Form of Inducement Letter
Exhibit 10.1
December 21, 2023
[Address]
Re: Exercise and Reload Offer of Common Stock Purchase Warrants
To Whom It May Concern:
Panbela Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) is pleased to offer to you the opportunity to receive new Common Stock purchase warrants of the Company in consideration for the exercise in full of the Common Stock purchase warrants issued to you on or about November 2, 2023 (the “Existing Warrants”) currently held by you (the “Holder”). The shares of common stock, par value $0.001 (“Common Stock”), underlying Existing Warrants (the “Existing Warrant Shares”) have not been registered for issuance, but have been registered for resale by the Holder pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-275733) (the “Registration Statement”). The Registration Statement is currently effective and, upon exercise of the Existing Warrants, will, to the Company’s knowledge, be effective for the resale of the Existing Warrant Shares. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Existing Warrants.
In consideration for cash exercising in full the Existing Warrants held by you and being exercised on the date hereof (the “Warrant Exercise”) on or before 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) on December 21, 2023 (the “Offer Expiration Time”), the Company hereby offers to sell you or your designees a new Common Stock Purchase Warrant (the “New Warrants”) to purchase up to a number of shares of Common Stock equal to 200% of the number of Existing Warrant Shares issued pursuant to the Warrant Exercise that occurs from and after the date hereof and prior to the Offer Expiration Time. The New Warrants will be immediately exercisable following the Stockholder Approval, expire five years from the date of Stockholder Approval, and have an exercise price equal to $0.95, and will be in the form set forth on Annex B hereto. The original New Warrant certificates will be dispatched within two Business Days following the Offer Expiration Time. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event the Warrant Exercise would otherwise cause the Holder to exceed the beneficial ownership limitations (“Beneficial Ownership Limitation”) set forth in Section 2(e) of the Existing Warrants, the Company shall only issue such number of Existing Warrant Shares to the Holder that would not cause the Holder to exceed the maximum number of Existing Warrant Shares permitted thereunder with the balance to be held in abeyance until notice from the Holder that the balance (or portion thereof) may be issued in compliance with such limitations, which abeyance shall be evidenced through the Existing Warrant which shall be deemed prepaid thereafter, and exercised pursuant to a Notice of Exercise in the Existing Warrant (provided no additional exercise price shall be payable).
The Holder may accept this offer by signing this letter below, with such acceptance constituting the Holder’s exercise, subject to the last sentence of the immediately preceding paragraph, of the Existing Warrants as set forth on the Holder's signature page attached hereto for an aggregate exercise price as set forth on the Holder’s signature page hereto (the “Aggregate Exercise Price”) on or before the Offer Expiration Time.
Additionally, the Company agrees to the representations, warranties and covenants set forth on Annex A attached hereto. Holder represents and warrants that, as of the date hereof it is, and on each date on which it exercises any New Warrants it will be, an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501 of the Securities Act, and agrees that the New Warrants will contain restrictive legends when issued, and neither the New Warrants nor the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the New Warrants will be registered under the Securities Act, except as provided in Annex A attached hereto.
If this offer is accepted and this letter agreement is executed and delivered to the Company on or before the Offer Expiration Time, the Company shall issue a press release disclosing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby (the “Press Release”) on or before 9:29 a.m. (New York City time) on December 21, 2023 and (ii) file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing all material terms of the transactions contemplated hereunder, including this letter agreement as an exhibit thereto with the Commission within the time required by the Exchange Act. From and after the issuance of the Press Release, the Company represents to the Holder that it shall have publicly disclosed all material, non-public information delivered to the Holder by the Company or any of its officers, directors, employees or agents in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. In addition, effective upon the issuance of the Press Release, the Company acknowledges and agrees that any and all confidentiality or similar obligations under any agreement, whether written or oral, between the Company or any of its officers, directors, agents, employees or Affiliates on the one hand, and the Holder or any of its Affiliates on the other hand, shall terminate. From and after the issuance of the Press Release, the Company represents to the Holder that none of the Company’s directors, officers, employees or agents will provide the Holder with any material, nonpublic information that is not disclosed in the Press Release.
The Company represents, warrants and covenants that, upon acceptance of this offer, all of the Existing Warrant Shares being exercised shall be delivered electronically through the Depository Trust Company within one (1) Trading Day of the date the Company receives the Aggregate Exercise Price (or, with respect to shares of Common Stock that would otherwise be in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, within one (1) Business Day of the date the Company is notified by Holder that its ownership is less than the Beneficial Ownership Limitation). Except as set forth herein, the terms of the Existing Warrants, including but not limited to the obligations to deliver the Existing Warrant Shares, shall remain in effect as if the acceptance of this offer was a formal exercise notice under the Existing Warrants.
Each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers, counsel, accountants and other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of this letter agreement. The Company shall pay all transfer agent fees, stamp taxes and other taxes and duties levied in connection with the delivery of any Existing Warrant Shares. This letter agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof.
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To accept this offer, Holder must counter execute this letter agreement and return the fully executed letter agreement to the Company at e-mail: ___________, attention: _________, on or before the Offer Expiration Time.
Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions.
| Sincerely yours, |
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PANBELA THERAPEUTICS, INC. | |||
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| By: |
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| Name: |
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| Title: |
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Accepted and Agreed to:
Name of Holder: |
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Holder: |
Name of Authorized Signatory: |
Title of Authorized Signatory: |
Warrant Shares being exercised: |
Aggregate Exercise Price of the Existing Warrants being exercised contemporaneously with signing this letter: $ |
New Warrant Shares: |
New Warrant Purchase Price: |
Beneficial Ownership Limitation New Warrant: 4.99%/9.99%
Address for Delivery of New Warrant: |
DTC Instructions:
The Existing Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number:
Broker Name: | ||
Broker DTC DWAC #: | ||
Broker Contact: | ||
Account #: |
Annex A – Representations and Warranties
Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby makes the following representations and warranties to the Holder:
(a) Registration Statement. The Existing Warrant Shares are registered for resale by Holder pursuant to the Registration Statement and the Company knows of no reason why the Registration Statement shall not remain effective for the foreseeable future. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to keep the Registration Statement effective and available for use by the Holder until all Existing Warrant Shares underlying the Existing Warrants are sold by the Holder.
(b) Authorization; Enforcement. Subject to the Stockholder Approval, the Company will have the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this letter agreement and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. Subject to the Stockholder Approval, the execution and delivery of this letter agreement by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby will be duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, its board of directors or its stockholders in connection therewith. This letter agreement has been duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its 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.
(c) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this letter agreement by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not: (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s certificate 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 in connection with, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any material agreement, credit facility, debt or other material instrument (evidencing Company debt or otherwise) or other material understanding to which such Company is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company is bound or affected, other than for which a waiver has been obtained by the Company; or (iii) subject to Section (d) below, 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 is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company is bound or affected.
(d) Nasdaq Corporate Governance. To the Company’s knowledge, the transactions contemplated under this letter agreement comply with all rules of Nasdaq.
(e) Issuance of the New Warrants. The issuance of the New Warrants will be duly authorized and, upon the execution of this letter agreement by the undersigned, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all liens imposed by the Company, and the shares issuable upon exercise of the New Warrant (the “New Warrant Shares”), when issued in accordance with the terms of the New Warrant, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Company will reserve from its duly authorized capital stock a number of shares of Common Stock for issuance of the New Warrant Shares in full.
(f) Legends and Transfer Restrictions.
(i) The New Warrant and New Warrant Shares may only be disposed of in compliance with state and federal securities laws. In connection with any transfer of New Warrant or New Warrant Shares other than pursuant to an effective registration statement or Rule 144, to the Company or to an Affiliate of the undersigned or in connection with a pledge, the Company may require the transferor thereof to provide to the Company an opinion of counsel selected by the transferor and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the form and substance of which opinion shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that such transfer does not require registration of such transferred New Warrant and New Warrant Shares under the Securities Act. As a condition of transfer, any such transferee shall agree in writing to be bound by the terms of this letter agreement.
(ii) The undersigned agrees to the imprinting, so long as is required by this Section (i), of a legend on any of the New Warrant and New Warrant Shares in the following form:
NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR THE SECURITIES FOR WHICH THIS SECURITY IS EXERCISABLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THIS SECURITY AND THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON EXERCISE OF THIS SECURITY MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT OR OTHER LOAN SECURED BY SUCH SECURITIES. .
The Company acknowledges and agrees that the undersigned may from time to time pledge pursuant to a bona fide margin agreement with a registered broker-dealer or grant a security interest in some or all of the New Warrant to a financial institution that is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act and who agrees to be bound by the provisions of this letter agreement and, if required under the terms of such arrangement, the undersigned may transfer pledged or secured New Warrant to the pledgees or secured parties. Such a pledge or transfer would not be subject to approval of the Company and no legal opinion of legal counsel of the pledgee, secured party or pledgor shall be required in connection therewith. Further, no notice shall be required of such pledge. At the appropriate undersigned’s expense, the Company will execute and deliver such reasonable documentation as a pledgee or secured party of New Warrant may reasonably request in connection with a pledge or transfer of the New Warrant or New Warrant Shares.
(iii) Certificates evidencing the New Warrant Shares shall not contain any legend (including the legend set forth in Section (f)(ii) hereof), (i) while a registration statement covering the resale of such security is effective under the Securities Act, (ii) following any sale of such New Warrant Shares pursuant to Rule 144, or (iii) if such New Warrant Shares are eligible for sale under Rule 144. The Company shall cause its counsel to issue a legal opinion to its transfer agent (if required by the transfer agent) and the undersigned (if requested by the undersigned) in connection with the removal of the legend hereunder. If all or any portion of a New Warrant is exercised at a time when there is an effective registration statement to cover the resale of the New Warrant Shares, or if such New Warrant Shares may be sold under Rule 144, then such New Warrant Shares shall be issued free of all legends. The Company agrees that following such time as such legend is no longer required under this clause (iii), it will, no later than the earlier of (i) two (2) Trading Days and (ii) the number of Trading Days comprising the Standard Settlement Period (as defined below) following the delivery by a Purchaser to the Company or the Transfer Agent of a certificate representing Warrant Shares, as applicable, issued with a restrictive legend (such date, the “Legend Removal Date”), deliver or cause to be delivered to the undersigned a certificate representing such shares that is free from all restrictive and other legends. The Company may not make any notation on its records or give instructions to the transfer agent that enlarge the restrictions on transfer set forth in this Section (f). Certificates for New Warrant Shares subject to legend removal hereunder shall be transmitted by the transfer agent to the undersigned by crediting the account of the undersigned’s prime broker with the Depository Trust Company System as directed by the undersigned. “Standard Settlement Period” means the standard settlement period, expressed in a number of Trading Days, on the Company’s primary Trading Market with respect to the Common Stock as in effect on the date of delivery of a certificate representing Warrant Shares issued with a restrictive legend.
(iv) In addition to such undersigned’s other available remedies, the Company shall pay to the undersigned, in cash, (i) as partial liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each $1,000 of New Warrant Shares (based on the VWAP of the Common Stock on the date such Securities are submitted to the Transfer Agent) delivered for removal of the restrictive legend and subject to Section (f)(iii), $10 per Trading Day (increasing to $20 per Trading Day five (5) Trading Days after such damages have begun to accrue) for each Trading Day after the Legend Removal Date until such certificate is delivered without a legend and (ii) if the Company fails to (a) issue and deliver (or cause to be delivered) to the undersigned by the Legend Removal Date a certificate representing the Securities so delivered to the Company by such undersigned that is free from all restrictive and other legends and (b) if after the Legend Removal Date such undersigned purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by such undersigned of all or any portion of the number of shares of Common Stock, or a sale of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to all or any portion of the number of shares of Common Stock that such undersigned anticipated receiving from the Company without any restrictive legend, then, an amount equal to the excess of such undersigned’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions and other out-of-pocket expenses, if any) for the shares of Common Stock so purchased (including brokerage commissions and other out-of-pocket expenses, if any) (the “Buy-In Price”) over the product of (A) such number of New Warrant Shares that the Company was required to deliver to such undersigned by the Legend Removal Date multiplied by (B) the lowest closing sale price of the Common Stock on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the date of the delivery by such undersigned to the Company of the applicable New Warrant Shares (as the case may be) and ending on the date of such delivery and payment under this clause (ii).
(g) Public Information Failure. At any time during the period commencing from the six (6) month anniversary of the date hereof and ending at such time that all of the New Warrant Shares may be sold without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with Rule 144(c)(1) and otherwise without restriction or limitation pursuant to Rule 144, if there is no effective registration statement covering the resale of all of the New Warrant Shares and the Company (i) shall fail for any reason to satisfy the current public information requirement under Rule 144(c) or (ii) has ever been an issuer described in Rule 144(i)(1)(i) or becomes an issuer in the future, and the Company shall fail to satisfy any condition set forth in Rule 144(i)(2) (a “Public Information Failure”) then, in addition to the undersigned’s other available remedies, the Company shall pay to the undersigned, in cash, as partial liquidated damages and not as a penalty, by reason of any such delay in or reduction of its ability to sell the New Warrant Shares, an amount in cash equal to two percent (2.0%) of the aggregate Exercise Price of the undersigned’s New Warrant on the day of a Public Information Failure and on every thirtieth (30th) day (pro-rated for periods totaling less than thirty days) thereafter until the earlier of (a) the date such Public Information Failure is cured and (b) such time that such public information is no longer required for the undersigned to transfer the New Warrant Shares pursuant to Rule 144. The payments to which the undersigned shall be entitled pursuant to this Section (g) are referred to herein as “Public Information Failure Payments.” Public Information Failure Payments shall be paid on the earlier of (i) the last day of the calendar month during which such Public Information Failure Payments are incurred and (ii) the third (3rd) Business Day after the event or failure giving rise to the Public Information Failure Payments is cured. In the event the Company fails to make Public Information Failure Payments in a timely manner, such Public Information Failure Payments shall bear interest at the rate of 1.5% per month (prorated for partial months) until paid in full. Nothing herein shall limit the undersigned’s right to pursue actual damages for the Public Information Failure, and the undersigned shall have the right to pursue all remedies available to it at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief.
(h) Listing of Common Stock. Promptly following the Offer Expiration Time, the Company shall file a Listing of Additional Shares Notification Form with Nasdaq with respect to the New Warrant Shares.
(i) Registration Statement. As soon as practicable (and in any event within sixty (60) calendar days of the date of this Agreement), the Company shall file a registration statement on Form S-3 (or other appropriate form if the Company is not then S-3 eligible) providing for the resale by the Holders of the New Warrant Shares issued and issuable upon exercise of the New Warrants. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration to become effective on or prior to the 30th calendar day after the initial filing date and to keep such registration statement effective at all times until no Holder owns any New Warrants or New Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise thereof.
(j) Subsequent Equity Sales. For a period of ten (10) days following the date hereof, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary shall (i) issue, enter into any agreement to issue or announce the issuance or proposed issuance of any shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents or (ii) file any registration statement or any amendment or supplement thereto, in each case other than the registration statement registering the New Warrant Shares or a registration statement on Form S-8. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Section (j) shall not apply in respect of an Exempt Issuance. As used herein, “Exempt Issuance” means the issuance of (a) shares of Common Stock or options to employees, officers or directors of the Company pursuant to 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, (b) securities upon the exercise or exchange of or conversion of any Securities issued hereunder 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 (except for such decreases in exercise, exchange or conversion price in accordance with the terms of such securities) or to extend the term of such securities, (c) upon the exercise or exchange of or conversion of any securities issued pursuant to such 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 (except for such decreases in exercise, exchange or conversion price in accordance with the terms of such securities) or to extend the term of such securities, and (d) 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 until the registration statement registering all of the New Warrant Shares is declared effective, and provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person (or to the equity holders of a Person) which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company or an 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.
(k) From the date hereof until the one-year anniversary of the date hereof, 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 shares of 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; provided, however, that, after the six month anniversary of the Closing Date, the entry into and/or issuance of shares of Common Stock in an “at the market” offering shall not be deemed a Variable Rate Transaction. The Holder 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.
(l) Equal Treatment. For six (6) months following the date hereof, no consideration (including any modification of any Transaction Document) shall be offered or paid to any Holder to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of the Existing Warrants unless the same consideration is also offered on a ratable basis to all Holders. For clarification purposes, this provision constitutes a separate right granted to each Holder by the Company and negotiated separately by each Holder, and is intended for the Company to treat the Holders as a class and shall not in any way be construed as the Holders acting in concert or as a group with respect to the purchase, disposition or voting of Company securities or otherwise.
(m) Stockholder Approval. If applicable, the Company shall hold an annual or special meeting of stockholders on or prior to the date that is six (6) months following the Offer Expiration Time for the purpose of obtaining Stockholder Approval, with the recommendation of the Company’s board of directors that such proposals are approved, and the Company shall solicit proxies from its stockholders 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 Stockholder Approval at the first meeting, the Company shall call a meeting to seek Stockholder Approval every sixty (60) days until the one-year anniversary of the Offer Expiration Time unless Stockholder Approval is obtained prior to such one-year anniversary and, if Stockholder Approval is not so obtained, every six (6) months thereafter until the earlier of the date on which Stockholder Approval is obtained or the two-year anniversary of the Offer Expiration Time.
Annex B – Form of New Warrant