Form of Underwriting Agreement
Exhibit 1.1
[●] Shares
Zenas biopharma, Inc.
COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $0.0001 PER SHARE
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
[●], 2024
[●], 2024
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
Jefferies LLC
| c/o | Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC 1585 Broadway New York, New York 10036 |
| c/o | Jefferies LLC 520 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10022 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Zenas BioPharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Jefferies LLC are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), [●] shares of its common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Firm Shares”). The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an additional [●] shares of its common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Additional Shares”), if and to the extent that the Representatives shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such shares of common stock granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Shares.” The shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the “Common Stock.”
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-[●]), including a preliminary prospectus, relating to the Shares. The registration statement as amended at the time it becomes effective, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”; the prospectus in the form first used to confirm sales of Shares (or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) is hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus.” If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional shares of Common Stock pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (a “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement.
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For purposes of this Agreement, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, “preliminary prospectus” shall mean each prospectus used prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement by the Company or by the Underwriters with the consent of the Company, and each prospectus that omitted information pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act that was used after such effectiveness and prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company or by the Underwriters with the consent of the Company, “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness together with the documents and pricing information set forth in Schedule II hereto, and “broadly available road show” means a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act that has been made available without restriction to any person. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement,” “preliminary prospectus,” “Time of Sale Prospectus” and “Prospectus” shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof.
1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:
(a) The Registration Statement has become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act are pending before or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission.
(b) (i) The Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, will 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, (ii) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iii) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 4), the Time of Sale Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (iv) each broadly available road show, if any, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (v) the Prospectus, as of its date, does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
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(c) The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Any free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply, as of the date of such filing, in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule II hereto, and electronic road shows, if any, each furnished to the Representatives before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without the prior consent of the Representatives, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus.
(d) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, has the corporate power and authority necessary to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction (to the extent such concept of good standing is applicable in such jurisdiction) in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing or have such power or authority would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(e) Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated, organized or formed, as applicable, is validly existing as a corporation or other business entity in good standing (to the extent such concept of good standing is applicable in such jurisdiction) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, organization or formation, as applicable, has the corporate or other business entity power and authority, as applicable, to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing (to the extent such concept of good standing is applicable in such jurisdiction) in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing or have such power and authority would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; all of the issued shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (to the extent such concepts are applicable in such jurisdiction) and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.
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(f) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(g) The authorized capital stock of the Company will, after giving effect to the filing of the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation, conform in all material respects as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(h) The shares of Common Stock outstanding prior to the issuance of the Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(i) The Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of the Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights that have not been validly waived.
(j) With respect to the stock options granted pursuant to the stock-based compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Company Stock Plans”), (i) each grant of a stock option was duly authorized no later than the date on which the grant of such stock option was by its terms to be effective by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and the award agreement governing such grant (if any) was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto, and (ii) each such grant was made in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plans, and all applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, including all applicable federal securities laws.
(k) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement will not contravene (i) any provision of applicable law, (ii) the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the Company, (iii) any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iv) any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, except in the case of clauses (i), (iii) and (iv), where such contravention would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except for the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states and foreign securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters.
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(l) There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(m) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its respective certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority applicable to the Company, any of its subsidiaries or their respective businesses and properties, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(n) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (i) other than proceedings accurately described in all material respects in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and proceedings that would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or (ii) that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus and are not so described; and there are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents to which the Company is subject or by which the Company is bound that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described in all material respects or filed as required.
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(o) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(p) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(q) The Company and each of its subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (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, except, in each case of (i) through (iii) above, where such noncompliance with applicable Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(r) There are no costs or liabilities of the Company or its subsidiaries arising under applicable Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval required under applicable Environmental Laws, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(s) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement, except as otherwise have been validly waived in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares contemplated hereby and as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
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(t) (i) None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or controlled affiliates, or any director, officer, or employee thereof, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent or representative of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or controlled affiliates, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any government official (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) (“Government Official”) in order to improperly influence official action, or to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws; (ii) the Company and each of its subsidiaries and controlled affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries will use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws.
(u) The operations of the Company and each of its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and each of its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental or regulatory agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental or regulatory agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened.
(v) (i) None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or any director, or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, controlled affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:
(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or
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(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic located in Ukraine).
(ii) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:
(A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or
(B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(iii) For the past five years, the Company and each of its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(w) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (ii) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding capital stock, other than from its employees or other service providers in connection with the termination of their service pursuant to the terms of the employee benefit or stock-based compensation plans or agreements described in the Time of Sales Prospectus, nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its capital stock other than ordinary and customary dividends; and (iii) there has not been any material change in the capital stock, short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
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(x) The Company does not own any real property. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all personal property (other than intellectual property which is addressed exclusively in Section 1(x) hereof) owned by them which is material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or except such as do not materially and adversely 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 its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and, to the Company’s knowledge, enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such real property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries, except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
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(y) The Company and its subsidiaries own or have valid, binding and enforceable licenses or other rights to practice and use all technology, patents and patent applications, copyrights, trademarks, trademark registrations, service marks, service mark registrations, trade names, service names and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) and all other technology and intellectual property rights necessary for, or used in the conduct, or the proposed conduct, of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries (including as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus) (collectively, the “Company Intellectual Property”), or to the development, manufacture, operation, and sale of any products and services sold or proposed to be sold by the Company and its subsidiaries. To the Company’s knowledge, the conduct of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ respective business and the proposed conduct of its business (including the development and commercialization of the product candidates described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus) has not and will not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise conflict in any material respect with any valid intellectual property rights of others; except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no rights of third parties to any of the intellectual property owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, and such intellectual property is owned by the Company or its subsidiary free and clear of all liens, security interests, or encumbrances; to the Company’s knowledge, the patents, trademarks and copyrights held or licensed by the Company and its subsidiaries included within the Company Intellectual Property are valid, enforceable and subsisting, and the patent, trademark, and copyright applications included within the Company Intellectual Property are subsisting and have not been abandoned; and there is no infringement by third parties of any of the Company Intellectual Property. Except as described in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries are not obligated or under any material liability to pay a royalty, grant a license, or provide other material consideration to any third party in connection with the Company Intellectual Property, (ii) no action, suit, claim or other proceeding is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened, alleging that the Company or any of its subsidiaries is infringing, misappropriating, diluting or otherwise violating, or would, upon the commercialization of any product or service proposed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus to be conducted, infringe, misappropriate, dilute, or otherwise violate, any valid intellectual property rights of others with respect to any of the Company’s product candidates, processes or intellectual property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim, (iii) no action, suit, claim or other proceeding is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened, challenging the validity, enforceability, scope, registration, ownership or use of any of the Company Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim, (iv) no action, suit, claim or other proceeding is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened, challenging the Company’s rights in or to any Company Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim, (v) the Company has not received notice of any claim of infringement, misappropriation or conflict with any asserted rights of others with respect to any of the Company’s products, proposed products, processes or Company Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim, (vi) to the Company’s knowledge, the development, manufacture, sale, and any currently proposed use of any of the products, proposed products or processes of the Company referred to in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, in the current or proposed conduct of the business of the Company, do not infringe any right or valid patent claim of any third party, (vii) to the Company’s knowledge, no employee, consultant or independent contractor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (“Company Personnel”) is in or has ever been in violation in any respect of any material term of any employment contract, patent disclosure agreement, invention assignment agreement, non-competition agreement, non-solicitation agreement, nondisclosure agreement or any restrictive covenant to or with a former employer or counterparty to such agreements, where the basis of such violation relates to such Company Personnel’s employment or independent contractor’s engagement with the Company or any of its subsidiaries, actions undertaken while employed or engaged with the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or the ownership by the Company of any Company Intellectual Property, (viii) the Company has taken reasonable steps in accordance with normal industry practice to maintain the confidentiality of all Company Intellectual Property, including the execution of appropriate nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements, (ix) the Company and its subsidiaries have complied with the material terms of each agreement pursuant to which intellectual property has been licensed to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, and all such agreements are in full force and effect, (x) none of the Company Intellectual Property or technology (including information technology and outsourced arrangements) employed by the Company or its subsidiaries has been obtained or is being used by the Company or its subsidiary in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or its subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors or employees or otherwise in violation of the rights of any persons, (xi) the product candidates described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus as under development by the Company fall within the scope of the claims of one or more patents or patent applications owned by, or exclusively licensed to, the Company, and (xii) the duties of candor and good faith required by the United States Patent and Trademark Office during the prosecution of the United States patents and patent applications included in the Company Intellectual Property have been complied with.
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(z) Except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (A) each Plan (as defined below) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”); (B) no non-exempt prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred, or is reasonably expected to occur, with respect to any Plan; (C) for each Plan, no failure to satisfy the minimum funding standards (within the meaning of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA), whether or not waived, has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; (D) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA, other than those events as to which the thirty day notice period is waived) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; and (E) neither the Company nor any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any organization which is a member of a controlled group of corporations within the meaning of Section 414 of the Code) has incurred, nor is reasonably expected to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to any Plan or any Multiemployer Plan or premiums to the PBGC, in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan or a Multiemployer Plan. For purposes of this paragraph, (x) the term “Plan” means an employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA, subject to Title IV of ERISA, but excluding any Multiemployer Plan, for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” has any liability and (y) the term “Multiemployer Plan” means a multiemployer plan within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.
(aa) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists, or, to the Company’s knowledge, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that would, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(bb) The Company and each of its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are, in the Company’s reasonable judgment, generally deemed adequate and customary for the businesses in which they are engaged; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries 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 at a cost that would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
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(cc) The Company and each of its subsidiaries possess all material certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(dd) The financial statements included in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates shown and its results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby except for any normal year-end adjustments in the Company’s quarterly financial statements. The other financial information included in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate and such data is consistent with the sources from which they are derived, in each case in all material respects.
(ee) Ernst & Young LLP, which has expressed its opinion and certified certain of the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and delivered its report with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement and included in each of the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.
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(ff) The Company and each of its 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 U.S. 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. Since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (ii) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially and adversely affected, or is reasonably likely to materially and adversely affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(gg) The statistical, industry and market related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, after reasonable inquiry, to be reliable and accurate. To the Company’s knowledge, after reasonable investigation, it does not require the consent of any third party for the use of any such data.
(hh) The Company and its Subsidiaries maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act’)) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and that has been designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
(ii) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Registration Statement, the Company has not sold, issued or distributed any shares of Common Stock during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulation D or S of, the Securities Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants.
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(jj) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole) and have paid all taxes required to be paid whether or not reported thereon (except for cases in which the failure to file or pay would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by U.S. GAAP have been created in the financial statements of the Company), and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries which, singly or in the aggregate, has had (nor does the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which would reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries and which would reasonably be expected to have) a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole. There are no outstanding agreements or waivers extending the statutory period of limitation applicable to any federal, state, local or foreign tax return for any period, other than pursuant to automatic extensions of the due date for filing a tax return obtained in the ordinary course of business.
(kk) There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company, or to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act") and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 related to loans, to the extent compliance is required, and is taking steps designed to ensure that it will be in compliance, at all times, with the other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act when they become applicable to the Company.
(ll) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares.
(mm) From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).
(nn) The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication with any person other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives with entities that are reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are reasonably believed to be accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act other than those listed on Schedule III hereto. “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) or Rule 163B of the Securities Act.
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(oo) As of the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, none of (A) the Time of Sale Prospectus, (B) any free writing prospectus, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, and (C) any individual Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions in the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus or any Testing-the-Waters Communication based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, which includes Underwriting Information (as defined in Section 8(b) hereof).
(pp) The Company and its subsidiaries are and at all times have been in compliance with all applicable Health Care Laws, as defined below, in all material respects. For purposes of this Agreement, “Health Care Laws” means: (i) the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. §§ 301 et seq.), the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 201 et seq.) and the regulations promulgated thereunder; (ii) all applicable federal, state, local and all applicable foreign health care related fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)), the U.S. False Statements Law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(a)), the Civil Monetary Penalties Law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7a), the U.S. Civil False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq.), all criminal laws relating to health care fraud and abuse, including but not limited to 18 U.S.C. §§ 286 and 287, and the health care fraud criminal provisions under the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) (42 U.S.C. §§ 1320d et seq.), the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7h), the exclusions law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7), and the regulations promulgated thereunder; (iii) Medicare (Title XVIII of the Social Security Act) and Medicaid (Title XIX of the Social Security Act), and the regulations promulgated thereunder; (iv) the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, the Security Standards, and the Standards for Electronic Transactions and Code Sets promulgated under HIPAA, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH Act”) (42 U.S.C. §§ 17921 et seq.), and the regulations promulgated thereunder and any state or non-U.S. counterpart thereof or other law or regulation the purpose of which is to protect the privacy of individuals or prescribers; (v) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and the regulations promulgated thereunder; (vi) any and all other healthcare laws, statutes, rules and regulations applicable to the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, packaging, processing, use, distribution, marketing, advertising, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, storage, import or export of any product manufactured or distributed by the Company; and (vii) all amendments to any of the foregoing. Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries has received written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority or third party alleging that the Company or its subsidiaries are in material violation of any Health Care Laws, and, to the Company’s knowledge, no such claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action is threatened in writing. Neither the Company, nor any of its subsidiaries, is a party to any corporate integrity agreements, monitoring agreements, consent decrees, settlement orders, or similar agreements with or imposed by any governmental or regulatory authority. The Company and its subsidiaries (i) possess all material licenses, certificates, approvals, clearances, exemptions, authorizations and permits required under the Health Care Laws (“Health Care Permits”); (ii) are in material compliance with and have fulfilled and performed their respective material obligations with respect to such Health Care Permits; and (iii) to the Company’s knowledge, no event has occurred which allows, or after notice or lapse of time would reasonably be expected to allow, revocation or termination of any Health Care Permit; and (iv) have filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all material reports, applications, records, submissions, supplements or amendments as required by the Health Care Laws or the Health Care Permits, and all such reports, applications, records, submissions, supplements or amendments were timely, complete, accurate and not misleading on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission) in all material respects.
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(qq) The Company has not received (i) any warning letter, untitled letter or other material notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or other governmental entity alleging or asserting material noncompliance with any Health Care Laws or (ii) any notice that the FDA or any governmental entity has taken or is taking action to limit, suspend, modify or revoke any material Health Care Permits.
(rr) The preclinical tests and clinical trials, and other studies (collectively, “Studies”) that are described in, or the results of which are referred to in, the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus were and, if still pending, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with the protocols, procedures and controls designed and approved for such Studies and with all Health Care Laws. Each description of the results of the Studies is accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly presents the data derived from such Studies, and to the Company’s knowledge, there are no other Studies the results of which are materially inconsistent with, or otherwise call into question, the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has not received any notice of, or correspondence from, the FDA or any other governmental entity or institutional review board requiring the termination, suspension or material modification or partial or full clinical hold of any clinical trials that are described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.
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(ss) Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries, or its subsidiaries’ officers or directors, or to the knowledge of the Company, its employees or agents, is or has been excluded, suspended or debarred from participation in any U.S. federal health care program or by the FDA or any other governmental entity pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 335a or similar laws, or, to the Company’s knowledge, is subject to a governmental inquiry, investigation, proceeding, or other similar action that could reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion, or engaged in any conduct that would reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion.
(tt) Except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the Company and each of its subsidiaries are, and at all prior times in the past six years were, in compliance in all respects with all applicable data privacy and security laws and regulations or contractual obligations regarding the collection, use, transfer, storage, processing, protection, disposal or disclosure of all Personal Data, including, without limitation, and in each case only to the extent applicable, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (EU 2016/679) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) of 2018, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (collectively, the “Privacy and Security Obligations”). “Personal Data” means (i) a natural person’s name, street address, telephone number, e-mail address, photograph of the natural person, social security number or tax identification number, driver’s license number, passport number, credit card number, bank information, or customer or account number; (ii) “personal data” as defined by GDPR or “personal information” as defined by the CCPA; and (iii) any other piece of information that reasonably allows the identification of such natural person, except any “protected health information” as defined by HIPAA or other information that has been explicitly exempted by an applicable Privacy and Security Obligation. The Company and its subsidiaries have in place, comply with, and take appropriate steps designed to ensure compliance in all material respects with their policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security and the collection, storage, processing, use, disclosure, handling, and analysis of all sensitive, confidential, or regulated data (collectively “Sensitive Data”) and Personal Data (collectively all such policies, procedures comprising, the “Policies”). The Company has (i) provided accurate notice of its privacy practices then in effect to appropriate data subjects, which contain materially 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 and (ii) made all disclosures to appropriate data subjects required by applicable Privacy and Security Obligations in all material respects. None of such disclosures made have been inaccurate, misleading, deceptive or in violation of any Privacy and Security Obligations or Policies in any material respect. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or any other agreement referred to in this Agreement will not result in a breach of violation of any Privacy and Security Obligations or Policies. The Company further certifies that neither it nor any subsidiary: (i) has received notice of any actual or potential liability under or relating to, or actual or potential violation of, any of the Privacy and Security Obligations, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) is currently conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any investigation, remediation, or other corrective action pursuant to any Privacy and Security Obligation; or (iii) is a party to any order, decree, or agreement that imposes any obligation or liability under any Privacy and Security Obligation.
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(uu) The Company’s, its subsidiaries’, and, to the knowledge of the Company, its third party providers’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, technology systems and other systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, free and clear of all material bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants. The Company, its subsidiaries, and, to the knowledge of the Company, its third party service providers have implemented and maintained physical, technical and administrative controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards designed to maintain and protect its confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems (including all Sensitive Data) and data used in connection with the operation of the Company or its subsidiaries. The Company and its subsidiaries have used reasonable efforts to establish, and have established, commercially reasonable disaster recovery and security plans, procedures and facilities for the business, including, without limitation, for the information technology systems and data held or used by or for the Company or any of its subsidiaries. There have been no internal or external security breaches or attacks, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to the confidential data, or any other compromises of or relating to any such information technology system or data.
(vv) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any securities rated by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act.
2. Agreements to Sell and Purchase. The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite its name at $[●] a share (the “Purchase Price”).
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On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Additional Shares, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to [●] Additional Shares at the Purchase Price, provided, however, that the amount paid by the Underwriters for any Additional Shares shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on such Additional Shares. The Representatives may exercise this right on behalf of the Underwriters in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice to the Company not later than 30 days after the date of this Agreement. Any exercise notice shall specify the number of Additional Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such shares are to be purchased. Each purchase date must be at least one business day after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the closing date for the Firm Shares or later than ten business days after the date of such notice. Additional Shares may be purchased as provided in Section 4 hereof solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares. On each day, if any, that Additional Shares are to be purchased (an “Option Closing Date”), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares.
3. Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by the Representatives that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Shares as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as in the judgment of the Representatives is advisable. The Company is further advised by the Representatives that the Shares are to be offered to the public initially at $[●] a share (the “Public Offering Price”) and to certain dealers selected by the Representatives at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $[●] a share under the Public Offering Price, and that any Underwriter may allow, and such dealers may reallow, a concession, not in excess of $[●] a share, to any Underwriter or to certain other dealers.
4. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Firm Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at approximately 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on [●], 2024, or at such other time on the same or such other date, not later than [●], 2024, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.”
Payment for any Additional Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Additional Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at approximately 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than [●], 2024, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives.
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The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as Morgan Stanley shall request in writing not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be delivered to Morgan Stanley on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, any transfer taxes payable by the Underwriter in connection with the transfer of the Shares to the Underwriters will reduce the amount payable by the Underwriters for such shares.
5. Conditions to the Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Company to sell the Shares to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares on the Closing Date are subject to the condition that the Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date hereof.
The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following further conditions:
(a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date:
(i) no order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; and
(ii) there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable to market the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(b) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth (i) in Section 5(a)(i), (ii) that there has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and (iii) that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the Company has complied in all material respects with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date.
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The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.
(c) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter of Ropes & Gray LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives;
(d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter of Cooley LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(e) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Proskauer Rose LLP, intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(f) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Travers Thorp Alberga, as Cayman Islands counsel for the Company dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
With respect to Sections 5(c) and (d) above, Ropes & Gray LLP and Cooley LLP may state that their opinions and beliefs are based upon their participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and review and discussion of the contents thereof, but are without independent check or verification, except as specified.
The opinion and negative assurance letter of Ropes & Gray LLP described in Section 5(c) above shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company and shall so state therein.
(g) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof or the Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Ernst & Young LLP, independent public accountants, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than the date hereof.
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(h) The “lock-up” agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, executed by substantially all securityholders, and all officers and directors of the Company relating to restrictions on sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Common Stock or certain other securities, delivered to the Representatives on or before the date hereof (the “Lock-up Agreements”), shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.
(i) The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional Shares hereunder are subject to the delivery to the Representatives on the applicable Option Closing Date of the following:
(i) a certificate, dated the Option Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, confirming that the certificate delivered on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 5(b) hereof remains true and correct as of such Option Closing Date;
(ii) an opinion and negative assurance letter of Ropes & Gray LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof;
(iii) an opinion and negative assurance letter of Cooley LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(d) hereof;
(iv) a letter dated the Option Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Ernst & Young LLP, independent public accountants, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 5(f) hereof; provided that the letter delivered on the Option Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than two business days prior to such Option Closing Date;
(v) an opinion of Proskauer Rose LLP, intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(e) hereof; and
(vi) such other documents as the Representatives may reasonably request with respect to the good standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional Shares.
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6. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) To furnish to the Representatives, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto) upon request by the Representative and to furnish to the Representatives in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in Section 6(e) or 6(f) below, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(b) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, to furnish to the Representatives a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object in writing, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.
(c) To furnish to the Representatives a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus to be prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and not to use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus to which the Representatives reasonably object in writing.
(d) Not to take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriter that the Underwriter otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.
(e) If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Shares at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if during such time any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Time of Sale Prospectus is delivered to a prospective purchaser, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
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(f) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses the Representatives will furnish to the Company) to which Shares may have been sold by the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
(g) To use commercially reasonable efforts to qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall reasonably request; provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) execute or file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.
(h) To make generally available (which may be satisfied by filing with the Commission on its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System) to the Company’s security holders and to the Representatives as soon as practicable an earning statement covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the date of this Agreement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the Company’s option, Rule 158 of the Securities Act).
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(i) Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the Shares under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the reasonable and documented cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(g) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the Shares by FINRA (provided such fees and disbursements of counsel payable by the Company pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) shall not, in the aggregate, exceed $40,000), (v) all fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the Common Stock and all costs and expenses incident to listing the Shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, (vi) the cost of printing certificates representing the Shares, (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and 50% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show (the remaining 50% of the cost of such aircraft to be paid by the Underwriters), (ix) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement and (x) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 8 entitled “Indemnity and Contribution” and the last paragraph of Section 10 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including, without limitation, fees and disbursements of their counsel, travel and lodging expenses of the Underwriters (except as otherwise specifically set forth in clause (viii) of this paragraph with respect to the costs related to chartered aircraft, if any) stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Shares by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.
(j) The Company will promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (a) completion of the distribution of the Shares within the meaning of the Securities Act and (b) completion of the Restricted Period (as defined in this Section 6).
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(k) If at any time following the initial distribution of any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
(l) The Company will deliver to the Representatives (or their agent), on or prior to the date of execution of this Agreement, a properly completed and executed Certification Regarding Beneficial Owners of Legal Entity Customers, together with copies of identifying documentation, and the Company undertakes to provide such additional supporting documentation as each Underwriter may reasonably request in connection with the verification of the foregoing Certification.
The Company also covenants with each Underwriter that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Jefferies LLC, it will not, and will not publicly disclose an intention to, during the period ending 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Restricted Period”) (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, (2) enter into any hedging, swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, or (3) confidentially submit any draft registration statement or file any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock.
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The restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph shall not apply to (a) the Shares to be sold hereunder, (b) the issuance by the Company of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion or settlement of a security outstanding on the date hereof that is described in each of the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, (c) grants of options, restricted stock or other equity awards and the issuance of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock (whether upon the exercise of stock options or otherwise) to employees, officers, directors, advisors, or consultants of the Company pursuant to the terms of a plan as described in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, provided that the Company shall cause each recipient of such grant to execute and deliver to the Representatives an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto if such recipient has not already delivered one, (d) the filing of a registration statement on Form S-8 to register Common Stock issuable pursuant to any employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans, described in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, (e) Common Stock or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, Common Stock, or the entrance into an agreement to issue Common Stock or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, Common Stock, in connection with (i) the acquisition by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of the securities, business, property or other assets of another person or entity, including pursuant to an employee benefit or equity-based compensation plan or agreement assumed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries in connection with such acquisition or (ii) joint ventures, licensing arrangements, commercial relationships or other strategic transactions; provided that the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issued or issuable pursuant to this clause (e) shall not exceed ten percent of the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately following the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement and provided further that the Company shall cause each recipient of such shares to execute and deliver to the Representatives, on or prior to such issuance, a “lock-up” agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, or (f) facilitating the establishment of a trading plan on behalf of a stockholder, officer or director of the Company pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Common Stock, provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Common Stock during the Restricted Period and (ii) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Common Stock may be made under such plan during the Restricted Period.
If Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Jefferies LLC, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions on the transfer of Shares set forth in a Lock-up Agreement for an officer or director of the Company and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
7. Covenants of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter severally and not jointly covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission under Rule 433(d) a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of the Underwriter.
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8. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”), the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Testing-the-Waters Communication, or arise out of, or are based upon, any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading (in the case of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show, or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Testing-the-Waters Communication, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made), except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter through the Representatives consists of the following information in the Prospectus: the concession figure in the third paragraph and the information set forth in the thirteenth paragraph other than in the third and eighth sentences thereof, in each case under the caption “Underwriters” (the “Underwriting Information”). The Company agrees and confirms that references to “affiliates” of Morgan Stanley that appear in this Agreement shall be understood to include Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd.
(b) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to such Underwriter, but only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus, road show or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter through the Representatives consists of the Underwriting Information.
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(c) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 8(a) or 8(b), such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonably incurred and documented fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the reasonably incurred and documented fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonably incurred and documented fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all such indemnified parties and that all such reasonably incurred and documented fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. Such firm shall be designated in writing by the Representatives, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(a), and by the Company, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(b). The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for reasonably incurred and documented fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.
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(d) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 8(a) or 8(b) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 8(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 8(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to the respective number of Shares they have purchased hereunder, and not joint.
(e) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 8(d) shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 8 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
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(f) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 8 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter or by or on behalf of the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Shares.
9. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by the Representatives to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to or on the Closing Date or any Option Closing Date, as the case may be, (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Market, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any national securities exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by Federal or New York State authorities or (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (v), makes it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.
10. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Shares that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of the Shares to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as the Representatives may specify, to purchase the Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the number of Shares that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 10 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of Shares without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Shares and the aggregate number of Firm Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Firm Shares are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company. In any such case either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Prospectus, in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional Shares and the aggregate number of Additional Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional Shares that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
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If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, other than by reason of a default by the Underwriters or following termination of this Agreement pursuant to clauses (i), (iii), (iv) or (v) of Section 9 of this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the reasonably incurred and documented fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred and documented by such non-defaulting Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the offering contemplated hereunder.
11. Entire Agreement. (a) This Agreement, together with any contemporaneous written agreements and any prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement) that relate to the offering of the Shares, represents the entire agreement between the Company and the Underwriters with respect to the preparation of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the conduct of the offering, and the purchase and sale of the Shares.
(b) The Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the Shares: (i) the Underwriters have acted at arm’s length, are not agents of, and owe no fiduciary duties to, the Company or any other person, (ii) the Underwriters owe the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement, any contemporaneous written agreements and prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement), if any, (iii) the Underwriters may have interests that differ from those of the Company, and (iv) none of the activities of the Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated herein constitutes a recommendation, investment advice, or solicitation of any action by the Underwriters with respect to any entity or natural person. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Underwriters arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Shares.
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12. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes. (a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For purposes of this Section a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
13. Counterparts and Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. Electronic signatures complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law will be deemed original signatures for purposes of this Agreement. Transmission by telecopy, electronic mail or other transmission method of an executed counterpart of this Agreement will constitute due and sufficient delivery of such counterpart.
14. Applicable Law. This Agreement, any claim, controversy or disputes arising under or related to this Agreement and any transaction contemplated by this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
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15. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
16. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only upon receipt and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered, mailed or sent to the Representatives in care of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department; Jefferies LLC, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Facsimile: (646) 619-4437, Attention: General Counsel; and if to the Company shall be delivered, mailed or sent to Zenas BioPharma, Inc., 1000 Winter Street, North Building, Suite 1200, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, Attention: Chase Jayasekera, VP Head of Legal, with a copy to Thomas Danielski, Ropes & Gray LLP, Prudential Tower, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02199.
[Signature page follows.]
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| Very truly yours, | ||
| ZENAS BIOPHARMA, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Accepted as of the date hereof
MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC
JEFFERIES LLC
Acting severally on behalf of themselves and
the several Underwriters named in
Schedule I hereto.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| Jefferies LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
| Underwriter | Number of Firm Shares To Be Purchased | |
| Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | [●] | |
| Jefferies LLC | [●] | |
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | [●] | |
| Guggenheim Securities, LLC | [●] | |
| Total: | [●] |
I-1
SCHEDULE II
Time of Sale Prospectus
| 1. | Preliminary Prospectus issued [●], 2024 |
| 2. | Pricing Information: |
Firm Shares: [●]
Additional Shares: [●]
Public Offering Price: $[●] per share
Issuer Directed Allocation: The underwriters intend to make issuer directed allocations in the aggregate of [●] shares to certain investors.
II-1
SCHEDULE III
Testing-the-Waters Communications
Zenas – Testing-the-Waters Presentation.
III-1
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
_____________, 2024
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
Jefferies LLC
| c/o | Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC |
| 1585 Broadway | |
| New York, New York 10036 |
| c/o | Jefferies LLC |
| 520 Madison Avenue | |
| New York, New York 10022 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned understands that Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) and Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), as representatives of the several Underwriters, propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Zenas BioPharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), providing for the public offering (the “Public Offering”) by the several Underwriters, including Morgan Stanley and Jefferies (the “Underwriters”), of shares (the “Shares”) of the common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”).
To induce the Underwriters that may participate in the Public Offering to continue their efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley and Jefferies on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, and will not publicly disclose an intention to, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the final prospectus (the “Restricted Period”) relating to the Public Offering (the “Prospectus”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), by the undersigned or any other securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the foregoing precludes the undersigned from engaging in any hedging or other transactions designed or intended, or which could reasonably be expected, to lead to or result in, a sale or disposition of any shares of Common Stock, or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, even if any such sale or disposition transaction or transactions would be made or executed by or on behalf of someone other than the undersigned.
The foregoing paragraph shall not apply to:
(a) transactions relating to shares of Common Stock or other securities acquired in the Public Offering or in open market transactions after the pricing of the Public Offering; provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with subsequent sales of Common Stock or other securities acquired in the Public Offering or in such open market transactions;
(b) transfers of shares of Common Stock or any other securities (i) as a bona fide gift or for bona fide estate planning purposes, (ii) to an immediate family member (as defined below) or to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or an immediate family member of the undersigned, (iii) to any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, investment fund, trust or other entity of which the undersigned and the immediate family of the undersigned are the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity securities or similar interests, or (iv) by will, other testamentary document or intestate succession to the legal representative, heir, beneficiary or an immediate family member of the undersigned; provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to this clause (b), (A) each donee, distributee or transferee shall sign and deliver a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this agreement, (B) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock, shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period, (C) other than in the case of preceding clauses (i) and (iv), no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock, shall be required during the Restricted Period (other than a required filing on Schedule 13D, 13F or 13G) and, to the extent a filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act is required during the Restricted Period as a result of transfers pursuant to clauses (i) and (iv) of this paragraph, such filing shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the circumstances described in clause (i) or clause (iv) hereof, respectively, and (D) such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value;
(c) transfers of shares of Common Stock or any other securities to a charitable organization or educational institution in a transaction not involving a disposition for value; provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to this clause (c), (A) each transferee shall sign and deliver a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this agreement and (B) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock, shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period and, to the extent a Form 4 or Form 5 filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act is required during the Restricted Period as a result of transfers made pursuant to this clause (c), such filing shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the circumstances described in this clause (c);
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(d) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity, (i) transfers or distributions of shares of Common Stock or any other securities to current or former general or limited partners, managers or members, stockholders, other equityholders or direct or indirect affiliates (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) of the undersigned, or to the estates of any of the foregoing or (ii) transfers or distributions to any investment fund or other entity controlling, controlled by, managing or managed by or under common control with the undersigned or affiliates of the undersigned (including, for the avoidance of doubt, where the undersigned is a partnership, to its general partner or a successor partnership or fund, or any other funds managed by such partnership); provided that, in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to this clause (d), (A) each distributee or transferee shall sign and deliver a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this agreement, (B) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period (other than a required filing on Schedule 13D, 13F or 13G), and (C) such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value;
(e) the transfer of shares of Common Stock or any other securities to the Company to satisfy any tax, including estimated tax, remittance, or other payment obligations of the undersigned arising in connection with a vesting event of the Company’s securities, upon the settlement of restricted stock units or the payment due for the exercise of options (including a transfer to the Company for the “net” or “cashless” exercise of options) or other rights to purchase securities of the Company, in all such cases pursuant to equity awards granted under a stock incentive plan or other equity award plan of the Company described in the Prospectus; provided, that any remaining shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into Common Stock received upon such vesting, settlement or exercise shall be subject to the terms of this agreement; and provided further, that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock, shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period and, to the extent a filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act is required during the Restricted Period as a result of transfers made pursuant to this clause (e), such filing shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the circumstances described in this clause (e), including that (i) the securities remain subject to the terms of this agreement and (ii) that no securities were sold by the undersigned;
(f) the establishment or amendment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Common Stock; provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Common Stock during the Restricted Period, and (ii) to the extent a filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement is required or voluntarily made during the Restricted Period by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Common Stock may be made under such plan during the Restricted Period and any such filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the circumstances described in this clause (f);
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(g) the transfer of shares of Common Stock or any other securities that occurs by operation of law pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a divorce settlement or other court order; provided that (i) the transferee shall sign and deliver a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this agreement, and (ii) and, to the extent a filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act is required during the Restricted Period as a result of transfers made pursuant to this clause (g), such filing shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the circumstances described in this clause (g);
(h) transfers to the Company in connection with the repurchase of Common Stock in connection with the termination of the undersigned’s employment with the Company pursuant to contractual agreements with the Company as in effect as of the date of the Prospectus and described in the Prospectus; provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock, shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period and, to the extent a filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act is required during the Restricted Period as a result of transfers made pursuant to this clause (h), such filing shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the circumstances described in this clause (h);
(i) the conversion of shares of the Company’s convertible preferred stock into shares of Common Stock as described in the Prospectus; provided that, in each case, such shares shall continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in this agreement;
(j) the transfer of shares of Common Stock or any other securities pursuant to a bona fide third- party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction that is approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, made to all holders of Common Stock involving a change of control (as defined below); provided that, in the event that the change of control is not completed, the Common Stock owned by the undersigned shall remain subject to the restrictions contained in this agreement; or
(k) transfers with the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley and Jefferies on behalf of the Underwriters.
As used herein, (i) “immediate family member” means the spouse, domestic partner, lineal descendant, father, mother, brother, sister, or any other person with whom the undersigned has a relationship by blood, marriage or adoption not more remote than first cousin and (ii) “change of control” shall mean the transfer (whether by tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, to a person or group of affiliated persons (other than an Underwriter pursuant to the Public Offering), of the Company’s voting securities if, after such transfer, such person or group of affiliated persons would hold more than 50% of the number of outstanding voting securities of the Company (or the surviving entity) and 50% of the voting control of the outstanding voting securities of the Company (or the surviving entity).
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In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley and Jefferies on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the Restricted Period, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the foregoing restrictions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed Shares the undersigned may purchase in the Public Offering.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) Morgan Stanley and Jefferies agree that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of shares of Common Stock, Morgan Stanley and Jefferies will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Company will agree or has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by Morgan Stanley and Jefferies hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration or to an immediate family member as defined in FINRA Rule 5130(i)(5) and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this agreement to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.
The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offering. The undersigned further understands that this agreement is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns.
The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters have not provided any recommendation or investment advice nor have the Underwriters solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the Public Offering of the Shares and the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate. The undersigned further acknowledges and agrees that, although the Underwriters may provide certain Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS disclosures or other related documentation to you in connection with the Public Offering, the Underwriters are not making a recommendation to you to participate in the Public Offering or sell any Shares at the price determined in the Public Offering, and nothing set forth in such disclosures or documentation is intended to suggest that any Underwriter is making such a recommendation. The undersigned further acknowledges and agrees that none of the Underwriters has made any recommendation or provided any investment or other advice to the undersigned with respect to this Lock-Up Agreement or the subject matter hereof, and the undersigned has consulted its own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory, tax and other advisors with respect to this Lock-Up Agreement and the subject matter hereof to the extent the undersigned has deemed appropriate.
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Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the Underwriters.
This agreement shall automatically terminate and the undersigned will be released from all obligations hereunder upon the earliest to occur, if any, of (a) the Company, on the one hand, or Morgan Stanley and Jefferies, on the other hand, advising the other in writing that such party or parties have determined not to proceed with the Public Offering prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, (b) the date the registration statement on Form S-1 is withdrawn, (c) the date the Underwriting Agreement is terminated (other than the provisions thereof that survive termination pursuant to the terms thereof), if prior to the closing of the Public Offering, and (d) December 31, 2024, if the Underwriting Agreement has not been executed by such date, provided that the term of this agreement may be extended by three months at the Company’s sole discretion.
This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
[Signature page follows]
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This agreement may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com or www.echosign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
Very truly yours,
| Name of Securityholder (Print exact name) | ||
| By: | ||
| Signature | ||
| If not signing in an individual capacity: | ||
| Name of Authorized Signatory (Print) | ||
| Title of Authorized Signatory (Print) | ||
| (indicate capacity of person signing if signing as custodian, trustee, or on behalf of an entity) | ||
A-1
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF WAIVER OF LOCK-UP
_____________, 20__
[Name and Address of
Officer or Director
Requesting Waiver]
Dear Mr./Ms. [Name]:
This letter is being delivered to you in connection with the offering by Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (the “Company”) of [●] shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company and the lock-up agreement dated ____, 2023 (the “Lock-up Agreement”), executed by you in connection with such offering, and your request for a [waiver] [release] dated ____, 20__, with respect to ____ shares of Common Stock (the “Shares”).
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Jefferies LLC hereby agree to [waive] [release] the transfer restrictions set forth in the Lock-up Agreement, but only with respect to the Shares, effective _____, 20__; provided, however, that such [waiver] [release] is conditioned on the Company announcing the impending [waiver] [release] by press release through a major news service at least two business days before effectiveness of such [waiver] [release]. This letter will serve as notice to the Company of the impending [waiver] [release].
Except as expressly [waived] [released] hereby, the Lock-up Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
B-1
| Very truly yours, | ||
| Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | ||
| Jefferies LLC | ||
| Acting severally on behalf of themselves and the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto | ||
| Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| Jefferies LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
cc: Zenas BioPharma, Inc.
B-2
FORM OF PRESS RELEASE
Zenas BioPharma, Inc.
[Date]
Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (the “Company”) announced today that Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Jefferies LLC, the lead book-running managers in the Company’s recent public sale of [●] shares of common stock are [waiving][releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to ____ shares of the Company’s common stock held by [certain officers or directors] [an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver][release] will take effect on ____, 20__, and the shares may be sold on or after such date.
This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
B-3
