including an injunction or injunctions or order for specific performance to prevent breaches of its rights referenced therein. Each party hereto further agrees that each of the Beneficiaries is an express third-party beneficiary of this Section 6.6 and that none of the parties hereto or any of the Beneficiaries shall be required to obtain, furnish, or post any bond or similar instrument in connection with or as a condition to obtaining any remedy referred to in this Section 6.6.1, and each party hereto irrevocably waives any right it may have to require the obtaining, furnishing, or posting of any such bond of similar instrument.
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7.6.2 Each of the Issuer and Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that (i) this Subscription Agreement is being entered into in order to induce each of the parties to the Merger Agreement to execute and deliver the Merger Agreement and without the representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements of the Issuer and Subscriber hereunder, the Company would not enter into the Merger Agreement, and (ii) each representation, warranty, covenant, and agreement of the Issuer and Subscriber hereunder is being made also for the benefit of the Company and the Beneficiaries.
7.6.3 Each of the Issuer and Subscriber further acknowledge and agree that the Placement Agents are third-party beneficiaries of the representations and warranties of the Issuer and Subscriber contained in this Subscription Agreement.
7.7 Governing Law. This Subscription Agreement, and any claim or cause of action hereunder based upon, arising out of or related to this Subscription Agreement (whether based on law, in equity, in contract, in tort, or any other theory) or the negotiation, execution, performance, or enforcement of this Subscription Agreement, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Delaware, including its statute of limitations, without giving effect to principles or rules of conflicts of law thereof to the extent they would require or permit the application of laws or statute of limitations of another jurisdiction.
7.8 Consent to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial. Each of the parties irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware; provided, that if subject matter jurisdiction over the matter that is the subject of the legal proceeding is vested exclusively in the U.S. federal courts, such legal proceeding shall be heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (together with the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, the “Chosen Courts”), in connection with any matter based upon or arising out of this Subscription Agreement. Each party hereby waives, and shall not assert as a defense in any legal dispute, that (i) such person is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of the Chosen Courts for any reason, (ii) such legal proceeding may not be brought or is not maintainable in the Chosen Courts, (iii) such person’s property is exempt or immune from execution, (iv) such legal proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum, or (v) the venue of such legal proceeding is improper. Each party hereby consents to service of process in any such proceeding in any manner permitted by Delaware law, further consents to service of process by nationally recognized overnight courier service guaranteeing overnight delivery, or by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, at its address specified pursuant to Section 6.2, and waives and covenants not to assert or plead any objection which they might otherwise have to such manner of service of process. Notwithstanding the foregoing in this Section 6.8, a party may commence any action, claim, cause of action, or suit in a court other than the Chosen Courts solely for the purpose of enforcing an order or judgment issued by the Chosen Courts. TO THE EXTENT NOT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW WHICH CANNOT BE WAIVED, EACH OF THE PARTIES WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY ON ANY CLAIMS OR COUNTERCLAIMS ASSERTED IN ANY LEGAL DISPUTE RELATING TO THIS SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT WHETHER NOW EXISTING OR HEREAFTER ARISING. IF THE SUBJECT MATTER OF ANY SUCH LEGAL DISPUTE IS ONE IN WHICH THE WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL IS PROHIBITED, NO PARTY SHALL ASSERT IN SUCH LEGAL DISPUTE A NONCOMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT. FURTHERMORE, NO PARTY SHALL SEEK TO CONSOLIDATE ANY SUCH LEGAL DISPUTE WITH A SEPARATE ACTION OR OTHER LEGAL PROCEEDING IN WHICH A JURY TRIAL CANNOT BE WAIVED.
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7.9 Severability. If any provision of this Subscription Agreement shall be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the validity, legality, or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Subscription Agreement shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and shall continue in full force and effect.
7.10 No Waiver of Rights, Powers, and Remedies. No failure or delay by a party hereto in exercising any right, power, or remedy under this Subscription Agreement, and no course of dealing between the parties hereto, shall operate as a waiver of any such right, power, or remedy of such party. No single or partial exercise of any right, power, or remedy under this Subscription Agreement by a party hereto, nor any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce any such right, power, or remedy, shall preclude such party from any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power, or remedy hereunder. The election of any remedy by a party hereto shall not constitute a waiver of the right of such party to pursue other available remedies. No notice to or demand on a party not expressly required under this Subscription Agreement shall entitle the party receiving such notice or demand to any other or further notice or demand in similar or other circumstances or constitute a waiver of the rights of the party giving such notice or demand to any other or further action in any circumstances without such notice or demand.
7.11 Remedies.
7.11.1 The parties agree that the Issuer and the Beneficiaries would suffer irreparable damage if this Subscription Agreement was not performed or the Closing is not consummated in accordance with its specific terms or was otherwise breached and that money damages or other legal remedies would not be an adequate remedy for any such damage. It is accordingly agreed that the Issuer and each of the Beneficiaries shall be entitled to equitable relief, including in the form of an injunction or injunctions, to prevent breaches or threatened breaches of this Subscription Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Subscription Agreement in an appropriate court of competent jurisdiction as set forth in Section 6.8, this being in addition to any other remedy to which any party is entitled at law or in equity, including money damages. The right to specific enforcement shall include the right of the Issuer and each of the Beneficiaries to cause the parties hereto to cause the transactions contemplated hereby to be consummated on the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth in this Subscription Agreement (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the right to directly enforce each of the covenants and agreements of Subscriber under this Subscription Agreement). The parties hereto further agree (i) to waive any requirement for the security or posting of any bond in connection with any such equitable remedy, (ii) not to assert that a remedy of specific enforcement pursuant to this Section 6.11 is unenforceable, invalid, contrary to applicable law, or inequitable for any reason, and (iii) to waive any defenses in any action for specific performance, including the defense that a remedy at law would be adequate. In connection with any Action for which any of the Beneficiaries is being granted an award of money damages, each of the Issuer and Subscriber agrees that such damages, to the extent payable by such party, shall include, without limitation, damages related to the cash consideration that is or was to be paid to the Company and any Pre-Closing Holder under the Merger Agreement and/or in connection with this Subscription Agreement and such damages are not limited to an award of out-of-pocket fees and expenses related to the Merger Agreement and/or this Subscription Agreement.
7.11.2 The parties acknowledge and agree that this Section 6.11 is an integral part of the transactions contemplated hereby and without that right, the parties hereto would not have entered into this Subscription Agreement.
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7.11.3 In any dispute arising out of or related to this Subscription Agreement, or any other agreement, document, instrument, or certificate contemplated hereby, or any transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, the applicable adjudicating body shall award to the prevailing party, if any, the reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and attorneys’ fees reasonably incurred by the prevailing party in connection with the dispute and the enforcement of its rights under this Subscription Agreement or any other agreement, document, instrument, or certificate contemplated hereby, and, if the adjudicating body determines a party to be the prevailing party under circumstances where the prevailing party won on some but not all of the claims and counterclaims, the adjudicating body may award the prevailing party an appropriate percentage of the costs and attorneys’ fees reasonably incurred by the prevailing party in connection with the adjudication and the enforcement of its rights under this Subscription Agreement or any other agreement, document, instrument, or certificate contemplated hereby or thereby.
7.12 Survival of Representations and Warranties. All representations and warranties made by the parties hereto in this Subscription Agreement shall survive the Closing. For the avoidance of doubt, if for any reason the Closing does not occur prior to the consummation of the Transactions, all representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements of the parties hereunder shall survive the consummation of the Transactions and remain in full force and effect.
7.13 Headings and Captions. The headings and captions of the various subdivisions of this Subscription Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall in no way modify or affect the meaning or construction of any of the terms or provisions hereof.
7.14 Counterparts. This Subscription Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other parties, it being understood that the parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission, email, or any other form of electronic delivery, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such signature page were an original thereof.
7.15 Construction. The words “include,” “includes,” and “including” will be deemed to be followed by “without limitation.” Pronouns in masculine, feminine, and neuter genders will be construed to include any other gender, and words in the singular form will be construed to include the plural and vice versa, unless the context otherwise requires. The words “this Subscription Agreement,” “herein,” “hereof,” “hereby,” “hereunder,” and words of similar import refer to this Subscription Agreement as a whole and not to any particular subdivision unless expressly so limited. The parties hereto intend that each representation, warranty, and covenant contained herein will have independent significance. If any party hereto has breached any representation, warranty, or covenant contained herein in any respect, the fact that there exists another representation, warranty, or covenant relating to the same subject matter (regardless of the relative levels of specificity) which such party hereto has not breached will not detract from or mitigate the fact that such party hereto is in breach of the first representation, warranty, or covenant. All references in this Subscription Agreement to numbers of shares, per share amounts, and purchase prices shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend, stock combination, recapitalization, or the like occurring after the date hereof.
7.16 Mutual Drafting. This Subscription Agreement is the joint product of the parties hereto and each provision hereof has been subject to the mutual consultation, negotiation, and agreement of the parties and shall not be construed for or against any party hereto.
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8. Cleansing Statement; Disclosure.
8.1 The Issuer shall, by 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the first (1st) Business Day immediately following the date of this Subscription Agreement, issue one (1) or more press releases or file with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K (collectively the “Disclosure Document”) disclosing all material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Other Subscription Agreements and the Transactions and any other material, nonpublic information that the Issuer, the Company, any of their respective subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, affiliates or agents has provided to the Subscriber at any time. prior to the filing of such Disclosure Document. As of immediately following the filing of the Disclosure Document, to the knowledge of the Issuer, the Subscriber shall not be in possession of any material, non-public information received from the Issuer, the Company, any of their respective subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, affiliates or agents that is not disclosed in the Disclosure Document or in prior filings with the Commission. In addition, effective upon the filing of the Disclosure Document, the Issuer acknowledges and agrees that any and all confidentiality obligations under any agreement, whether written or oral, between the Issuer or any of its agents, on the one hand, and the Subscriber or any of its affiliates, on the other hand, shall terminate and be of no further force or effect.
8.2 Subscriber hereby consents to the publication and disclosure in (i) the Form 8-K filed by the Issuer with the Commission in connection with the execution and delivery of the Merger Agreement, the Proxy Statement, or any other filing with the Commission pursuant to applicable securities laws, in each case, as and (ii) to the extent required by the federal securities laws or, exchange rules, the Commission or any other securities authorities, and (iii) any other filings, documents or communications provided by the Issuer or the Company to any governmental authority or to securityholders of the Issuer, in each case, as and to the extent required by applicable law or the Commission or any other governmental authority, of Subscriber’s name and identity and the nature of Subscriber’s commitments, arrangements, and understandings under and relating to this Subscription Agreement and, if deemed required or appropriate by the Issuer and/or the Company, a copy of this Subscription Agreement. Subscriber will promptly provide any information reasonably requested by the Issuer and/ or the Company for any regulatory application or filing made or approval sought in connection with the Transactions (including filings with the Commission). Notwithstanding anything in this Subscription Agreement to the contrary, the Issuer shall not (and shall cause the Company not to), without the prior written consent of the Subscriber, publicly disclose the name of the Subscriber or any of its affiliates or advisers, or include the name of the Subscriber or any of its affiliates or advisers, in any press release or marketing materials.
9. Trust Account Waiver. Subscriber acknowledges that the Issuer has established a trust account containing the proceeds of its initial public offering and from certain private placements (collectively, with interest accrued from time to time thereon, the “Trust Account”). Subscriber agrees that (i) it has no right, title, interest, or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account, and (ii) it shall have no right of set-off or any right, title, interest, or claim of any kind (“Claim”) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, in each case in connection with this Subscription Agreement, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have in connection with this Subscription Agreement; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 8 shall be deemed to limit Subscriber’s right, title, interest, or claim to the Trust Account by virtue of such Subscriber’s record or beneficial ownership of securities of the Issuer acquired by any means other than pursuant to this Subscription Agreement, including any redemption right with respect to any such securities of the Issuer. In the event Subscriber has any Claim against the Issuer under this Subscription Agreement, Subscriber shall pursue such Claim solely against the Issuer and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the property or any monies in the Trust Account. Subscriber agrees and acknowledges that such waiver is material to this Subscription Agreement and has been specifically relied upon by the Issuer to induce the Issuer to enter into this Subscription Agreement and Subscriber further intends and understands such waiver to be valid, binding, and enforceable under applicable law. In the event Subscriber, in connection with this Subscription Agreement, commences any action or proceeding which seeks, in whole or in part, relief against the funds held in the Trust Account or distributions therefrom or any of the Issuer’s stockholders, whether in the form of monetary damages or injunctive relief, Subscriber shall be obligated to pay to the Issuer all of its legal fees and costs in connection with any such action in the event that the Issuer prevails in such action or proceeding.
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10. Rule 144. From and after such time as the benefits of Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act or any other similar rule or regulation of the Commission that may allow Subscriber to sell securities of the Issuer to the public without registration are available to holders of the Issuer’s common stock and for so long as the Subscriber holds Shares, the Issuer agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to:
10.1 make and keep public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144;
10.2 file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Issuer under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so long as the Issuer remains subject to such requirements and the filing of such reports and other documents is required for the applicable provisions of Rule 144; and
10.3 furnish to Subscriber, promptly upon Subscriber’s reasonable request, (i) a written statement by the Issuer, if true, that it has complied with the reporting requirements of Rule 144, the Securities Act, and the Exchange Act, (ii) a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Issuer and such other reports and documents so filed by the Issuer, and (iii) such other information as may be reasonably requested to permit Subscriber to sell such securities pursuant to Rule 144 without registration.
If in the opinion of counsel to the Issuer, it is then permissible to remove the restrictive legend from the Shares pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, then at Subscriber’s request, the Issuer will request its transfer agent to remove the legend set forth in Section 2.1.6. In connection therewith, if reasonably required by the Issuer’s transfer agent, the Issuer will, at Subscriber’s sole expense, reasonably promptly cause an opinion of counsel to be delivered to and maintained with its transfer agent, together with any other authorizations, certificates, and directions required by the transfer agent from the Issuer or Subscriber that authorize and direct the transfer agent remove the restrictive legend from such Shares; provided, that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Issuer will not be required to deliver any such opinion, authorization, certificate, or direction if it reasonably believes that removal of the legend could result in or facilitate transfers of securities in violation of applicable law.
[Signature Pages Follow]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the Issuer and Subscriber has executed or caused this Subscription Agreement to be executed by its duly authorized representative as of the date set forth below.
GOOD WORKS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Subscription Agreement]
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Accepted and agreed this [l] day of [l], 2021.
SUBSCRIBER: | ||||
Signature of Subscriber: | Signature of Joint Subscriber, if applicable: | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Name: | |||
Title: | Title: | |||
Date: March [l], 2021 | ||||
Name of Subscriber: | Name of Joint Subscriber, if applicable: | |||
(Please print. Please indicate name and capacity of person signing above.) | (Please print. Please indicate name and capacity of person signing above.) | |||
Name in which securities are to be registered (if different from the name of Subscriber listed directly above.) | ||||
Email Address: | ||||
If there are joint investors, please check one: | ||||
☐ Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship | ||||
☐ Tenants-in-Common | ||||
☐ Community Property | ||||
Subscriber’s EIN: _________________________ | Joint Subscriber’s EIN:_____________________________ | |||
Business Address-Street: | Mailing Address-Street (if different): | |||
City, State, Zip | City, State, Zip | |||
Attn: ___________________________________ | Attn: ___________________________________ | |||
Telephone No.: ________________________________ | Telephone No.: __________________________________ | |||
Facsimile No.: _________________________________ | Facsimile No.: __________________________________ | |||
Aggregate Number of Shares subscribed for: | ||||
Five million (5,000,000) | ||||
Aggregate Purchase Price: | ||||
$50,000,000.00 |
[Signature Page to Subscription Agreement]
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SCHEDULE I
ELIGIBILITY REPRESENTATIONS OF SUBSCRIBER
A. | QUALIFIED
INSTITUTIONAL BUYER STATUS (Please check the applicable subparagraphs): |
1. | ☐ We are a “qualified institutional buyer” (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) (a “QIB”)) and have marked and initialed the appropriate box on the following pages indicating the provision under which we qualify as a QIB. |
2. | ☐ We are subscribing for the Shares as a fiduciary or agent for one or more investor accounts, and each owner of such account is a QIB. |
*** OR ***
B. | ACCREDITED INVESTOR STATUS |
(Please check the applicable subparagraphs):
1. | ☐ We are an “accredited investor” (within the meaning of Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act) or an entity in which all of the equity holders are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act, and have marked and initialed the appropriate box on the following page indicating the provision under which we qualify as an “accredited investor.” |
2. | ☐ We are not a natural person. |
*** AND ***
C. | AFFILIATE
STATUS (Please check the applicable box) |
SUBSCRIBER:
☐ | is: |
☐ | is not: |
an “affiliate” (as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act) of the Issuer or acting on behalf of an affiliate of the Issuer.
This
page should be completed by Subscriber
and constitutes a part of the Subscription Agreement.
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The Subscriber is a “qualified institutional buyer” (within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act) if it is an entity that meets any one of the following categories at the time of the sale of securities to the Subscriber (Please check the applicable subparagraphs):
☐ The Subscriber is an entity that, acting for its own account or the accounts of other qualified institutional buyers, in the aggregate owns and invests on a discretionary basis at least $100 million in securities of issuers that are not affiliated with the Subscriber and:
☐ | is an insurance company as defined in section 2(a)(13) of the Securities Act; |
☐ | is an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), or any business development company as defined in section 2(a)(48) of the Investment Company Act; |
☐ | is a Small Business Investment Company licensed by the US Small Business Administration under section 301(c) or (d) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended (“Small Business Investment Act”); |
☐ | is a plan established and maintained by a state, its political subdivisions, or any agency or instrumentality of a state or its political subdivisions, for the benefit of its employees; |
☐ | is an employee benefit plan within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”); |
☐ | is a trust fund whose trustee is a bank or trust company and whose participants are exclusively (a) plans established and maintained by a state, its political subdivisions, or any agency or instrumentality of a state or its political subdivisions, for the benefit of its employees, of (b) employee benefit plan within the meaning of Title I of the ERISA, except, in each case, trust funds that include as participants individual retirement accounts or H.R. 10 plans; |
☐ | is a business development company as defined in section 202(a)(22) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Advisers Act”); |
☐ | is an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), corporation (other than a bank as defined in section 3(a)(2) of the Act, a savings and loan association or other institution referenced in section 3(a)(5)(A) of the Act, or a foreign bank or savings and loan association or equivalent institution), partnership, or Massachusetts or similar business trust; or |
☐ | is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act; |
☐ The Subscriber is a dealer registered pursuant to Section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), acting for its own account or the accounts of other qualified institutional buyers, that in the aggregate owns and invests on a discretionary basis at least $10 million of securities of issuers that are not affiliated with the Subscriber;
☐ The Subscriber is a dealer registered pursuant to Section 15 of the Exchange Act acting in a riskless principal transaction on behalf of a qualified institutional buyer;
☐ The Subscriber is an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act, acting for its own account or for the accounts of other qualified institutional buyers, that is part of a family of investment companies which own in the aggregate at least $100 million in securities of issuers, other than issuers that are affiliated with Subscriber or are part of such family of investment companies;
☐ The Subscriber is an entity, all of the equity owners of which are qualified institutional buyers, acting for its own account or the accounts of other qualified institutional buyers; or
☐ The Subscriber is a bank as defined in section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act, or any savings and loan association or other institution as defined in section 3(a)(5)(A) of the Securities Act, or any foreign bank or savings and loan association or equivalent institution, acting for its own account or the accounts of other qualified institutional buyers, that in the aggregate owns and invests on a discretionary basis at least $100 million in securities of issuers that are not affiliated with the Subscriber and that has an audited net worth of at least $25 million as demonstrated in its latest annual financial statements, as of a date not more than 16 months preceding the date of sale of securities in the case of a US bank or savings and loan association, and not more than 18 months preceding the date of sale of securities for a foreign bank or savings and loan association or equivalent institution.
1 | Family of investment companies” means any two or more investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act, except for a unit investment trust whose assets consist solely of shares of one or more registered investment companies, that have the same investment adviser (or, in the case of unit investment trusts, the same depositor); provided that, (a) each series of a series company (as defined in Rule 18f-2 under the Investment Company Act) shall be deemed to be a separate investment company and (b) investment companies shall be deemed to have the same adviser (or depositor) if their advisers (or depositors) are majority-owned subsidiaries of the same parent, or if one investment company’s adviser (or depositor) is a majority-owned subsidiary of the other investment company’s adviser (or depositor) |
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Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act, in relevant part, states that an “accredited investor” shall mean any person who comes within any of the below listed categories, or who the issuer reasonably believes comes within any of the below listed categories, at the time of the sale of the securities to that person. Subscriber has indicated, by marking and initialing the appropriate box below, the provision(s) below which apply to Subscriber and under which Subscriber accordingly qualifies as an “accredited investor.”
☐ | Any bank as defined in section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act, or any savings and loan association or other institution as defined in section 3(a)(5)(A) of the Securities Act whether acting in its individual or fiduciary capacity; |
☐ | Any broker or dealer registered pursuant to section 15 of the Exchange Act; |
☐ | Any investment adviser registered pursuant to section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or registered pursuant to the laws of a state; |
☐ | Any investment adviser relying on the exemption from registering with the Commission under section 203(l) or (m) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940; |
☐ | Any insurance company as defined in section 2(a)(13) of the Securities Act; |
☐ | Any investment company registered under the Investment Company Act or a business development company as defined in section 2(a)(48) of the Investment Company Act; |
☐ | Any Small Business Investment Company licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration under section 301(c) or (d) of the Small Business Investment Act; |
☐ | Any Rural Business Investment Company as defined in section 384A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act; |
☐ | Any plan established and maintained by a state, its political subdivisions, or any agency or instrumentality of a state or its political subdivisions, for the benefit of its employees, if such plan has total assets in excess of $5,000,000; |
☐ | Any employee benefit plan within the meaning of ERISA, if (i) the investment decision is made by a plan fiduciary, as defined in section 3(21) of ERISA, which is either a bank, a savings and loan association, an insurance company, or a registered investment adviser, (ii) the employee benefit plan has total assets in excess of $5,000,000 or, (iii) such plan is a self-directed plan, with investment decisions made solely by persons that are “accredited investors”; |
☐ | Any private business development company as defined in section 202(a)(22) of the Investment Advisers Act; |
☐ | Any (i) corporation, limited liability company or partnership, (ii) Massachusetts or similar business trust, partnership, or limited liability company, or (iii) organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities offered, and with total assets in excess of $5,000,000; |
☐ | Any trust, with total assets in excess of $5,000,000, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities offered, whose purchase is directed by a sophisticated person as described in Section 230.506(b)(2)(ii) of Regulation D; |
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☐ | Any entity in which all of the equity owners are institutional “accredited investors.” |
☐ | Any entity, of a type not listed in xxxxxxxxxx x(0), x(0), x(0), x(0), or (a)(8) of Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act, not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities offered, owning investments in excess of $5,000,000; or |
☐ | Any “family office,” as defined in rule 202(a)(11)(G)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940: (i) with assets under management in excess of $5,000,000, (ii) that is not formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the securities offered, and (iii) whose prospective investment is directed by a person who has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that such family office is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment. |
☐ | Any natural person whose individual net worth, or joint net worth with that person’s spouse, exceeds $1 million. |
☐ | Any natural person who had an individual income in excess of $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with that person’s spouse in excess of $300,000 in each of those years and has a reasonable expectation of reaching the same income level in the current year. |
☐ | Any entity in which all of the equity owners are accredited investors as determined under any of the two immediately preceding sections above. |
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EXHIBIT B
Form of Subscription Agreement
See attached.
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF
SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT
This SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT (this “Subscription Agreement”) is entered into this [●] day of [●], 2021, by and among Good Works Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Issuer”), and the undersigned (“Subscriber”). Defined terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings ascribed thereto in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).
WHEREAS, the Issuer, Cipher Mining Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and the other parties named therein will concurrently with the execution of this Subscription Agreement, enter into that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of the date hereof (as amended, amended and restated, modified, supplemented, or waived from time to time in accordance with its terms, the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which the Issuer, its merger subsidiary and the Company shall enter into a business combination transaction, with the Company surviving as the surviving entity, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein (together with the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “Transactions”);
WHEREAS, in connection with the Transactions, Subscriber desires to subscribe for and purchase from the Issuer that number of shares of the common stock of the Issuer, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), set forth on Subscriber’s signature page hereto (the “Shares”) for a purchase price of $10.00 per share, for the aggregate purchase price set forth on Subscriber’s signature page hereto (the “Purchase Price”), and the Issuer desires to issue and sell to Subscriber the Shares in consideration of the payment of the Purchase Price therefor by or on behalf of Subscriber to the Issuer, all on the terms and conditions set forth herein; and
WHEREAS, certain other “qualified institutional buyers” (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)) or institutional “accredited investors” (within the meaning of Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act) (each, an “Other Subscriber”) have, severally and not jointly, entered into separate subscription agreements with the Issuer (the “Other Subscription Agreements”), pursuant to which such Other Subscribers have agreed to purchase Common Stock on the Closing Date at the same per share purchase price as the Subscriber, and the aggregate amount of securities to be sold by the Issuer pursuant to this Subscription Agreement and the Other Subscription Agreements equals, as of the date hereof, [●] shares of Common Stock and the aggregate value of the consideration received by the Issuer in connection with the purchase and sale of the Shares equals $[●].
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual representations, warranties, and covenants, and subject to the conditions, herein contained, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
1. Subscription. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing, Subscriber hereby agrees to subscribe for and purchase, and the Issuer hereby agrees to issue and sell to Subscriber, upon the payment of the Purchase Price, the Shares (such subscription and issuance, the “Subscription”).
2. Representations, Warranties, and Agreements.
2.1 Subscriber’s Representations, Warranties, and Agreements. To induce the Issuer to issue the Shares to Subscriber, Subscriber hereby represents and warrants to the Issuer and acknowledges and agrees with the Issuer as follows:
2.1.1 Subscriber has been duly formed or incorporated and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, with power and authority to enter into, deliver, and perform its obligations under this Subscription Agreement.
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2.1.2 This Subscription Agreement has been duly authorized, validly executed and delivered by Subscriber. Assuming that this Subscription Agreement has been duly au