Form of Placement Agency Agreement
Exhibit 10.29
PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT
[●], 2024
Univest Securities, LLC
75 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 18C
New York, NY, 10019
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement (this “Agreement”) and the Transaction Documents (as defined below), Algorhythm Holdings, Inc. a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), hereby agrees to offer and sell up to an aggregate of $10,000,000 of securities of the Company directly to various investors (each, an “Investor” and collectively, the “Investors”) through Univest Securities, LLC, as placement agent (the “Placement Agent”), in each case consisting of (i) shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”) and/or warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock in lieu thereof (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”) as the applicable Investor may elect, (ii) Series A warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock (each a “Series A Warrant” and collectively, the “Series A Warrants”), and (iii) Series B warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock (each a “Series B Warrant” and collectively, the “Series B Warrants,” and together with the Pre-Funded Warrants and Series A Warrants, collectively, the “Warrants”). The shares of Common Stock underlying the Series A Warrants and the Series B Warrants are referred to as the “Warrant Shares.” The Common Stock offered and sold in this Offering is defined as the “Shares.” The Shares, the Pre-Funded Warrants, the Series A Warrants, the Series B Warrants and the Warrant Shares are collectively referred to as the “Securities.” The documents executed and delivered by the Company and the Investors in connection with the Offering (as defined below), including, without limitation, a securities purchase agreement to be entered into between the Company and each Investor (the “Purchase Agreement”), shall be collectively referred to herein as the “Transaction Documents.” The purchase price to the Investors for each Share and accompanying Series A Warrant and Series B Warrant is $[●] or for each Pre-Funded Warrant and accompanying Series A Warrant and Series B Warrant is $[●], the exercise price for each Warrant Share is $[●], and the exercise price for each Share issuable upon exercise of each Pre-Funded Warrant is $0.01.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event that the Placement Agent determines that any of the terms provided for hereunder do not comply with a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) rule, including but not limited to FINRA Rule 5110, then the Company shall agree to amend this Agreement in writing upon the request of the Placement Agent to comply with any such rules; provided that any such amendments shall not provide for terms that are less favorable to the Company than the terms of this Agreement or terms are adverse to the Company.
The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the Placement Agent as follows:
Section 1. Agreement to Act as Placement Agent.
(a) On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company herein contained, and subject to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Placement Agent shall be the exclusive placement agent in connection with the offering and sale by the Company of the Securities pursuant to the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-283178) (the “Registration Statement”) with the terms of such offering (the “Offering”) to be subject to market conditions and negotiations between the Company, the Placement Agent and the prospective Investors. The Placement Agent will act on a best efforts basis and the Company agrees and acknowledges that there is no guarantee of the successful placement of the Securities, or any portion thereof, in the prospective Offering. Under no circumstances will the Placement Agent or any of its Affiliates (as defined below) be obligated to underwrite or purchase any of the Securities for its own account or otherwise provide any financing. The Placement Agent shall act solely as the Company’s agent and not as principal. The Placement Agent shall have no authority to bind the Company with respect to any prospective offer to purchase Securities and the Company shall have the sole right to accept offers to purchase Securities and may reject any such offer, in whole or in part. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Securities shall be made at one closing (the “Closing” and the date on which the Closing occurs, the “Closing Date”). As compensation for services rendered, on the Closing Date, the Company shall pay to the Placement Agent the following:
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(i) a cash fee equal to seven percent (7%) of the aggregate gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Securities (the “Cash Fee”);
(ii) a non-accountable expense allowance equal to one percent (1%) of the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Securities at the Closing; and
(iii) reimbursement of the Placement Agent’s reasonable travel and other out-of-pocket expenses, and any incurred out-of-pocket costs of the escrow or clearing agent in an amount of up to $12,900.
(b) The term of the Placement Agent’s exclusive engagement shall begin on the date hereof and continue until the earlier of (i) the Closing Date (the “Exclusive Term”), and (ii) the date the Placement Agent or the Company terminates the engagement according to the terms of the next sentence (such date, the “Termination Date” and the period of time during which this Agreement remains in effect is referred to herein as the “Term”). The engagement may be terminated at any time by either party hereto upon seven (7) days written notice to the other party, effective upon receipt of written notice to that effect by the other party. Unless otherwise provided under this Agreement, the provisions concerning the Company’s obligation to pay any fees actually earned pursuant to Section 1(a) hereof and to pay or reimburse the Placement Agent for any expenses incurred in accordance with Section 6 hereof, the Company’s obligations contained in the indemnification provisions, and the provisions concerning indemnification and contribution contained herein will survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason. All fees and expense payments or reimbursements due to the Placement Agent shall be paid by the Company to the Placement Agent on or before the Termination Date (in the event such fees and expenses are earned or owed as of the Termination Date). Furthermore, the Company agrees that during the Placement Agent’s engagement hereunder, all inquiries from prospective U.S. Investors with respect to the Offering will be referred to the Placement Agent. Additionally, except as set forth hereunder or otherwise disclosed to the Placement Agent in writing, the Company represents, warrants and covenants that no brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other third-party with respect to the Offering.
The services provided by the Placement Agent hereunder are solely for the benefit of the Company and are not intended to confer any rights upon any persons or entities not a party hereto (including, without limitation, security holders, employees or creditors of the Company) as against the Placement Agent or its directors, officers, agents and employees.
Section 2. Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Placement Agent that the following is true and correct as of the date hereof, and will be true and correct as of the Closing Date, and covenants and agrees as follows:
(a) Securities Law Filings. The Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) the Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), which was originally filed on November 12, 2024 and declared effective on [●], 2024 for the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act. Following the determination of pricing among the Company and the prospective Investors introduced to the Company by the Placement Agent, the Company will file with the SEC pursuant to Rules 424(b) and 430A under the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations (the “Rules and Regulations”) of the SEC promulgated thereunder, a final prospectus relating to the placement of the Securities, their respective pricings and the plan of distribution thereof and will advise the Placement Agent of all further information (financial and other) with respect to the Company required to be set forth therein. Such registration statement, at any given time, including the exhibits thereto filed at such time, as amended at such time, is hereinafter called the “Registration Statement”; such prospectus in the form in which it appears in the Registration Statement at the time of effectiveness is hereinafter called the “Preliminary Prospectus”; and the final prospectus, in the form in which it will be filed with the SEC pursuant to Rules 424(b) and/or 430A (including the Preliminary Prospectus as it may be amended or supplemented) is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.” If the Company files any registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act Rules and Regulations, then after such filing, the term “Registration Statement” shall include such registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b). Any reference in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”), if any, which were or are filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), at any given time, as the case may be; and any reference in this Agreement to the terms “amend,” “amendment,” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the date of this Agreement, or the issue date of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included,” “described,” “referenced,” “set forth,” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. As used in this paragraph and elsewhere in this Agreement, “Time of Sale Disclosure Package” means the Preliminary Prospectus, any securities purchase agreement between the Company and the Investors, the final terms of the Offering provided to the Investors (orally or in writing) and any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433 of the Securities Act (each, an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”), if any, that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Time of Sale Disclosure Package. The term “any Prospectus” shall mean, as the context requires, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, and any supplement to either thereof. The Company has not received any notice that the SEC has issued or intends to issue a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of the Preliminary Prospectus or any prospectus supplement or intends to commence a Proceeding for any such purpose.
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(b) Assurances. The Registration Statement, as amended, (and any further documents to be filed with the SEC) contains all exhibits and schedules as required by the Securities Act. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations and did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, each as of its respective date, complies or will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations. Each of the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, did not and will not contain as of the date thereof any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Incorporated Documents, when they were filed with the SEC, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations promulgated thereunder, and none of such documents, when they were filed with the SEC, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein (with respect to Incorporated Documents incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus), in light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading. No post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement reflecting any facts or events arising after the date thereof which represent, individually or in the aggregate, a fundamental change in the information set forth therein is required to be filed with the SEC. Except for this Agreement and the Transaction Documents, there are no documents required to be filed with the SEC in connection with the transaction contemplated hereby that (x) have not been filed as required pursuant to the Securities Act or (y) will not be filed within the requisite time period. Except for this Agreement and the Transaction Documents, there are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or to be filed as exhibits or schedules to the Registration Statement, which have not been described or filed as required.
(c) Offering Materials. Neither the Company nor any of its directors and officers has distributed and none of them will distribute, prior to the Closing Date, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than the Time of Sale Disclosure Package.
(d) Subsidiaries. All of the direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Company (the “Subsidiaries”) are set forth in the Registration Statement. The Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any liens, charges, security interests, encumbrances, rights of first refusal, preemptive rights or other restrictions (collectively, “Liens”), and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities.
(e) Organization and Qualification. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation nor in default of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in: (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of this Agreement, the Transaction Documents or any other agreement or instrument relating to the Offering, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under this Agreement or the transactions contemplated under the Preliminary Prospectus (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse Effect”); provided that a change in the market price or trading volume of the Common Stock alone shall not be deemed, in and of itself, to constitute a Material Adverse Effect. No action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an informal inquiry), whether commenced or threatened (“Proceeding”) has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.
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(f) Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Transaction Documents and the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of each of this Agreement, the Transaction Documents and the Time of Sale Disclosure Package by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and under the Preliminary Prospectus have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Company’s Board of Directors or the Company’s shareholders in connection therewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals (as defined below). This Agreement and each Transaction Document has been duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(g) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and each Transaction Document and the transactions contemplated hereby, thereby and pursuant to the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby to which it is a party do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(h) Filings, Consents and Approvals. The Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other Person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Preliminary Prospectus, other than: (i) the filing with the SEC of the Prospectus and such other filings as are required to be made under applicable state securities laws, (ii) application(s) to each applicable Trading Market for the listing of the Shares and the Warrant Shares for trading thereon in the time and manner required thereby, and (iii) the filing and mailing of a proxy statement on Schedule 14A in connection with the Shareholder Approval (the “Required Approvals”). “Shareholder Approval” means such approval as may be required by the applicable Rules and Regulations of The Nasdaq Capital Market (or any successor entity) from the shareholders of the Company with respect to the issuance of all of the Shares, the Warrants and the Warrant Shares upon exercise of the Warrants. As used herein (i) “Persons” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind and (ii) “Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
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(i) Issuance of the Securities; Registration. The Shares are duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the Prospectus, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Warrants are duly authorized and, when issued and paid for, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms. The Warrant Shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the Warrants, respectively, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Company has reserved from its duly authorized capital stock the maximum number of shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the Prospectus.
(j) Capitalization. The capitalization of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement. The Company has not issued any capital stock or Common Stock Equivalents since its most recently filed SEC Report (as defined below), other than pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options or vesting and settlement of restricted stock units under the Company’s stock option plans, the issuance of shares of Common Stock to employees pursuant to any employee stock purchase plans and pursuant to the conversion and/or exercise of securities of the Company or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time any Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, rights, options, warrants or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Stock (“Common Stock Equivalents”) outstanding as of the date of the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act. No Person has any right of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the transactions contemplated pursuant to the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus. Except as a result of the purchase and sale of the Securities and except as set forth in the SEC Reports, there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for or acquire, any shares of Common Stock or the capital stock of any Subsidiary, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue additional shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents or capital stock of any Subsidiary,. The issuance and sale of the Securities will not obligate the Company or any Subsidiary to issue shares of Common Stock or other securities to any Person (other than the Investors and the Placement Agent) and will not result in a right of any holder of Company securities to adjust the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price under any of such securities. There are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary that contain any redemption or similar provisions, and there are no contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to redeem a security of the Company or such Subsidiary. The Company does not have any stock appreciation rights or “phantom stock” plans or agreements or any similar plan or agreement. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws where applicable, and none of such outstanding shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. Except for the Required Approvals, no further approval or authorization of any shareholder, the Board of Directors or others is required for the issuance and sale of the Securities. There are no shareholders agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s shareholders.
(k) SEC Reports; Financial Statements. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the one (1) year preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, together with the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any prospectus supplement, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”) on a timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company has never been an issuer subject to Rule 144(i) under the Securities Act. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“GAAP”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments. The selected financial data set forth under the caption “Selected Financial Data” in the SEC Reports fairly present, on the basis stated in such SEC Reports, the information included therein. The agreements and documents described in the Registration Statement and the SEC Reports conform in all material aspects to the descriptions thereof contained therein and there are no agreements or other documents required by the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder to be described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the SEC Reports or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement, that have not been so described or filed. Each agreement or other instrument (however characterized or described) to which the Company is a party or by which it is or may be bound or affected and (i) that is referred to in the Registration Statement or the SEC Reports, or (ii) is material to the Company’s business, has been duly authorized and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect in all material respects and is enforceable against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, the other parties thereto, in accordance with its terms, except (x) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the federal and state securities laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefore may be brought. None of such agreements or instruments has been assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any other party is in default thereunder and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a default thereunder. To the best of the Company’s knowledge, performance by the Company of the material provisions of such agreements or instruments will not result in a violation of any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets or businesses, including, without limitation, those relating to environmental laws and regulations.
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(l) Material Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, except as disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to GAAP or disclosed in filings made with the SEC, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its shareholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock, and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or Affiliate, except pursuant to existing Company equity incentive plans. The Company does not have pending before the SEC any request for confidential treatment of information. Except for the issuance of the Securities contemplated or disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, no event, liability, fact, circumstance, occurrence or development has occurred or exists or is reasonably expected to occur or exist with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, prospects, properties, operations, assets or financial condition that would be required to be disclosed by the Company under applicable securities laws at the time this representation is made or deemed made that has not been publicly disclosed at least one (1) Trading Day prior to the date that this representation is made. As used in this Agreement, “Trading Day” means a day on which the Trading Market (as defined below) is open for trading. As used in this Agreement, “Trading Market” means The Nasdaq Capital Market, the securities exchange on which the Common Stock is listed for trading.
(m) Litigation. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, there is no Proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign) which (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of any of this Agreement, the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated pursuant to the Time of Sale Disclosure Package or the Securities or (ii) could, if there were an unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director or officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any Proceeding involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation or informal inquiry by the SEC or its Staff involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company. The SEC has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act.
(n) Labor Relations. (1) No material labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company, which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their employees are good. (2) No executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary, to the knowledge of the Company, is, or is now expected to be, in violation of any material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. (3) To the Company’s knowledge, (a) no allegation of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or discrimination, whether such discrimination arises from race, ethnic background, sex, gender status, age or otherwise (“Misconduct”) have been made involving any current or former director, officer, employee or independent contractor of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (b) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries have entered into any settlement agreements related to allegations of Misconduct by any current or former director, officer, employee, or independent contractor of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. (4) The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all applicable U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign laws and regulations relating to employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment, and wages and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(o) Compliance. In addition to Section 2(n), neither the Company nor any Subsidiary: (i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan, or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree, or order of any court, arbitrator, or governmental authority, or (iii) is or has been in violation of any law, statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and comparable foreign regulators, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), state unfair trade practice laws and rules and foreign equivalents, taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety and product quality matters, except in each case as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(p) Regulatory Permits. The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as described in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, except where the failure to possess such permits would not or could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (“Material Permits”), and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of Proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Material Permit. The disclosures in the Registration Statement concerning the effects of federal, state, local and all foreign regulation on the Company’s business as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects. The Company is and has been in material compliance with any term of any such Material Permits, except for any violations which would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not received notice of any Proceeding from any governmental authority or third party alleging that any Product, operation or activity is in violation of any applicable laws or regulations or Material Permits or has any knowledge that any such entity or third party is considering any such Proceeding, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, has there been any material noncompliance with or violation of any applicable laws or regulations by the Company that could reasonably be expected to require the issuance of any such communication or result in an investigation, corrective action, or enforcement action by any governmental authority.
(q) Title to Assets. The Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by them and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries and Liens for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, for which appropriate reserves have been made therefor in accordance with GAAP and, the payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance.
(r) Patents and Trademarks. The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, licenses and other intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary or material for use in connection with their respective businesses as described in the Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus and which the failure to so have could have a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”). None of, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of, the Intellectual Property Rights has expired, terminated or been abandoned, or is expected to expire or terminate or be abandoned, within two (2) years from the date of this Agreement. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, a notice (written or otherwise) of a claim or otherwise has any knowledge that the Intellectual Property Rights violate or infringe upon the rights of any Person, except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, all such Intellectual Property Rights are enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of any of the Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value of all of their intellectual properties, except where failure to do so could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(s) Insurance. The Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged, including, but not limited to, directors and officers insurance coverage. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business without a significant increase in cost.
(t) Transactions With Affiliates and Employees. Except as set forth in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, none of the executive officers or directors of the Company or any Subsidiary and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, executive officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, providing for the borrowing of money from or lending of money to or otherwise requiring payments to or from any executive officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any executive officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee, shareholder, member or partner, in each case in excess of one percent (1%) of the Company’s average total assets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 other than for: (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits, including equity award or option agreements under any equity incentive plan or similar of the Company.
(u) Sarbanes-Oxley; Internal Accounting Controls. The Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance with any and all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that are effective as of the date hereof, and any and all applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder that are effective as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date. Except as disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, the Company and the Subsidiaries maintain a system 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 GAAP 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. The Company and the Subsidiaries have established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company and the Subsidiaries and designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the end of the period covered by the Company’s most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act (such date, the “Evaluation Date”). The Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no changes in the internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in the Exchange Act) of the Company and its Subsidiaries that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the internal control over financial reporting of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
(v) Certain Fees. Except as set forth in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, no brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company to any broker, dealer, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the transactions contemplated pursuant to the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Investors shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section 2(v) that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the transactions contemplated pursuant to the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(w) Investment Company. The Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately after receipt of payment for the Securities, will not be or be an Affiliate of, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Company shall conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become an “investment company” subject to registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(x) Registration Rights. Except as disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, no Person has any right to cause the Company or any Subsidiary to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any securities of the Company or any Subsidiary.
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(y) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the SEC is contemplating terminating such registration. Except as disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, the Company has not, in the twelve (12) months preceding the date hereof, received notice from any Trading Market on which the Common Stock is or has been listed or quoted to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of such Trading Market. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company is, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements. The Common Stock is currently eligible for electronic transfer through the Depository Trust Company or another established clearing corporation and the Company is current in payment of the fees to the Depository Trust Company (or such other established clearing corporation) in connection with such electronic transfer.
(z) Application of Takeover Protections. The Company and its Board of Directors have taken all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s certificate of incorporation (or similar charter documents) or the laws of its state of incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Investors as a result of the Investors and the Company fulfilling their obligations or exercising their rights under this Agreement and the transactions contemplated pursuant to the Preliminary Prospectus, including without limitation as a result of the Company’s issuance of the Securities and the Investors’ ownership of the Securities.
(aa) Disclosure. Except with respect to the material terms and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the transactions contemplated pursuant to the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company confirms that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided any of the Investors or their agents or counsel with any information that it believes constitutes or might constitute material, non-public information which is not otherwise disclosed in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package. The Company understands and confirms that the Investors will rely on the foregoing representation in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All of the disclosure furnished by or on behalf of the Company to the Investors regarding the Company and, its Subsidiaries, their respective businesses and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The press releases disseminated by the Company during the twelve (12) months preceding the date of this Agreement taken as a whole did not contain, at their respective times of issuance, 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, in light of the circumstances under which they were made and when made, not misleading.
(bb) No Integrated Offering. Neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would cause this offering of the Securities to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of any applicable shareholder approval provisions of any Trading Market on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated.
(cc) Solvency. Except as disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, based on the consolidated financial condition of the Company as of the Closing Date, after giving effect to the receipt by the Company of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder, (i) the fair saleable value of the Company’s assets exceeds the amount that will be required to be paid on or in respect of the Company’s existing debts and other liabilities (including known contingent liabilities) as they mature, (ii) the Company’s assets do not constitute unreasonably small capital to carry on its business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted including its capital needs taking into account the particular capital requirements of the business conducted by the Company, consolidated and projected capital requirements and capital availability thereof, and (iii) the current cash flow of the Company, together with the proceeds the Company would receive, were it to liquidate all of its assets, after taking into account all anticipated uses of the cash, would be sufficient to pay all amounts on or in respect of its liabilities when such amounts are required to be paid. The Company does not intend to incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature (taking into account the timing and amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its debt). Except as disclosed in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, the Company has no knowledge of any facts or circumstances which lead it to believe that it will file for reorganization or liquidation under the bankruptcy or reorganization laws of any jurisdiction within one year from each Closing Date. The Time of Sale Disclosure Package discloses as of the date hereof all outstanding secured and unsecured Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary, or for which the Company or any Subsidiary has commitments. For the purposes of this Agreement, “Indebtedness” means (x) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed in excess of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) (other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (y) all guaranties, endorsements, and other contingent obligations in respect of indebtedness of others, whether or not the same are or should be reflected in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet (or the notes thereto), except guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or similar transactions in the ordinary course of business; and (z) the present value of any lease payments in excess of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance with GAAP. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default with respect to any Indebtedness.
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(dd) Tax Status. Except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its Subsidiaries (i) has made or filed all United States federal, state and local income and franchise and all foreign income and franchise tax returns, reports and declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject, (ii) has paid all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations and (iii) has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the payment of all material taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports or declarations apply. There are no unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, and the officers of the Company or of any Subsidiary know of no basis for any such claim.
(ee) Foreign Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, any agent or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company or any Subsidiary (or made by any Person acting on its behalf of which the Company is aware) which is in violation of law, or (iv) violated in any material respect any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”). The Company has taken reasonable steps to ensure that its accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply in all material respects with the FCPA.
(ff)Reserved.
(gg) Stock Option Plans. Each stock option granted by the Company under the Company’s stock option plan was granted (i) in accordance with the terms of the Company’s stock option plan and (ii) with an exercise price at least equal to the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date such stock option would be considered granted under GAAP and applicable law. No stock option granted under the Company’s stock option plan has been backdated. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no Company policy or practice to knowingly grant, stock options prior to, or otherwise knowingly coordinate the grant of stock options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its Subsidiaries or their financial results or prospects.
(hh) Accountants. The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm is set forth in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. To the knowledge of the Company, such accounting firm (i) is a registered public accounting firm as required by the Exchange Act and (ii) shall express its opinion with respect to the financial statements to be included in the Company’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.
(ii) Regulation M Compliance. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf (other than the Placement Agent, as to which no representation is made) has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Company’s placement agent in connection with the placement of the Securities.
(jj) Office of Foreign Assets Control. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or Affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department.
(kk) U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. The Company is not and has never been a U.S. real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the Company shall so certify upon any Investor’s request.
(ll) Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve.
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(mm) Money Laundering. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, applicable United States federal and state and foreign money laundering statutes and applicable rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no Proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(nn) Certificates. Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to the Placement Agent or to Lucosky Brookman LLP, 101 Wood Avenue South, 5th Floor, Woodbridge, NJ 08830 (“Placement Agent’s Counsel”) shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to the Placement Agent as to the matters set forth therein.
(oo) Reliance. The Company acknowledges that the Placement Agent will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and warranties and hereby consents to such reliance.
(pp) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
(qq) Statistical or Market-Related Data. Any statistical, industry-related and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes to be reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.
(rr) FINRA Affiliations. There are no affiliations with any firm that is a member of the FINRA participating in the Offering among the Company’s officers, directors or, to the knowledge of the Company, any 5% or greater shareholder of the Company.
(ss) Board of Directors. The Company’s Board of Directors is comprised of the persons identified as directors of the Company in the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus under the section titled “Management.” The qualifications of the persons serving as board members and the overall composition of the Board of Directors comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder applicable to the Company and the rules of the Trading Market. At least one member of the Board of Directors qualifies as a “financial expert” as such term is defined under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of the Trading Market. In addition, at least a majority of the persons serving on the Board of Directors qualify as “independent” as defined under the rules of the Trading Market.
(tt) Cybersecurity. There has been no security breach or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of its respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of it), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) that would reasonably be expected to result in, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect and (i) the Company and the Subsidiaries have not been notified of, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any material security breach or other compromise to its IT Systems and Data; (ii) the Company and the Subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable safeguards to maintain and protect its material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and Data; and (iv) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices.
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(uu) Compliance with Data Privacy Laws. (i) The Company and the Subsidiaries are, and at all times during the last three (3) years were, in material compliance with all applicable state, federal and foreign data privacy and security laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (EU 2016/679) (collectively, “Privacy Laws”); (ii) the Company and the Subsidiaries have in place, comply with, and take appropriate steps reasonably designed to ensure compliance with their policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security and the collection, storage, use, disclosure, handling and analysis of Personal Data (as defined below) (the “Policies”); (iii) the Company provides accurate notice of its applicable Policies to its customers, employees, third party vendors and representatives as required by the Privacy Laws; and (iv) applicable Policies provide accurate and sufficient notice of the Company’s then-current privacy practices relating to its subject matter, and do not contain any material omissions of the Company’s then-current privacy practices, as required by Privacy Laws. “Personal Data” means (i) a natural person’s name, street address, telephone number, email address, photograph, social security number, bank information, or customer or account number; (ii) any information which would qualify as “personally identifying information” under the FTC, as amended; (iii) “personal data” as defined by GDPR; and (iv) any other piece of information that allows the identification of such natural person, or his or her family, or permits the collection or analysis of any identifiable data related to an identified person’s health or sexual orientation. (i) None of such disclosures made or contained in any of the Policies have been inaccurate, misleading, or deceptive in violation of any Privacy Laws and (ii) the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents will not result in a breach of any Privacy Laws or Policies. Neither the Company nor the Subsidiaries (i) to the knowledge of the Company, has received written notice of any actual or potential liability of the Company or the Subsidiaries under, or actual or potential violation by the Company or the Subsidiaries of, any of the Privacy Laws; (ii) is currently conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any investigation, remediation or other corrective action pursuant to any regulatory request or demand pursuant to any Privacy Law; or (iii) is a party to any order, decree, or agreement by or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority that imposed any obligation or liability under any Privacy Law.
(vv) Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with all federal, state, local and foreign laws relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata), including laws relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, or toxic or hazardous substances or wastes (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) into the environment, or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials, as well as all authorizations, codes, decrees, demands, or demand letters, injunctions, judgments, licenses, notices or notice letters, orders, permits, plans or regulations, issued, entered, promulgated or approved thereunder (“Environmental Laws”); (ii) have received all permits licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval where in each clause (i), (ii) and (iii), the failure to so comply could be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 3. Delivery and Payment.
(a) Closing for the Offering. Delivery of and payment for the Securities shall be made at or around [●] a.m., Eastern time, on or before the first (1st) Trading Day following the date of the Purchase Agreement. The Closing shall take place remotely by electronic transfer of the Closing documentation. On the Closing Date, the Company shall issue such amount of Securities sold pursuant to the Purchase Agreement directly to the accounts designated by the Placement Agent for the applicable Investors and payment shall be made by the Investors by wire transfer to the Company. At the Closing, the Securities which the Company shall deliver to each Investor shall consist of the following, as applicable: (i) the number of Shares and/or Pre-Funded Warrants purchased by such Investor, (ii) a Series A Warrant registered in the name of each Investor to purchase up to an aggregate number of Warrant Shares equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the aggregate number of such Investor’s Shares purchased pursuant to the Offering (on an as-exercised basis without giving effect to any beneficial ownership limitations in the case of Investors who purchased Pre-Funded Warrants) and (iii) a Series B Warrant registered in the name of each Investor to purchase up to an aggregate number of Warrant Shares equal to 100% of the aggregate number of such Investor’s Shares purchased pursuant to the Offering (on an as-exercised basis without giving effect to any beneficial ownership limitations in the case of Investors who purchased Pre-Funded Warrants). Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, at the Closing, payment of the purchase price for the Securities sold pursuant to the Purchase Agreement shall be made by federal funds wire transfer, against delivery of the Shares (with the Series A Warrants and the Series B Warrants to follow as provided in the previous sentence), and such Securities shall be registered in such name or names and shall be in such denominations, as the Placement Agent may request. Deliveries of the documents with respect to the purchase of the Securities, if any, shall be made at the offices of Placement Agent’s Counsel; provided, however, that the Company shall be deemed to have satisfied its obligations with respect to the delivery of the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants by making available a PDF copy of the executed Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants at the Closing and delivering the originals thereof within five Trading Days of the Closing. All actions taken at the Closing shall be deemed to have occurred simultaneously.
(b) Payment for the Securities. The Securities are being sold to the Investors at the public offering price as set forth in the Prospectus. The purchase of the Securities by each of the Investors shall be evidenced by the receipt of funds in the account designated by the Company and the Placement Agent and execution of a Purchase Agreement by each such Investor and the Company.
(c) Delivery of the Shares, Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants. Delivery of the Shares shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company unless the Placement Agent shall otherwise instruct. Delivery of the Series A Warrants and the Series B Warrants shall be made as set forth in Section 3(a) above.
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Section 4. Covenants and Agreements of the Company. The Company further covenants and agrees with the Placement Agent as follows:
(a) Registration Statement Matters. During the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below), the Company will advise the Placement Agent promptly after it receives notice thereof of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and will furnish the Placement Agent with copies thereof. During the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined in Section 4(c), the Company will file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of any Prospectus. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will advise the Placement Agent, promptly after it receives notice thereof (i) of any request by the SEC to amend the Registration Statement or to amend or supplement any Prospectus or for additional information, and (ii) of the issuance by the SEC of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or any order directed at any Incorporated Document, if any, or any amendment or supplement thereto or any order preventing or suspending the use of the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any amendment or supplement thereto or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the institution or threatened institution of any Proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the SEC for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or a Prospectus or for additional information. The Company shall use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or prevention or suspension of such use. If the SEC shall enter any such stop order or order or notice of prevention or suspension at any time, the Company will use its best efforts to obtain the lifting of such order at the earliest possible moment, or will file a new registration statement and use its best efforts to have such new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable. Additionally, the Company agrees that during the Prospectus Delivery Period, it shall comply with the provisions of Rules 424(b), 430A, 430B and 430C, as applicable, under the Securities Act, including with respect to the timely filing of documents thereunder, and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under such Rule 424(b) are received in a timely manner by the SEC. The Company covenants and agrees to update the Prospectus to include all information required to be included therein, including with respect to any SEC Reports that are filed subsequent to the date of the Prospectus, for the period beginning on the effective date of the Registration Statement and ending on the date on which no Warrants (including any Pre-Funded Warrants) are outstanding.
(b) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will qualify or register the Offering under the securities laws of applicable jurisdictions (United States and foreign) as the Placement Agent and the Investors may reasonably request and will make such applications, file such documents, and furnish such information as may be reasonably required for that purpose, provided the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or required to file such a consent, and provided further that the Company shall not be required to produce any new disclosure statement or take such action as is necessary for the Offering to be made pursuant to an available exemption from qualification or registration in applicable jurisdictions. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will, from time to time, prepare and file such statements, reports and other documents as are or may be required to continue such qualifications in effect. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will advise the Placement Agent promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Securities for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any Proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof at the earliest possible moment.
(c) Amendments and Supplements to a Prospectus and Other Matters. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement, the Incorporated Documents and any Prospectus. If during the period in which a prospectus is required by law to be delivered in connection with the distribution of Securities contemplated by the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), any event shall occur as a result of which, in the judgment of the Company or in the opinion of the Placement Agent or Placement Agent’s Counsel, it becomes necessary to amend or supplement the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, as the case may be, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any Incorporated Document to comply with any law, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the SEC, and furnish at its own expense to the Placement Agent and to dealers, an appropriate amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus that is necessary in order to make the statements in the Incorporated Documents and any Prospectus as so amended or supplemented, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, as the case may be, not misleading, or so that the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus, as so amended or supplemented, will comply with law. Before amending the Registration Statement or supplementing the Incorporated Documents or any Prospectus in connection with the Offering, the Company will furnish the Placement Agent with a copy of such proposed amendment or supplement and will not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Placement Agent reasonably objects.
(d) Copies of any Amendments and Supplements to a Prospectus. The Company will furnish the Placement Agent, without charge, during the period beginning on the date hereof and ending on the Closing Date of the Offering, as many copies of any Prospectus or Prospectus supplement and any amendments and supplements thereto, as the Placement Agent may reasonably request.
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(e) Free Writing Prospectus. The Company covenants that it will not, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Placement Agent, make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “Free Writing Prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act) required to be filed by the Company with the SEC or retained by the Company under Rule 433 of the Securities Act. In the event that the Placement Agent expressly consents in writing to any such Free Writing Prospectus (a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”), the Company covenants that it shall (i) treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and (ii) comply with the requirements of Rule 164 and 433 of the Securities Act applicable to such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the SEC, legending and record keeping. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in no event shall the Company make any offer or communication relating to the Offering which meets the definition of a “Free Writing Prospectus” while the Company is an “ineligible issuer” (as such terms are defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act) or otherwise in contravention of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations thereunder.
(f) Transfer Agent. The Company will maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Common Stock.
(g) Earnings Statement. As soon as practicable and in accordance with applicable requirements under the Securities Act, but in any event not later than 12 months after the Closing Date, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Placement Agent an earnings statement, covering a period of at least 12 consecutive months beginning after the Closing Date, that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) and Rule 158 under the Securities Act.
(h) Periodic Reporting Obligations. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will duly file, on a timely basis, with the SEC and the Trading Market all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act within the time periods and in the manner required by the Exchange Act.
(i) Additional Documents. The Company will enter into any subscription, purchase or other customary agreements as the Placement Agent or the Investors deem necessary or appropriate to consummate the Closing in connection with the Offering, all of which will be in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Placement Agent and the Investors. The Company agrees that the Placement Agent may rely upon the representations and warranties, and applicable covenants set forth in any Transaction Document including the Purchase Agreement entered into with Investors in connection with the Offering.
(j) No Manipulation of Price. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company.
(k) Acknowledgment. The Company acknowledges that any advice given by the Placement Agent to the Company is solely for the benefit and use of the Board of Directors of the Company and may not be used, reproduced, disseminated, quoted or referred to, without the Placement Agent’s prior written consent.
(l) Announcement of Offering. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Placement Agent may, subsequent to the Closing, make public its involvement with the Offering.
(m) Reliance on Others. The Company confirms that it will rely on its own counsel and accountants for legal and accounting advice.
(n) Research Matters. By entering into this Agreement, the Placement Agent provides no promise, either explicitly or implicitly, of favorable or continued research coverage of the Company and the Company hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Placement Agent’s selection as the placement agent for the Offering was in no way conditioned, explicitly or implicitly, on the Placement Agent’s providing favorable or any research coverage of the Company. In accordance with FINRA Rule 2711(e), the parties acknowledge and agree that the Placement Agent has not directly or indirectly offered favorable research, a specific rating or a specific price target, or threatened to change research, a rating or a price target, to the Company or inducement for the receipt of business or compensation.
(o) Lock-Up Agreements. The Company shall not amend, modify, waive or terminate any provision of any of the Lock-Up Agreements (as defined below) except to extend the term of the lock-up period and shall enforce the provisions of each Lock-Up Agreement in accordance with its terms. If any party to a Lock-Up Agreement breaches any provision of a Lock-Up Agreement, the Company shall promptly use its best efforts to seek specific performance of the terms of such Lock-Up Agreement.
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(p) Subsequent Equity Sales.
(i) From the date hereof until ninety (90) days after the Closing Date, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary shall issue, enter into any agreement to issue or announce the issuance or proposed issuance of any Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents, except for the securities issued pursuant hereto.
(ii) From the date hereof until one hundred and eighty (180) days after the Closing Date, the Company shall be prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to effect any issuance by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents (or a combination of units thereof) involving a Variable Rate Transaction. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which the Company (i) issues or sells any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive additional shares of Common Stock either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price or exchange rate or other price that is based upon and/or varies with the trading prices of or quotations for the Common Stock at any time after the initial issuance of such debt or equity securities, or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to the business of the Company or the market for the Common Stock or (ii) enters into, or effects a transaction under, any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit or an “at-the-market offering”, whereby the Company may issue securities at a future determined price regardless of whether shares pursuant to such agreement have actually been issued and regardless of whether such agreement is subsequently canceled. The Placement Agent shall be entitled to obtain injunctive relief against the Company to preclude any such issuance, which remedy shall be in addition to any right to collect damages.
(iii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, Section 4(p)(i) and (ii) shall not apply in respect of an Exempt Issuance. An “Exempt Issuance” means the issuance of (A) shares of Common Stock or options or other securities to employees, officers, directors or consultants of the Company pursuant to any employee benefit plan, equity incentive plan or other employee compensation plan existing on the date hereof or any stock or option plan duly adopted for such purpose, by a majority of the non-employee members of the Board of Directors or a majority of the members of a committee of non-employee directors established for such purpose for services rendered to the Company, (B) Common Stock issued upon the exercise or exchange of or conversion of any Securities issued pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement or Prospectus or this Agreement and/or other securities exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding on the date of this Agreement provided that such securities have not been amended since the date of this Agreement to increase the number of such securities or to decrease the exercise price, exchange price or conversion price of such securities (other than in connection with stock splits or combinations or anti-dilution provisions contained therein as disclosed in the SEC Reports and the Prospectus) or to extend the term of such securities, or securities issuable in connection with a transaction involving the Company and existing stockholders in which the Company offers the existing stockholders the option to exchange their shares of Common Stock for other securities of the Company, (C) securities issued pursuant to acquisitions or strategic transactions approved by a majority of the disinterested directors of the Company, provided that such securities are issued as “restricted securities” (as defined in Rule 144) and carry no registration rights that require or permit the filing of any registration statement in connection therewith during the prohibition period in Section 4(p)(i) herein, and provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person (or to the equityholders of a Person) which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company or an owner of an asset in a business synergistic with the business of the Company and shall provide to the Company additional benefits in addition to the investment of funds, but shall not include a transaction in which the Company is issuing securities primarily for the purpose of raising capital or to an entity whose primary business is investing in securities, and (D) the issuance of the Securities in the Offering, and (E) the entry into and/or issuance of shares of Common Stock pursuant to a Regulation A+ offering with the Placement Agent as sales agent.
(q) Tail Fee.
(i) Tail Fee. The Company and the Placement Agent agree that for a period of eighteen (18) months from (i) the Closing Date of the Offering or (ii) if the Closing does not occur, the termination of this Agreement by the Company other than for Cause, the Placement Agent shall be entitled to compensation commensurate with those set forth under Section 1(a) (the “Tail Fee”), from the sale of any equity, debt and/or equity derivative instruments to any investor actually introduced by the Placement Agent to the Company, but unknown to the Company prior to such introduction, during the period between the date of this Agreement and the Closing of the Offering or the termination of this Agreement, as applicable (each, a “Tail Financing”), and such Tail Financing is consummated at any time within the eighteen (18) month period from the Closing Date of the Offering or termination of this Agreement, as applicable.
(ii) Termination for Cause. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(5)(B), this Section 4(q) and the Tail Fee contemplated hereby may be terminated by the Company for “Cause”, which shall mean a material breach by the Placement Agent of this Agreement or a material failure by the Placement Agent to provide the services as contemplated by this Agreement.
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(r) Securities Laws Disclosure; Publicity. The Company shall (i) issue a press release disclosing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby at the date and time agreed upon by the Company and the Placement Agent, and (ii) file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including the Transaction Documents as exhibits thereto, with the SEC within the time required by the Exchange Act. From and after the issuance of such press release, the Company represents that it shall have publicly disclosed all material, non-public information delivered by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, Affiliates or agents, in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Company and the Placement Agent shall consult with each other in issuing any other press releases with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby.
(s) Shareholder Approval. The Company shall hold an annual or special meeting of stockholders on or prior to the date that is sixty (60) days following the Closing Date for the purpose of obtaining Shareholder Approval, with the recommendation of the Company’s Board of Directors that such proposals are approved, and the Company shall solicit proxies from its shareholders in connection therewith in the same manner as all other management proposals in such proxy statement and all management-appointed proxyholders shall vote their proxies in favor of such proposals. If the Company does not obtain Shareholder Approval at the first meeting, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to call a meeting every sixty (60) days thereafter to seek Shareholder Approval until the earlier of the Shareholder Approval Date or the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants are no longer outstanding. The Company shall set the record date for Shareholder Approval prior to the Closing Date.
Section 5. Conditions of the Obligations of the Placement Agent. The obligations of the Placement Agent hereunder shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof, in each case as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date as though then made, to the timely performance by each of the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional conditions:
(a) Accountants’ Comfort Letter. On the Closing Date, the Placement Agent shall have received, and the Company shall have caused to be delivered to the Placement Agent, a letter from Marcum LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company, and EisnerAmper LLP, the former independent registered public accounting firm of the Company, addressed to the Placement Agent, dated as of the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Placement Agent..
(b) Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order; No Objection from FINRA. Each Prospectus (in accordance with Rule 424(b)) and Free Writing Prospectus if any, shall have been duly filed with the SEC, as appropriate; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no Proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the SEC; no order preventing or suspending the use of any Prospectus shall have been issued and no Proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the SEC; no order having the effect of ceasing or suspending the distribution of the Securities or any other securities of the Company shall have been issued by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange and no Proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange; all requests for additional information on the part of the SEC shall have been complied with; and FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the placement terms and arrangements.
(c) Corporate Proceedings. All corporate proceedings and other legal matters in connection with this Agreement, the Registration Statement and each Prospectus, and the registration, sale, and delivery of the Securities, shall have been completed or resolved in a manner reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent’s Counsel, and such counsel shall have been furnished with such papers and information as it may reasonably have requested to enable such counsel to pass upon the matters referred to in this Section 5.
(d) No Material Adverse Change. Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date, in the Placement Agent’s reasonable judgment after consultation with the Company, there shall not have occurred any material adverse change or development involving a prospective material adverse change in the condition or the business activities, financial or otherwise, of the Company from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus (each, a “Material Adverse Change”).
(e) Opinions of Counsel for the Company.
The Placement Agent shall have received on the Closing Date the written opinion of Sichenzia Ross Ference Carmel LLP, legal counsel to the Company, dated as of the Closing Date and addressed to the Placement Agent, including, without limitation, a negative assurance letter addressed to the Placement Agent and, in form and substance satisfactory to the Placement Agent.
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(f) Officers’ Certificate. The Placement Agent shall have received on the Closing Date, a certificate of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date and which may be relied upon by the Placement Agent, signed by the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, in their respective capacities as such officers only, in a form satisfactory to the Placement Agent, to the effect that:
(i) The representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct in all material respects (except such representations and warranties which are qualified by materiality or by Material Adverse Effect, which shall be true and correct in all respects), as if made on and as of the Closing Date, and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date;
(ii) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of any Prospectus has been issued and no Proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened under the Securities Act; no order having the effect of ceasing or suspending the distribution of the Securities or any other securities of the Company has been issued by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in the United States and no Proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any securities commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in the United States;
(iii) When the Registration Statement became effective, at the time of sale, and at all times subsequent thereto up to the delivery of such certificate, the Registration Statement and the Incorporated Documents, if any, when such documents became effective or were filed with the SEC, and any Prospectus, contained all material information required to be included therein by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, as the case may be, and in all material respects conformed to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, as the case may be, and the Registration Statement and the Incorporated Documents, if any, and any Prospectus, did not and do not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (provided, however, that the preceding representations and warranties contained in this paragraph (iii) shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Placement Agent expressly for use therein) and, since the effective date of the Registration Statement, there has occurred no event required by the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder to be set forth in the Incorporated Documents which has not been so set forth; and
(iv) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Incorporated Documents and any Prospectus, there has not been: (i) any Material Adverse Change; (ii) any transaction that is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, except transactions entered into in the ordinary course of business; (iii) any obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, incurred by the Company or any Subsidiary, except obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business; (iv) any material change in the capital stock (except changes thereto resulting from the exercise of outstanding stock options or warrants) or outstanding indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary; (v) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company; or (vi) any loss or damage (whether or not insured) to the property of the Company or any Subsidiary which has been sustained or will have been sustained which has a Material Adverse Effect.
(g) Chief Financial Officer’s Certificate. The Placement Agent shall have received on the Closing Date, a certificate of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date and which may be relied upon by the Placement Agent, signed by the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, with respect to certain financial data contained in or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, in a form satisfactory to the Placement Agent.
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(h) Secretary’s Certificate. The Placement Agent shall have received on the Closing Date, a certificate of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date and which may be relied upon by the Placement Agent, signed by the Secretary of the Company, certifying, among others, (i) that each of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amendment No. 1 to Amended Bylaws, and all amendments thereto, is true and complete, has not been modified and is in full force and effect; (ii) that the resolutions of the Company’s Board of Directors relating to the Offering are in full force and effect and have not been modified; (iii) that each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization; (iv) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the SEC; and (v) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Placement Agent.
(i) Exchange Act Registration and Stock Exchange Listing. The Common Stock (including the Shares and the Warrant Shares) shall be registered under the Exchange Act and shall be listed on the Trading Market, and the Company shall not have taken any action designed to terminate, or likely to have the effect of terminating, the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or delisting or suspending from trading the Common Stock from the Trading Market, nor shall the Company have received any information suggesting that the SEC or the Trading Market is contemplating terminating such registration or listing.
(j) Lock-Up Agreement. On or prior to the date of this Agreement, the Company shall also have furnished to the Placement Agent a letter substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto (the “Lock-Up Agreement”) from each executive officer, director and five percent (5%) shareholder of the Company addressed to the Placement Agent. The Company will use its best efforts to enforce the terms of each Lock-Up Agreement and will issue stop-transfer instructions to the transfer agent for the Common Stock with respect to any transaction or contemplated transaction that would constitute a breach of or default under the applicable Lock-Up Agreement.
(k) Shareholder Approval. The Company shall have obtained the Shareholder Approval.
(l) Additional Documents. On or before the Closing Date, the Placement Agent and Placement Agent’s Counsel shall have received such information and documents as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained.
If any condition specified in this Section 5 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Placement Agent by notice to the Company at any time on or prior to the Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 1(a), Section 1(b), Section 6 (Payment of Expenses), Section 7 (Indemnification and Contribution) and Section 8 (Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery) shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
Section 6. Payment of Fees and Expenses. Subject to compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(D), the Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred by the Company in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation: (i) payment to the Placement Agent of its Cash Fee and non-accountable expense allowance (ii) all expenses incident to the issuance, delivery and qualification of the Securities (including all printing and engraving costs); (iii) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Common Stock; (iv) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities; (v) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, registered independent public accounting firm and other advisors; (vi) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each Prospectus supplement, if any, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement; (vii) all filing fees, reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Securities for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws or the securities laws of any other country; (viii) the filing fees incident to the review and approval by FINRA of the Placement Agent’s participation in the offering and distribution of the Securities; (ix) the fees and expenses associated with including the Shares and Warrant Shares on the Trading Market; (x) all costs and expenses incident to the travel and accommodation of the Company’s employees on the “roadshow,” if any; (xi) the Placement Agent’s closing costs, including the reimbursement of the out-of-pocket cost of the escrow agent or clearing agent, of up to $12,900; and (xii) all other fees, costs and expenses referred to in Part II of the Registration Statement.
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Section 7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Placement Agent, its Affiliates and each Person controlling the Placement Agent, and the directors, officers, agents and employees of the Placement Agent, their respective affiliates and each such controlling person (the Placement Agent, and each such entity or person, an “Indemnified Person”) from and against any losses, claims, damages, judgments, assessments, costs and other liabilities (collectively, the “Liabilities”), and shall reimburse each Indemnified Person for all fees and expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of one counsel for all Indemnified Persons, except as otherwise expressly provided herein) (collectively, the “Expenses”) as they are incurred by an Indemnified Person in investigating, preparing, pursuing or defending any Proceedings, whether or not any Indemnified Person is a party thereto, (i) caused by, or arising out of or in connection with, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Incorporated Document, or any Prospectus or by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (other than untrue statements or alleged untrue statements in, or omissions or alleged omissions from, information relating to an Indemnified Person furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Incorporated Document, or any Prospectus) or (ii) otherwise arising out of or in connection with advice or services rendered or to be rendered by any Indemnified Person pursuant to this Agreement, the transactions contemplated thereby or any Indemnified Person’s actions or inactions in connection with any such advice, services or transactions; provided, however, that, in the case of clause (ii) only, the Company shall not be responsible for any Liabilities or Expenses of any Indemnified Person that are finally judicially determined to have resulted solely from such Indemnified Person’s (x) gross negligence or willful misconduct in connection with any of the advice, actions, inactions or services referred to above or (y) use of any offering materials or information concerning the Company in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities in the Offering which were not authorized for such use by the Company and which use constitutes gross negligence or willful misconduct. The Company also agrees to reimburse each Indemnified Person for all Expenses as they are incurred in connection with enforcing such Indemnified Person’s rights under this Agreement.
(b) Upon receipt by an Indemnified Person of actual notice of an Proceeding against such Indemnified Person with respect to which indemnity may be sought under this Agreement, such Indemnified Person shall promptly notify the Company in writing; provided that failure by any Indemnified Person so to notify the Company shall not relieve the Company from any liability which the Company may have on account of this indemnity or otherwise to such Indemnified Person, except to the extent the Company shall have been prejudiced by such failure. The Company shall, if requested by the Placement Agent, assume the defense of any such Proceeding including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent, which counsel may also be counsel to the Company. Any Indemnified Person shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless: (i) the Company has failed promptly to assume the defense and employ counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such Proceeding (including any impeded parties) include such Indemnified Person and the Company, and such Indemnified Person shall have been advised in the reasonable opinion of counsel that there is an actual conflict of interest that prevents the counsel selected by the Company from representing both the Company (or another client of such counsel) and any Indemnified Person; provided that the Company shall not in such event be responsible hereunder for the fees and expenses of more than one firm of separate counsel for all Indemnified Persons in connection with any Proceeding or related Proceedings, in addition to any local counsel. The Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written consent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld). In addition, the Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Person (which shall not be unreasonably withheld), settle, compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in or otherwise seek to terminate any pending or threatened Proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not such Indemnified Person is a party thereto) unless such settlement, compromise, consent or termination includes an unconditional release of each Indemnified Person from all Liabilities arising out of such Proceeding for which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder. The indemnification required hereby shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as such expense, loss, damage or liability is incurred and is due and payable.
(c) In the event that the foregoing indemnity is unavailable to an Indemnified Person other than in accordance with this Agreement, the Company shall contribute to the Liabilities and Expenses paid or payable by such Indemnified Person in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect (i) the relative benefits to the Company, on the one hand, and to the Placement Agent and any other Indemnified Person, on the other hand, of the matters contemplated by this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by the immediately preceding clause is not permitted by applicable law, not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Placement Agent and any other Indemnified Person, on the other hand, in connection with the matters as to which such Liabilities or Expenses relate, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations; provided that in no event shall the Company contribute less than the amount necessary to ensure that all Indemnified Persons, in the aggregate, are not liable for any Liabilities and Expenses in excess of the amount of fees actually received by the Placement Agent pursuant to this Agreement. For purposes of this paragraph, the relative benefits to the Company, on the one hand, and to the Placement Agent on the other hand, of the matters contemplated by this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as (a) the total value paid or contemplated to be paid to or received or contemplated to be received by the Company in the transaction or transactions that are within the scope of this Agreement, whether or not any such transaction is consummated, bears to (b) the fees paid to the Placement Agent under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the above, no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act, as amended, shall be entitled to contribution from a party who was not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation.
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(d) The Company also agrees that no Indemnified Person shall have any liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract or tort or otherwise) to the Company for or in connection with advice or services rendered or to be rendered by any Indemnified Person pursuant to this Agreement, the transactions contemplated thereby or any Indemnified Person’s actions or inactions in connection with any such advice, services or transactions except for Liabilities (and related Expenses) of the Company that are finally judicially determined to have resulted solely from such Indemnified Person’s gross negligence or willful misconduct in connection with any such advice, actions, inactions or services.
(e) The reimbursement, indemnity and contribution obligations of the Company set forth herein shall apply to any modification of this Agreement and shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any termination of, or the completion of any Indemnified Person’s services under or in connection with, this Agreement.
Section 8. Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company or any person controlling the Company, of its officers, and of the Placement Agent set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Placement Agent, the Company, or any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement. A successor to the Placement Agent, or to the Company, its directors or officers or any person controlling the Company, shall be entitled to the benefits of the indemnity, contribution and reimbursement agreements contained in this Agreement.
Section 9. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be overnight, next business day delivery, hand delivered or e-mailed and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:
If to the Placement Agent to the address set forth above, attention: Yi (Edric) Guo, Chief Executive Officer, e-mail: ***@***
With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Lucosky Brookman LLP
101 Wood Avenue South, 5th Floor
Woodbridge, NJ 08830
Telephone: (732) 395-4400
Attention: Jorge Campos, Esq.
Email: ***@***
If to the Company:
Algorhythm Holdings, Inc.
3000 NW 109th Ave
Miami, FL 33172
Attn: Gary Atkinson
Email: [●]
With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Sichenzia Ross Ference Carmel LLP
1185 Avenue of the Americas, 31st Floor
New York, New York 10036
Attn: Gregory Sichenzia, Esq.
Fax: (212) 930-9725
Email: ***@***
Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.
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Section 10. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto, and to the benefit of the employees, officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 7 hereof, and to their respective successors, and personal representative, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
Section 11. Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
Section 12. Governing Law Provisions; Exclusive Jurisdiction. This Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be governed as to validity, interpretation, construction, effect and in all other respects by the internal laws of the State of New York. Each of the Placement Agent and the Company: (i) agrees that any legal suit, action or Proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement and/or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be instituted exclusively in the New York Supreme Court, County of New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, (ii) waives any objection which it may have or hereafter to the venue of any such suit, action or Proceeding, and (iii) irrevocably consents to the jurisdiction of the New York Supreme Court, County of New York, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in any such suit, action or Proceeding. Each of the Placement Agent and the Company further agrees to accept and acknowledge service of any and all process which may be served in any such suit, action or Proceeding in the New York Supreme Court, County of New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and agrees that service of process upon the Company mailed by certified mail to the Company’s address shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company, in any such suit, action or Proceeding, and service of process upon the Placement Agent mailed by certified mail to the Placement Agent’s address shall be deemed in every respect effective service process upon the Placement Agent, in any such suit, action or Proceeding. If either party shall commence an action or Proceeding to enforce any provision of this Agreement, then the prevailing party in such action or Proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its reasonable attorney’s fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or Proceeding.
Section 13. General Provisions.
(a) This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Engagement Agreement, dated November 8, 2024 (“Engagement Agreement”), between the Company and the Placement Agent, shall continue to be effective, and the terms therein shall continue to survive and be enforceable by the Placement Agent in accordance with its terms, provided that, in the event of a conflict between the terms of the Engagement Agreement and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. Section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement. If any provision contained in this Agreement is in conflict with, or inconsistent with, any provision in that certain Securities Purchase Agreement dated as of [●], 2024 (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”), by and between the Company and the purchasers listed on the signature page thereto, the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement shall govern and control.
(b) The Company acknowledges that in connection with the Offering of the Securities: (i) the Placement Agent has acted at arm’s length, is not an agent of, and owes no fiduciary duties to the Company or any other person, (ii) the Placement Agent owes the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement and (iii) the Placement Agent may have interests that differ from those of the Company. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Placement Agent arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Securities.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign below whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.
Algorhythm Holdings, Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ Gary Atkinson | |
Name: | Gary Atkinson | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
Accepted and agreed to as of the date first written above:
Univest Securities, LLC | ||
By: | /s/ Yi (Edric) Guo | |
Name: | Yi (Edric) Guo | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
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Exhibit A
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
[Attached]
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