Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 30, 2020 by and between BioLargo, Inc. and Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC
Exhibit 10.1
Execution Version
PURCHASE AGREEMENT
PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”), dated as of March 30, 2020, by and between BIOLARGO, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and LINCOLN PARK CAPITAL FUND, LLC, an Illinois limited liability company (the “Investor”).
WHEREAS:
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Company wishes to sell to the Investor, and the Investor wishes to buy from the Company, up to Ten Million Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($10,250,000) of the Company's common stock, $0.00067 par value per share (the "Common Stock"). The shares of Common Stock to be purchased hereunder (including, without limitation, the Initial Purchase Shares (as defined herein)) are referred to herein as the “Purchase Shares.”
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Investor hereby agree as follows:
1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) “Accelerated Purchase Date” means, with respect to any Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(c) hereof, the Business Day immediately following the applicable Purchase Date with respect to the corresponding Regular Purchase referred to in clause (i) of the second sentence of Section 2(c) hereof.
(b) “Accelerated Purchase Floor Price” means $0.10, which shall be appropriately adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction and, effective upon the consummation of any such reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction, the Accelerated Purchase Floor Price shall mean the lower of (i) the adjusted price and (ii) $0.50.
(c) “Accelerated Purchase Minimum Price Threshold” means, with respect to any Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(c) hereof, the greater of (i) seventy-five percent (75%) of the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on the applicable Purchase Date with respect to the corresponding Regular Purchase referred to in clause (i) of the second sentence of Section 2(c) hereof and (ii) the minimum per share price threshold set forth by the Company in the applicable Accelerated Purchase Notice.
(d) “Accelerated Purchase Notice” means, with respect to an Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(c) hereof, an irrevocable written notice from the Company to the Investor directing the Investor to purchase the number of Purchase Shares specified by the Company therein as the Accelerated Purchase Share Amount to be purchased by the Investor (such specified Accelerated Purchase Share Amount subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 2(c) hereof as necessary to give effect to the Purchase Share amount limitations applicable to such Accelerated Purchase Share Amount as set forth in this Agreement) at the applicable Accelerated Purchase Price on the applicable Accelerated Purchase Date for such Accelerated Purchase.
(e) “Accelerated Purchase Price” means, with respect to an Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(c) hereof, ninety-four percent (94%) of the lower of (i) the VWAP for the period beginning at 9:30:01 a.m., Eastern time, on the applicable Accelerated Purchase Date, or such other time publicly announced by the Principal Market as the official open (or commencement) of trading on the Principal Market on such applicable Accelerated Purchase Date (the “Accelerated Purchase Commencement Time”), and ending at the earliest of (A) 4:00:00 p.m., Eastern time, on such applicable Accelerated Purchase Date, or such other time publicly announced by the Principal Market as the official close of trading on the Principal Market on such applicable Accelerated Purchase Date, (B) such time, from and after the Accelerated Purchase Commencement Time for such Accelerated Purchase, that the total number (or volume) of shares of Common Stock traded on the Principal Market has exceeded the applicable Accelerated Purchase Share Volume Maximum, and (C) such time, from and after the Accelerated Purchase Commencement Time for such Accelerated Purchase, that the Sale Price has fallen below the applicable Accelerated Purchase Minimum Price Threshold (such earliest of (i)(A), (i)(B) and (i)(C) above, the “Accelerated Purchase Termination Time”), and (ii) the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on such applicable Accelerated Purchase Date (to be appropriately adjusted for any applicable reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction).
(f) “Accelerated Purchase Share Amount” means, with respect to an Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(c) hereof, the number of Purchase Shares directed by the Company to be purchased by the Investor in an applicable Accelerated Purchase Notice, which number of Purchase Shares shall not exceed the lesser of (i) 300% of the number of Purchase Shares directed by the Company to be purchased by the Investor pursuant to the corresponding Regular Purchase Notice for the corresponding Regular Purchase referred to in clause (i) of the second sentence of Section 2(c) hereof (such corresponding Regular Purchase being subject to the Purchase Share limitations contained in Section 2(b) hereof) and (ii) an amount equal to (A) the Accelerated Purchase Share Percentage multiplied by (B) the total number (or volume) of shares of Common Stock traded on the Principal Market during the period on the applicable Accelerated Purchase Date beginning at the Accelerated Purchase Commencement Time for such Accelerated Purchase and ending at the Accelerated Purchase Termination Time for such Accelerated Purchase.
(g) “Accelerated Purchase Share Percentage” means, with respect to an Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(c) hereof, thirty percent (30%).
(h) “Accelerated Purchase Share Volume Maximum” means, with respect to an Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(c) hereof, a number of shares of Common Stock equal to (i) the number of Purchase Shares specified by the Company in the applicable Accelerated Purchase Notice as the Accelerated Purchase Share Amount to be purchased by the Investor in such Accelerated Purchase, divided by (ii) the Accelerated Purchase Share Percentage (to be appropriately adjusted for any applicable reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction).
(i) “Additional Accelerated Purchase Date” means, with respect to an Additional Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(d) hereof, the Business Day (i) that is the Accelerated Purchase Date with respect to the corresponding Accelerated Purchase referred to in clause (i) of the proviso in the second sentence of Section 2(d) hereof and (ii) on which the Investor receives, prior to 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, on such Business Day, a valid Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice for such Additional Accelerated Purchase in accordance with this Agreement.
(j) “Additional Accelerated Purchase Floor Price” means $0.10, which shall be appropriately adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction and, effective upon the consummation of any such reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction, the Additional Accelerated Purchase Floor Price shall mean the lower of (i) the adjusted price and (ii) $0.50.
(k) “Additional Accelerated Purchase Minimum Price Threshold” means, with respect to an Additional Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(d) hereof, the greater of (i) seventy-five percent (75%) of the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on the Business Day immediately preceding the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Date with respect to such Additional Accelerated Purchase and (ii) the minimum per share price threshold set forth by the Company in the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice.
(l) “Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice” means, with respect to an Additional Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(d) hereof, an irrevocable written notice from the Company to the Investor directing the Investor to purchase the number of Purchase Shares specified by the Company therein as the Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount to be purchased by the Investor (such specified Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 2(d) hereof as necessary to give effect to the Purchase Share amount limitations applicable to such Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount as set forth in this Agreement) at the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Price on the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Date for such Additional Accelerated Purchase.
(m) “Additional Accelerated Purchase Price” means, with respect to an Additional Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(d) hereof, ninety-four percent (94%) of the lower of (i) the VWAP for the period on the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Date, beginning at the latest of (A) the applicable Accelerated Purchase Termination Time with respect to the corresponding Accelerated Purchase referred to in clause (i) of the proviso in the second sentence of Section 2(d) hereof on such Additional Accelerated Purchase Date, (B) the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Termination Time with respect to the most recently completed prior Additional Accelerated Purchase on such Additional Accelerated Purchase Date, as applicable, and (C) the time at which all Purchase Shares subject to all prior Accelerated Purchases and Additional Accelerated Purchases (as applicable), including, without limitation, those that have been effected on the same Business Day as the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Date with respect to which the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase relates, have theretofore been received by the Investor as DWAC Shares in accordance with this Agreement (such latest of (i)(A), (i)(B) and (i)(C) above, the “Additional Accelerated Purchase Commencement Time”), and ending at the earliest of (X) 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, on such Additional Accelerated Purchase Date, or such other time publicly announced by the Principal Market as the official close of trading on the Principal Market on such Additional Accelerated Purchase Date, (Y) such time, from and after the Additional Accelerated Purchase Commencement Time for such Additional Accelerated Purchase, that total number (or volume) of shares of Common Stock traded on the Principal Market has exceeded the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Volume Maximum, and (Z) such time, from and after the Additional Accelerated Purchase Commencement Time for such Additional Accelerated Purchase, that the Sale Price has fallen below the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Minimum Price Threshold (such earliest of (i)(X), (i)(Y) and (i)(Z) above, the “Additional Accelerated Purchase Termination Time”), and (ii) the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on such Additional Accelerated Purchase Date (to be appropriately adjusted for any applicable reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction).
(n) “Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount” means, with respect to an Additional Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(d) hereof, the number of Purchase Shares directed by the Company to be purchased by the Investor on an Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice, which number of Purchase Shares shall not exceed the lesser of (i) 300% of the number of Purchase Shares directed by the Company to be purchased by the Investor pursuant to the corresponding Regular Purchase Notice for the corresponding Regular Purchase referred to in clause (i) of the proviso in the second sentence of Section 2(d) hereof (such corresponding Regular Purchase being subject to the Purchase Share limitations contained in Section 2(b) hereof) and (ii) an amount equal to (A) the Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Percentage multiplied by (B) the total number (or volume) of shares of Common Stock traded on the Principal Market during the period on the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Date beginning at the Additional Accelerated Purchase Commencement Time for such Additional Accelerated Purchase and ending at the Additional Accelerated Purchase Termination Time for such Additional Accelerated Purchase.
(o) “Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Percentage” means, with respect to an Additional Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(d) hereof, thirty percent (30%).
(p) “Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Volume Maximum” means, with respect to an Additional Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(d) hereof, a number of shares of Common Stock equal to (i) the number of Purchase Shares specified by the Company in the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice as the Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount to be purchased by the Investor in such Additional Accelerated Purchase, divided by (ii) the Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Percentage (to be appropriately adjusted for any applicable reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction).
(q) “Alternate Adjusted Regular Purchase Share Limit” means, with respect to a Regular Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof, the maximum number of Purchase Shares which, taking into account the applicable per share Purchase Price therefor calculated in accordance with this Agreement, would enable the Company to deliver to the Investor, on the applicable Purchase Date for such Regular Purchase, a Regular Purchase Notice for a Purchase Amount equal to, or as closely approximating without exceeding, Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000).
(r) “Available Amount” means, initially, Ten Million Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($10,250,000) in the aggregate, which amount shall be reduced by (i) the Initial Purchase Amount upon the purchase of the Initial Purchase Shares by the Investor on the date hereof pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof, and (ii) the Purchase Amount each time the Investor purchases Purchase Shares (other than the Initial Purchase Shares) pursuant to Section 2 hereof.
(s) “Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
(t) “Business Day” means any day on which the Principal Market is open for trading, including any day on which the Principal Market is open for trading for a period of time less than the customary time.
(u) “Closing Sale Price” means, for any security as of any date, the last closing sale price for such security on the Principal Market as reported by the Principal Market.
(v) “Confidential Information” means any information disclosed by either party to the other party, either directly or indirectly, in writing, orally or by inspection of tangible objects (including, without limitation, documents, prototypes, samples, plant and equipment), which is designated as "Confidential," "Proprietary" or some similar designation. Information communicated orally shall be considered Confidential Information if such information is confirmed in writing as being Confidential Information within ten (10) Business Days after the initial disclosure. Confidential Information may also include information disclosed to a disclosing party by third parties. Confidential Information shall not, however, include any information which (i) was publicly known and made generally available in the public domain prior to the time of disclosure by the disclosing party; (ii) becomes publicly known and made generally available after disclosure by the disclosing party to the receiving party through no action or inaction of the receiving party; (iii) is already in the possession of the receiving party without confidential restriction at the time of disclosure by the disclosing party as shown by the receiving party’s files and records immediately prior to the time of disclosure; (iv) is obtained by the receiving party from a third party without a breach of such third party’s obligations of confidentiality; (v) is independently developed by the receiving party without use of or reference to the disclosing party’s Confidential Information, as shown by documents and other competent evidence in the receiving party’s possession; or (vi) is required by law to be disclosed by the receiving party, provided that the receiving party gives the disclosing party prompt written notice of such requirement prior to such disclosure and assistance in obtaining an order protecting the information from public disclosure.
(w) “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
(x) “DTC” means The Depository Trust Company, or any successor performing substantially the same function for the Company.
(y) “DWAC Shares” means shares of Common Stock that are (i) issued in electronic form, (ii) freely tradable and transferable and without restriction on resale and (iii) timely credited by the Company to the Investor’s or its designee’s specified Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian (DWAC) account with DTC under its Fast Automated Securities Transfer (FAST) Program, or any similar program hereafter adopted by DTC performing substantially the same function.
(z) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder.
(aa) “Fully Adjusted Regular Purchase Share Limit” means, with respect to any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction from and after the date of this Agreement, the Regular Purchase Share Limit (as defined in Section 2(b) hereof) in effect on the applicable date of determination, after giving effect to the full proportionate adjustment thereto made pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof for or in respect of such reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction.
(bb) “Material Adverse Effect” means any material adverse effect on (i) the enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) the results of operations, assets, business or financial condition of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, other than any material adverse effect that resulted exclusively from (A) any change in the United States or foreign economies or securities or financial markets in general that does not have a disproportionate effect on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (B) any change that generally affects the industry in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate that does not have a disproportionate effect on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (C) any change arising in connection with earthquakes, hostilities, acts of war, sabotage or terrorism or military actions or any escalation or material worsening of any such hostilities, acts of war, sabotage or terrorism or military actions existing as of the date hereof, (D) any action taken by the Investor, its affiliates or its or their successors and assigns with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (E) the effect of any change in applicable laws or accounting rules that does not have a disproportionate effect on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (F) any change resulting from compliance with terms of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or (iii) the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction Document to be performed as of the date of determination.
(cc) “Maturity Date” means the first day of the month immediately following the thirty-six (36) month anniversary of the Commencement Date.
(dd) “PEA Period” means the period commencing at 9:30 a.m., Eastern time, on the fifth (5th) Business Day immediately prior to the filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement (as defined herein) or New Registration Statement (as such term is defined in the Registration Rights Agreement), and ending at 9:30 a.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day immediately following, the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement (as defined herein) or New Registration Statement (as such term is defined in the Registration Rights Agreement).
(ee) “Person” means an individual or entity including but not limited to any limited liability company, a partnership, a joint venture, a corporation, a trust, an unincorporated organization and a government or any department or agency thereof.
(ff) “Principal Market” means the OTCQB operated by the OTC Markets Group, Inc. (or any nationally recognized successor thereto); provided, however, that in the event the Company’s Common Stock is ever listed or traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market, The Nasdaq Global Market, The Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, the NYSE Arca, the OTC Bulletin Board, or the OTCQX operated by the OTC Markets Group, Inc. (or any nationally recognized successor to any of the foregoing), then the “Principal Market” shall mean such other market or exchange on which the Company’s Common Stock is then listed or traded.
(gg) “Purchase Amount” means, with respect to the Initial Purchase, any Regular Purchase, any Accelerated Purchase, and any Additional Accelerated Purchase made hereunder, as applicable, the portion of the Available Amount to be purchased by the Investor pursuant to Section 2 hereof.
(hh) “Purchase Date” means, with respect to a Regular Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof, the Business Day on which the Investor receives, after 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, but prior to 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on such Business Day, a valid Regular Purchase Notice for such Regular Purchase in accordance with this Agreement.
(ii) “Purchase Price” means, with respect to a Regular Purchase made pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof, the lower of: (i) the lowest Sale Price on the Purchase Date for such Regular Purchase and (ii) the arithmetic average of the three (3) lowest Closing Sale Prices for the Common Stock during the twelve (12) consecutive Business Days ending on the Business Day immediately preceding such Purchase Date for such Regular Purchase (in each case, to be appropriately adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction that occurs on or after the date of this Agreement).
(jj) “Regular Purchase Notice” means, with respect to a Regular Purchase pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof, an irrevocable written notice from the Company to the Investor directing the Investor to buy a specified number of Purchase Shares (subject to the Purchase Share limitations contained in Section 2(b) hereof) at the applicable Purchase Price for such Regular Purchase in accordance with this Agreement.
(kk) “Sale Price” means any trade price for the shares of Common Stock on the Principal Market as reported by the Principal Market.
(ll) “SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
(mm) “Securities” means, collectively, the Purchase Shares and the Commitment Shares.
(nn) “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder.
(oo) “Subsidiary” means any Person the Company wholly-owns or controls, or in which the Company, directly or indirectly, owns a majority of the voting stock or similar voting interest, in each case that would be disclosable pursuant to Item 601(b)(21) of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Act.
(pp) “Transaction Documents” means, collectively, this Agreement and the schedules and exhibits hereto, the Registration Rights Agreement and the schedules and exhibits thereto, and each of the other agreements, documents, certificates and instruments entered into or furnished by the parties hereto or thereto in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby.
(qq) “Transfer Agent” means American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, or such other Person who is then serving as the transfer agent for the Company in respect of the Common Stock.
(rr) “VWAP” means in respect of an Accelerated Purchase Date or an Additional Accelerated Purchase Date, as applicable, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock on the Principal Market, as reported on the Principal Market.
2. PURCHASE OF COMMON STOCK.
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Company has the right to sell to the Investor, and the Investor has the obligation to purchase from the Company, Purchase Shares as follows:
(a) Initial Purchase. On the date of this Agreement, upon the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Sections 7(I) and 8(I) hereof, the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor and the Investor shall purchase from the Company (such purchase, the “Initial Purchase”) One Million Seven Hundred Eighty-Five Thousand Seven Hundred Fifteen (1,785,715) Purchase Shares (collectively, the “Initial Purchase Shares”) for aggregate consideration of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000) (the “Initial Purchase Amount”).
(b) Commencement of Regular Sales of Common Stock. Upon the satisfaction of all of the conditions set forth in Sections 7(II) and 8(II) hereof (the “Commencement” and the date of satisfaction of such conditions the “Commencement Date”) and thereafter, the Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to direct the Investor, by its delivery to the Investor of a Regular Purchase Notice from time to time, to purchase up to One Hundred Thousand (100,000) Purchase Shares, subject to adjustment as set forth below in this Section 2(b) (such maximum number of Purchase Shares, as may be adjusted from time to time, the “Regular Purchase Share Limit”), at the Purchase Price on the Purchase Date (each such purchase a “Regular Purchase”); provided, however, that (i) the Regular Purchase Share Limit shall be increased to One Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand (125,000) Purchase Shares, if the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on the applicable Purchase Date is not below $0.20, (ii) the Regular Purchase Share Limit shall be increased to One Hundred Fifty Thousand (150,000) Purchase Shares, if the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on the applicable Purchase Date is not below $0.30, and (iii) the Regular Purchase Share Limit shall be increased to Two Hundred Thousand (200,000) Purchase Shares, if the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on the applicable Purchase Date is not below $0.50 (all of which share and dollar amounts shall be appropriately proportionately adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction; provided that if, after giving effect to the full proportionate adjustment to the Regular Purchase Share Limit therefor, the Fully Adjusted Regular Purchase Share Limit then in effect would preclude the Company from delivering to the Investor a Regular Purchase Notice hereunder for a Purchase Amount (calculated by multiplying (X) the number of Purchase Shares equal to the Fully Adjusted Regular Purchase Share Limit, by (Y) the Purchase Price per Purchase Share covered by such Regular Purchase Notice on the applicable Purchase Date therefor) equal to or greater than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000), the Regular Purchase Share Limit for such Regular Purchase Notice shall not be fully adjusted to equal the applicable Fully Adjusted Regular Purchase Share Limit, but rather the Regular Purchase Share Limit for such Regular Purchase Notice shall be adjusted to equal the applicable Alternate Adjusted Regular Purchase Share Limit as of the applicable Purchase Date for such Regular Purchase Notice); and provided, further, however, that the Investor’s committed obligation under any single Regular Purchase, other than any Regular Purchase with respect to which an Alternate Adjusted Regular Purchase Share Limit shall apply, shall not exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000). If the Company delivers any Regular Purchase Notice for a Purchase Amount in excess of the limitations contained in the immediately preceding sentence, such Regular Purchase Notice shall be void ab initio to the extent of the amount by which the number of Purchase Shares set forth in such Regular Purchase Notice exceeds the number of Purchase Shares which the Company is permitted to include in such Purchase Notice in accordance herewith, and the Investor shall have no obligation to purchase such excess Purchase Shares in respect of such Regular Purchase Notice; provided, however, that the Investor shall remain obligated to purchase the number of Purchase Shares which the Company is permitted to include in such Regular Purchase Notice. The Company may deliver a Regular Purchase Notice to the Investor as often as every Business Day, so long as all Purchase Shares subject to all prior Regular Purchases have theretofore been received by the Investor as DWAC Shares in accordance with this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not deliver any Regular Purchase Notices to the Investor during the PEA Period.
(c) Accelerated Purchases. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, from and after the Commencement Date, in addition to purchases of Purchase Shares as described in Section 2(a) and Section 2(b) above, the Company shall also have the right, but not the obligation, to direct the Investor, by its delivery to the Investor of an Accelerated Purchase Notice from time to time in accordance with this Agreement, to purchase the applicable Accelerated Purchase Share Amount at the Accelerated Purchase Price on the Accelerated Purchase Date therefor in accordance with this Agreement (each such purchase, an “Accelerated Purchase”). The Company may deliver an Accelerated Purchase Notice to the Investor only on a Purchase Date on which (i) the Company also properly submitted a Regular Purchase Notice providing for a Regular Purchase of a number of Purchase Shares not less than the Regular Purchase Share Limit then in effect on such Purchase Date in accordance with this Agreement (including, without limitation, giving effect to any automatic increase to the Regular Purchase Share Limit as a result of the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock exceeding certain thresholds set forth in Section 2(b) above on such Purchase Date and any other adjustments to the Regular Purchase Share Limit, in each case pursuant to Section 2(b) above) and (ii) the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock is not less than the Accelerated Purchase Floor Price. If the Company delivers any Accelerated Purchase Notice directing the Investor to purchase an amount of Purchase Shares that exceeds the Accelerated Purchase Share Amount that the Company is then permitted to include in such Accelerated Purchase Notice, such Accelerated Purchase Notice shall be void ab initio to the extent of the amount by which the number of Purchase Shares set forth in such Accelerated Purchase Notice exceeds the Accelerated Purchase Share Amount that the Company is then permitted to include in such Accelerated Purchase Notice (which shall be confirmed in an Accelerated Purchase Confirmation), and the Investor shall have no obligation to purchase such excess Purchase Shares in respect of such Accelerated Purchase Notice; provided, however, that the Investor shall remain obligated to purchase the Accelerated Purchase Share Amount which the Company is permitted to include in such Accelerated Purchase Notice. Within one (1) Business Day after completion of each Accelerated Purchase Date for an Accelerated Purchase, the Investor shall provide to the Company a written confirmation of such Accelerated Purchase setting forth the applicable Accelerated Purchase Share Amount and Accelerated Purchase Price for such Accelerated Purchase (each, an “Accelerated Purchase Confirmation”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not deliver any Accelerated Purchase Notices to the Investor during the PEA Period.
(d) Additional Accelerated Purchases. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, from and after the Commencement Date, in addition to purchases of Purchase Shares as described in Section 2(a), Section 2(b) and Section 2(c) above, the Company shall also have the right, but not the obligation, to direct the Investor, by its timely delivery to the Investor of an Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice on an Additional Accelerated Purchase Date in accordance with this Agreement, to purchase the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount at the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Price therefor in accordance with this Agreement (each such purchase, an “Additional Accelerated Purchase”). The Company may deliver multiple Additional Accelerated Purchase Notices to the Investor on an Additional Accelerated Purchase Date; provided, however, that the Company may deliver an Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice to the Investor only (i) on a Business Day that is also the Accelerated Purchase Date for an Accelerated Purchase with respect to which the Company properly submitted to the Investor an Accelerated Purchase Notice in accordance with this Agreement on the applicable Purchase Date for a Regular Purchase of a number of Purchase Shares not less than the Regular Purchase Share Limit then in effect in accordance with this Agreement (including, without limitation, giving effect to any automatic increase to the Regular Purchase Share Limit as a result of the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock exceeding certain thresholds set forth in Section 2(b) above on such Purchase Date and any other adjustments to the Regular Purchase Share Limit, in each case pursuant to Section 2(b) above), (ii) if the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on the Business Day immediately preceding the Business Day on which such Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice is delivered is not less than the Additional Accelerated Purchase Floor Price, and (iii) if all Purchase Shares subject to all prior Regular Purchases, Accelerated Purchases and Additional Accelerated Purchases, including, without limitation, those that have been effected on the same Business Day as the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Date with respect to which the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase relates, in each case have theretofore been received by the Investor as DWAC Shares in accordance with this Agreement. If the Company delivers any Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice directing the Investor to purchase an amount of Purchase Shares that exceeds the Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount that the Company is then permitted to include in such Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice, such Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice shall be void ab initio to the extent of the amount by which the number of Purchase Shares set forth in such Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice exceeds the Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount that the Company is then permitted to include in such Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice (which shall be confirmed in an Additional Accelerated Purchase Confirmation), and the Investor shall have no obligation to purchase such excess Purchase Shares in respect of such Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice; provided, however, that the Investor shall remain obligated to purchase the Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount which the Company is permitted to include in such Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice. Within one (1) Business Day after completion of each Additional Accelerated Purchase Date, the Investor will provide to the Company a written confirmation of each Additional Accelerated Purchase on such Additional Accelerated Purchase Date setting forth the applicable Additional Accelerated Purchase Share Amount and Additional Accelerated Purchase Price for each such Additional Accelerated Purchase on such Additional Accelerated Purchase Date (each, an “Additional Accelerated Purchase Confirmation”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not deliver any Additional Accelerated Purchase Notices to the Investor during the PEA Period.
(e) Payment for Purchase Shares. For the Initial Purchase and each Regular Purchase, the Investor shall pay to the Company an amount equal to the Purchase Amount with respect to such Regular Purchase and Initial Purchase, respectively, as full payment for such Purchase Shares via wire transfer of immediately available funds on the same Business Day that the Investor receives such Purchase Shares, if such Purchase Shares are received by the Investor before 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, or, if such Purchase Shares are received by the Investor after 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, the next Business Day. For each Accelerated Purchase and each Additional Accelerated Purchase, the Investor shall pay to the Company an amount equal to the Purchase Amount with respect to such Accelerated Purchase and Additional Accelerated Purchase, respectively, as full payment for such Purchase Shares via wire transfer of immediately available funds on the second Business Day following the date that the Investor receives such Purchase Shares. If the Company or the Transfer Agent shall fail for any reason or for no reason to electronically transfer any Purchase Shares as DWAC Shares in respect of a Regular Purchase, an Accelerated Purchase or an Additional Accelerated Purchase (as applicable) within two (2) Business Days following the receipt by the Company of the Purchase Price, Accelerated Purchase Price and Additional Accelerated Purchase Price, respectively, therefor in compliance with this Section 2(e), and if on or after such Business Day the Investor purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Investor of such Purchase Shares that the Investor anticipated receiving from the Company in respect of such Regular Purchase, Accelerated Purchase or Additional Accelerated Purchase (as applicable), then the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days after the Investor’s request, either (i) pay cash to the Investor in an amount equal to the Investor’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the shares of Common Stock so purchased (the “Cover Price”), at which point the Company’s obligation to deliver such Purchase Shares as DWAC Shares shall terminate, or (ii) promptly honor its obligation to deliver to the Investor such Purchase Shares as DWAC Shares and pay cash to the Investor in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the Cover Price over the total Purchase Amount paid by the Investor pursuant to this Agreement for all of the Purchase Shares to be purchased by the Investor in connection with such Regular Purchase, Accelerated Purchase and Additional Accelerated Purchase (as applicable). The Company shall not issue any fraction of a share of Common Stock upon the Initial Purchase or any Regular Purchase, Accelerated Purchase or Additional Accelerated Purchase. If the issuance would result in the issuance of a fraction of a share of Common Stock, the Company shall round such fraction of a share of Common Stock up or down to the nearest whole share. All payments made under this Agreement shall be made in lawful money of the United States of America or wire transfer of immediately available funds to such account as the Company may from time to time designate by written notice in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Whenever any amount expressed to be due by the terms of this Agreement is due on any day that is not a Business Day, the same shall instead be due on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day.
(f) Beneficial Ownership Limitation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the Company shall not issue or sell, and the Investor shall not purchase or acquire, any shares of Common Stock under this Agreement which, when aggregated with all other shares of Common Stock then beneficially owned by the Investor and its affiliates (as calculated pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-3 promulgated thereunder), would result in the beneficial ownership by the Investor of more than 4.99% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (the “Beneficial Ownership Limitation”). Upon the written or oral request of the Investor, the Company shall promptly (but not later than 24 hours) confirm orally or in writing to the Investor the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. The Investor and the Company shall each cooperate in good faith in the determinations required hereby and the application hereof. The Investor’s written certification to the Company of the applicability of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the resulting effect thereof hereunder at any time, shall be conclusive with respect to the applicability thereof and such result absent manifest error.
3. INVESTOR'S REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.
The Investor represents and warrants to the Company that as of the date hereof and as of the Commencement Date:
(a) Investment Purpose. The Investor is acquiring the Securities as principal for its own account and not with a view to or for distributing or reselling such Securities or any part thereof in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law, has no present intention of distributing any of such Securities in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law and has no direct or indirect arrangement or understandings with any other Persons to distribute or regarding the distribution of such Securities in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law (this representation and warranty not limiting the Investor’s right to sell the Securities at any time pursuant to the Registration Statement described herein or otherwise in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws). The Investor is acquiring the Securities hereunder in the ordinary course of its business.
(b) Accredited Investor Status. The Investor is an "accredited investor" as that term is defined in Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act.
(c) Reliance on Exemptions. The Investor understands that the Securities are being offered and sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying in part upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Investor's compliance with, the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of the Investor set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Investor to acquire the Securities.
(d) Information. The Investor understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk. The Investor (i) is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities including a total loss thereof, (ii) has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the proposed investment in the Securities and (iii) has had an opportunity to ask questions of and receive answers from the officers of the Company concerning the financial condition and business of the Company and others matters related to an investment in the Securities. Neither such inquiries nor any other due diligence investigations conducted by the Investor or its representatives shall modify, amend or affect the Investor's right to rely on the Company's representations and warranties contained in Section 4 below. The Investor has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice from its own independent advisors as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to its acquisition of the Securities and is not relying on any accounting, legal, tax or other advise from the Company, its officers, directors, representatives or advisors.
(e) No Governmental Review. The Investor understands that no U.S. federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of an investment in the Securities nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities.
(f) Transfer or Sale. The Investor understands that (i) the Securities may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (A) registered pursuant to the Securities Act or (B) an exemption exists permitting such Securities to be sold, assigned or transferred without such registration; (ii) any sale of the Securities made in reliance on Rule 144 may be made only in accordance with the terms of Rule 144 and further, if Rule 144 is not applicable, any resale of the Securities under circumstances in which the seller (or the Person through whom the sale is made) may be deemed to be an underwriter (as that term is defined in the Securities Act) may require compliance with some other exemption under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.
(g) Validity; Enforcement. This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered on behalf of the Investor and is a valid and binding agreement of the Investor enforceable against the Investor in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforceability to general principles of equity and to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation and other similar laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of applicable creditors' rights and remedies.
(h) Residency. The Investor is a resident of the State of Illinois.
(i) No Short Selling. The Investor represents and warrants to the Company that at no time prior to the date of this Agreement has any of the Investor, its agents, representatives or affiliates engaged in or effected, in any manner whatsoever, directly or indirectly, any (i) "short sale" (as such term is defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO of the Exchange Act) of the Common Stock or (ii) hedging transaction, which establishes a net short position with respect to the Common Stock.
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY.
The Company represents and warrants to the Investor that, except as set forth in the disclosure schedules attached hereto, which exceptions shall be deemed to be a part of the representations and warranties made hereunder, as of the date hereof and as of the Commencement Date:
(a) Organization and Qualification. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite corporate power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation or default of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or Certificate of Incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect and no proceeding has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification. The Company has no Subsidiaries except as set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
(b) Authorization; Enforcement; Validity. (i) The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party, and to issue the Securities in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, (ii) the execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including without limitation, the issuance of the Commitment Shares (as defined below in Section 5(e)) and the reservation for issuance and the issuance of the Purchase Shares issuable under this Agreement, have been duly authorized by the Company's Board of Directors and no further consent or authorization is required by the Company, its Board of Directors or its stockholders (except as provided in this Agreement), (iii) each of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement has been, and each other Transaction Document shall be on the Commencement Date, duly executed and delivered by the Company and (iv) each of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement constitutes, and each other Transaction Document upon its execution on behalf of the Company, shall constitute, the valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity or applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of creditors' rights and remedies. The Board of Directors of the Company has approved the resolutions (the “Signing Resolutions”) substantially in the form as set forth as Exhibit C attached hereto to authorize this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby. The Signing Resolutions are valid, in full force and effect and have not been modified or supplemented in any respect. The Company has delivered to the Investor a true and correct copy of minutes of a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company at which the Signing Resolutions were duly adopted by the Board of Directors or a unanimous written consent adopting the Signing Resolutions executed by all of the members of the Board of Directors of the Company. Except as set forth in this Agreement, no other approvals or consents of the Company’s Board of Directors, any authorized committee thereof, or stockholders (except as provided in this Agreement) is necessary under applicable laws and the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws to authorize the execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents or any of the transactions contemplated thereby, including, but not limited to, the issuance of the Securities.
(c) Capitalization. As of the date hereof, the authorized capital stock of the Company is set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Except as disclosed in the SEC Documents (as defined below), (i) no shares of the Company's capital stock are subject to preemptive rights or any other similar rights or any liens or encumbrances suffered or permitted by the Company, (ii) there are no outstanding debt securities, (iii) there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip, rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities or rights convertible into, any shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or may become bound to issue additional shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or options, warrants, scrip, rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities or rights convertible into, any shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (iv) there are no agreements or arrangements under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is obligated to register the sale of any of their securities under the Securities Act (except the Registration Rights Agreement), (v) there are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which contain any redemption or similar provisions, and there are no contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or may become bound to redeem a security of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (vi) there are no securities or instruments containing anti-dilution or similar provisions that will be triggered by the issuance of the Securities as described in this Agreement and (vii) the Company does not have any stock appreciation rights or "phantom stock" plans or agreements or any similar plan or agreement. The Company has furnished to the Investor true and correct copies of the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, as amended and as in effect on the date hereof (the "Certificate of Incorporation"), and the Company's Bylaws, as amended and as in effect on the date hereof (the "Bylaws"), and summaries of the material terms of all securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock, if any, and copies of any documents containing the material rights of the holders thereof in respect thereto that are not disclosed in the SEC Documents.
(d) Issuance of Securities. Upon issuance and payment therefor in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Purchase Shares (including, without limitation, the Initial Purchase Shares) shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens, charges, restrictions (other than such restrictions on transfer arising under the Securities Act prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement registering the resale thereof by the Investor under the Securities Act), rights of first refusal and preemptive rights with respect to the issue thereof, with the holders being entitled to all rights accorded to a holder of Common Stock under the Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law. Upon issuance in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Commitment Shares (as defined below in Section 5(e)) shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens, charges, restrictions (other than such restrictions on transfer arising under the Securities Act prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement registering the resale thereof by the Investor under the Securities Act), rights of first refusal and preemptive rights with respect to the issue thereof, with the holders being entitled to all rights accorded to a holder of Common Stock under the Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law. 40,000,000 shares of Common Stock have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon purchase under this Agreement as Purchase Shares (other than the Initial Purchase Shares).
(e) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including, without limitation, the issuance of the Commitment Shares and the reservation for issuance and issuance of the Purchase Shares) will not (i) result in a violation of the Certificate of Incorporation, any Certificate of Designations, Preferences and Rights of any outstanding series of preferred stock of the Company or the Bylaws or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree (including federal and state securities laws and regulations and the rules and regulations of the Principal Market applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries) or by which any property or asset of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound or affected, except in the case of conflicts, defaults, terminations, amendments, accelerations, cancellations and violations under clause (ii), which could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries is in violation of any term of or in default under its articles or certificate of incorporation, any Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights of any outstanding series of preferred stock of the Company or bylaws or their organizational charter or bylaws, respectively. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any term of or is in default under any material contract, agreement, mortgage, indebtedness, indenture, instrument, judgment, decree or order or any statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Company or its Subsidiaries, except for possible conflicts, defaults, terminations or amendments that could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The business of the Company and its Subsidiaries is not being conducted, and shall not be conducted, in violation of any law, ordinance or regulation of any governmental entity, except for possible violations, the sanctions for which either individually or in the aggregate could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as specifically contemplated by this Agreement and as required under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Principal Market, the Company is not required to obtain any consent, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency or any regulatory or self-regulatory agency in order for it to execute, deliver or perform any of its obligations under or contemplated by the Transaction Documents in accordance with the terms hereof or thereof. Except as set forth elsewhere in this Agreement, all consents, authorizations, orders, filings and registrations which the Company is required to obtain pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be obtained or effected on or prior to the Commencement Date.
(f) SEC Documents; Financial Statements. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the twelve months preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Documents”) on a timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any such SEC Documents prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of their respective dates, the SEC Documents complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable. None of the SEC Documents, when filed, 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 therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Documents comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“GAAP”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, the Company has received no notices or correspondence from the SEC for the one year preceding the date hereof. The SEC has not commenced any enforcement proceedings against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(g) Absence of Certain Changes. Except as disclosed in the SEC Documents, since December 31, 2019, there has been no material adverse change in the business, properties, operations, financial condition or results of operations of the Company or its Subsidiaries. The Company has not taken any steps, and does not currently expect to take any steps, to seek protection pursuant to any Bankruptcy Law nor does the Company or any of its Subsidiaries have any knowledge or reason to believe that its creditors intend to initiate involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings. The Company is financially solvent and is generally able to pay its debts as they become due.
(h) Absence of Litigation. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or by any court, public board, government agency, self-regulatory organization or body pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, threatened against or affecting the Company, the Common Stock or any of the Company's or its Subsidiaries' officers or directors in their capacities as such, which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(i) Acknowledgment Regarding Investor's Status. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Investor is acting solely in the capacity of arm's length purchaser with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The Company further acknowledges that the Investor is not acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and any advice given by the Investor or any of its representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby is merely incidental to the Investor's purchase of the Securities. The Company further represents to the Investor that the Company's decision to enter into the Transaction Documents has been based solely on the independent evaluation by the Company and its representatives and advisors.
(j) No General Solicitation; No Integrated Offering. Neither the Company, nor any of its affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf, has engaged in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D under the Securities Act) in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities. Neither the Company, nor or any of its affiliates, nor any Person acting on their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would require registration of the offer and sale of any of the Securities under the Securities Act, whether through integration with prior offerings or otherwise, or cause this offering of the Securities to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company in a manner that would require stockholder approval pursuant to the rules of the Principal Market on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated. The issuance and sale of the Securities hereunder does not contravene the rules and regulations of the Principal Market.
(k) Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights or licenses to use all material trademarks, trade names, service marks, service mark registrations, service names, patents, patent rights, copyrights, inventions, licenses, approvals, governmental authorizations, trade secrets and rights necessary to conduct their respective businesses as now conducted. None of the Company's material trademarks, trade names, service marks, service mark registrations, service names, patents, patent rights, copyrights, inventions, licenses, approvals, government authorizations, trade secrets or other intellectual property rights have expired or terminated, or, by the terms and conditions thereof, could expire or terminate within two years from the date of this Agreement. The Company and its Subsidiaries do not have any knowledge of any infringement by the Company or its Subsidiaries of any material trademark, trade name rights, patents, patent rights, copyrights, inventions, licenses, service names, service marks, service mark registrations, trade secret or other similar rights of others, or of any such development of similar or identical trade secrets or technical information by others, and there is no claim, action or proceeding being made or brought against, or to the Company's knowledge, being threatened against, the Company or its Subsidiaries regarding trademark, trade name, patents, patent rights, invention, copyright, license, service names, service marks, service mark registrations, trade secret or other infringement, which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(l) Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where, in each of the three foregoing clauses, the failure to so comply could not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
(m) Title. The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by them and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects (“Liens”) and, except for Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its Subsidiaries and Liens for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, the payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and its Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its Subsidiaries.
(n) Insurance. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as management of the Company believes to be prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and its Subsidiaries are engaged. Neither the Company nor any such Subsidiary has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for and neither the Company nor any such Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not materially and adversely affect the condition, financial or otherwise, or the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(o) Regulatory Permits. The Company and its Subsidiaries possess all material certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, and neither the Company nor any such Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit.
(p) Tax Status. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has made or filed all federal and state income and all other material tax returns, reports and declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject (unless and only to the extent that the Company and each of its Subsidiaries has set aside on its books provisions reasonably adequate for the payment of all unpaid and unreported taxes) and has paid all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations, except those being contested in good faith and has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the payment of all taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports or declarations apply. There are no unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, and the officers of the Company know of no basis for any such claim.
(q) Transactions With Affiliates. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, none of the officers or directors of the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee or partner, in each case in excess of $120,000 other than for (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits, including stock option agreements under any stock option plan of the Company.
(r) Application of Takeover Protections. The Company and its board of directors have taken or will take prior to the Commencement Date all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Certificate of Incorporation or the laws of the state of its incorporation which is or could become applicable to the Investor as a result of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including, without limitation, the Company's issuance of the Securities and the Investor's ownership of the Securities.
(s) Disclosure. Except with respect to the material terms and conditions of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents that will be timely publicly disclosed by the Company, the Company confirms that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided the Investor or its agents or counsel with any information that it believes constitutes or might constitute material, non-public information which is not otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement or the SEC Documents. The Company understands and confirms that the Investor will rely on the foregoing representation in effecting purchases and sales of securities of the Company. All of the disclosure furnished by or on behalf of the Company to the Investor regarding the Company, its business and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the disclosure schedules to this Agreement, is true and correct and does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The press releases disseminated by the Company during the twelve months preceding the date of this Agreement are true and correct in all material respects. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Investor neither makes nor has made any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in Section 3 hereof.
(t) Foreign Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company, nor to the knowledge of the Company, any agent or other Person acting on behalf of the Company, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company (or made by any Person acting on its behalf of which the Company is aware) which is in violation of law, or (iv) violated in any material respect any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
(u) DTC Eligibility. The Company, through the Transfer Agent, currently participates in the DTC Fast Automated Securities Transfer (FAST) Program and the Common Stock can be transferred electronically to third parties via the DTC Fast Automated Securities Transfer (FAST) Program.
(v) Sarbanes-Oxley. The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, which are applicable to it as of the date hereof.
(w) Certain Fees. No brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Investor shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section 4(w) that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
(x) Investment Company. The Company is not, and immediately after receipt of payment for the Securities will not be, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(y) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock pursuant to the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the SEC is currently contemplating terminating such registration. The Company has not, in the twelve (12) months preceding the date hereof, received any notice from any Person to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of the Principal Market. The Company is, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements. The Principal Market has not commenced any delisting proceedings against the Company.
(z) Accountants. The Company’s accountants are set forth in the SEC Documents and, to the knowledge of the Company, such accountants are an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act.
(aa) No Market Manipulation. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no Person acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company.
(bb) Shell Company Status. The Company is not currently, and has never been, an issuer identified in Rule 144(i)(1) under the Securities Act.
(cc) No Disqualification Events. None of the Company, any of its predecessors, any affiliated issuer, any director, executive officer, other officer of the Company participating in the offering contemplated hereby, any beneficial owner of 20% or more of the Company's outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power, nor any promoter (as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) connected with the Company in any capacity at the time of sale (each, an “Issuer Covered Person”) is subject to any of the “Bad Actor” disqualifications described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) to (viii) under the Securities Act (a “Disqualification Event”), except for a Disqualification Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3) under the Securities Act. The Company has exercised reasonable care to determine whether any Issuer Covered Person is subject to a Disqualification Event.
5. COVENANTS.
(a) Filing of Current Report and Registration Statement. The Company agrees that it shall, within the time required under the Exchange Act, file with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K relating to the transactions contemplated by, and describing the material terms and conditions of, the Transaction Documents (the “Current Report”). The Company shall also file with the SEC, within ten (10) Business Days from the date hereof, a new registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) covering only the resale of the Purchase Shares (including, without limitation, all of the Initial Purchase Shares) and all of the Commitment Shares, in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement between the Company and the Investor, dated as of the date hereof (the “Registration Rights Agreement”). The Company shall permit the Investor to review and comment upon the final pre-filing draft version of the Current Report at least two (2) Business Days prior to its filing with the SEC, and the Company shall give due consideration to all such comments. The Investor shall use its reasonable best efforts to comment upon the final pre-filing draft version of the Current Report within one (1) Business Day from the date the Investor receives it from the Company.
(b) Blue Sky. The Company shall take all such action, if any, as is reasonably necessary in order to obtain an exemption for or to register or qualify (i) the issuance of the Commitment Shares and the sale of the Purchase Shares to the Investor under this Agreement and (ii) any subsequent resale of all Commitment Shares and all Purchase Shares by the Investor, in each case, under applicable securities or “Blue Sky” laws of the states of the United States in such states as is reasonably requested by the Investor from time to time, and shall provide evidence of any such action so taken to the Investor.
(c) Listing/DTC. The Company shall promptly secure the listing of all of the Purchase Shares and Commitment Shares to be issued to the Investor hereunder on the Principal Market (subject to official notice of issuance) and upon each other national securities exchange or automated quotation system, if any, upon which the Common Stock is then listed, and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain, so long as any shares of Common Stock shall be so listed, such listing of all such Securities from time to time issuable hereunder. The Company shall maintain the listing of the Common Stock on the Principal Market and shall comply with the Company’s reporting, filing and other obligations under the bylaws or rules and regulations of the Principal Market. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall take any action that would reasonably be expected to result in the delisting or suspension of the Common Stock on the Principal Market. The Company shall promptly, and in no event later than the Business Day immediately following the date of receipt by the Company, provide to the Investor copies of any notices it receives from the Principal Market regarding the continued eligibility of the Common Stock for listing on the Principal Market; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to provide the Investor copies of any such notice that the Company (i) reasonably believes constitutes material non-public information or (ii) is not be required to be publicly disclosed in any report or statement filed with the SEC under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act. The Company shall pay all fees and expenses in connection with satisfying its obligations under this Section 5(c). The Company shall take all action necessary to ensure that its Common Stock can be transferred electronically as DWAC Shares.
(d) Prohibition of Short Sales and Hedging Transactions. The Investor agrees that beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the date of termination of this Agreement as provided in Section 11, the Investor and its agents, representatives and affiliates shall not in any manner whatsoever enter into or effect, directly or indirectly, any (i) “short sale” (as such term is defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO of the Exchange Act) of the Common Stock or (ii) hedging transaction, which establishes a net short position with respect to the Common Stock.
(e) Issuance of Commitment Shares. In consideration for the Investor’s execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company shall cause to be issued to the Investor a total of 2,928,571 shares of Common Stock (the “Commitment Shares”) on the date of this Agreement and shall, concurrently with the execution of this Agreement on the date hereof, deliver to the Transfer Agent the Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions with respect to the issuance of such Commitment Shares to the Investor on the date of this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, all of the Commitment Shares shall be fully earned as of the date of this Agreement, whether or not the Commencement shall occur or any Purchase Shares (other than the Initial Purchase Shares) are purchased by the Investor under this Agreement and irrespective of any subsequent termination of this Agreement.
(f) Due Diligence; Non-Public Information. The Investor shall have the right, from time to time as the Investor may reasonably deem appropriate, to perform reasonable due diligence on the Company during normal business hours. The Company and its officers and employees shall provide information and reasonably cooperate with the Investor in connection with any reasonable request by the Investor related to the Investor's due diligence of the Company. Each party hereto agrees not to disclose any Confidential Information of the other party to any third party and shall not use the Confidential Information for any purpose other than in connection with, or in furtherance of, the transactions contemplated hereby. Each party hereto acknowledges that the Confidential Information shall remain the property of the disclosing party and agrees that it shall take all reasonable measures to protect the secrecy of any Confidential Information disclosed by the other party. The Company confirms that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf shall provide the Investor or its agents or counsel with any information that constitutes or might constitute material, non-public information, unless a simultaneous public announcement thereof is made by the Company in the manner contemplated by Regulation FD. In the event of a breach of the foregoing covenant by the Company or any Person acting on its behalf (as determined in the reasonable good faith judgment of the Investor), in addition to any other remedy provided herein or in the other Transaction Documents, the Investor shall have the right to make a public disclosure, in the form of a press release, public advertisement or otherwise, of such material, non-public information without the prior approval by the Company; provided the Investor shall have first provided notice to the Company that it believes it has received information that constitutes material, non-public information, the Company shall have at least 24 hours to publicly disclose such material, non-public information prior to any such disclosure by the Investor, and the Company shall have failed to publicly disclose such material, non-public information within such time period. The Investor shall not have any liability to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, stockholders or agents, for any such disclosure. The Company understands and confirms that the Investor shall be relying on the foregoing covenants in effecting transactions in securities of the Company.
(g) Purchase Records. The Investor and the Company shall each maintain records showing the remaining Available Amount at any given time and the dates and Purchase Amounts for each Regular Purchase, Accelerated Purchase and Additional Accelerated Purchase and the Initial Purchase or shall use such other method, reasonably satisfactory to the Investor and the Company.
(h) Taxes. The Company shall pay any and all transfer, stamp or similar taxes that may be payable with respect to the issuance and delivery of any shares of Common Stock to the Investor made under this Agreement.
(i) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds from the offering as described in the Registration Statement or the SEC Documents.
(j) Other Transactions. During the term of this Agreement, the Company shall not enter into, announce or recommend to its shareholders any agreement, plan, arrangement or transaction in or of which the terms thereof would restrict, materially delay, conflict with or impair the ability or right of the Company to perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents, including, without limitation, the obligation of the Company to deliver the Purchase Shares and the Commitment Shares to the Investor in accordance with the terms of the Transaction Documents.
(k) Integration. From and after the date of this Agreement, neither the Company, nor or any of its affiliates will, and the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to ensure that no Person acting on their behalf will, directly or indirectly, make any offers or sales of any security or solicit any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would (i) require registration of the offer and sale by the Company to the Investor of any of the Securities under the Securities Act, or (ii) cause this offering of the Securities by the Company to the Investor to be integrated with other offerings by the Company in a manner that would require stockholder approval pursuant to the rules of the Principal Market on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated, unless in the case of this clause (ii), stockholder approval is obtained before the closing of such subsequent transaction in accordance with the rules of such Principal Market.
(l) Limitation on Variable Rate Transactions. From and after the date of this Agreement until the later of (i) the 36-month anniversary of the date of this Agreement and (ii) the 36-month anniversary of the Commencement Date (if the Commencement has occurred), in either case irrespective of any earlier termination of this Agreement, the Company shall be prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to effect any issuance by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents (or a combination of units thereof) involving a Variable Rate Transaction, other than in connection with an Exempt Issuance. The Investor shall be entitled to obtain injunctive relief against the Company and its Subsidiaries to preclude any such issuance, which remedy shall be in addition to any right to collect damages, without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required. “Common Stock Equivalents” means any securities of the Company or its Subsidiaries which entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, rights, options, warrants or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Stock. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which the Company (i) issues or sells any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive additional shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price, exchange rate or other price that is based upon and/or varies with the trading prices of or quotations for the Common Stock at any time after the initial issuance of such debt or equity securities (including, without limitation, pursuant to any “cashless exercise” provision), or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to the business of the Company or the market for the Common Stock (including, without limitation, any “full ratchet” or “weighted average” anti-dilution provisions), (ii) issues or sells any debt or equity securities, including without limitation, Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents, either (A) at a price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to the business of the Company or the market for the Common Stock, or (B) that is subject to or contains any put, call, redemption, buy-back, price-reset or other similar provision or mechanism (including, without limitation, a “Black-Scholes” put or call right) that provides for the issuance of additional debt or equity securities of the Company or the payment of cash by the Company, or (iii) enters into any agreement, including, but not limited to, an “equity line of credit”, “at-the-market offering” or other continuous offering or similar offering of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents, whereby the Company may sell Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents at a future determined price. “Exempt Issuance” means the issuance of (a) Common Stock or options to employees, officers, directors or vendors of the Company pursuant to any stock or option plan duly adopted for such purpose, by the Board of Directors or a majority of the members of a committee of directors established for such purpose, (b) securities upon the exercise or exchange of or conversion of any Securities issued hereunder and/or Common Stock Equivalents issued and outstanding on the date of this Agreement, provided that such securities have not been amended since the date of this Agreement to increase the number of such securities or to decrease the exercise price, exchange price or conversion price of such securities, (c) securities issued pursuant to acquisitions or strategic transactions approved by the Board of Directors or a majority of the members of a committee of directors established for such purpose, which acquisitions or strategic transactions can have a Variable Rate Transaction component, provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person (or to the equity holders of a Person) which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company or an asset in a business synergistic with the business of the Company and shall provide to the Company additional benefits in addition to the investment of funds, but shall not include a transaction in which the Company is issuing securities primarily for the purpose of raising capital or to an entity whose primary business is investing in securities, or (d) Common Stock issued pursuant to an “at-the-market offering” by the Company exclusively through one or more registered broker-dealers acting primarily as agent(s) of the Company pursuant to a written equity distribution or sales agreement between the Company and such registered broker-dealer(s).
6. TRANSFER AGENT INSTRUCTIONS.
(b) On the date of this Agreement, the Company shall issue irrevocable instructions to the Transfer Agent substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C to issue the Initial Purchase Shares and the Commitment Shares in accordance with the terms of this Agreement (the “Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions”). The certificate(s) or book-entry statement(s) representing the Initial Purchase Shares and the Commitment Shares, except as set forth below, shall bear the following restrictive legend (the “Restrictive Legend”):
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED FOR SALE, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR THE SECURITIES UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS, UNLESS SOLD PURSUANT TO: (1) RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR (2) AN OPINION OF HOLDER’S COUNSEL, IN A CUSTOMARY FORM, THAT REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER SAID ACT OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS.
(c) On the earlier of (i) the Commencement Date and (ii) such time that the Investor shall request, provided all conditions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act are met, the Company shall, no later than two (2) Business Days following the delivery by the Investor to the Company or the Transfer Agent of one or more legended certificates or book-entry statements representing the Initial Purchase Shares and/or Commitment Shares (which certificates or book-entry statements the Investor shall promptly deliver on or prior to the first to occur of the events described in clauses (i) and (ii) of this sentence), as directed by the Investor, issue and deliver (or cause to be issued and delivered) to the Investor, as requested by the Investor, either: (A) a certificate or book-entry statement representing such Initial Purchase Shares and/or Commitment Shares that is free from all restrictive and other legends or (B) a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the number of Initial Purchase Shares and/or Commitment Shares represented by the certificate(s) or book-entry statement(s) so delivered by the Investor as DWAC Shares. The Company shall take all actions necessary or desirable to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of the immediately preceding sentence, including, without limitation, delivering all such legal opinions, consents, certificates, resolutions and instructions to the Transfer Agent, and any successor transfer agent of the Company, as may be requested from time to time by the Investor or necessary or desirable to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of the immediately preceding sentence. On the Commencement Date, the Company shall issue to the Transfer Agent, and any subsequent transfer agent, (i) irrevocable instructions in the form substantially similar to those used by the Investor in substantially similar transactions (the “Commencement Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions”) and (ii) the notice of effectiveness of the Registration Statement in the form attached as an exhibit to the Registration Rights Agreement (the “Notice of Effectiveness of Registration Statement”), in each case to issue the Commitment Shares and the Purchase Shares in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement. All Purchase Shares to be issued from and after Commencement to or for the benefit of the Investor pursuant to this Agreement shall be issued only as DWAC Shares. The Company represents and warrants to the Investor that, while this Agreement is effective, no instruction other than the Commencement Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions and the Notice of Effectiveness of Registration Statement referred to in this Section 6(b) will be given by the Company to the Transfer Agent with respect to the Purchase Shares or the Commitment Shares from and after Commencement, and the Purchase Shares and the Commitment Shares covered by the Registration Statement shall otherwise be freely transferable on the books and records of the Company. The Company agrees that if the Company fails to fully comply with the provisions of this Section 6(b) within five (5) Business Days of the Investor providing the deliveries referred to above, the Company shall, at the Investor’s written instruction, purchase such shares of Common Stock containing the Restrictive Legend from the Investor at the greater of the (i) purchase price paid for such shares of Common Stock (as applicable) and (ii) the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on the date of the Investor’s written instruction.
7. CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANY'S RIGHT TO COMMENCE SALES OF SHARES OF COMMON STOCK.
I. The right of the Company hereunder to sell the Initial Purchase Shares on the date of this Agreement is subject to the satisfaction of each of the following conditions:
(a) The Investor shall have executed each of the Transaction Documents and delivered the same to the Company; and
(b) The representations and warranties of the Investor shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof.
II. The right of the Company hereunder to commence sales of the Purchase Shares (other than the Initial Purchase Shares) on the Commencement Date is subject to the satisfaction of each of the following conditions
(a) The Investor shall have executed each of the Transaction Documents and delivered the same to the Company;
(b) The Registration Statement covering the resale of the Purchase Shares (including, without limitation, all of the Initial Purchase Shares) and all of the Commitment Shares shall have been declared effective under the Securities Act by the SEC, and no stop order with respect to the Registration Statement shall be pending or threatened by the SEC; and
(c) The representations and warranties of the Investor shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof and as of the Commencement Date as though made at that time.
8. CONDITIONS TO THE INVESTOR'S OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE SHARES OF COMMON STOCK.
I. The obligation of the Investor to buy the Initial Purchase Shares under this Agreement is subject to the satisfaction of each of the following conditions:
(a) The Company shall have executed each of the Transaction Documents and delivered the same to the Investor;
(b) The Common Stock shall be listed or quoted on the Principal Market, trading in the Common Stock shall not have been within the last 365 days suspended by the SEC or the Principal Market, and all Securities to be issued by the Company to the Investor pursuant to this Agreement shall have been, if applicable, approved for listing or quotation on the Principal Market in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Principal Market, subject only to official notice of issuance;
(c) The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 4 shall be true and correct in all material respects (except to the extent that any of such representations and warranties is already qualified as to materiality in Section 4 above, in which case, such representations and warranties shall be true and correct without further qualification) as of the date hereof (except for representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date, which shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such specific date, or to the extent already qualified as to materiality in Section 4 above shall be true and correct in all respects as of such specific date) and the Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied with the covenants, agreements and conditions required by the Transaction Documents to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to the date hereof. The Investor shall have received a certificate, executed by the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), President or Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of the Company, dated as of the date hereof, to the foregoing effect in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A;
(d) The Board of Directors of the Company shall have adopted the Signing Resolutions, which shall be in full force and effect without any amendment or supplement thereto as of the date hereof;
(e) The Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions shall have been delivered by the Company to the Transfer Agent (or any successor transfer agent) and acknowledged in writing (including by email) by the Transfer Agent (or any successor transfer agent);
(f) All federal, state and local governmental laws, rules and regulations applicable to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and necessary for the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby in accordance with the terms thereof shall have been complied with, and all consents, authorizations and orders of, and all filings and registrations with, all federal, state and local courts or governmental agencies and all federal, state and local regulatory or self-regulatory agencies necessary for the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby in accordance with the terms thereof shall have been obtained or made, including, without limitation, in each case those required under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, applicable state securities or “Blue Sky” laws or applicable rules and regulations of the Principal Market, or otherwise required by the SEC, the Principal Market or any state securities regulators;
(g) No statute, regulation, order, decree, writ, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated, threatened or endorsed by any federal, state or local court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction which prohibits the consummation of or which would materially modify or delay any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents; and
(h) No action, suit or proceeding before any federal, state, local or foreign arbitrator or any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction shall have been commenced or threatened, and no inquiry or investigation by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental authority of competent jurisdiction shall have been commenced or threatened, against the Company, or any of the officers, directors or affiliates of the Company, seeking to restrain, prevent or change the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, or seeking material damages in connection with such transactions.
II. The obligation of the Investor to buy Purchase Shares (other than the Initial Purchase Shares) under this Agreement is subject to the satisfaction of each of the following conditions on or prior to the Commencement Date and, once such conditions have been initially satisfied, there shall not be any ongoing obligation to satisfy such conditions after the Commencement has occurred:
(a) The Company shall have executed each of the Transaction Documents and delivered the same to the Investor;
(b) The Company shall have issued or caused to be issued to the Investor (i) one or more certificates or book-entry statements representing the Initial Purchase Shares and the Commitment Shares free from all restrictive and other legends or (ii) a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the number of Initial Purchase Shares and Commitment Shares as DWAC Shares, in each case in accordance with Section 6(b);
(c) The Common Stock shall be listed or quoted on the Principal Market, trading in the Common Stock shall not have been within the last 365 days suspended by the SEC or the Principal Market, and all Securities to be issued by the Company to the Investor pursuant to this Agreement shall have been, if applicable, approved for listing or quotation on the Principal Market in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Principal Market, subject only to official notice of issuance;
(d) The Investor shall have received the opinions of the Company's legal counsel dated as of the Commencement Date substantially in the forms agreed prior to the date of this Agreement by the Company’s legal counsel and the Investor’s legal counsel;
(e) The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 4 shall be true and correct in all material respects (except to the extent that any of such representations and warranties is already qualified as to materiality in Section 4 above, in which case, such representations and warranties shall be true and correct without further qualification) as of the date hereof and as of the Commencement Date as though made at that time (except for representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date, which shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such specific date, or to the extent already qualified as to materiality in Section 4 above shall be true and correct in all respects as of such specific date) and the Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied with the covenants, agreements and conditions required by the Transaction Documents to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to the Commencement Date. The Investor shall have received a certificate, executed by the CEO, President or CFO of the Company, dated as of the Commencement Date, to the foregoing effect in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A;
(f) The Board of Directors of the Company shall have adopted the Signing Resolutions, which shall be in full force and effect without any amendment or supplement thereto as of the Commencement Date;
(g) As of the Commencement Date, the Company shall have reserved out of its authorized and unissued Common Stock, solely for the purpose of effecting purchases of Purchase Shares (other than the Initial Purchase Shares) hereunder, 40,000,000 shares of Common Stock;
(h) The Commencement Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions and the Notice of Effectiveness of Registration Statement each shall have been delivered to the Transfer Agent (or any successor transfer agent) and acknowledged in writing (including by email) by the Transfer Agent (or any successor transfer agent);
(i) The Company shall have delivered to the Investor a certificate evidencing the incorporation and good standing of the Company in the State of Delaware issued by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as of a date within ten (10) Business Days of the Commencement Date;
(j) The Company shall have delivered to the Investor a certified copy of the Certificate of Incorporation as certified by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware within ten (10) Business Days of the Commencement Date;
(k) The Company shall have delivered to the Investor a secretary's certificate executed by the Secretary of the Company, dated as of the Commencement Date, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B;
(l) The Registration Statement covering the resale of the Purchase Shares (including, without limitation, all of the Initial Purchase Shares) and all of the Commitment Shares shall have been declared effective under the Securities Act by the SEC, and no stop order with respect to the Registration Statement shall be in effect or threatened by the SEC. The Company shall have prepared and filed with the SEC, not later than one (1) Business Day after the effective date of the Registration Statement, a final and complete prospectus (the preliminary form of which shall be included in the Registration Statement) and shall have delivered to the Investor a true and complete copy thereof. Such prospectus shall be current and available for the resale by the Investor of all of the Securities covered thereby. The Current Report shall have been filed with the SEC, as required pursuant to Section 5(a). All reports, schedules, registrations, forms, statements, information and other documents required to have been filed by the Company with the SEC at or during the 12-month period immediately preceding the Commencement Date pursuant to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act shall have been filed with the SEC within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings under the Exchange Act, including any applicable extension periods contemplated by the Exchange Act;
(m) No Event of Default (as defined below) has occurred, and no event which, after notice and/or lapse of time, would reasonably be expected to become an Event of Default has occurred;
(n) All federal, state and local governmental laws, rules and regulations applicable to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and necessary for the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby in accordance with the terms thereof shall have been complied with, and all consents, authorizations and orders of, and all filings and registrations with, all federal, state and local courts or governmental agencies and all federal, state and local regulatory or self-regulatory agencies necessary for the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby in accordance with the terms thereof shall have been obtained or made, including, without limitation, in each case those required under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, applicable state securities or “Blue Sky” laws or applicable rules and regulations of the Principal Market, or otherwise required by the SEC, the Principal Market or any state securities regulators;
(o) No statute, regulation, order, decree, writ, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated, threatened or endorsed by any federal, state or local court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction which prohibits the consummation of or which would materially modify or delay any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents; and
(p) No action, suit or proceeding before any federal, state, local or foreign arbitrator or any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction shall have been commenced or threatened, and no inquiry or investigation by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental authority of competent jurisdiction shall have been commenced or threatened, against the Company, or any of the officers, directors or affiliates of the Company, seeking to restrain, prevent or change the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, or seeking material damages in connection with such transactions.
9. INDEMNIFICATION.
In consideration of the Investor's execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents and acquiring the Securities hereunder and in addition to all of the Company's other obligations under the Transaction Documents, the Company shall defend, protect, indemnify and hold harmless the Investor and all of its affiliates, stockholders, members, officers, directors, employees and direct or indirect investors and any of the foregoing Person's agents or other representatives (including, without limitation, those retained in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement) (collectively, the "Indemnitees") from and against any and all actions, causes of action, suits, claims, losses, costs, penalties, fees, liabilities and damages, and expenses in connection therewith (irrespective of whether any such Indemnitee is a party to the action for which indemnification hereunder is sought), and including reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements (the "Indemnified Liabilities"), incurred by any Indemnitee as a result of, or arising out of, or relating to (a) any misrepresentation or breach of any representation or warranty made by the Company in the Transaction Documents or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby, (b) any breach of any covenant, agreement or obligation of the Company contained in the Transaction Documents or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby, or (c) any cause of action, suit or claim brought or made against such Indemnitee and arising out of or resulting from the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of the Transaction Documents or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby, other than, in the case of clause (c), with respect to Indemnified Liabilities which directly and primarily result from the fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct of an Indemnitee. The indemnity in this Section 9 shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. To the extent that the foregoing undertaking by the Company may be unenforceable for any reason, the Company shall make the maximum contribution to the payment and satisfaction of each of the Indemnified Liabilities which is permissible under applicable law. Payment under this indemnification shall be made within thirty (30) days from the date Investor makes written request for it. A certificate containing reasonable detail as to the amount of such indemnification submitted to the Company by Investor shall be conclusive evidence, absent manifest error, of the amount due from the Company to Investor. If any action shall be brought against any Indemnitee in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to this Agreement, such Indemnitee shall promptly notify the Company in writing, and the Company shall have the right to assume the defense thereof with counsel of its own choosing reasonably acceptable to the Indemnitee. Any Indemnitee shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnitee, except to the extent that (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized by the Company in writing, (ii) the Company has failed after a reasonable period of time to assume such defense and to employ counsel or (iii) in such action there is, in the reasonable opinion of such separate counsel, a material conflict on any material issue between the position of the Company and the position of such Indemnitee, in which case the Company shall be responsible for the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one such separate counsel.
10. EVENTS OF DEFAULT.
An "Event of Default" shall be deemed to have occurred at any time as any of the following events occurs:
(a) the effectiveness of a registration statement registering the resale of the Securities lapses for any reason (including, without limitation, the issuance of a stop order or similar order) or such registration statement (or the prospectus forming a part thereof) is unavailable to the Investor for resale of any or all of the Securities to be issued to the Investor under the Transaction Documents, and such lapse or unavailability continues for a period of ten (10) consecutive Business Days or for more than an aggregate of thirty (30) Business Days in any 365-day period, but excluding a lapse or unavailability where (i) the Company terminates a registration statement after the Investor has confirmed in writing that all of the Securities covered thereby have been resold or (ii) the Company supersedes one registration statement with another registration statement, including (without limitation) by terminating a prior registration statement when it is effectively replaced with a new registration statement covering Securities (provided in the case of this clause (ii) that all of the Securities covered by the superseded (or terminated) registration statement that have not theretofore been resold are included in the superseding (or new) registration statement);
(b) the suspension of the Common Stock from trading on the Principal Market for a period of one (1) Business Day, provided that the Company may not direct the Investor to purchase any shares of Common Stock during any such suspension;
(c) the delisting of the Common Stock from OTC Markets (or nationally recognized successor to the foregoing), provided, however, that the Common Stock is not immediately thereafter trading on the New York Stock Exchange, The Nasdaq Capital Market, The Nasdaq Global Market, The Nasdaq Global Select Market, the NYSE American, the NYSE Arca, or the OTC Bulletin Board (or nationally recognized successor to any of the foregoing);
(d) the failure for any reason by the Transfer Agent to issue Purchase Shares to the Investor within two (2) Business Days after the date on which the Investor is entitled to receive such Purchase Shares under this Agreement;
(e) the Company breaches any representation, warranty, covenant or other term or condition under any Transaction Document if such breach would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and except, in the case of a breach of a covenant which is reasonably curable, only if such breach continues for a period of at least five (5) Business Days;
(f) if any Person commences a proceeding against the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law;
(g) if the Company, pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law, (i) commences a voluntary case, (ii) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case, (iii) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property, or (iv) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors or is generally unable to pay its debts as the same become due;
(h) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that (i) is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case, (ii) appoints a Custodian of the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or (iii) orders the liquidation of the Company or any Subsidiary; or
(i) if at any time the Company is not eligible to transfer its Common Stock electronically as DWAC Shares.
In addition to any other rights and remedies under applicable law and this Agreement, so long as an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, or if any event which, after notice and/or lapse of time, would reasonably be expected to become an Event of Default, has occurred and is continuing, the Company shall not deliver to the Investor any Regular Purchase Notice, Accelerated Purchase Notice or Additional Accelerated Purchase Notice.
11. TERMINATION
This Agreement may be terminated only as follows:
(a) If pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law, the Company commences a voluntary case or any Person commences a proceeding against the Company, a Custodian is appointed for the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or the Company makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors (any of which would be an Event of Default as described in Sections 10(f), 10(g) and 10(h) hereof), this Agreement shall automatically terminate without any liability or payment to the Company (except as set forth below) without further action or notice by any Person.
(b) In the event that (i) the Company fails to file the Registration Statement with the SEC within the period specified in Section 5(a) hereof in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement or (ii) the Commencement shall not have occurred on or before July 31, 2020, due to the failure to satisfy the conditions set forth in Sections 7(II) and 8(II) above with respect to the Commencement, then, in the case of clause (i) above, this Agreement may be terminated by the Investor at any time prior to the filing of the Registration Statement and, in the case of clause (ii) above, this Agreement may be terminated by either party at the close of business on July 31, 2020 or thereafter, in each case without liability of such party to the other party (except as set forth below); provided, however, that the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 11(b) shall not be available to any party if such party is then in breach of any covenant or agreement contained in this Agreement or any representation or warranty of such party contained in this Agreement fails to be true and correct such that the conditions set forth in Section 7(II)(c) or Section 8(II)(e), as applicable, could not then be satisfied.
(c) At any time after the Commencement Date, the Company shall have the option to terminate this Agreement for any reason or for no reason by delivering notice (a “Company Termination Notice”) to the Investor electing to terminate this Agreement without any liability whatsoever of any party to any other party under this Agreement (except as set forth below). The Company Termination Notice shall not be effective until one (1) Business Day after it has been received by the Investor.
(d) This Agreement shall automatically terminate on the date that the Company sells and the Investor purchases the full Available Amount as provided herein, without any action or notice on the part of any party and without any liability whatsoever of any party to any other party under this Agreement (except as set forth below).
(e) If, for any reason or for no reason, the full Available Amount has not been purchased in accordance with Section 2 of this Agreement by the Maturity Date, this Agreement shall automatically terminate on the Maturity Date, without any action or notice on the part of any party and without any liability whatsoever of any party to any other party under this Agreement (except as set forth below).
Except as set forth in Sections 11(a) (in respect of an Event of Default under Sections 10(f), 10(g) and 10(h)), 11(d) and 11(e), any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 11 shall be effected by written notice from the Company to the Investor, or the Investor to the Company, as the case may be, setting forth the basis for the termination hereof. The representations and warranties and covenants of the Company and the Investor contained in Sections 3, 4, 5, and 6 hereof, the indemnification provisions set forth in Section 9 hereof and the agreements and covenants set forth in Sections 10, 11 and 12 shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and any termination of this Agreement. No termination of this Agreement shall (i) affect the Company’s or the Investor’s rights or obligations under (A) this Agreement with respect to the Initial Purchase or any pending Regular Purchases, Accelerated Purchases or Additional Accelerated Purchases and the Company and the Investor shall complete their respective obligations with respect to the Initial Purchase and any pending Regular Purchases, Accelerated Purchases and Additional Accelerated Purchases under this Agreement and (B) the Registration Rights Agreement, which shall survive any such termination, or (ii) be deemed to release the Company or the Investor from any liability for intentional misrepresentation or willful breach of any of the Transaction Documents.
12. MISCELLANEOUS.
(a) Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Jury Trial. The corporate laws of the State of Delaware shall govern all issues concerning the relative rights of the Company and its stockholders. All other questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement and the other Transaction Documents shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of Illinois, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of Illinois or any other jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdictions other than the State of Illinois. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the State of Illinois, County of Cook, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or under the other Transaction Documents or in connection herewith or therewith, or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such party at the address for such 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. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
(b) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which 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; provided that a facsimile signature or signature delivered by e-mail in a “.pdf” format data file, including any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com, www.echosign.adobe.com, etc., shall be considered due execution and shall be binding upon the signatory thereto with the same force and effect as if the signature were an original signature.
(c) Headings. The headings of this Agreement are for convenience of reference and shall not form part of, or affect the interpretation of, this Agreement.
(d) Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction.
(e) Entire Agreement. The Transaction Documents supersede all other prior oral or written agreements between the Investor, the Company, their affiliates and Persons acting on their behalf with respect to the subject matter thereof, and this Agreement, the other Transaction Documents and the instruments referenced herein contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the matters covered herein and therein and, except as specifically set forth herein or therein, neither the Company nor the Investor makes any representation, warranty, covenant or undertaking with respect to such matters. The Company acknowledges and agrees that is has not relied on, in any manner whatsoever, any representations or statements, written or oral, other than as expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents.
(f) Notices. Any notices, consents or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been delivered: (i) upon receipt when delivered personally; (ii) upon receipt when sent by facsimile or email (provided confirmation of transmission is mechanically or electronically generated and kept on file by the sending party); or (iii) one Business Day after deposit with a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, in each case properly addressed to the party to receive the same. The addresses for such communications shall be:
| If to the Company: | ||
| BioLargo, Inc. | ||
| 14921 Chestnut Street | ||
| Westminster, CA 92683 | ||
| Telephone: | (888) 400-2863 | |
| E-mail: | ***@*** | |
| Attention: | Dennis P. Calvert | |
| With a copy to (which shall not constitute notice or service of process): | ||
| Wilson Bradshaw, LLP | ||
| 18818 Teller Avenue | ||
| Suite 115 | ||
| Irvine, CA 92612 | ||
| Telephone: | (949) 752-1100, ext. 301 | |
| Facsimile: | (949) 752-1144 | |
| Email: | ***@*** | |
| Attention: | Christopher A. Wilson, Esq. | |
| If to the Investor: | ||
| Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC | ||
| 440 North Wells, Suite 410 | ||
| Chicago, IL 60654 | ||
| Telephone: | 312 ###-###-#### | |
| Facsimile: | 312 ###-###-#### | |
| E-mail: | ***@*** ***@*** | |
| Attention: | Josh Scheinfeld/Jonathan Cope | |
| With a copy to (which shall not constitute notice or service of process): | ||
| Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. | ||
| 666 Third Avenue | ||
| New York, NY 10017 | ||
| Telephone: | (212) 692-6267 | |
| Facsimile: | (212) 983-3115 | |
| E-mail: | ***@*** | |
| Attention: | Anthony J. Marsico, Esq. | |
| If to the Transfer Agent: | ||
| American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC | ||
| 6201 15th Avenue | ||
| Brooklyn, NY 11219 | ||
| Telephone: | (718) 921-8200x6506 | |
| Email: | ***@*** | |
| ***@*** | ||
| Attention: | Sharon Best-Jhagroo | |
or at such other address and/or facsimile number and/or email address and/or to the attention of such other Person as the recipient party has specified by written notice given to each other party three (3) Business Days prior to the effectiveness of such change. Written confirmation of receipt (A) given by the recipient of such notice, consent or other communication, (B) mechanically or electronically generated by the sender's facsimile machine or email account containing the time, date, and recipient facsimile number or email address, as applicable, or (C) provided by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, shall be rebuttable evidence of personal service, receipt by facsimile or email or receipt from a nationally recognized overnight delivery service in accordance with clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above, respectively.
(g) Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and assigns. The Company shall not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Investor, including by merger or consolidation. The Investor may not assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement.
(h) No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns and, except as set forth in Section 9, is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person.
(i) Publicity. The Company shall afford the Investor and its counsel with the opportunity to review and comment upon, shall consult with the Investor and its counsel on the form and substance of, and shall give due consideration to all such comments from the Investor or its counsel on, any press release, SEC filing or any other public disclosure by or on behalf of the Company relating to the Investor, its purchases hereunder or any aspect of the Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated thereby, not less than 24 hours prior to the issuance, filing or public disclosure thereof. The Investor must be provided with a final version of any portion of such press release, SEC filing or other public disclosure at least 24 hours prior to any release, filing or use by the Company thereof. The Company agrees and acknowledges that its failure to fully comply with this provision constitutes a Material Adverse Effect.
(j) Further Assurances. Each party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as the other party may reasonably request in order to consummate and make effective, as soon as reasonably possible, the Commencement, and to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(k) No Financial Advisor, Placement Agent, Broker or Finder. The Company represents and warrants to the Investor that it has not engaged any financial advisor, placement agent, broker or finder in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. The Investor represents and warrants to the Company that it has not engaged any financial advisor, placement agent, broker or finder in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company shall be responsible for the payment of any fees or commissions, if any, of any financial advisor, placement agent, broker or finder relating to or arising out of the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company shall pay, and hold the Investor harmless against, any liability, loss or expense (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and out of pocket expenses) arising in connection with any such claim.
(l) No Strict Construction. The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any party.
(m) Remedies, Other Obligations, Breaches and Injunctive Relief. The Investor’s remedies provided in this Agreement, including, without limitation, the Investor’s remedies provided in Section 9, shall be cumulative and in addition to all other remedies available to the Investor under this Agreement, at law or in equity (including a decree of specific performance and/or other injunctive relief), no remedy of the Investor contained herein shall be deemed a waiver of compliance with the provisions giving rise to such remedy and nothing herein shall limit the Investor's right to pursue actual damages for any failure by the Company to comply with the terms of this Agreement. The Company acknowledges that a breach by it of its obligations hereunder will cause irreparable harm to the Investor and that the remedy at law for any such breach may be inadequate. The Company therefore agrees that, in the event of any such breach or threatened breach, the Investor shall be entitled, in addition to all other available remedies, to an injunction restraining any breach, without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required.
(n) Enforcement Costs. If: (i) this Agreement is placed by the Investor in the hands of an attorney for enforcement or is enforced by the Investor through any legal proceeding; (ii) an attorney is retained to represent the Investor in any bankruptcy, reorganization, receivership or other proceedings affecting creditors' rights and involving a claim under this Agreement; or (iii) an attorney is retained to represent the Investor in any other proceedings whatsoever in connection with this Agreement, then the Company shall pay to the Investor, as incurred by the Investor, all reasonable costs and expenses including attorneys' fees incurred in connection therewith, in addition to all other amounts due hereunder. If this Agreement is placed by the Company in the hands of an attorney for enforcement or is enforced by the Company through any legal proceeding, then the Investor shall pay to the Company, as incurred by the Company, all reasonable costs and expenses including attorneys' fees incurred in connection therewith, in addition to all other amounts due hereunder.
(o) Amendment and Waiver; Failure or Indulgence Not Waiver. No provision of this Agreement may be amended or waived by the parties from and after the date that is one (1) Business Day immediately preceding the initial filing of the Registration Statement with the SEC. Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, (i) no provision of this Agreement may be amended other than by a written instrument signed by both parties hereto and (ii) no provision of this Agreement may be waived other than in a written instrument signed by the party against whom enforcement of such waiver is sought. No failure or delay in the exercise of any power, right or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such power, right or privilege preclude other or further exercise thereof or of any other right, power or privilege.
* * * * *
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Investor and the Company have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
| THE COMPANY:
BIOLARGO, INC.
/s/Dennis P. Calvert By:______________________ Name: Dennis P. Calvert Title: President
Dated Signed: March 30, 2020
INVESTOR:
LINCOLN PARK CAPITAL FUND, LLC BY: LINCOLN PARK CAPITAL, LLC BY: ROCKLEDGE CAPITAL CORPORATION
/s/Josh Scheinfeld By:_______________________ Name: Josh Scheinfeld Title: President
Dated Signed: March 30, 2020 |
EXHIBITS
| Exhibit A | Form of Officer’s Certificate |
| Exhibit B | Form of Resolutions of Board of Directors of the Company |
| Exhibit C | Form of Secretary’s Certificate |
| Exhibit D | Form of Letter to Transfer Agent |
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF OFFICER’S CERTIFICATE
This Officer’s Certificate (“Certificate”) is being delivered pursuant to [Section 8(I)(c)] [Section 8(II)(e)] of that certain Purchase Agreement dated as of March 30, 2020, (“Purchase Agreement”), by and between BIOLARGO, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and LINCOLN PARK CAPITAL FUND, LLC (the “Investor”). Terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Purchase Agreement.
The undersigned, Dennis P. Calvert, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, hereby certifies, on behalf of the Company and not in his individual capacity, as follows:
1. I am the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and make the statements contained in this Certificate;
2. The representations and warranties of the Company are true and correct in all material respects (except to the extent that any of such representations and warranties is already qualified as to materiality in Section 4 of the Purchase Agreement, in which case, such representations and warranties are true and correct without further qualification) as of the date when made and as of [the date hereof] [the Commencement Date] as though made at that time (except for representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date, in which case such representations and warranties are true and correct as of such date);
3. The Company has performed, satisfied and complied in all material respects with covenants, agreements and conditions required by the Transaction Documents to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to the [the date hereof] [the Commencement Date].
4. The Company has not taken any steps, and does not currently expect to take any steps, to seek protection pursuant to any Bankruptcy Law nor does the Company or any of its Subsidiaries have any knowledge or reason to believe that its creditors intend to initiate involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings. The Company is financially solvent and is generally able to pay its debts as they become due.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunder signed my name on this ___ day of ___________.
| Name: Dennis P. Calvert | ||
| Title: President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
The undersigned as Secretary of BIOLARGO, INC., a Delaware corporation, hereby certifies that Dennis P. Calvert is the duly elected, appointed, qualified and acting President and Chief Executive Officer of BIOLARGO, INC. and that the signature appearing above is his genuine signature.
| Joseph L. Provenzano, Secretary |
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF COMPANY RESOLUTIONS
FOR SIGNING PURCHASE AGREEMENT
UNANIMOUS WRITTEN CONSENT OF
BIOLARGO, INC.
The undersigned, constituting all of the members of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Biolargo, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), pursuant to Section 141 of the Delaware General Corporation Law and in accordance with the bylaws of the Company, hereby approve and adopt the following recitals and resolutions by written consent effective as of later date as all signatures are affixed to this written consent:
WHEREAS, there has been presented to the Board of Directors of the Corporation a draft of the Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), by and between the Corporation and Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“Lincoln Park”), providing for the purchase by Lincoln Park of up to Ten Million Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($10,250,000) of the Corporation’s common stock, $0.00067 par value per share (the “Common Stock”); and
WHEREAS, after careful consideration of the Purchase Agreement, the documents incident thereto and other factors deemed relevant by the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors has determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of the Corporation to engage in the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement, including, but not limited to, (i) the issuance of 2,928,571 shares of Common Stock to Lincoln Park as a commitment fee upon the execution of the Purchase Agreement (the “Commitment Shares”), (ii) the sale of 1,785,715 shares of Common Stock (collectively, the “Initial Purchase Shares”) upon execution of the Purchase Agreement for aggregate consideration of $250,000 and (iii) the sale of up to $10,000,000 worth of additional shares of Common Stock to Lincoln Park under the Purchase Agreement from time to time thereafter (the "Purchase Shares").
Transaction Documents
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the transactions described in the Purchase Agreement are hereby approved, including the sale by the Corporation of up to $10,250,000 of shares of Common Stock pursuant to the terms thereof, and that Dennis P. Calvert, Charles K. Dargan II, and Joseph L. Provenzano (the “Authorized Officers”) be, and each of them hereby is, authorized to execute and deliver the Purchase Agreement, and any other agreements or documents contemplated thereby including, without limitation, a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) providing for the registration of the shares of the Company’s Common Stock issuable in respect of the Purchase Agreement on behalf of the Corporation, with such amendments, changes, additions and deletions as the Authorized Officers may deem to be appropriate and approve on behalf of, the Corporation, such approval to be conclusively evidenced by the signature of an Authorized Officer thereon; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the terms and provisions of the Registration Rights Agreement by and among the Corporation and Lincoln Park (a copy of which has been circulated to the Board) are hereby approved and that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized to execute and deliver the Registration Rights Agreement (pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement), with such amendments, changes, additions and deletions as the Authorized Officer may deem appropriate and approve on behalf of, the Corporation, such approval to be conclusively evidenced by the signature of an Authorized Officer thereon; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the terms and provisions of the forms of Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions and Notice of Effectiveness of Registration Statement, copies of which have been circulated to the Board (collectively, the “Instructions”), are hereby approved and that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized to execute and deliver the Instructions on behalf of the Company in accordance with the Purchase Agreement, with such amendments, changes, additions and deletions as the Authorized Officers may deem appropriate and approve on behalf of, the Corporation, such approval to be conclusively evidenced by the signature of an Authorized Officer thereon; and
Issuance of Common Stock
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Corporation is hereby authorized to issue to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, 2,928,571 shares of Common Stock as Commitment Shares and that upon issuance of the Commitment Shares pursuant to the Purchase Agreement the Commitment Shares shall be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable with no personal liability attaching to the ownership thereof; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Corporation is hereby authorized to issue to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, 1,785,715 shares of Common Stock as Initial Purchase Shares and that upon issuance of the Initial Purchase Shares pursuant to the Purchase Agreement the Initial Purchase Shares shall be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable with no personal liability attaching to the ownership thereof; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Corporation is hereby authorized to issue shares of Common Stock upon the purchase of Purchase Shares (including Initial Purchase Shares) up to the Available Amount under the Purchase Agreement in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement and that, upon issuance of the Purchase Shares pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Purchase Shares will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable with no personal liability attaching to the ownership thereof; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Corporation shall initially reserve 40,000,000 shares of Common Stock for issuance as Purchase Shares under the Purchase Agreement.
Filing of 8-K
RESOLVED, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized and directed to prepare, verify, sign and file, or cause to be prepared, verified, signed and filed, in the name and on behalf of the Company, such current reports on Form 8-K and other filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as the Authorized Officer acting shall deem necessary or appropriate or as may be required by applicable law, and each such Authorized Officer or such other person as any such Authorized Officer shall designate in writing is authorized to execute and deliver, in the name and on behalf of the Corporation, any and all agreements, undertakings, instruments and other documents and to do any and all things which may be necessary or appropriate in connection therewith.
Registration Statement
RESOLVED, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them acting alone hereby is, authorized, empowered and directed, for and on behalf of the Corporation, to cause to be prepared, to execute and to cause to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), in accordance with the Securities Act and in conformity with the rules and regulations thereunder, one or more registration statements on Form S-1 (each, a “Registration Statement” and collectively, the “Registration Statements”) or any other form as may be necessary or appropriate to enable the resale of the Common Stock issued pursuant to the Offering in such form and containing such terms and provisions as may be approved by the Authorized Officers, with such changes therein, or additions, amendments or supplements thereto as such officer or officers executing the same shall approve, his, her or their execution thereof to be conclusive evidence of such approval.
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them acting alone hereby is, authorized to prepare, execute and file with the Commission, on behalf of the Corporation, any amendments to any Registration Statement and/or any supplements to the prospectus relating to the shares of Common Stock in the Offering as they may in their discretion deem necessary or advisable.
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the execution of any such Registration Statement by the Authorized Officers, as required by the rules and regulations of the Commission, is hereby authorized and approved.
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them acting alone hereby is, authorized from time to time to do, or cause to be done, all such other acts and things and to execute and deliver all such instruments and documents, as each such Authorized Officer shall deem necessary or appropriate to cause any Registration Statement to be filed with the Commission and declared effective consistent with the intent of the foregoing resolutions.
The NASDAQ Global Market
RESOLVED, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them acting alone hereby is, authorized, empowered and directed, for and on behalf of the Corporation, to cause any required notification and/or application to the NASDAQ to be made, and to take any and all action as may be necessary or appropriate to have the Shares of Common Stock listed on the NASDAQ.
Blue Sky
RESOLVED, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them acting alone hereby is, authorized, empowered and directed, for and on behalf of the Corporation, to take any and all actions which they deem necessary or advisable in order to effect the registration or qualification (or exemption therefrom) of shares of Common Stock in the Offering under the blue sky or securities laws of any of the states or jurisdictions of the United States and in connection therewith to execute, acknowledge, verify, deliver, file or cause to be filed any notices, filings, consents to service of process, appointments of attorneys to receive service of process and other papers and instruments which may be required under such laws, and to take any and all further action which they deem necessary or advisable in order to maintain any such registration or qualification for as long as they deem necessary or as required by law.
RESOLVED FURTHER, that each resolution required to be adopted in each such state in order to affect such registration or qualification or to obtain such an exemption therefrom is hereby adopted, and the Authorized Officers are, and each of them acting alone hereby is, directed to attach a copy of each resolution so adopted pursuant to this Unanimous Written Consent.
Approval of Actions
FURTHER RESOLVED, that, without limiting the foregoing, the Authorized Officers are, and each of them hereby is, authorized and directed to proceed on behalf of the Corporation and to take all such steps as deemed necessary or appropriate, with the advice and assistance of counsel, to cause the Corporation to consummate the agreements referred to herein and to perform its obligations under such agreements; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized, empowered and directed on behalf of and in the name of the Corporation, to take or cause to be taken all such further actions and to execute and deliver or cause to be executed and delivered all such further agreements, amendments, documents, certificates, reports, schedules, applications, notices, letters and undertakings and to incur and pay all such fees and expenses as in their judgment shall be necessary, proper or desirable to carry into effect the purpose and intent of any and all of the foregoing resolutions, and that all actions heretofore taken by any officer or director of the Corporation in connection with the transactions contemplated by the agreements described herein are hereby approved, ratified and confirmed in all respects.
(Signature Page Follows)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being all of the members of the Board of Directors of the Company, do hereby execute this Unanimous Written Consent on the date set forth below each such undersigned’s name. This Unanimous Written Consent may be executed in counterparts, with each an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. A signature or signatures delivered by facsimile or other electronic transmission, or an electronic transmission indicating approval of this Unanimous Written Consent, shall be deemed to be an original signature or signatures or approval and shall be valid and binding to the same extent as if it was an original.
DIRECTORS
|
| |||
| Kent C. Roberts II
| Dennis E. Marshall | ||
| Kenneth R. Code
| Joseph L. Provenzano | ||
| Jack B. Strommen | John S. Runyan
| ||
| Dennis P. Calvert | |||
being all of the directors of BIOLARGO, INC.
EXHIBIT C
FORM OF SECRETARY’S CERTIFICATE
This Secretary’s Certificate (“Certificate”) is being delivered pursuant to Section 8(II)(k) of that certain Purchase Agreement dated as of March 30, 2020 (“Purchase Agreement”), by and between BIOLARGO, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and LINCOLN PARK CAPITAL FUND, LLC (the “Investor”), pursuant to which the Company may sell to the Investor up to Ten Million Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($10,250,000) of the Company's Common Stock, $0.00067 par value per share (the "Common Stock"). Terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Purchase Agreement.
The undersigned, Joseph L. Provenzano, Secretary of the Company, hereby certifies, on behalf of the Company and not in his individual capacity, as follows:
1. I am the Secretary of the Company and make the statements contained in this Secretary’s Certificate.
2. Attached hereto as Exhibit A and Exhibit B are true, correct and complete copies of the Company’s bylaws (“Bylaws”) and Certificate of Incorporation (“Charter”), in each case, as amended through the date hereof, and no action has been taken by the Company, its directors, officers or stockholders, in contemplation of the filing of any further amendment relating to or affecting the Bylaws or Charter.
3. Attached hereto as Exhibit C are true, correct and complete copies of the resolutions duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company on March 30, 2020, at which a quorum was present and acting throughout. Such resolutions have not been amended, modified or rescinded and remain in full force and effect and such resolutions are the only resolutions adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors, or any committee thereof, or the stockholders of the Company relating to or affecting (i) the entering into and performance of the Purchase Agreement, or the issuance, offering and sale of the Purchase Shares and the Commitment Shares and (ii) and the performance of the Company of its obligation under the Transaction Documents as contemplated therein.
4. As of the date hereof, the authorized, issued and reserved capital stock of the Company is as set forth on Exhibit D hereto.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunder signed my name on this 30th day of March, 2020.
| Joseph L. Provenzano | ||
| Secretary |
The undersigned as Chief Financial Officer of BIOLARGO, INC., a Delaware corporation, hereby certifies that Joseph L. Provenzano is the duly elected, appointed, qualified and acting Secretary of BIOLARGO, INC., and that the signature appearing above is his genuine signature.
| Charles K. Dargan, II | ||
| Chief Financial Officer |
EXHIBIT D
FORM OF LETTER TO THE TRANSFER AGENT FOR THE ISSUANCE OF THE INITIAL PURCHASE SHARES AND THE COMMITMENT SHARES AT SIGNING OF THE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
[COMPANY LETTERHEAD]
March 30, 2020
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC
6201 15th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11219
Attention: Sharon Best-Jhagroo
Re: Issuance of Common Stock to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC
Dear Ms. Best-Jhagroo:
On behalf of BIOLARGO, INC. (the “Company”), you are hereby instructed to issue as soon as possible a book-entry statement representing an aggregate of 4,714,286 shares of our common stock in the name of Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC. The book-entry statement should be dated March 30, 2020. I have included a true and correct copy of resolutions duly adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors approving the issuance of these shares. The book-entry statement should bear the following restrictive legend:
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED FOR SALE, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR THE SECURITIES UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS, UNLESS SOLD PURSUANT TO: (1) RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR (2) AN OPINION OF HOLDER’S COUNSEL, IN A CUSTOMARY FORM, THAT REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER SAID ACT OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS.
The book-entry statement should be sent as soon as possible via overnight mail to the following address:
Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC
440 North Wells, Suite 410
Chicago, IL 60654
Attention: Josh Scheinfeld/Jonathan Cope
Thank you very much for your help. Please call me at [__________] if you have any questions or need anything further.
BIOLARGO, INC.
By:_____________________________
Name:
Title:
FORM OF COMPANY COUNSEL OPINION
Capitalized terms used herein but not defined herein, have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement. Based on the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions and qualifications set forth herein, we are of the opinion that:
1. The Company is a corporation existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Company is qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in the State of California.
2. The Company has the corporate power to execute and deliver, and perform its obligations under, each Transaction Document to which it is a party. To the best of our knowledge, the Company has the corporate power to conduct its business as it is now conducted, and to own and use the properties owned and used by it.
3. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company. The execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents by the Company, the performance of the obligations of the Company thereunder and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated therein have been duly authorized and approved by the Company's Board of Directors and no further consent, approval or authorization of the Company, its Board of Directors or its stockholders is required. The Transaction Documents to which the Company is a party have been duly executed and delivered by the Company and are the valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms except as such enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity or applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or similar laws relating to, or affecting creditor’s rights and remedies.
4. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated thereby including the offering, sale and issuance of the Commitment Shares and the Purchase Shares in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Purchase Agreement, and fulfillment and compliance with terms of the Transaction Documents, does not and shall not: (i) conflict with, constitute a breach of or default (or an event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, constitutes or could constitute a breach or a default), under (a) the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Company, (b) to our knowledge, any material agreement, note, lease, mortgage, deed or other material instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company or any of its assets are bound (“Material Agreements”), (ii) result in any violation of any statute, law, rule or regulation applicable to the Company, or (iii) to our knowledge, violate any order, writ, injunction or decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
5. The issuance of the Purchase Shares and the Commitment Shares pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Transaction Documents has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company. The Initial Commitment Shares and the Initial Purchase Shares are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, to our knowledge, free of all taxes, liens, charges, restrictions, rights of first refusal and preemptive rights. 40,000,000 shares of Common Stock have been properly reserved for issuance as Purchase Shares (other than the Initial Purchase Shares) under the Purchase Agreement. When issued and paid for in accordance with the Purchase Agreement, the Purchase Shares (other than the Initial Purchase Shares) shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, to our knowledge, free of all taxes, liens, charges, restrictions, rights of first refusal and preemptive rights.
6. To our knowledge, the execution and delivery of the Registration Rights Agreement do not, and the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder shall not, give rise to any rights of any other Person for the registration under the Securities Act of any shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company which have not been waived.
7. As of the date hereof, the authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 400,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.00067 per share, of which to our knowledge approximately 171,000,000 shares are issued and outstanding.
8. Assuming the accuracy of the representations and your compliance with the covenants made by you in the Transaction Documents, the offering, sale and issuance of the Commitment Shares and the Purchase Shares to you pursuant to the Transaction Documents is exempt from registration under the Securities Act.
9. Other than that which has been obtained and completed prior to the date hereof, no authorization, approval, consent, filing or other order of any federal or state governmental body, regulatory agency, or stock exchange or market, or any court, or, to our knowledge, any third party is required to be obtained by the Company to enter into and perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents or for the Company to issue and sell the Commitment Shares and the Purchase Shares as contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
10. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act. To our knowledge, since one year preceding the date of the Purchase Agreement, the Company has been in compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to it. To our knowledge, since one year preceding the date of the Purchase Agreement, the Company has not received any written notice from any Person stating that the Company has not been in compliance with any of the rules and regulations (including the requirements for continued listing) of the Principal Market.
11. The Company is not, and after giving effect to the issuance of the Commitment Shares and the Purchase Shares and the application of the proceeds as described in the Prospectus, will not be, an “investment company,” as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
12. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, none of the Material Agreements grants to any person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act.
[THE FOLLOWING MAY BE MADE IN A SEPARATE NEGATIVE ASSURANCES LETTER]
As counsel to the Company, we reviewed the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and participated in discussions with your representatives and those of the Company, at which the contents of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus were discussed. Between the date of the Transaction Documents and the time of the delivery of this letter, we participated in further discussions with your representatives and those of the Company, and we reviewed certain certificates of officers of the Company and public officials delivered to you today.
The purpose of our engagement was not to establish or to confirm factual matters set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and, except as set forth herein, we have not undertaken any obligation to verify independently any of the factual matters set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. Moreover, many of the determinations required to be made in the preparation of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus involve matters of a non-legal nature.
Subject to the foregoing, we confirm to you that, on the basis of the information that we gained in the course of performing the services referred to above, nothing came to our attention that caused us to believe that: (a) the Registration Statement, as of its effective date, contained an 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 not misleading, or (b) the Prospectus, as of its date and as of the date and time of delivery of this letter, contained or contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that we do not express any belief as to the financial statements and related notes, financial statement schedules or financial statistics or other financial or accounting data and information contained or incorporated by reference in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
We inform you that the Registration Statement became effective under the Securities Act on _______, 201__ and that no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the Securities Act.
We are not representing the Company in any pending litigation in which it is a named defendant that challenges the validity or enforceability of, or seeks to enjoin the performance of, the Transaction Documents.
Further, we confirm to you that the Registration Statement, as of its effective date, and the Prospectus, as of its date, appeared to us on their face to respond in all material respects to the requirements of Form S-1, except that the foregoing statement does not address any requirement relating to financial statements, notes or schedules and financial and accounting data or information contained or incorporated by reference in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
