Letter Agreement, dated November 20, 2017, by and between the Company and Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Sponsor agrees that if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination, then in connection with such proposed Business Combination, it shall vote all shares of Common Stock owned by it in favor of such proposed Business Combination.

 

2. The Sponsor hereby agrees that in the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time, the Sponsor shall take all reasonable steps to cause the Company to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Public Offering (the “Offering Shares”), at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest not previously released to the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Offering Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law. The Sponsor agrees to not propose any amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time, unless the Company provides its Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Common Stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Offering Shares.

 

 

 

3. During the period commencing on the effective date of the Underwriting Agreement and ending 180 days after such date, the undersigned shall not (i) sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, with respect to any Units, shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock owned by him, her or it, (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Units, shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock owned by him, her or it, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii) publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (i) or (ii).

 

4. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest that may arise from multiple corporate affiliations, the Sponsor hereby agrees that until the earliest of the Company’s initial Business Combination or liquidation, the Sponsor shall present to the Company for its consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any target business that has a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income accrued on the Trust Account), subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations the Sponsor might have.

 

(a) The Sponsor hereby agrees not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company until the Company has entered into a definitive agreement with respect to a Business Combination or the Company has failed to complete a Business Combination within the required time period set forth in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time.

 

 

(b) The Sponsor hereby agrees and acknowledges that: (i) each of the Underwriters and the Company would be irreparably injured in the event of a breach by the Sponsor of its obligations in this Letter Agreement, (ii) monetary damages may not be an adequate remedy for such breach and (iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to injunctive relief, in addition to any other remedy that such party may have in law or in equity, in the event of such breach.

 

5.           (a)     On the date of the Prospectus, the Founder’s Shares, a portion of which will be subject to forfeiture in the event the Underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option in full, will be placed into an escrow account maintained in New York, New York by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as escrow agent.

 

(b) The Sponsor agrees that it shall not effectuate any Transfer of Private Placement Units or securities underlying such units, until after the completion of a Business Combination.

 

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 5(b), Transfers of the Private Placement Units and securities underlying the Private Placement Units are permitted (a) to the Company’s officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates; (b) to an entity’s members; (c) to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes; (d) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales made at or after the consummation of a Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the units were originally purchased; or (f) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions.

 

6. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, under the heading "Prospectus Summary - The Offering - Limited payments to insiders," neither the Sponsor nor any affiliate of the Sponsor, nor any director or officer of the Company, shall receive any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any repayment of a loan or other compensation prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).

 

 

7. The Sponsor has full right and power, without violating any agreement to which it is bound (including, without limitation, any non-competition or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or former employer), to enter into this Letter Agreement.

 

8. The Sponsor hereby agrees to not propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be effective prior to the consummation of a Business Combination that would restrict Public Stockholders from converting or selling their shares to the Company in connection with a Business Combination  or affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the required time period unless the Company provides holders of Offering Shares with the opportunity to have their shares redeemed upon such approval in accordance with the certificate of incorporation.

 

9. As used herein, (i) “Business Combination” shall mean a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses or entities; (ii) “Founder’s Shares” shall mean the shares of Common Stock of the Company held by the initial stockholders of the Company prior to the consummation of the Public Offering; (iii) “Private Placement Units” shall mean the 250,000 units consists of one share of Common Stock, one Right and one-half of one Warrant (or up to 272,500 units if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that are acquired for an aggregate purchase price of $2,500,000 (or $2,725,000 if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that shall occur simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering; (iv) “Public Stockholders” shall mean the holders of securities issued in the Public Offering; (v) “Trust Account” shall mean the trust fund into which a portion of the net proceeds of the Public Offering shall be deposited; and (vi) “Transfer” shall mean 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, directly or indirectly, 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission 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).

 

10. This Letter Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby. This Letter Agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived (other than to correct a typographical error) as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.

 

11. No party hereto may assign either this Letter Agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the other party. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee. This Letter Agreement shall be binding on the Sponsor and its successors and assigns.

 

12. This Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The parties hereto (i) all agree that any action, proceeding, claim or dispute arising out of, or relating in any way to, this Letter Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of New York City, in the State of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction and venue, which jurisdiction and venue shall be exclusive and (ii) waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and venue or that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

 

 

13. Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Letter Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or facsimile transmission.

 

14. The Sponsor acknowledges and understands that the Underwriters and the Company will rely upon the agreements, representations and warranties set forth herein in proceeding with the Public Offering. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to render the Underwriters a representative of, or a fiduciary with respect to, the Company, its stockholders or any creditor or vendor of the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

15. This Letter Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the consummation of the Business Combination or (ii) the liquidation of the Company; provided, however, that such termination shall not relieve the undersigned from liability for any breach of this agreement prior to its termination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

	BIG ROCK PARTNERS SPONSOR, LLC
	By:	/s/ Richard Ackerman
		Name: Richard Ackerman
		Title: Managing Member

 

	BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
	By:	/s/ Lori Wittman
		Name: Lori Wittman
		Title: Chief Financial Offier

 

	EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC.
	By:	/s/ Steven Levine
		Name: Steven Levine
		Title: CEO