Placement Agency Agreement, dated as of March 11, 2024, by and between Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. and Maxim Group LLC

Exhibit 10.3

PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT

March 11, 2024

Oren Gilad, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Aprea Therapeutics, Inc.
3805 Old Easton Road

Doylestown, Pennsylvania 18902

Dear Oren:

This agreement (the “Agreement”) constitutes the agreement between Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim” or the “Placement Agent”) Aprea Therapeutics, Inc., Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), that Maxim shall serve as the exclusive placement agent for the Company, on a “commercially reasonable efforts” basis, in connection with the proposed placement (the “Placement”) of unregistered (i) shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), (ii) pre-funded Common Stock purchase warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock (the “Pre-Funded Warrants), and (iii) Common Stock purchase warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock (the “Common Warrants”). The Shares, the Prefunded Warrants, and the Common Warrants are hereinafter referred to as the “Securities.” The terms of the Placement shall be mutually agreed upon by the Company, Maxim and the purchasers of the Securities (each, a “Purchaser” and collectively, the “Purchasers”) and nothing herein constitutes that Maxim would have the power or authority to bind the Company or any Purchaser or an obligation for the Company to issue any Securities or complete the Placement. This Agreement and the documents executed and delivered by the Company and the Purchasers in connection with the Placement, including the Purchase Agreement (as hereinafter defined) shall be collectively referred to herein as the “Transaction Documents.” Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Securities shall be made at one or more closings (each a “Closing” and the date on which each Closing occurs, a “Closing Date”). The Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that Maxim’s obligations hereunder are on a commercially reasonable efforts basis only and that the execution of this Agreement does not constitute a legal or binding commitment by Maxim to purchase the Securities or introduce the Company to investors and does not ensure the successful placement of the Securities or any portion thereof or the success of Maxim with respect to securing any other financing on behalf of the Company. The Placement Agent may retain other brokers or dealers to act as sub-agents or selected-dealers on its behalf in connection with the Placement. The sale of the Securities to any Purchaser will be evidenced by a securities purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) between the Company and such Purchaser in a form reasonably acceptable to the Company and Maxim. Capitalized terms that are not otherwise defined herein have the meanings given to such terms in the Purchase Agreement. Prior to the signing of the Purchase Agreement, officers of the Company will be available to answer inquiries from prospective Purchasers.

Section 1.          Representations and Warranties of the Company; Covenants of the Company.

(a)          Representations of the Company. Each of the representations and warranties (together with any related disclosure schedules thereto) and covenants made by the Company to the Purchasers in the Purchase Agreement in connection with the Placement is hereby incorporated herein by reference into this Agreement (as though fully restated herein) and is, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date, hereby made to, and in favor of, the Placement Agent. In addition to the foregoing, the Company represents and warrants that:

(i)          Assuming the accuracy of the Purchasers’ representations and warranties set forth in the Purchase Agreement, no registration under the Securities Act is required for the offer and sale of the Securities.

(ii)          There are no affiliations with any FINRA member firm among the Company’s officers, directors or, to the knowledge of the Company, any ten percent (10.0%) or greater stockholder of the Company, except as set forth in the documents the Company has filed or furnished with the Commission.

(b)          Covenants of the Company. The Company further covenants and agrees with the Placement Agent as follows:

(i)          Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will cooperate with the Placement Agent and the Purchasers in endeavoring to qualify the Securities for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions (United States and foreign) as the Placement Agent and the Purchasers may reasonably request and will make such applications, file such documents, and furnish such information as may be reasonably required for that purpose, provided that the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or required to file such a consent, and provided further that the Company shall not be required to produce any new disclosure document. The Company will, from time to time, prepare and file such statements, reports and other documents as are or may be required to continue such qualifications in effect for so long a period as the Placement Agent may reasonably request for distribution of the Securities. The Company will advise the Placement Agent promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Securities for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof at the earliest possible moment.

(ii)          Transfer Agent. The Company will maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the shares of Common Stock.

Section 2.          Representations of the Placement Agent. The Placement Agent represents and warrants that it (i) is a member in good standing of FINRA, (ii) is registered as a broker/dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended (the “Exchange Act”) , (iii) is licensed as a broker/dealer under the laws of the states applicable to the offers and sales of the Securities by such Placement Agent, (iv) is and will be a corporate entity validly existing under the laws of its place of incorporation, and (v) has full power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Placement Agent will immediately notify the Company in writing of any change in its status as such. The Placement Agent covenants that it will use its reasonable best efforts to conduct the Placement hereunder in compliance with the provisions of this Agreement and the requirements of applicable law.

Section 3.          Compensation. In consideration of the services to be provided for hereunder, the Company shall pay to the Placement Agent or their respective designees their pro rata portion (based on the Securities placed) of the following compensation with respect to the Securities which they are placing:

(a)          A cash fee (the “Cash Fee”) equal to an aggregate of seven percent (7.0%) of the aggregate gross proceeds raised in the Placement. The Cash Fee shall be paid at each Closing. In addition, the Placement Agent will be entitled to a warrant solicitation fee equal to 7.0% of the proceeds of any exercises of Common Warrants issued in the Placement.

(b)          Subject to compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(D), the Company also agrees to reimburse the Placement Agent for all travel and other documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred, including the reasonable fees, costs and disbursements of its legal counsel, in an amount not to exceed an aggregate of $35,000. The Company will reimburse Placement Agent directly upon the initial Closing from the gross proceeds raised in the Placement. In the event that this Agreement shall terminate prior to the consummation of the Placement, Maxim shall nevertheless still be entitled to reimbursement for its actual expenses, which shall in no event exceed an aggregate of $35,000.

(c)          The Placement Agent reserves the right to reduce any item of its compensation or adjust the terms thereof as specified herein in the event that a determination shall be made by FINRA to the effect that such Placement Agent’s aggregate compensation is in excess of FINRA rules or that the terms thereof require adjustment.

Section 4.          Indemnification. The Company agrees to the indemnification and other agreements set forth in the Indemnification Provisions (the “Indemnification”) attached hereto as Addendum A, the provisions of which are incorporated herein by reference and shall survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement.

Section 5.          Engagement Term. The Placement Agent’s engagement hereunder shall be until the earlier of (i) the final Closing Date, and (ii) the date a party terminates the engagement according to the letter agreement entered into between the Company and the Placement Agent on January 24, 2024 (the period of time during which this Agreement remains in effect is referred to herein as the “Term”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the provisions concerning confidentiality and indemnification and contribution contained herein and the Company’s obligations contained in the Indemnification Provisions will survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement. The Placement Agent agrees not to use any confidential information concerning the Company provided to the Placement Agent by the Company for any purposes other than those contemplated under this Agreement.

Section 6.          Placement Agent Information. The Company agrees that any information or advice rendered by the Placement Agent in connection with this engagement is for the confidential use of the Company only in their evaluation of the Placement and, except as otherwise required by law, the Company will not disclose or otherwise refer to the advice or information in any manner without the Placement Agent’s prior written consent.

Section 7.          No Fiduciary Relationship. This Agreement does not create, and shall not be construed as creating rights enforceable by any person or entity not a party hereto, except those entitled hereto by virtue of the Indemnification Provisions hereof. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Placement Agent is not and shall not be construed as a fiduciary of the Company and shall have no duties or liabilities to the equity holders or the creditors of the Company or any other person by virtue of this Agreement or the retention of such Placement Agent hereunder, all of which are hereby expressly waived.

Section 8.          Closing. The obligations of the Placement Agent, and the closing of the sale of the Securities hereunder are subject to the accuracy, when made and on each Closing Date, of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company and its subsidiaries contained herein and in the Purchase Agreement, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company and its subsidiaries made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company and its subsidiaries of their obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional terms and conditions, except as otherwise disclosed to and acknowledged and waived by the Placement Agent to the Company:

(a)           All corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form, execution, delivery and validity of each of this Agreement, the Purchase Agreement, the Securities, and all other legal matters relating to this Agreement and the Purchase Agreement, and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to counsel for the Placement Agent, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

(b)          The Placement Agent shall have received from outside counsel to the Company such counsel’s written opinions, addressed to the Placement Agent and the Purchasers and dated as of the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent, the Purchasers, and Placement Agent’s legal counsel.

(c)          On each Closing Date, Placement Agent shall have received a certificate of the chief executive officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the applicable date, the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein and in the Purchase Agreement were and are accurate in all material respects, except for such changes as are contemplated by this Agreement and except as to representations and warranties that were expressly limited to a state of facts existing at a time prior to the applicable Closing Date, and that, as of the applicable date, the obligations to be performed by the Company hereunder on or prior thereto have been fully performed in all material respects.

(d)          On each Closing Date, Placement Agent shall have received a certificate of the Secretary of the Company, dated, as applicable, as of the date of such Closing, certifying to the organizational documents, good standing in the state of incorporation of the Company and board resolutions relating to the Placement of the Securities from the Company.

(e)          Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries (i) shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act (the “SEC Filings”), any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood, terrorist act or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth in or contemplated by the SEC Filings, (ii) since such date there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the business, general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, and (iii) since such date there shall not have been any new or renewed inquiries by the Commission, FINRA or any other regulatory body regarding the Company, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii), is, in the judgment of the Placement Agent, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by the Transaction Documents.

(f)           The Common Stock is registered under the Exchange Act and, as of the Closing Date, the Shares and the shares of Common Stock underlying the Pre-Funded Warrants and Common Warrants shall be listed and admitted and authorized for trading on the Trading Market or other applicable U.S. national exchange, or an application for such listing shall have been submitted to the Trading Market, and satisfactory evidence of such action shall have been provided to the Placement Agent. The Company shall have taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or delisting or suspending from trading the Common Stock from the Trading Market or other applicable U.S. national exchange, nor has the Company received any information suggesting that the Commission or the Trading Market or other U.S. applicable national exchange is contemplating terminating such registration or listing, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement.

(g)          No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any governmental agency or body which would, as of the Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities or materially and adversely affect or potentially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company; and no injunction, restraining order or order of any other nature by any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction shall have been issued as of the Closing Date which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities or materially and adversely affect or potentially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company.

(h)           The Company shall have prepared and filed with the Commission a Form 8-K with respect to the Placement, including as an exhibit thereto this Agreement.

(i)          The Company shall have entered into a Purchase Agreement with each of the Purchasers and such agreements shall be in full force and effect and shall contain representations, warranties and covenants of the Company as agreed between the Company and the Purchasers.

(j)           FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the terms and arrangements of this Agreement. In addition, the Company shall, if requested by the Placement Agent, make or authorize Placement Agent’s counsel to make on the Company’s behalf, any filing with the FINRA Corporate Financing Department pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110 with respect to the Placement and pay all filing fees required in connection therewith.

If any of the conditions specified in this Section 8 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required by this Agreement, or if any of the certificates, opinions, written statements or letters furnished to the Placement Agent or to Placement Agent’s counsel pursuant to this Section 8 shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Placement Agent and to Placement Agent’s legal counsel, all obligations of the Placement Agent hereunder may be cancelled by the Placement Agent at, or at any time prior to, the consummation of the Closing. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or orally. Any such oral notice shall be confirmed promptly thereafter in writing.

Section 9.          Governing Law. This Agreement will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely in such State, without regard to the conflicts of laws principles thereof. This Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the prior written consent of the other party. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto, and their respective successors and permitted assigns. Any right to trial by jury with respect to any dispute arising under this Agreement or any transaction or conduct in connection herewith is waived. Any dispute arising under this Agreement may be brought into the New York Supreme Court, County of New York or into the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and, by execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company hereby accepts for itself and in respect of its property, generally and unconditionally, the jurisdiction of aforesaid courts. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by delivering a copy thereof via overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. If either party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provisions of a Transaction Document, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its attorney’s fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Agreement, in whole or in part.

Section 10.          Entire Agreement/Misc. This Agreement (including the attached Indemnification Provisions) embodies the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto, and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, relating to the subject matter hereof. If any provision of this Agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable in any respect, such determination will not affect such provision in any other respect or any other provision of this Agreement, which will remain in full force and effect. This Agreement may not be amended or otherwise modified or waived except by an instrument in writing signed by both Placement Agent and the Company. The representations, warranties, agreements and covenants contained herein shall survive the closing of the Placement and delivery of the Securities. This Agreement may be executed in two 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 party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or a .pdf format file, 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 facsimile or .pdf signature page were an original thereof.

Section 11.          Confidentiality. The Placement Agent (i) will keep the Confidential Information (as such term is defined below) confidential and will not (except as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, regulation or legal process (“Legal Requirement”), without the Company’s prior written consent, disclose to any person any Confidential Information, and (ii) will not use any Confidential Information other than in connection with the Placement. The Placement Agent further agrees, severally and not jointly, to disclose the Confidential Information only to its Representatives (as such term is defined below) who need to know the Confidential Information for the purpose of the Placement, and who are informed by the Placement Agent of the confidential nature of the Confidential Information. The term “Confidential Information” shall mean, all confidential, proprietary and non-public information (whether written, oral or electronic communications) furnished by the Company to the Placement Agent or its Representatives in connection with such Placement Agent’s evaluation of the Placement. The term “Confidential Information” will not, however, include information which (i) is or becomes publicly available other than as a result of a disclosure by a Placement Agent or its Representatives in violation of this Agreement, (ii) is or becomes available to the Placement Agent or any of its Representatives on a non-confidential basis from a third-party, (iii) is known to the Placement Agent or any of its Representatives prior to disclosure by the Company or any of its Representatives, or (iv) is or has been independently developed by a Placement Agent and/or the Representatives without use of any Confidential Information furnished to it by the Company. The term “Representatives” shall mean the Placement Agent’s directors, board committees, officers, employees, financial advisors, attorneys and accountants. This provision shall be in full force until the earlier of (a) the date that the Confidential Information ceases to be confidential and (b) two (2) years from the date hereof or, with respect to any Confidential Information that constitutes a trade secret under applicable law, until such information no longer constitutes a trade secret. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, in the event that the Placement Agent or any of their respective Representatives are required by Legal Requirement to disclose any of the Confidential Information, such Placement Agent and their respective Representatives will furnish only that portion of the Confidential Information which such Placement Agent or their respective Representative, as applicable, is required to disclose by Legal Requirement as advised by counsel, and will use reasonable efforts to obtain reliable assurance that confidential treatment will be accorded the Confidential Information so disclosed.

Section 12.          Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (a) the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is sent to the email address specified on the signature pages attached hereto prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a business day, (b) the next business day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is sent to the email address on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a business day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any business day, (c) the third (3^rd) business day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. internationally recognized air courier service, or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. The address for such notices and communications shall be as set forth on the signature pages hereto.

Section 13.          Press Announcements. The Company agrees that the Placement Agent shall, from and after each Closing, have the right to reference the Placement and the Placement Agent’s role in connection therewith in the Placement Agent’s marketing materials and on its website and to place advertisements in financial and other newspapers and journals, in each case at its own expense.

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Please confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth our agreement by signing and returning to Maxim the enclosed copy of this Agreement.

[Signature Page to March 2024 Placement Agency Agreement Between

Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. and Maxim Group LLC]

ADDENDUM A

INDEMNIFICATION PROVISIONS

In connection with the engagement of Maxim Group LLC (the “Placement Agent”) by Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) pursuant to a placement agency agreement dated as of the date hereof, between the Company and the Placement Agent, as it may be amended from time to time in writing (the “Agreement”), the Company hereby agrees as follows:

1.            To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Company will indemnify the Placement Agent and its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and controlling persons (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) against all losses, claims, damages, expenses and liabilities, as the same are incurred (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel), relating to or arising out of its activities hereunder or pursuant to the Agreement, except, with regard to the Placement Agent, to the extent that any losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) are found in a final judgment (not subject to appeal) by a court of law to have resulted primarily and directly from the Placement Agent’s fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence in performing the services described herein, as the case may be.

2.            Promptly after receipt by the Placement Agent of notice of any claim or the commencement of any action or proceeding with respect to which the Placement Agent is entitled to indemnity hereunder, the Placement Agent will notify the Company in writing of such claim or of the commencement of such action or proceeding, and the Company will assume the defense of such action or proceeding and will employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent and will pay the fees and expenses of such counsel. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the Placement Agent will be entitled to employ counsel separate from counsel for the Company and from any other party in such action if counsel for the Placement Agent reasonably determines that it would be inappropriate under the applicable rules of professional responsibility for the same counsel to represent both the Company and the Placement Agent. In such event, the reasonable fees and disbursements of no more than one such separate counsel will be paid by the Company. The Company will have the exclusive right to settle the claim or proceeding provided that the Company will not settle any such claim, action or proceeding without the prior written consent of the Placement Agent, which will not be unreasonably withheld.

3.            The Company agrees to notify the Placement Agent promptly of the assertion against it or any other person of any claim or the commencement of any action or proceeding relating to a transaction contemplated by the Agreement.

4.            If for any reason the foregoing indemnity is unavailable to the Placement Agent or insufficient to hold the Placement Agent harmless, then the Company shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the Placement Agent, as the case may be, as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand, and the Placement Agent on the other, but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any relevant equitable considerations. The amounts paid or payable by a party in respect of losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees and expenses incurred in defending any litigation, proceeding or other action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions hereof, the Placement Agent’s share of the liability hereunder shall not be in excess of the amount of fees actually received, or to be received, by the Placement Agent under the Agreement (excluding any amounts received as reimbursement of expenses incurred by the Placement Agent).

5.            These Indemnification Provisions shall remain in full force and effect whether or not the transaction contemplated by the Agreement is completed and shall survive the termination of the Agreement, and shall be in addition to any liability that the Company might otherwise have to any indemnified party under the Agreement or otherwise.

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