NANOSTRING TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Shares of Common Stock Underwriting Agreement
Exhibit 1.1
NANOSTRING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Shares of Common Stock
Underwriting Agreement
, 2013
J. P. Morgan Securities LLC
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
As Representatives of the
several Underwriters listed
in Schedule 1 hereto
c/o J. P. Morgan Securities LLC
383 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10179
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Ladies and Gentlemen:
NanoString Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters listed in Schedule 1 hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), an aggregate of shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the “Underwritten Shares”) and, at the option of the Underwriters, up to an additional shares of common stock of the Company (the “Option Shares”). The Underwritten Shares and the Option Shares are herein referred to as the “Shares”. The shares of common stock of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sale of the Shares are referred to herein as the “Stock”.
The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the several Underwriters concerning the purchase and sale of the Shares, as follows:
1. Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), a registration statement (File No. 333- ), including a prospectus, relating to the Shares. Such registration statement, as amended at the time it became effective, including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness (“Rule 430 Information”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”; and as used herein, the term “Preliminary Prospectus” means each prospectus included in such registration statement (and any amendments thereto) before effectiveness, any prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act and the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time of its
effectiveness that omits Rule 430 Information, and the term “Prospectus” means the prospectus in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) in connection with confirmation of sales of the Shares. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
At or prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), the Company had prepared the following information (collectively with the pricing information set forth on Annex A, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”): a Preliminary Prospectus dated , 2013 and each “free-writing prospectus” (as defined pursuant to Rule 405 under the Securities Act) listed on Annex A hereto.
“Applicable Time” means [ ] P.M., New York City time, on , 2013.
2. Purchase of the Shares by the Underwriters.
(a) The Company agrees to issue and sell the Underwritten Shares to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and each Underwriter, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective number of Underwritten Shares set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule 1 hereto at a price per share (the “Purchase Price”) of $ .
In addition, the Company agrees to issue and sell the Option Shares to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and the Underwriters, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, shall have the option to purchase, severally and not jointly, from the Company the Option Shares at the Purchase Price less an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Underwritten Shares but not payable on the Option Shares.
If any Option Shares are to be purchased, the number of Option Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be the number of Option Shares which bears the same ratio to the aggregate number of Option Shares being purchased as the number of Underwritten Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule 1 hereto (or such number increased as set forth in Section 10 hereof) bears to the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares being purchased from the Company by the several Underwriters, subject, however, to such adjustments to eliminate any fractional Shares as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall make.
The Underwriters may exercise the option to purchase Option Shares at any time in whole, or from time to time in part, on or before the thirtieth day following the date of the Prospectus, by written notice from the Representatives to the Company. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Option Shares as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Option Shares are to be delivered and paid for, which may be the same
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date and time as the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) but shall not be earlier than the Closing Date or later than the tenth full business day (as hereinafter defined) after the date of such notice (unless such time and date are postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10 hereof). Any such notice shall be given at least two business days prior to the date and time of delivery specified therein.
(b) The Company understands that the Underwriters intend to make a public offering of the Shares as soon after the effectiveness of this Agreement as in the judgment of the Representatives is advisable, and initially to offer the Shares on the terms set forth in the Prospectus. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters may offer and sell Shares to or through any affiliate of an Underwriter.
(c) Payment for the Shares shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the account specified by the Company to the Representatives in the case of the Underwritten Shares, at the offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, 1600 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025 at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on , 2013, or at such other time or place on the same or such other date, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing or, in the case of the Option Shares, on the date and at the time and place specified by the Representatives in the written notice of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Option Shares. The time and date of such payment for the Underwritten Shares is referred to herein as the “Closing Date”, and the time and date for such payment for the Option Shares, if other than the Closing Date, is herein referred to as the “Additional Closing Date”.
Payment for the Shares to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall be made against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters of the Shares to be purchased on such date in definitive form registered in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives shall request in writing not later than two full business days prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the sale of such Shares duly paid by the Company. Delivery of the Shares shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct. The certificates for the Shares will be made available for inspection and packaging by the Representatives at the office of DTC or its designated custodian not later than 1:00 P.M., New York City time, on the business day prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(d) As compensation to the Underwriters for their commitments hereunder, the Company will pay, or cause to be paid, to the Representatives, for the accounts of the several Underwriters, an amount equal to $ per share for the Shares to be delivered by the Company hereunder on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be. On , 2013, or on such other date, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing, or, in the case of the Option Shares, on the date and time specified by the Representatives in the written notice of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Option Shares, the Company will pay or cause to be paid by wire transfer, in immediate available funds, such commission to the account specified by the Representatives.
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(e) The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect to the offering of Shares contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company or any other person. Additionally, neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter is advising the Company or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction. The Company shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Underwriters shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter that:
(a) Preliminary Prospectus. Each Preliminary Prospectus filed as part of the registration statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(b) Pricing Disclosure Package. The Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time did not, and at the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each broadly available road show, if any, when considered together with the Pricing Disclosure Package does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in the Pricing Disclosure Package based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
(c) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Other than the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Underwriters in their capacity as such) has not prepared, used or referred to and will not prepare, use or refer to any “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Shares (each such communication by the Company or its agents and representatives (other than a communication referred to in clause (i) below) an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”) other than the documents listed on Annex A hereto, each electronic road show and any other written communications approved in writing in advance by the Representatives. Each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complies or will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, has been or will be (within
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the time period specified in Rule 433) filed with the Commission in accordance with the Securities Act (to the extent required thereby) and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and, when taken together with the Preliminary Prospectus accompanying, or delivered prior to delivery of, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Preliminary Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use in such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Preliminary Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.
(d) Emerging Growth Company. From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”). “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act.
(e) Testing-the-Waters Materials. The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communications other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed or approved for distribution any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Annex B hereto. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act. Any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act, and when taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(f) Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued by the Commission, and, to the Company’s knowledge,
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no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission; as of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, the Registration Statement and any such post-effective amendment complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not and will not, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Prospectus will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, Pricing Disclosure Package or Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
(g) Financial Statements. The financial statements (including the related notes thereto) of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their cash flows for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby, except unaudited financial statements, which are subject to normal year-end adjustment and do not contain certain footnotes as permitted by the applicable rules of the Commission.
(h) No Material Adverse Change. Since the date of the most recent financial statements of the Company included in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (i) there has not been any material change in the capital stock, short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries, except in each case as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have not incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (iii) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding capital stock, nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its capital stock other than ordinary and customary dividends and (iv) there has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(i) Organization and Good Standing. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have been duly organized and are validly existing and in good standing (to the extent such concepts are applicable under such laws) under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing (to the extent such concepts are applicable under such laws) in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have corporate power and authority necessary to own or hold their
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respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or on the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement (a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company does not have any significant subsidiaries, as such term is defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X promulgated by the Commission.
(j) Capitalization. The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Capitalization”; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (except, in the case of any foreign subsidiary, for directors’ qualifying shares and except as otherwise described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,) and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien, encumbrance, equity or claim of any third party.
(k) Due Authorization. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby has been duly and validly taken.
(l) Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(m) The Shares. The Shares to be issued and sold by the Company hereunder have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered and paid for as provided herein, will be validly issued, will be fully paid and nonassessable and will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and the issuance of the Shares is not subject to any preemptive or similar rights.
(n) No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any applicable law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority,
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except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(o) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery of, and performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement, will not (i) result in the violation of any applicable law; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or (iii) result in the violation of any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, regulatory authority, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(p) No Consents Required. No consent, approval, authorization or order of or qualification with any governmental body, regulatory authority or agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except as may be required by the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters.
(q) Legal Proceedings. Except as accurately described in all material respects in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings or regulatory investigations pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (i) there are no current or pending legal or governmental proceedings or regulatory actions that are required under the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that are not so described in all material respects in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and (ii) there are no statutes, regulations or contracts or other documents that are required under the Securities Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that are not so filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(r) Independent Accountants. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.
(s) Title to Real and Personal Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple (in the case of real property) to, or have valid and marketable rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property and assets that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except those that (i) are disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; (ii) do not materially interfere with the use
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made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries and (iii) could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect. Any buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases, 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, in each case as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(t) Title to Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights to use all material foreign and U.S. patents and all patent rights associated therewith, patent applications, inventions, registered and unregistered trademarks and service marks and all rights associated therewith, trade names, trade dress, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, databases and rights associated with databases, moral rights, licenses, trade secrets and all rights associated with trade secrets, domain names, proprietary processes, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) and other intellectual property rights, including registrations and applications for registrations thereof (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted and as proposed to be conducted, and, to the knowledge of the Company, the conduct of their respective businesses will not infringe any valid issued patent claim, or, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any Intellectual Property. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (i) the Intellectual Property owned by the Company has not been adjudged invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, by a court, regulatory or administrative agency or commission or other governmental authority of competent jurisdiction, (ii) there is no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the ownership, validity, enforceability or scope of any such Intellectual Property, excluding office actions before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and foreign patent and trademark offices arising in the ordinary course of prosecuting any pending applications included within such Intellectual Property and (iii) to the Company’s knowledge, none of the Intellectual Property used by the Company has been obtained or is being used by the Company in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or any of its current or former employees or independent contractors. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (i) there is no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates any Intellectual Property, (ii) the Company has not received any notice of infringement of or conflict with any Intellectual Property and (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, there is no infringement, misappropriation, or other violation of the Intellectual Property owned by the Company, in each case, except as would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. There are no outstanding options, licenses or agreements of any kind relating to the Intellectual Property of the Company that are required to be described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and are not described in all material respects.
(u) Clinical Trials. The analytical and clinical validation studies conducted by or on behalf of or sponsored by the Company or its subsidiaries, or in which the Company or its subsidiaries have participated, that are described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing
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Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as applicable, and are intended to be submitted to Regulatory Authorities as a basis for product approval or clearance, were and, if still pending, are being conducted by the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company on behalf of the Company, in all material respects in accordance with the applicable trial protocols and all applicable statutes, rules and regulations of the United States Food and Drug Administration and comparable drug regulatory agencies outside of the United States to which they are subject (collectively, the “Regulatory Authorities”), including, without limitation, applicable parts of 21 C.F.R. Parts 50, 54, 56, 58, and 312. The descriptions in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus of the results of such analytical and clinical validation studies are accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly present the data derived from such studies. The Company has no knowledge of any other clinical or analytical validation studies the results of which reasonably call into question the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company and its subsidiaries have operated and are currently in compliance with all applicable statutes, rules and regulations of the Regulatory Authorities, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written notices, correspondence or other written communication from the Regulatory Authorities or any other governmental agency requiring or threatening the premature termination or suspension of any clinical or analytical validation studies that are described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement, Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, and, to the Company’s knowledge, there are no reasonable grounds for the same.
(v) No Undisclosed Relationships or Related-Party Transactions. No relationship or related-party transactions involving the Company, or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand and any holder of 5% or more of the Common Stock, any director, any director nominee or any executive officer, or members of such individuals’ immediate families, or any enterprise in which a substantial interest in the voting power is owned, directly or indirectly, by such individuals, any customer or supplier, on the other, exists that is required by the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents and in the Pricing Disclosure Package.
(w) Investment Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be required to register as an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(x) Taxes. The Company and its subsidiaries have paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes and filed all tax returns required to be paid or filed through the date hereof, except insofar as the failure to pay such taxes or file such returns would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. The charges, accruals and reserves in respect of any income and other tax liability in the financial statements of the Company filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and as included in each of the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are adequate, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, to meet any assessments for any taxes of the Company accruing through the end of the last period
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specified in such financial statements, except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(y) Certificates and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess all certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses, except where the failure to possess the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any proceedings related to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, permit or authorization or has any reason to believe that any such certificate, permit or authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where such revocation, modification or nonrenewal would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(z) No Labor Disputes. No material labor dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of its or its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, manufacturers, contractors or customers, except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(aa) Compliance with and Liability under Environmental Laws. (i) The Company and its subsidiaries (a) are in compliance with any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign 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”), (b) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (c) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in the aggregate, be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (ii) there are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures for clean-up, closure of properties, or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(bb) Hazardous Materials. There has been no storage, generation, transportation, use, handling, treatment, Release or threat of Release of Hazardous Materials by, relating to or caused by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (or, to the knowledge of the Company and its subsidiaries, any other entity (including any predecessor) for whose acts or omissions the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or could reasonably be expected to be liable) at, on, under or from any property or facility now or previously owned, operated or leased by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or at, on, under or from any other property or facility, in violation of any Environmental Laws or in a manner or amount or to a location that could reasonably be expected to result in any liability under any Environmental Law, except for any violation or liability which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. “Hazardous Materials” means any material,
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chemical, substance, waste, pollutant, contaminant, compound, mixture, or constituent thereof, in any form or amount, including petroleum (including crude oil or any fraction thereof) and petroleum products, natural gas liquids, asbestos and asbestos containing materials, naturally occurring radioactive materials, brine, and drilling mud, regulated or which can give rise to liability under any Environmental Law. “Release” means any spilling, leaking, seepage, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, disposing, depositing, dispersing, or migrating in, into or through the environment, or in, into from or through any building or structure.
(cc) Disclosure Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and that has been designed to ensure that material information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is communicated to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer as appropriate by others at the Company, particularly during the periods in which the period reports required to be filed under the Exchange Act are being prepared, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Such disclosure controls and procedures are effective and timely in alerting the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer to material information required to be included in the Company’s periodic reports required to be filed under the Exchange Act.
(dd) Accounting Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are and since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year there have been, no material weaknesses in the Company’s internal controls (whether remediated or not) and no change in the Company’s internal controls that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to have a material effect, on the Company’s internal controls.
(ee) Insurance. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have insurance coverage from insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are, in the Company’s reasonable judgment, prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance, (ii) been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for or (iii) 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 at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.
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(ff) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any director, officer or employee nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or controlled affiliates has taken any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or the authorization or approval of the payment or giving of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any “governmental official” (including any officer or employee of any government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for public office) to influence official action or secure an improper advantage; the Company and its subsidiaries have conducted their business in material compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws; and the Company has adopted a Code of Conduct and Business Ethics and a FCPA Compliance Policy that will become effective on or before the Closing Date, which are intended to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein.
(gg) Compliance with Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(hh) Compliance with OFAC. None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or any director, officer, employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, controlled affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered or enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”) or is located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of sanctions (including, without limitation, Burma/Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria); and the Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing or facilitating any activities or business of or with any person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the financing or facilitating is subject to any Sanctions or in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any person who is subject to Sanctions, including any person participating in this offering, whether as underwriter, investor, advisor or otherwise. The Company represents and covenants that for the past five years it and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with
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any person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was subject to Sanctions.
(ii) No Registration Rights. Except as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (and the registration rights contained in the Company’s Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement dated as of November 29, 2012, as amended on December 20, 2012, which rights have been duly waived), no person has the right to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Securities Act or to require the Company to include such securities with the Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(jj) No Stabilization. The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares.
(kk) Statistical and Market Data. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate in all material respects, and such data is consistent with the sources from which they are derived.
(ll) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that, upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, it will be in compliance with all provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or implementing the provisions thereof which the Company is required to comply with as of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and is actively taking steps to ensure that it will be in compliance with other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that will become applicable to the Company at all times after the effectiveness of the Registration Statement.
(mm) Status under the Securities Act. The Company is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act. The Company has paid the registration fee for this offering pursuant to Rule 456(b)(1) under the Securities Act or will pay such fee within the time period required by such rule (without giving effect to the proviso therein) and in any event prior to the Closing Date.
(nn) Sale of Shares of Common Stock. Except as disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not sold, issued or distributed any shares of Common Stock during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulation D or S of, the Securities Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants.
(oo) Exchange Listing. The Shares have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market (the “Nasdaq Market”).
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(pp) No Downgrade. There are no debt securities or preferred stock of, or guaranteed by, the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act.
4. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with each Underwriter that:
(a) Required Filings. The Company will file the final Prospectus with the Commission within the time periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act, will file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act and will furnish copies of the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent not previously delivered) to the Underwriters in New York City prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement in such quantities as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(b) Delivery of Copies. The Company will furnish, without charge, (i) to the Representatives, three signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto, in each case including all exhibits and consents filed therewith; and (ii) to each Underwriter (A) a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) and (B) during the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below), as many copies of the Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus) as the Representatives may reasonably request. As used herein, the term “Prospectus Delivery Period” means such period of time after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus relating to the Shares is required by law to be delivered (or required to be delivered but for Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Shares by any Underwriter or dealer.
(c) Amendments or Supplements, Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Before preparing, using, authorizing, approving, referring to or filing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and before filing any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters a copy of the proposed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, amendment or supplement for review and will not prepare, use, authorize, approve, refer to or file any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably objects.
(d) Notice to the Representatives. The Company will advise the Representatives promptly, and, with respect to clauses (iv) through (vii) only, confirm such advice in writing, (i) when the Registration Statement has become effective; (ii) when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective; (iii) when any supplement to the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or any amendment to the Prospectus has been filed or distributed; (iv) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or the receipt of any comments from the Commission relating to the Registration Statement or any other request by the Commission for any additional information including, but not limited to, any request for information concerning
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any Testing-the-Waters Communication; (v) of the issuance by the Commission of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act; (vi) of the occurrence of any event or development within the Prospectus Delivery Period as a result of which the Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package, any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Written Testing-the-Waters Communication is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading; and (vii) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and the Company will use all reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or suspending any such qualification of the Shares and, if any such order is issued, will obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
(e) Ongoing Compliance. (1) If during the Prospectus Delivery Period (i) any event or development shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with law, the Company will promptly notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representatives may designate such amendments or supplements to the Prospectus as may be necessary so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus will comply with law and (2) if at any time prior to the Closing Date (i) any event or development shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Pricing Disclosure Package as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package to comply with law, the Company will promptly notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission (to the extent required) and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representatives may designate such amendments or supplements to the Pricing Disclosure Package as may be necessary so that the statements in the Pricing Disclosure Package as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Pricing Disclosure Package will comply with law.
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(f) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall reasonably request.
(g) Earning Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and the Representatives as soon as practicable an earning statement that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the Commission promulgated thereunder covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement.
(h) Clear Market. For a period of 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, the Company will not (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any shares of Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Stock, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing, or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, other than (A) the Shares to be sold hereunder, (B) any shares of Stock of the Company issued upon the exercise of options or warrants or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof of which the Representatives have been advised in writing, (C) the grant of options or the issuance of shares of Stock by the Company to employees, officers, directors, advisors or consultants of the Company pursuant to employee benefit plans in effect on the date hereof and described in the Prospectus, (D) the filing by the Company of a registration statement with the Commission on Form S-8 in respect of any shares issued under or the grant of any award pursuant to an employee benefit plan in effect on the date hereof and described in the Prospectus or (E) the sale or issuance of or entry into an agreement to sell or issue shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Stock in connection with any (1) mergers, (2) acquisition of securities, businesses, proper or other assets, (3) joint ventures, (4) strategic alliances, (5) partnerships with experts or other talent to develop or provide content, (6) equipment leasing arrangements or (7) debt financing; provided, that the aggregate number of shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for Stock (on an as-converted or as-exercised basis, as the case may be) that the Company may sell or issue or agree to sell or issue pursuant to this clause (E) shall not exceed 5% of the total number of shares of the Company’s Stock issued and outstanding immediately following the completion of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and provided further, that each recipient of shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for Stock pursuant to this clause (E) shall execute a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto.
If the Representatives, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a lock-up letter described in Section 6(l) hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to
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announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
(i) Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Use of proceeds”.
(j) No Stabilization. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Stock.
(k) Exchange Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to list for quotation the Shares on the Nasdaq Market.
(l) Reports. During a period of three years from the date of this Agreement, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, as soon as they are available, copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to holders of the Shares; provided the Company will be deemed to have furnished such reports and other communications to the Representatives to the extent they are filed on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system.
(m) Record Retention. The Company will, pursuant to reasonable procedures developed in good faith, retain copies of each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 433 under the Securities Act.
(n) Filings. The Company will file with the Commission such reports as may be required by Rule 463 under the Securities Act.
(o) Emerging Growth Company. The Company will promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of Shares within the meaning of the Securities Act and (ii) completion of the 180-day restricted period referred to in Section 4(h) hereof.
5. Certain Agreements of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter hereby represents and agrees that:
(a) It has not used, authorized use of, referred to or participated in the planning for use of, and will not use, authorize use of, refer to or participate in the planning for use of, any “free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the Commission by the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Company) other than (i) a free writing prospectus that contains no “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act) that was not included (including through incorporation by reference) in the Preliminary Prospectus or a previously filed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (ii) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Annex A or prepared pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 4(c) above (including any electronic road show), or (iii) any free writing prospectus prepared by such underwriter and approved by the Company in advance
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in writing (each such free writing prospectus referred to in clauses (i) or (iii), an “Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus”).
(b) It has not and will not, without the prior written consent of the Company, use any free writing prospectus that contains the final terms of the Shares unless such terms have previously been included in a free writing prospectus filed with the Commission; provided that Underwriters may use a term sheet substantially in the form of Annex C hereto without the consent of the Company; provided further that any Underwriter using such term sheet shall notify the Company, and provide a copy of such term sheet to the Company, prior to, or substantially concurrently with, the first use of such term sheet.
(c) It is not subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act with respect to the offering (and will promptly notify the Company if any such proceeding against it is initiated during the Prospectus Delivery Period).
6. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligation of each Underwriter to purchase the Underwritten Shares on the Closing Date or the Option Shares on the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, as provided herein is subject to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) Registration Compliance; No Stop Order. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act (in the case of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act) and in accordance with Section 4(a) hereof; and all requests by the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representatives.
(b) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be; and the statements of the Company and its officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(c) No Material Adverse Change. No event or condition of a type described in Section 3(h) hereof shall have occurred or shall exist, which event or condition is not described in the Pricing Disclosure Package (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the Prospectus (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the effect of which in the judgment of the Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
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(d) Officer’s Certificate. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate of the chief executive officer or chief financial officer of the Company (i) confirming that such officer has carefully reviewed the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, to the knowledge of such officer, the representations set forth in Sections 3(b), 3(d) and 3(h) hereof are true and correct, (ii) confirming that the other representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct and that the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and (iii) to the effect set forth in paragraph (a) above.
(e) Comfort Letters. On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of the Company, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; provided, that the letter delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall use a “cut-off” date no more than three business days prior to such Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(f) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Company. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Professional Corporation, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of the Company, their written opinion and 10b-5 statement, dated the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(g) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Underwriters. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion and 10b-5 statement of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(h) No Legal Impediment to Issuance. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance or sale of the Shares; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance or sale of the Shares.
(i) Good Standing. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, satisfactory evidence of the
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good standing of the Company in Delaware and its good standing as a foreign entity in such other jurisdictions as the Representatives may reasonably request, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.
(j) Exchange Listing. The Shares to be delivered on the Closing Date or Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Market, subject to official notice of issuance.
(k) Lock-up Agreements. The “lock-up” agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between you and substantially all of the shareholders and option holders and all of the officers and directors of the Company relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Stock or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be full force and effect on the Closing Date or Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(l) Additional Documents. On or prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives such further certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.
All opinions, letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.
7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, not misleading, (ii) or any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any road show as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”) or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such
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Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in subsection (b) below.
(b) Indemnification of the Company. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any road show or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the third paragraph, last sentence of the fourth paragraph, the second and third sentences of the seventh paragraph, the thirteenth paragraph and the first sentence of the fourteenth paragraph under the caption “Underwriting.”
(c) Notice and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to either paragraph (a) or (b) above, such person (the “Indemnified Person”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the “Indemnifying Person”) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under paragraph (a) or (b) above except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under paragraph (a) or (b) above. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person (who shall not, without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) to represent the Indemnified Person in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different
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from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interest between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such fees and expenses shall be paid or reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm for any Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control persons of such Underwriter shall be designated in writing by J. P. Morgan Securities LLC and any such separate firm for the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and any control persons of the Company shall be designated in writing by the Company. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds (before deducting expenses) received by the Company from the sale of the Shares and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters in connection therewith, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate offering price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied
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by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
(e) Limitation on Liability. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to paragraph (d) above were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (d) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Person in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (d) and (e), in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Shares exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to paragraphs (d) and (e) are several in proportion to their respective purchase obligations hereunder and not joint.
(f) Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in paragraphs (a) through (e) are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.
8. Effectiveness of Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
9. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date or, in the case of the Option Shares, prior to the Additional Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market; (ii) trading of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iii) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities; or (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis, either within or outside the United States, that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
10. Defaulting Underwriter.
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(a) If, on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, any Underwriter defaults on its obligation to purchase the Shares that it has agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, the non-defaulting Underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Shares by other persons satisfactory to the Company on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Underwriter, the non-defaulting Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of 36 hours within which to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase such Shares on such terms. If other persons become obligated or agree to purchase the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter, either the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company may postpone the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, for up to five full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Underwriters may be necessary in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any other document or arrangement, and the Company agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, any person not listed in Schedule 1 hereto that, pursuant to this Section 10, purchases Shares that a defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Shares that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of Shares to be purchased on such date, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Shares that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder on such date plus such Underwriter’s pro rata share (based on the number of Shares that such Underwriter agreed to purchase on such date) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Shares that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate amount of Shares to be purchased on such date, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement or, with respect to any Additional Closing Date, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase Shares on the Additional Closing Date shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without liability on the part of the Company, except that the Company will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Section 11 hereof and except that the provisions of Section 7 hereof shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.
(d) Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of any liability it may have to the Company or any non-defaulting Underwriter for damages caused by its default.
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11. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, (i) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation, transfer and delivery of the Shares and any taxes payable in that connection; (ii) the costs incident to the preparation, printing and filing under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including all exhibits, amendments and supplements thereto), including all printing costs associated therewith and the mailing and delivery of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (iii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon; (iv) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement; (v) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and independent accountants; (vi) all fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration or qualification of the Shares under state or foreign securities or blue sky laws as provided in Section 4(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification; (vii) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (viii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar and depositary; (ix) all expenses and application fees incurred in connection with any filing with, and clearance of the offering by, FINRA, not to exceed $45,000; (x) all fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the Stock; (xi) all expenses incurred by the Company in connection with any “road show” presentation to potential investors undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the officers of the Company and any such consultants, and 50% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show; (x) all expenses and application fees related to the listing of the Shares on the Nasdaq Market; (xi) and all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section 11, Section 7 and the last sentence of Section 10(c), the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Shares by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.
(b) If (i) this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9(ii) or (ii) this Agreement is terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions or obligations of this Agreement, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the fees and expenses of their counsel) reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this Agreement and the offering contemplated hereby. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company shall not be liable to reimburse the Underwriters pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence if, pursuant to Section 9(v), the
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Representatives determine it is impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
12. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and any controlling persons referred to in Section 7 hereof. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein. No purchaser of Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor merely by reason of such purchase.
13. Survival. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, representations, warranties and agreements of the Company and the Underwriters contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Shares and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters.
14. Certain Defined Terms. For purposes of this Agreement, (a) except where otherwise expressly provided, the term “affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; (b) the term “business day” means any day other than a day on which banks are permitted or required to be closed in New York City; and (c) the term “subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
15. Miscellaneous.
(a) Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be given to the Representatives c/o J. P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179 (fax: (212) ###-###-####), Attention Equity Syndicate Desk; and c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036; Attention Equity Syndicate Desk and to Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, 1600 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, California 94025, Attention: Alan Denenberg. Notices to the Company shall be given to it at NanoString Technologies, Inc., 530 Fairview Avenue North, Suite 2000, Seattle, WA 98109, (fax: 206 ###-###-####); Attention: Chief Financial Officer, with a copy to Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, 701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5100, Seattle, WA 98104, Attention: Patrick J. Schultheis.
(b) Governing Law. This Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in such state.
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(c) Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication), each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
(d) Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties hereto.
(e) Headings. The headings herein are included for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| NANOSTRING TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Accepted: , 20
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC
MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC
For themselves and on behalf of the
several Underwriters listed
in Schedule 1 hereto.
| J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC | ||
| By: |
| |
| Authorized Signatory | ||
| MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
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Schedule 1
| Underwriter | Number of Shares | |
| J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | ||
| Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | ||
| Leerink Swann LLC | ||
| Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated | ||
|
| ||
| Total | ||
|
|
Annex A
a. Pricing Disclosure Package
[b. Pricing Information Provided Orally by Underwriters]
Annex B
Written Testing-the-Waters Communications
Annex C
NanoString Technologies, Inc.
Pricing Term Sheet
[TO COME]
Exhibit A
Lock-Up Agreement
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC
MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC
, 201
As Representatives of
the several Underwriters listed in
Schedule 1 to the Underwriting
Agreement referred to below
c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
383 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10179
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
| Re: | NanoString Technologies, Inc. – Public Offering |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned understands that you, as Representatives of the several Underwriters, propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with NanoString Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), providing for the public offering (the “Public Offering”) by the several Underwriters named in Schedule 1 to the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriters”), of the common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In consideration of the Underwriters’ agreement to purchase and make the Public Offering of the Common Stock, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC on behalf of the Underwriters, the undersigned will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the final prospectus relating to the Public Offering (the “Prospectus”) (such period, the “Lock-Up Period”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common
Stock (including without limitation, Common Stock or such other securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) by the undersigned and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant), or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge or disposition; (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock or such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (3) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock.
The provisions of the immediately preceding paragraph shall not apply to (or otherwise limit or restrict):
(A) sales of shares of Common Stock or other securities acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering, provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with subsequent sales of Common Stock or other securities acquired in such open market transactions;
(B) the sale and transfer of shares of Common Stock by the undersigned to the Underwriters in the Public Offering;
(C) transfers of shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock (i) by bona fide gift, will or intestacy, (ii) to the spouse, domestic partner, parent, child or grandchild (each, an “immediate family member”) of the undersigned or to a trust formed for the benefit of an immediate family member, (iii) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership or other business entity (x) to another corporation, partnership or other business entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the undersigned or (y) as part of a disposition, transfer or distribution without consideration by the undersigned to its equity holders or (iv) if the undersigned is a trust, to a trustee or beneficiary of the trust; provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to this clause (C), each transferee, donee or distributee shall execute and deliver to the Representatives a lock-up letter substantially in the form of this Letter Agreement; and provided, further, that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock or other public announcement shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Lock-Up Period;
(D) the transfer of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock to the Company upon a vesting event of the Company’s securities or upon the exercise of options or warrants to purchase the Company’s securities, in each case on a “cashless” or “net exercise” basis or to cover tax withholding obligations of the undersigned in connection with such vesting or exercise; provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act reporting a disposition of shares of Common Stock or other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such vesting or exercise;
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(E) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Common Stock; provided that such plan does not provide for the transfer of Common Stock during the Lock-Up Period and no public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act regarding the establishment of such plan shall be required of or made voluntarily by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company;
(F) the conversion of the outstanding preferred stock of the Company into shares of Common Stock; provided that such shares of Common Stock remain subject to the terms of this Letter Agreement;
(G) the transfer of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock to the Company, pursuant to agreements under which the Company has the option to repurchase such shares or a right of first refusal with respect to transfers of such shares;
(H) the transfer of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock that occurs by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a divorce settlement;
(I) the transfer of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock pursuant to a bona fide third party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all holders of the Common Stock involving a change of control of the Company; provided that in the event that the tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, the Common Stock owned by the undersigned shall remain subject to the restrictions contained in this agreement; or
(J) the exercise of any right with respect to, or the taking of any other action in preparation for, a registration by the Company of shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock; provided that no transfer of the undersigned’s Common Stock registered pursuant to the exercise of such rights under this item shall occur, and no registration statement shall be filed, nor shall any public announcement of the intention to file be made, during the Lock-Up Period. If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the foregoing provisions shall be equally applicable to any Company-directed Securities the undersigned may purchase in the Public Offering.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC on behalf of the Underwriters agree that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of shares of Common Stock, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC on behalf of the Underwriters will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Company has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC on behalf of the Underwriters hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (a) the
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release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this letter to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.
In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company, and any duly appointed transfer agent for the registration or transfer of the securities described herein, are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Letter Agreement.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Letter Agreement. All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred and any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the successors, assigns, heirs or personal representatives of the undersigned.
This Letter Agreement shall automatically terminate, and the undersigned shall be released from all obligations under this Letter Agreement, upon the earliest to occur, if any, of (i) the date that the Company advises the Representatives in writing, prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, that it has determined not to proceed with the Public Offering and (ii) the date of termination of the Underwriting Agreement if prior to the closing of the Public Offering.
The undersigned understands that the Underwriters are entering into the Underwriting Agreement and proceeding with the Public Offering in reliance upon this Letter Agreement.
This Letter Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof.
[signature page follows]
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Yours very truly,
| IF AN INDIVIDUAL: | IF AN ENTITY: | |||||||
| By: |
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| (duly authorized signature) | (please print complete name of entity) | |||||||
| Name: |
| By: |
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| (please print full name) | (duly authorized signature) | |||||||
| Name: |
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| (please print full name) | ||||||||
| Date: |
| Date: |
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| Address: | Address: | |||||||
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| E-mail: |
| E-mail: |
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[Signature page to Lock-Up Agreement]
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Exhibit B
Form of Waiver of Lock-up
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC
MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC
NanoString Technologies, Inc.
Public Offering of Common Stock
, 2013
[Name and Address of
Officer or Director
Requesting Waiver]
Dear Mr./Ms. [Name]:
This letter is being delivered to you in connection with the offering by NanoString Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”) of shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value (the “Common Stock”), of the Company and the lock-up letter dated , 20 (the “Lock-up Letter”), executed by you in connection with such offering, and your request for a [waiver] [release] dated , 20 , with respect to shares of Common Stock (the “Shares”).
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC hereby agree to [waive] [release] the transfer restrictions set forth in the Lock-up Letter, but only with respect to the Shares, effective , 20 ; provided, however, that such [waiver] [release] is conditioned on the Company announcing the impending [waiver] [release] by press release through a major news service at least two business days before effectiveness of such [waiver] [release]. This letter will serve as notice to the Company of the impending [waiver] [release].
Except as expressly [waived] [released] hereby, the Lock-up Letter shall remain in full force and effect.
Yours very truly,
cc: Company
Exhibit C
Form of Press Release
NanoString Technologies, Inc.
[Date]
NanoString Technologies, Inc. (“Company”) announced today that J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the lead book-running managers in the Company’s recent public sale of shares of common stock, are [waiving] [releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to shares of the Company’s common stock held by [certain officers or directors] [an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver] [release] will take effect on , 2013, and the shares may be sold on or after such date.
This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
