Company Lock-Up Agreement by and among Bitfury Top HoldCo B.V. and Good Works Acquisition Corp

EX-10.3 6 d212090dex103.htm EX-10.3 EX-10.3

Exhibit 10.3

Execution Version

LOCK-UP AGREEMENT

THIS LOCK-UP AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of August 26, 2021 between Bitfury Top HoldCo B.V., a private company with limited liability (besloten vennootschap) incorporated under the laws of The Netherlands (the “Stockholder”) and Good Works Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Acquiror”). The Stockholder and the Acquiror are sometimes referred to herein individually as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties”. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).

WHEREAS, Acquiror, Cipher Mining Technologies Inc., a Delaware corporation and Currency Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation, entered into that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of March 4, 2021 (as it may be amended, restated or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with its terms, the “Merger Agreement”);

WHEREAS, the Merger Agreement contemplates that the Stockholder will receive two hundred million (200,000,000) shares of Acquiror Common Stock at Closing (the “Shares”);

WHEREAS, the Stockholder has entered into a subscription agreement with Acquiror, pursuant to which the Stockholder will receive five million (5,000,000) shares of the Acquiror Common Stock (the “Parent PIPE Shares”) through a private placement transaction to be consummated immediately prior to Closing; and

WHEREAS, the Merger Agreement contemplates that the Parties will enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which the Acquiror Common Stock held by the Stockholder immediately after the Effective Time (together with any securities paid as dividends or distributions with respect to such securities or into which such securities are exchanged or converted) shall become subject to limitations on disposition as set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth above, which are incorporated in this Agreement as if fully set forth below, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the Parties hereby agree as follows:

1.    For purposes of this Agreement:

(a)    the term “First Lock-Up Period” means the period beginning on the date that is six (6) months after the Closing Date and ending on the date that is one (1) year after the Closing Date;

(b)    the term “Lock-up Period” means the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the date that is two (2) years after the Closing Date; provided, that the Parties may mutually agree to shorten the duration of or otherwise waive the Lock-up Period;

(c)    the term “Lock-up Shares” means the shares of Acquiror Common Stock held by the Stockholder immediately following the Closing (for the avoidance of doubt, (x) including the Shares, and (y) excluding (1) shares of Acquiror Common Stock acquired in the public market, (2) shares of Acquiror Common Stock acquired pursuant to a transaction exempt from registration under the Securities Act, (3) shares of Acquiror Common Stock acquired pursuant to a subscription agreement where the issuance of Acquiror Common Stock occurs on or after the Closing and (4) the Parent PIPE Shares), together with any securities paid as dividends or distributions with respect to such securities or into which such securities are exchanged or converted;

(d)    the term “Permitted Transferees” means any Person to whom the Stockholder is permitted to transfer Lock-up Shares prior to the expiration of the Lock-up Period pursuant to Section 2(a);

(e)    the term “Prospectus” means the final prospectus of Acquiror, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (File No. 333-248333) on October 9, 2020;

(f)    the term “Second Lock-Up Period” means the period beginning on the date that is one (1) year after the Closing Date and ending on the date that is eighteen (18) months after the Closing Date; and


(g)    the term “Transfer” means the (A) sale of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, with respect to, any security, (B) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (C) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (A) or (B).

2.    Lock-Up Provisions.

(a)    Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in Section 2(b), the Stockholder or its Permitted Transferees may Transfer the Lock-up Shares during the Lock-up Period to (i) to Acquiror’s officers or directors, (ii) to any Affiliates of the Stockholder; (iii) in respect of (i) or (ii), in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of such individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such individual’s immediate family, an Affiliate of such individual or to a charitable organization; (iv) in respect of (i), (ii) or (iii), in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such individual; or (v) by virtue of the laws of the State of Delaware or the Stockholder limited partnership agreement upon dissolution of the Stockholder.

(b)    The Stockholder hereby agrees that it shall not, and shall cause any of its Permitted Transferees not to, Transfer any Lock-Up Shares during the Lock-Up Period (the “Transfer Restriction”), except in accordance with the following:

 

  (i)

during the First Lock-Up Period, the Transfer Restriction shall expire with respect to ten million (10,000,000) Lock-Up Shares (the “First Tranche”), upon the earlier to occur of (i) the date on which the last reported sale price of the Acquiror Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period that commences at least 90 days after the Closing Date or (ii) one year after the Closing Date (for the avoidance of doubt no Transfer Restrictions shall apply to the First Tranche after the expiration of the First Lock-Up Period);

 

  (ii)

during the Second Lock-Up Period, the Transfer Restriction shall expire with respect to an additional twenty million (20,000,000) Lock-Up Shares (the “Second Tranche”), upon the earlier to occur of (i) the date on which the last reported sale price of the Acquiror Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period that commences at least 330 days after the Closing Date or (ii) eighteen months after the Closing Date (for the avoidance of doubt no Transfer Restriction shall apply to the Second Tranche after the expiration of the Second Lock-Up Period);

 

  (iii)

on the date on which post-merger Acquiror completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of post-merger Acquiror’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the Transfer Restriction will terminate with respect to all Lock-Up Shares; and

 

  (iv)

eighteen (18) months after the Closing Date, the Transfer Restriction shall expire with respect to any Lock-Up Shares held by or subsequently acquired by the Stockholder that exceeds a total share ownership in post-merger Acquiror of 50.1% on a fully-diluted basis.

(c)    Notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any time the sale price of the Acquiror Common Stock equals or exceeds $20.00 per share for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period that commences at least 90 days after the Closing Date, then the date of commencement as well as the end date, where applicable, of each period set forth in Sections 2(b)(i), 2(b)(ii), 2(b)(iii) and 2(b)(iv) shall be accelerated by three (3) months;

(d)    The per share stock prices referenced in this Agreement will be equitably adjusted on account of any changes in the equity securities of Acquiror by way of stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification, or through merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization or business combination, or by any other means.

 

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(e)    If any Transfer is made or attempted contrary to the provisions of this Agreement, such Transfer shall be null and void ab initio, and Acquiror shall refuse to recognize any such transferee of the Lock-Up Shares as one of its equity holders for any purpose. In order to enforce this Section 1, Acquiror may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Lock-Up Shares (and any permitted transferees and assigns thereof) until the end of the First Lock-Up Period, the Second Lock-Up Period and the Lock-Up Period, as applicable.

(f)    During the applicable Lock-Up Period, each certificate (if any are issued) evidencing any Lock-Up Shares shall be stamped or otherwise imprinted with a legend in substantially the following form, in addition to any other applicable legends:

“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER SET FORTH IN A LOCK-UP AGREEMENT, DATED AS OF AUGUST 26, 2021, BY AND AMONG THE ISSUER OF SUCH SECURITIES (THE “ISSUER”) AND THE ISSUER’S SECURITY HOLDER NAMED THEREIN, AS AMENDED. A COPY OF SUCH LOCK-UP AGREEMENT WILL BE FURNISHED WITHOUT CHARGE BY THE ISSUER TO THE HOLDER HEREOF UPON WRITTEN REQUEST.”

(g)    For the avoidance of any doubt, the Stockholder shall retain all of its rights as a shareholder of Acquiror with respect to the Lock-Up Shares during the Lock-Up Period, including the right to vote any Lock-Up Shares.

3.    Miscellaneous.

(a)    Effective Date. Section 1 of this Agreement shall become effective at the Effective Time.

(b)    Termination of the Merger Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in the event that the Merger Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms prior to the Effective Time, this Agreement and all rights and obligations of the Parties hereunder shall automatically terminate and be of no further force or effect.

(c)    Binding Effect; Assignment. This Agreement and all of the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, this Agreement and all obligations of the Parties are personal to the Parties and may not be transferred or delegated by the Parties at any time.

(d)    Third Parties. Nothing contained in this Agreement or in any instrument or document executed by any party in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall create any rights in, or be deemed to have been executed for the benefit of, any person or entity that is not a Party hereto or thereto or a successor or permitted assign of such a Party.

(e)    Governing Law; Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the Laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice of Law or conflict of Law provision or rule (whether of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the law of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware. Each Party (a) irrevocably consents to the service of the summons and complaint and any other process in any action or proceeding relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, for and on behalf of itself or any of its properties or assets, in accordance with this Section 3(e) or in such other manner as may be permitted by applicable Law, that such process may be served in the manner of giving notices in Section 3(h) and that nothing in this Section 3(e) shall affect the right of any Party to serve legal process in any other manner permitted by applicable Law, (b) irrevocably and unconditionally consents and submits itself and its properties and assets in any action or proceeding to the exclusive general jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (the “Chancery Court”) and any state appellate court therefrom located within the State of Delaware (or, only if the Chancery Court declines to accept jurisdiction over a particular matter, any state or federal court within the State of Delaware) in the event any dispute or controversy arises out of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, or for recognition and enforcement of any Order in respect thereof, (c) agrees that

 

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it will not attempt to deny or defeat such personal jurisdiction by motion or other request for leave from any such court, (d) agrees that any actions or proceedings arising in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be brought, tried and determined only in the Chancery Court and any state appellate court therefrom located within the State of Delaware (or, only if the Chancery Court declines to accept jurisdiction over a particular matter, any state or federal court within the State of Delaware), (e) waives any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the venue of any such action or proceeding in any such court or that such action or proceeding was brought in an inconvenient court and agrees not to plead or claim the same, and (f) agrees that it will not bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any court other than the aforesaid courts. Each Party agrees that a final Order in any action or proceeding in such courts as provided above shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the Order or in any other manner provided by applicable Law.

(f)    WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY WAIVES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY WITH RESPECT TO ANY ACTION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY. EACH PARTY HERETO (i) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF ANY ACTION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THAT FOREGOING WAIVER AND (ii) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 3(f).

(g)    Interpretation. The titles and subtitles used in this Agreement are for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement. In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires: (i) any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice versa; (ii) “including” (and with correlative meaning “include”) means including without limiting the generality of any description preceding or succeeding such term and shall be deemed in each case to be followed by the words “without limitation”; (iii) the words “herein,” “hereto,” and “hereby” and other words of similar import in this Agreement shall be deemed in each case to refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular section or other subdivision of this Agreement; and (iv) the term “or” means “and/or”. The Parties have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. Consequently, in the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the Parties hereto, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement.

(h)    Notices. All notices, consents, waivers and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when delivered (i) in person, (ii) by e-mail (having obtained electronic delivery confirmation thereof), (iii) one (1) Business Day after being sent, if sent by reputable, nationally recognized overnight courier service or (iv) three (3) Business Days after being mailed, if sent by registered or certified mail, pre-paid and return receipt requested, provided, however, that notice given pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) above shall not be effective unless a duplicate copy of such notice is also given in person or by e-mail (having obtained electronic delivery confirmation thereof), in each case to the applicable Party at the following addresses (or at such other address for a Party as shall be specified by like notice):

 

 

If to Acquiror, to:

 

Good Works Acquisition Corp.

4265 San Felipe

Suite 603

Houston, 77027

Attn:    Cary Grossman, President

E-mail:     ***@***

  

 

With a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):

 

Schiff Hardin LLP

901 K Street NW

Suite 700

Washington, DC 20001

Attn:    Ralph V. De Martino

E-mail:     ***@***

 

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If to the Stockholder, to:

 

Bitfury Top HoldCo B.V.

Strawinskylaan 3051

1077ZX Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Attn:    Oleg Blinkov

E-mail:     ***@***

***@***

***@***

  

 

With a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):

 

Latham & Watkins (London) LLP

99 Bishopsgate

London, EC2M 3XF

United Kingdom

Attn:        J. David Stewart

Ryan Maierson

 

E-mail:     ***@***

***@***

(i)    Amendments and Waivers. Any term of this Agreement may be amended and the observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance, and either retroactively or prospectively) only with the written consent of Acquiror and the Stockholder. No failure or delay by a Party in exercising any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof. No waivers of or exceptions to any term, condition, or provision of this Agreement, in any one or more instances, shall be deemed to be or construed as a further or continuing waiver of any such term, condition, or provision.

(j)    Severability. In case any provision in this Agreement shall be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in a jurisdiction, such provision shall be modified or deleted, as to the jurisdiction involved, only to the extent necessary to render the same valid, legal and enforceable, and the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby nor shall the validity, legality or enforceability of such provision be affected thereby in any other jurisdiction. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the Parties will substitute for any invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision a suitable and equitable provision that carries out, so far as may be valid, legal and enforceable, the intent and purpose of such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision.

(k)    Specific Performance. The Stockholder acknowledges that its obligations under this Agreement are unique, recognizes and affirms that in the event of a breach of this Agreement by the Stockholder, money damages will be inadequate and Acquiror will have no adequate remedy at law, and agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed by the Stockholder in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. Accordingly, Acquiror shall be entitled to an injunction or restraining order to prevent breaches of this Agreement by the Stockholder and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof, without the requirement to post any bond or other security or to prove that money damages would be inadequate, this being in addition to any other right or remedy to which such Party may be entitled under this Agreement, at law or in equity.

(l)    Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the full and entire understanding and agreement among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and any other written or oral agreement relating to the subject matter hereof existing between the Parties is expressly canceled; provided, that, for the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing shall not affect the rights and obligations of the Parties under the Merger Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall limit any of the rights or remedies of Acquiror or any of the obligations of the Stockholder under any other agreement between the Stockholder and Acquiror, or any certificate or instrument executed by the Stockholder in favor of Acquiror, and nothing in any other agreement, certificate or instrument shall limit any of the rights or remedies of Acquiror or any of the obligations of the Stockholder under this Agreement.

(m)    Further Assurances. From time to time, at another Party’s request and without further consideration (but at the requesting Party’s reasonable cost and expense), each Party shall execute and deliver such additional documents and take all such further action as may be reasonably necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(n)    Counterparts; Facsimile. This Agreement may also be executed and delivered by facsimile signature or by email in portable document format in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank; Signature Pages Follow]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

STOCKHOLDER:
BITFURY TOP HOLDCO B.V.
By:  

/s/ Oleg Blinkovs

Name: Oleg Blinkovs
Title: Managing Director
ACQUIROR:
GOOD WORKS ACQUISITION CORP.

By:

 

/s/ Cary Grossman

Name: Cary Grossman
Title: President

 

[Signature Page to Lock-Up Agreement (Stockholder)]