Description of Securities

EX-4.2 2 i310k2019exhibit42.htm EX-4.2 Document

EXHIBIT 4.2

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
The following description of the capital stock of i3 Verticals, Inc. (“i3 Verticals,” “us,” “our,” “we,” or the “Company”) is a summary of the rights of our capital stock and certain provisions of (i) our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, both as currently in effect, and (ii) certain applicable provisions of Delaware law. Reference is made to the more detailed provisions of, and the descriptions are qualified in their entirety by reference to, the amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, copies of which are filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and incorporated by reference herein.
General
Our authorized capital stock consists of 150,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 40,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share; and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share.
Class A Common Stock
Voting rights. The holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by the stockholders. The holders of our Class A common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. Generally, all matters to be voted on by stockholders must be approved by a majority (or, in the case of election of directors, by a plurality) of the votes entitled to be cast by all stockholders present in person or represented by proxy, voting together as a single class.
Dividend rights. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding preferred stock, the holders of shares of Class A common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by our Board of Directors (the “Board”) out of funds legally available therefor. However, we do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future. Holders of shares of Class B common stock are not entitled to receive dividends in respect of such shares.
Rights upon liquidation. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, the holders of Class A common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of our debts and other liabilities, subject to prior distribution rights of preferred stock, then outstanding, if any.
Other rights. The holders of our Class A common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Class A common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our Class A common stock are subject to those of the holders of any shares of our preferred stock we may issue in the future.
Fully Paid. The issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.
Class B Common Stock
Shares of Class B common stock will be issued in the future only to the extent necessary to maintain a one-to-one ratio between the number of common units of i3 Verticals, LLC (the “Common Units”) held by the holders, other than i3 Verticals, Inc., of Common Units (the “Continuing Equity Owners”) and the number of shares of Class B common stock issued to the Continuing Equity Owners. Shares of Class B common stock are transferable only together with an equal number of Common Units of i3 Verticals, LLC. Only permitted transferees of Common Units held by the Continuing Equity Owners are permitted transferees of Class B common stock.
Voting rights. The holders of our Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters presented to our stockholders generally. The holders of shares of our Class B common stock do not
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have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. Holders of shares of our Class B common stock vote together with holders of our Class A common stock as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except for certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation described below or as otherwise required by applicable law or the amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Generally, all matters to be voted on by stockholders must be approved by a majority (or, in the case of election of directors, by a plurality) of the votes entitled to be cast by all stockholders present in person or represented by proxy, voting together as a single class.
Dividend rights. The holders of our Class B common stock will not participate in any dividends declared by our Board of Directors.
Other rights. The holders of shares of our Class B common stock do not have preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Class B common stock. Any amendment of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that gives holders of our Class B common stock (1) any rights to receive dividends or any other kind of distribution, (2) any right to convert into or be exchanged for Class A common stock or (3) any other economic rights must be approved by the majority of the voting power of all of our outstanding voting stock.
Preferred Stock
Our Board of Directors has the authority to direct us to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series without stockholder approval. Our Board of Directors has the discretion to determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of preferred stock.
The issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of i3 Verticals, Inc. without further action by the stockholders. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may adversely affect the holders of our Class A common stock by restricting dividends on the Class A common stock, diluting the voting power of the Class A common stock or subordinating the liquidation rights of the Class A common stock. As a result of these or other factors, the issuance of preferred stock could have an adverse impact on the market price of our Class A common stock. At present, we have no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding and we have no plans to issue any preferred stock.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Certain Provisions of Delaware Law
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) contain provisions, which are summarized in the following paragraphs, that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our Board of Directors and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened acquisition of our company. These provisions are intended to avoid costly takeover battles, reduce our vulnerability to a hostile change of control or other unsolicited acquisition proposal, and enhance the ability of our Board of Directors to maximize stockholder value in connection with any unsolicited offer to acquire us. However, these provisions may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a merger or acquisition of our company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or other takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including attempts that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price for the shares of Class A common stock held by stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of such stockholders and may not be effected by any consent in writing by such stockholders.
Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock
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Delaware law does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”), which would apply if and so long as our Class A common stock remains listed on Nasdaq, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or then outstanding number of shares of Class A common stock. Additional shares that may be used in the future may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings, to raise additional capital, to facilitate acquisitions or to repay indebtedness.
One of the effects of the existence of unissued and unreserved common stock may be to enable our Board of Directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of our company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise and thereby protect the continuity of our management and possibly deprive our stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of Class A common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices.
Election of Directors and Vacancies 
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our Board of Directors must consist of between three and 15 directors. The exact number of directors is fixed from time to time by our Board of Directors. Each director is elected for a one-year term. There is no limit on the number of terms a director may serve on our Board of Directors.
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any vacancy on the Board of Directors, including a vacancy that results from an increase in the number of directors or a vacancy that results from the removal of a director with cause, may be filled only by a majority of the directors then in office.
Business Combinations
We have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL; however, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:
1.prior to such time, our Board of Directors approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
2.upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the votes of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding certain shares; or
3.at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by our Board of Directors and by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2/3% of the votes of our outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.
Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of the votes of our outstanding voting stock. For purposes of this provision, “voting stock” means any class or series of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors.
Under certain circumstances, this provision makes it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with our company for a three-year period. This provision may encourage companies interested in acquiring our company to negotiate in advance with our Board of Directors because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if our Board of Directors approves either the business combination or the transaction that results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These
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provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our Board of Directors and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
Quorum
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that at any meeting of the Board of Directors, a majority of the total number of directors then in office constitutes a quorum for all purposes.
No Cumulative Voting
Under Delaware law, the right to vote cumulatively does not exist unless the amended and restated certificate of incorporation specifically authorizes cumulative voting. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not authorize cumulative voting.
Special Stockholder Meetings
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that special meetings of our stockholders may be called at any time only by or at the direction of the chairman of our Board of Directors, our chief executive officer, or by our Board of Directors, and not by our stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws prohibit the conduct of any business at a special meeting other than as specified in the notice for such meeting.
Requirements for Advance Notification of Director Nominations and Stockholder Proposals
Our amended and restated bylaws establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our Board of Directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting are only able to consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of our Board of Directors or by a stockholder who is a stockholder of record who is entitled to vote at the meeting, or who is a stockholder that holds such stock through a nominee or “street name” holder of record and can demonstrate to us that such indirect ownership of such stock and such stockholder’s entitlement to vote such stock on such business, and who has given our secretary timely written notice, in proper form, of the stockholder’s intention to bring that business before the meeting. To be timely, such notice must be delivered to our secretary:
4.in the case of an annual meeting of stockholders, not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day and not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the date of such annual meeting or, if the first public announcement of the date of such annual meeting is less than 100 days prior to the date of such annual meeting, the 10th day following the day on which we first make a public announcement of the date of such meeting; and
5.in the case of a special meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors, not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such special meeting or the 10th day following the date on which notice of the date of the special meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of the special meeting was made, whichever first occurs.
Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
The DGCL provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on any matter is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, as the case may be, requires a greater percentage. Our amended and restated bylaws
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may be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors or by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes which all our stockholders would be eligible to cast in an election of directors.
Conflicts of Interest
Delaware law permits corporations to adopt provisions renouncing any interest or expectancy in certain opportunities that are presented to the corporation or its officers, directors or stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, to the maximum extent permitted from time to time by Delaware law, renounces any interest, expectancy that we have in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, specified business opportunities that are from time to time presented to certain of our officers, directors or stockholders or their respective affiliates, other than those officers, directors, stockholders or affiliates who are our or our subsidiaries’ employees. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any director or stockholder who is not employed by us (including any non-employee director who serves as one of our officers in both his director and officer capacities) or his or her affiliates do not have any duty to refrain from (1) engaging in a corporate opportunity in the same or similar lines of business in which we or our affiliates now engage or propose to engage or (2) otherwise competing with us or our affiliates. In addition, to the fullest extent permitted by law, if any director or stockholder, other than a director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our affiliates acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or other business opportunity which may be a corporate opportunity for itself or himself or its or his affiliates or for us or our affiliates, such person has no duty to communicate or offer such transaction or business opportunity to us or any of our affiliates and they may take any such opportunity for themselves or offer it to another person or entity, unless such opportunity was expressly offered to them solely in their capacity as a director, executive officer or employee of us or our affiliates. To the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, no potential transaction or business opportunity may be deemed to be a corporate opportunity of the corporation or its subsidiaries unless (1) we or our subsidiaries would be permitted to undertake such transaction or opportunity in accordance with the amended and restated certificate of incorporation, (2) we or our subsidiaries at such time have sufficient financial resources to undertake such transaction or opportunity, (3) we have an interest or expectancy in such transaction or opportunity and (4) such transaction or opportunity would be in the same or similar line of our or our subsidiaries’ business in which we or our subsidiaries are engaged or a line of business that is reasonably related to, or a reasonable extension of, such line of business. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not renounce our interest in any business opportunity that is expressly offered to an employee director or employee in his or her capacity as a director or employee of i3 Verticals, Inc. To the fullest extent permitted by law, no business opportunity will be deemed to be a potential corporate opportunity for us unless we would be permitted to undertake the opportunity under our amended and restated certificate, we have sufficient financial resources to undertake the opportunity and the opportunity would be in line with our business.
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
The DGCL authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of directors’ fiduciary duties, subject to certain exceptions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation includes a provision that eliminates the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of these provisions is to eliminate the rights of us and our stockholders, through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf, to recover monetary damages from a director for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, including breaches resulting from grossly negligent behavior. However, exculpation does not apply to any director if the director has acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized illegal dividends or redemptions or derived an improper benefit from his or her actions as a director.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that we must indemnify and advance expenses to our directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL. We carry directors’ and officers’ liability insurance
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providing indemnification for our directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities. We believe that these indemnification and advancement provisions and insurance are useful to attract and retain qualified directors and officers.
The limitation of liability, indemnification and advancement provisions included in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breaches of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. These agreements require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under the DGCL against expenses, losses and liabilities that may arise in connection with actual or threatened proceedings in which they are involved by reason of their service to us and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.
Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal and Payment
Under the DGCL, with certain exceptions, our stockholders have appraisal rights in connection with a merger or consolidation of us. Pursuant to the DGCL, stockholders who properly request and perfect appraisal rights in connection with such merger or consolidation have the right to receive payment of the fair value of their shares as determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery.
Stockholders’ Derivative Actions
Under the DGCL, any of our stockholders may bring an action in our name to procure a judgment in our favor, also known as a derivative action, provided that the stockholder bringing the action is a holder of our shares at the time of the transaction to which the action relates or such stockholder’s stock thereafter devolved by operation of law.
Stockholder Registration Rights
We entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with the Continuing Equity Owners in connection with our initial public offering pursuant to which such parties have specified rights to require us to register all or a portion of their shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Registration Rights Agreement contains customary terms and conditions.
Listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market
Our Class A common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “IIIV.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for the Class A common stock is ComputerShare Trust Company, N.A. Its address is 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, and its telephone number is ###-###-####.

        

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